Mary and Joseph Beside the Baby Jesus in the Mangerby CBPepper
2:16Luke 2:16
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
The shepherds hurried at once to Bethlehem after the angels withdrew and found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in a manger exactly as had been told them. Finding Him just as described confirmed the heavenly sign and filled them with joy, amazement, love and gratitude at God's condescension in sending the Saviour in such lowliness. He lay there a helpless infant in humble earthly surroundings without royal guard or honored attendance, His divine glory veiled by humanity and avoiding all outward display. The news was sent to humble shepherds who were praying for the promised Saviour rather than to the priests and rulers, who looked for a mighty temporal king and were too proud to receive the Messiah as a child. The shepherds worshipped the newborn Christ and spread the glad tidings everywhere, showing that God's sympathy reaches the humblest and sanctifies lowly life and honest work.
Shepherds Hasten To Bethlehem
As soon as the angels went away into heaven, the light faded and the shadows of night fell again on the hills, yet the brightest picture ever beheld remained in memory. The shepherds said to one another that they would go to Bethlehem to see this thing which the Lord had made known to them, and they acted at once and came in haste. Their fear gave way to joy, for they were strengthened to endure the heavenly glory and glowed with the glad tidings as they hurried in search of the Saviour.
They found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger exactly as the heavenly messengers had announced. The infant was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the narrow confines of an animal feeding place. Finding the child just as described confirmed the sign and message given to them.
The sight made an indelible impression that filled them with joy, amazement, love, and gratitude for God's gift of the Saviour. They marveled at His great condescension in sending His Son into the world in such humble circumstances. They joyfully went to receive and worship the newborn Christ as an infant of days.
Then they spread the joyful tidings everywhere of the wondrous glory they saw and the celestial praises they heard. Their visit and report made the birth known in Jerusalem.
Humility And Reception Of Christ
The babe found with Mary and Joseph at Bethlehem lay as a helpless infant in a manger, in narrow and humble earthly surroundings without royal guards or honored visitors. His only guardians were lowly peasant parents, and His divine glory was veiled by humanity. He avoided outward display so that worldly wealth, honor, or greatness would not draw people to Him. People are to follow Him because of the beauty of heavenly truth and the testimony of God's word, not because of earthly status or appearance.
The news of His birth was sent to shepherds keeping their flocks by night on the hills around Bethlehem instead of to the priests and rulers. Those leaders expected a mighty temporal king who would make them rich and great and were too proud to receive the Messiah as a helpless child. The shepherds were good men who talked together about the promised Saviour and prayed so earnestly for His coming that bright messengers were sent from the throne of light to teach them. His lowly arrival thus went unrecognized by the learned and powerful, while the announcement came to humble shepherds.
While all heaven was thrilled with joy, only a few in Israel longing to behold the Unseen received heaven's embassy and found Him, because Jerusalem was not preparing to welcome her Redeemer. Angels who had wondered at the glorious plan of redemption watched to see how God's people would receive His Son clothed in humanity, coming unseen to Jerusalem to the appointed expositors of the Sacred Oracles and ministers of His house. Already the nearness of His coming had been announced to Zacharias as he ministered before the altar, already the forerunner was born with his mission attested by miracle and prophecy and the tidings spread abroad, yet the heavenly messengers beheld with amazement the indifference of the people called to communicate sacred truth to the world. The Jewish nation preserved as a witness that Christ would be born of Abraham's seed and of David's line did not know His coming was at hand, and in the temple where morning and evening sacrifice daily pointed to the Lamb of God there was no preparation to receive Him. The priests and teachers rehearsed meaningless prayers and performed rites of worship to be seen by men, unprepared in strife for riches and worldly honor, and the same indifference pervaded Israel with selfish world-engrossed hearts untouched by the joy that thrilled heaven.
The priests and rabbis who could have gone to see Jesus refused, dismissing the shepherds' report rather than accepting instruction from people they considered beneath them. The very ones who ought first to have welcomed Him did not discern Him because He was not the temporal prince their ambitious hopes desired, and that delusive hope led to misapplication of Scripture. The humble shepherds instead believed the message, hurried to Bethlehem, found Him as a newborn of poor parentage lying in a manger with Mary and Joseph, and received and worshiped Him as an infant of days in poverty and humility. God revealed truth to such receptive people who heeded the light, while the proud and unbelieving failed to recognize the time of their visitation.
His coming fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah's advent just as prophecy declared He would come, with divinity clothed with humanity and majesty and lowliness combined. Angels announced His birth and where He could be found, veiling their glory, and the heavenly chorus rang over the hills of Bethlehem with hosannas to the newborn King, whom the shepherds joyfully went to find that they might worship Him. The story of Bethlehem shows God's sympathy reaches the humblest and lowliest, for Jesus accepted a lowly beginning and humble life sharing human doubts and needs so that every kind of honest work and humble station could be sanctified and lived for God. The shepherds' revelation of Christ came differently from the Magi's, because God reached each group in a way suited to them.
The shepherds hurried at once to Bethlehem after the angels withdrew and found Mary and Joseph and the infant lying in a manger exactly as had been told them. Finding Him just as described confirmed the heavenly sign and filled them with joy, amazement, love and gratitude at God's condescension in sending the Saviour in such lowliness. He lay there a helpless infant in humble earthly surroundings without royal guard or honored attendance, His divine glory veiled by humanity and avoiding all outward display. The news was sent to humble shepherds who were praying for the promised Saviour rather than to the priests and rulers, who looked for a mighty temporal king and were too proud to receive the Messiah as a child. The shepherds worshipped the newborn Christ and spread the glad tidings everywhere, showing that God's sympathy reaches the humblest and sanctifies lowly life and honest work.
Shepherds Hasten To Bethlehem
As soon as the angels went away into heaven, the light faded and the shadows of night fell again on the hills, yet the brightest picture ever beheld remained in memory. The shepherds said to one another that they would go to Bethlehem to see this thing which the Lord had made known to them, and they acted at once and came in haste. Their fear gave way to joy, for they were strengthened to endure the heavenly glory and glowed with the glad tidings as they hurried in search of the Saviour.
They found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger exactly as the heavenly messengers had announced. The infant was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the narrow confines of an animal feeding place. Finding the child just as described confirmed the sign and message given to them.
The sight made an indelible impression that filled them with joy, amazement, love, and gratitude for God's gift of the Saviour. They marveled at His great condescension in sending His Son into the world in such humble circumstances. They joyfully went to receive and worship the newborn Christ as an infant of days.
Then they spread the joyful tidings everywhere of the wondrous glory they saw and the celestial praises they heard. Their visit and report made the birth known in Jerusalem.
Humility And Reception Of Christ
The babe found with Mary and Joseph at Bethlehem lay as a helpless infant in a manger, in narrow and humble earthly surroundings without royal guards or honored visitors. His only guardians were lowly peasant parents, and His divine glory was veiled by humanity. He avoided outward display so that worldly wealth, honor, or greatness would not draw people to Him. People are to follow Him because of the beauty of heavenly truth and the testimony of God's word, not because of earthly status or appearance.
The news of His birth was sent to shepherds keeping their flocks by night on the hills around Bethlehem instead of to the priests and rulers. Those leaders expected a mighty temporal king who would make them rich and great and were too proud to receive the Messiah as a helpless child. The shepherds were good men who talked together about the promised Saviour and prayed so earnestly for His coming that bright messengers were sent from the throne of light to teach them. His lowly arrival thus went unrecognized by the learned and powerful, while the announcement came to humble shepherds.
While all heaven was thrilled with joy, only a few in Israel longing to behold the Unseen received heaven's embassy and found Him, because Jerusalem was not preparing to welcome her Redeemer. Angels who had wondered at the glorious plan of redemption watched to see how God's people would receive His Son clothed in humanity, coming unseen to Jerusalem to the appointed expositors of the Sacred Oracles and ministers of His house. Already the nearness of His coming had been announced to Zacharias as he ministered before the altar, already the forerunner was born with his mission attested by miracle and prophecy and the tidings spread abroad, yet the heavenly messengers beheld with amazement the indifference of the people called to communicate sacred truth to the world. The Jewish nation preserved as a witness that Christ would be born of Abraham's seed and of David's line did not know His coming was at hand, and in the temple where morning and evening sacrifice daily pointed to the Lamb of God there was no preparation to receive Him. The priests and teachers rehearsed meaningless prayers and performed rites of worship to be seen by men, unprepared in strife for riches and worldly honor, and the same indifference pervaded Israel with selfish world-engrossed hearts untouched by the joy that thrilled heaven.
The priests and rabbis who could have gone to see Jesus refused, dismissing the shepherds' report rather than accepting instruction from people they considered beneath them. The very ones who ought first to have welcomed Him did not discern Him because He was not the temporal prince their ambitious hopes desired, and that delusive hope led to misapplication of Scripture. The humble shepherds instead believed the message, hurried to Bethlehem, found Him as a newborn of poor parentage lying in a manger with Mary and Joseph, and received and worshiped Him as an infant of days in poverty and humility. God revealed truth to such receptive people who heeded the light, while the proud and unbelieving failed to recognize the time of their visitation.
His coming fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah's advent just as prophecy declared He would come, with divinity clothed with humanity and majesty and lowliness combined. Angels announced His birth and where He could be found, veiling their glory, and the heavenly chorus rang over the hills of Bethlehem with hosannas to the newborn King, whom the shepherds joyfully went to find that they might worship Him. The story of Bethlehem shows God's sympathy reaches the humblest and lowliest, for Jesus accepted a lowly beginning and humble life sharing human doubts and needs so that every kind of honest work and humble station could be sanctified and lived for God. The shepherds' revelation of Christ came differently from the Magi's, because God reached each group in a way suited to them.