Luke is the only gospel writer to include the story of the shepherds visiting the newborn baby on the same day/night he was born. “In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. “For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah). “And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find a Baby wrapped in [swaddling] cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 (AMP)
Again I’ll ask you to imagine yourself as Mary on the night she has given birth for the first time in her very short life. You’re exhausted from days of traveling in addition to having gone through labor pains. I don’t know for sure how she managed everything, but I remember after I gave birth to my first born son, I was exhausted (and that was in a hospital!). All I wanted to do was go to sleep and have everyone leave me alone.
Yet, Scripture tells us that the shepherds left their flocks and followed the directions of the angels. “So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger.” Luke 2:16 (AMP). The exhausted teenage new mother now had guests coming to see her newborn baby. I don’t suppose the shepherds stopped on their journey to take a quick shower either. Of course, in that time and culture, people didn’t focus on taking baths, clean clothes as much as they do now. But, I remember that after my children were born, it seemed that smells were intensified.
I also remember that holding my children for the first time was a precious moment – a bonding that has stayed with me ever since. That baby was part of me. Jesus was part of Mary and she loved Him very much. He was a helpless infant, dependent upon Mary to provide for His physical and emotional needs from that moment on.
What can I learn from this portion of Mary’s story? God knows where I am at all times. Mary had left Nazareth and traveled for at least 4 days to get to Bethlehem, but God knew where she was every step of the way. God takes care of me beyond what I can see in the circumstances of the moment. Mary didn’t go into labor on days 1, 2, or 3 of their journey. We also do not know if she went into labor the first night of their stay in Bethlehem. God’s timing is always perfect (even if it doesn’t seem like it from my perspective). I need to trust God even when I don’t feel like being hospitable. After laboring to give birth to Jesus, Mary still was gracious to the shepherds who came to worship her newborn son. There are so many times when I don’t think I have energy left to handle one more thing, one more person asking for a moment of my time. Yet, God will provide the energy (as I can testify has happened multiple times over and over). If God needs me to do something, He always provides the resources to accomplish whatever is needed to be done to bring glory and honor to His name.
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 5/31/25, 8:45pm