Responding to God’s work

The Bible is full of various responses to God’s word and works. In the Old Testament we read about how Moses questions God, wondering how Pharaoh will respond to the demand to let God’s people go. We have read in Luke’s Gospel about the various responses to God’s promises. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, questioned God in a doubting way, while Mary, the mother of Jesus, questioned in amazement. Their different responses were met with different answers. Zechariah is told he will not speak until his son is born, while Mary is answered because her question came from faith.

We see the different responses not only to God’s promises, but also to God’s works. In Luke 2 we read of the birth of Jesus. In some ways, it is a surprisingly small account that takes only a few verses. It is surprising because this is the fulfillment of the promises through the Old Testament. God told Adam and Eve about the child who would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) and he promised to Abraham a child through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3). The Psalmist sang of the one who would not be abandoned to the grave (Psalm 16) and the prophet spoke of the one who would be wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53).

The whole of the Old Testament promised a Messiah who would right all wrongs. The birth of the long-awaited child is met with praise, awe, wonder, and speculation. What’s amazing, though, is how low-key the birth of Jesus was. An angelic host showed up to sing of God’s mercies, but the only human audience were shepherds. Their immediate response to the angel’s was fear. The angel had to say “Fear not!” Anyone who has read the Biblical description of angels understands why they might afraid. (Ezekiel 1:15-21)

Why were the shepherds involved? Shepherds kept night watches in turn and were said to live outdoors, as they protected the sheep from robbers and wild animals. So, was it simply a case of being in the right place at the right time? Some have tried to say that God came to shepherds because they were the basest of society to show that he was redeeming the worst offenders. That simply can’t be the case. Significant Jewish leaders had spent time as shepherds (Moses and David) and later in the New Testament; those who lead the church will be referred to as shepherds. I believe the reason that shepherds were appeared to is that they represent the lowly and humble who respond to God’s message. They believe immediately.

Luke points out that the crowds, upon being told all of this by the shepherds, “wondered.” He uses this same word for a crowd’s response two other times. Once we have already encountered in the birth of John the Baptist – the crowds wondered at all that had gone on in Zechariah receiving back his ability to talk. Later the people will wonder about Jesus restoring a mute man’s speech. While the word can be used to point out those who marvel at God’s works and go on to experience change due to these works – it is not used that way here. The people simply wonder; they are amazed at what they have heard. The response of the crowd is put in sharp contrast between the responses first of the shepherds and then of Mary, “but Mary treasured up all these things.” Luke’s point is clear: the angels praised God for his works, the shepherds trusted God’s words and His divine interpretation of the events and told them to others, Mary treasured all these things up, but the crowds simply wondered.

We are called upon to consider what has happened, to wrestle with it, put it in order and from there to praise God for what he has done. This is not easy, and it certainly is not simple. Much of this account was just as hard to believe in the first century as it is today. Even then, many would have thought of this story as crazy. This is why Luke goes through great lengths to document historical facts in connection with this miraculous event. He doesn’t want to move away from the miraculous, but he wants to place it securely in this world so that we can have certainty in what he has been taught. It doesn’t stop there. It is not simple acceptance but must include trust.

Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Opinion