"Let us now go... and see this thing" - Following the Example of the Shepherds

In my last post, I talked a lot about the Wise Men. I quite liked thinking through the idea that I wrote about, so if you haven't read it, you should. Just click here!

But, if we are going to talk about one stereotypical aspect of the Nativity scene and pull out some deeper meaning, we have to do the other, as well. I want to talk about the Shepherds.

Anyone who has seen A Charlie Brown Christmas has heard Linus perfectly recite the classic announcement of the angels to the "shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8):

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:10-12).

Immediately following, concourses of angels appeared, praising God, thrilled at the peace that was soon coming to the Earth.

Put yourself in the shepherds' shoes (sandals?). It was springtime, the sheep were in birthing season. It was the middle of night, the shepherds were busy and tired. They had things to do, lambs to birth, excuses that could easily be made. But, rather than making excuses, they said, "Let us now go... and see this thing" (Luke 2:15). They "made haste" (Luke 2:16) and came to the find the Son of God laying in a manger, just as the angels had said.

Here is where I want us to think. The Messiah had been awaited throughout the history of Judaism. However, the scribes at this time were expecting something flashy, something grand. They didn't just want a Redeemer, they wanted a Deliverer. They wanted a King who would eradicate foreign powers from Jerusalem.

They did not want a baby boy born to poor parents in a manure-ridden stable.

However, when the Shepherds saw Jesus and His mother, something clicked for them. The very next verse says they ran all over Jerusalem telling everyone about this new Boy. It's interesting, for we see the exact same thing at the beginning of John, when Phillip invites Nathanael to "come and see" the Christ (John 1:46). Within verses, Nathanael is testifying that Jesus is surely the Son of God.

As missionaries, we don't go around toting titles as the smartest most educated scholars. We can only invite people to "come and see," asking them to "now go... and see this thing." Just as the Shepherds and
Nathanael were pleasantly surprised with what they saw, many who follow our invitation are touched with the Holy Ghost and gain a renewed friendship with the Lord.

When I was reading this story, I thought of another story of someone who saw the Nativity scene. In 1 Nephi 11, Nephi is trying to gain an understanding of his father's dream of a Tree of Life with marvelous fruit, an iron rod, and a great and spacious building. When an angel comes to him, asking what he desires, his first question is about the meaning of the tree, itself. The angel has an interesting way of answering:

"And it came to pass that [the angel] said unto me [Nephi]: Look! And I looked ... and I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. ... And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!" (1 Nephi 11:12-21)

Then the angel posts an interesting question: "Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?" (1 Nephi 11:21) See? He never answers Nephi's question. He just shows him the baby Jesus in the arms of Mary and then reposes the same question right back to Nephi. What is remarkable is that Nephi gets it!

"And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul" (1 Nephi 11:22-23).

See? When the Shepherds saw the Nativity, they ran to tell everyone. When Nephi saw the same scene, 600 years earlier, it described it as "the most desirable above all things." This is what Christmas is all about: The love of God! It is the one of the happiest times of the year because it represents that which is "most joyous to the soul"!

Granted, most of us don't have angels telling us where we need to go and what we need to do, but we have a member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. How much greater is the Spirit of God than an angel? So, when the Spirit says "Look!" then look! When the spirit tells you to "go now and see this thing" then go and see it! You can never be disappointed when you follow the promptings of the Spirit!