I’m
sure you know what to do with a tea towel. Tie it around someone’s head and you
can turn them into a shepherd. This works well if you live in a culture that
appreciates nativity plays. But why did the angel of the Lord bring news of the
Messiah’s birth to those engaged in caring for sheep? Was everyone else
drinking at the inn?
Scholars say the shepherds living in the fields below Bethlehem were different from others. They were employed by the High Priest. They could have been Levites ordained to select animals for sacrificial purposes and probably congregated at Midal Edar, a thousand paces from Bethlehem. This ‘Tower of the Flock’ is where Rachel gave birth to Benjamin. Here a new-born lamb, chosen for sacrifice, would be wrapped in strips of cloth known as swaddling bands and lain a depression in the limestone rock known as ‘the manger’ to keep it clean and prevent it from getting blemished.
Every day, two male lambs were sacrificed as a burnt offering at the temple in Jerusalem. In the thirty days before Passover huge numbers of year-old male lambs belonging to the High Priest were gathered outside Bethlehem before being taken six miles north, to be sacrificed or eaten in commemoration of the Passover when Jews and Samaritans remember how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Instead of two men and a boy there would have been quite a number of trust-worthy shepherds living in the fields to look after the ewes and especially chosen lambs around the clock. It was to these working men that God chose to declare news of the Messiah’s arrival on Earth. What would they have thought of the great company of heavenly host who appeared with the angel? How would they have described it to the High Priest who employed them?
The glimpse of heaven recorded in Luke’s Gospel is treasured by men on whom God’s favour rests and yet we only read this account once a year, usually when we are stressed out by the pressure of choosing presents or decorating fir trees. Perhaps we should take time to contemplate the night sky instead of rushing about shopping. Angels must be terrifying. Mary, who had met the angel Gabriel in Nazareth nine months earlier, must have been re-assured by the shepherds’ story, especially after giving birth in what could have been a filthy stable. Some say Jesus may have been born at Midal Edar and lain in the limestone manger. The shepherds would have known this spot and hurried there without hesitation. Whatever the exact location, it was likely to have been ritually unclean.
The meaning of Christ’s birth would have been instantly recognised by shepherds as soon as they saw the baby Jesus. They got the message. It was the pure, spotless lamb, wrapped in swaddling bands and lain in a manger, that was chosen as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
One of the best things about Christmas is that it has become a family occasion. Expectations rise, friends gather and show their love for each other, making an effort to reach out to the lonely. We serve God by ministering to our children and making proper use of tea towels. What more can we do? Perhaps remember the Lord Jesus put an end to the need for animal sacrifice as we try not incinerate our turkey.
Scholars say the shepherds living in the fields below Bethlehem were different from others. They were employed by the High Priest. They could have been Levites ordained to select animals for sacrificial purposes and probably congregated at Midal Edar, a thousand paces from Bethlehem. This ‘Tower of the Flock’ is where Rachel gave birth to Benjamin. Here a new-born lamb, chosen for sacrifice, would be wrapped in strips of cloth known as swaddling bands and lain a depression in the limestone rock known as ‘the manger’ to keep it clean and prevent it from getting blemished.
Every day, two male lambs were sacrificed as a burnt offering at the temple in Jerusalem. In the thirty days before Passover huge numbers of year-old male lambs belonging to the High Priest were gathered outside Bethlehem before being taken six miles north, to be sacrificed or eaten in commemoration of the Passover when Jews and Samaritans remember how God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. Instead of two men and a boy there would have been quite a number of trust-worthy shepherds living in the fields to look after the ewes and especially chosen lambs around the clock. It was to these working men that God chose to declare news of the Messiah’s arrival on Earth. What would they have thought of the great company of heavenly host who appeared with the angel? How would they have described it to the High Priest who employed them?
The glimpse of heaven recorded in Luke’s Gospel is treasured by men on whom God’s favour rests and yet we only read this account once a year, usually when we are stressed out by the pressure of choosing presents or decorating fir trees. Perhaps we should take time to contemplate the night sky instead of rushing about shopping. Angels must be terrifying. Mary, who had met the angel Gabriel in Nazareth nine months earlier, must have been re-assured by the shepherds’ story, especially after giving birth in what could have been a filthy stable. Some say Jesus may have been born at Midal Edar and lain in the limestone manger. The shepherds would have known this spot and hurried there without hesitation. Whatever the exact location, it was likely to have been ritually unclean.
The meaning of Christ’s birth would have been instantly recognised by shepherds as soon as they saw the baby Jesus. They got the message. It was the pure, spotless lamb, wrapped in swaddling bands and lain in a manger, that was chosen as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.
One of the best things about Christmas is that it has become a family occasion. Expectations rise, friends gather and show their love for each other, making an effort to reach out to the lonely. We serve God by ministering to our children and making proper use of tea towels. What more can we do? Perhaps remember the Lord Jesus put an end to the need for animal sacrifice as we try not incinerate our turkey.
An
extract from ‘Merry Christmas Everyone, A Festive Feast of Poems and
Reflections’ pub by ACW, available to order from libraries, good bookshops and
online from amazon.co.uk
