The Gospel of Luke: Marveling at the Manger

Transcript

JRNT 72
11/24/2024
The Gospel of Luke: Marveling at the Manger
Luke 2: 15-20
Jesse Randolph

Well, we are back in our study of the Gospel of Luke this morning in what is really a magnificent section of scripture. We’re approaching the Christmas holiday. We’ve been working through and to and throughout the account of the birth of our Lord in Luke chapter 2. We’ve seen that scene with the manger and the angels and the shepherds.

Turn with me, if you would, in your bibles to Luke 2. And as you’re doing so, just a reminder that what we’ve seen so far is the birth account of Jesus Christ from a few different perspectives.
For instance, we’ve seen that the birth of Christ occurred in a specific political setting. Namely, during the days of the rule of a man named Caesar Augustus, who was then emperor in Rome. During the days that a man named Quirinius was governor in Syria. That places the date of the birth of Christ likely between 6 and 4 B.C.

We’ve also seen that the birth of Christ occurred in a specific familial setting as our incarnate Lord was being carried in the womb of a young Jewish virgin girl named Mary who was betrothed to a young Jewish man named Joseph. We’ve seen that the birth of Christ occurred in a specific prophetic setting with Joseph being of the house and family of David along with Mary his betrothed, visiting Bethlehem, the city of David. And then Jesus being born as the promised Messiah in fulfillment of the covenant God had made with David back in 2 Samuel 7.
We’ve seen that the birth of Christ occurred in a specific rustic setting with Jesus entering this world through the womb of Mary in a place in Bethlehem in which there was no room in the guest room for them to find rest. He was placed in a manger, in a feeding trough. And he was wrapped in strips of cloth in order to protect Him from the elements.

And last time, we saw that the birth of Christ occurred in a specific contrastive setting involving shepherds. On the one hand who are thought of as the lowest of the low in society. They were there on the scene. And at the same time, we had angels there around whom the glory of the Lord was shining and those angels were praising God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

So those are some of the various different look-ins that we’ve had thus far in our study of Luke 2, look-ins on the birth of Christ. And that brings us to our passage for today. We’re going to look at Luke 2:15-20. Where Luke, while staying within the context of these same characters, continues to move the narrative forward by describing what happened next once those angels uttered those words of praise in Luke 2:14. We’ll be starting in Luke 2:15 today. God’s word reads, “And it happened that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary was treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen just as was told them.” What we’re going to see in this incredible portion of scripture this morning is each of these different characters that we’ve already been introduced to -- the angels, and the shepherds, Mary, Joseph, marveling at and in awe of what had just transpired. Marveling at and in awe of this Child who now lay in this manger. Which is why this morning’s sermon is titled “Marveling at the Manger.”
Now, here’s how I’ve outlined the message and the passage for this morning.
First, we have six verses and we actually have six points. So, we’ll work through each of these points, as we meander our way through. But in verse 15, we’ll have “The Holy Huddle.” Verse 16 we’ll have “The Prompt Procession.” Verse 17, “The Shared Statement.” Verse 18, “The Reverent Reception.” Verse 19, “The Maternal Mulling.” And verse 20, “The Rejoicing Return.”

We’ll start with this one in verse 15, “The Holy Huddle.” It says, “And it happened that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’” Now, we saw this a couple of weeks ago, but Luke is really a fan of using some form of those words, “And it happened”, or “Now it happened”, or as the old King James has it, “It came to pass.” The Greek expression is “kai egeneto”. And it’s fair to say that Luke absolutely loves using that expression, “kai egeneto”. In fact, throughout his Gospel, he uses some form of that expression, “And it happened”, “Now it happened”, King James fans, “It came to pass”; 72 times he uses that expression.

And remember, Luke didn’t write one book, he wrote two. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and then it’s sequel, the Book of Acts. In Acts, Luke uses that same expression 53 times. So, to give you a sense of how often he uses that expression, when you compare Luke’s writings to the writings of the other Gospel authors, Matthew, Mark, John, it’s not even close. That expression appears 13 times in Matthew’s Gospel, 17 times in Mark’s Gospel, 15 times in John’s Gospel. But again, for Luke, it’s 72 times.

Now, I know I’ve said over and over in this series, but I think it’s worth repeating over and over, that Luke has this razor-sharp attention to detail as a historian. He writes with exactitude and precision and care. And he does so with a purpose. It’s obvious that Luke doesn’t want anybody who would read his Gospel to miss any of it. He doesn’t want us to leave any meat on the bone. He wants us to nibble at and savor all of it.

And then back in our text here, that “kai egeneto” expression is his way of highlighting… highlighting not only that he is moving the story line forward, “So what happened then”, “It came to pass that”, “Now it happened that”, “And then this”, “And then this”. And so on, and so on, 72 times he uses that expression to keep the narrative flowing forward… he also uses that expression to stress to his audience both his immediate audience, that being Theophilus, the man he wrote to, but all later generations including us, that these events really happened. In other words, he’s writing what he wrote here to let us know that this isn’t some mythological account of the birth of some godlike man. Rather, this is a factual account of the incarnation of the true God-Man.

So, verse 15, “And it happened”. And it happened, what? Well, “And it happened,” he says, “that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven...” We’ll stop there. Recall back in verses 8 and 9 these angels appeared suddenly. Recall who first the angel Gabriel appeared to, these shepherds who were out there in the fields as they kept watch over their flocks by night.
But then we’re told in verse 13, we saw this last time, that “suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.” So, suddenly it wasn’t just this single angel, Gabriel, standing in the midst of these shepherds. But suddenly there was this multitude of angels who were there uttering these wonderful words of praise. We don’t know how long the heavenly host were there in the presence of the shepherds. We don’t know how long this praise service went on out there in the field. What we can surmise, and can guess, is that these shepherds would have liked it to go on a little longer. We all would, if we had that experience.

But back in verse 15, our text says, that just as suddenly as that multitude of angels arrived and appeared, suddenly they had gone away. They returned back from where they had come. And where had this angelic company come from? Well, Luke tells us here in verse 15, they came from heaven. The angels went “away from them,” meaning away from the shepherds, “into heaven.” And what is heaven? Well, heaven is the dwelling place of God, the abode of God, the “holy habitation” of God as it’s referred to in Deuteronomy 26:15. Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s angels. It’s the place where Hebrews 12:22 says, the myriads of angels dwell. Heaven is the dwelling place of the people of God who have died. Hebrews 12:23 speaks of the “assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.” Heaven is the place where Jesus Himself said He had come from. John 6:42, he says, “I have come down from heaven.” Heaven is the place to which Christ returned following His resurrection and ascension. Acts 1:11 says, “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven.” Heaven is the place from which Jesus will one day return. Acts 1:11 also says, He “will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Heaven is the believer’s eternal inheritance which 1 Peter 1:4 says, is “incorruptible and undefiled and unfading,” which God is keeping for us. And then heaven is the place of our citizenship, Philippians 3:20, “our citizenship is in heaven.”

As we make our way through this life as sojourners, as pilgrims, as we pass our way through this sin-polluted planet, heaven is what awaits us. 2 Corinthians 5:2 says, we long “to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” Now, I know, I get it, we are ultimately awaiting a physical kingdom of Christ on this earth. And we’re looking forward to those new heavens and a new earth as we see at the end of the book of Revelation. But before we get there, we who have believed upon the name of Jesus Christ will go to heaven. And that motivates us, as believers, as followers of Christ, to live holy, heaven- worthy lives here. To “press on,” as Philippians 3:14 says, “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Our heavenly reality, the heavenly future that awaits us, motivates us to pursue, 2 Timothy 4:8 , “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Well, back to Luke. That’s where these angels returned, heaven.
After scaring the daylights out of these shepherds in the field, after calming their fears, after communicating what had just happened in Bethlehem regarding the birth of Israel’s Messiah, after giving glory to God in the highest, these angels, the multitude of the heavenly host, returned to heaven. They returned – post around the throne of God where they say forever, Revelation 4:8, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

So they departed, the heavenly host headed back to their heavenly home. And that brings us back to these shepherds in verse 15 who were scared and stunned and shocked. But now, they’re also reassured. Now, if there were ever a time for these shepherds to turn tail and to go astray and to take off, this would be it. Because the angels have just left them and now it’s just them, it’s just the shepherds out there in the field. So, what would they do next? Well, they talked, that’s what we see next, they talked amongst themselves. Look at the rest of verse 15, it says, “the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’” So these shepherds huddled up to talk about what had just happened. And the verb tense here describes this ongoing discussion that’s happening between them. So, these shepherds, the idea is that they couldn’t stop talking about what they had just seen and what they had just experienced and what they had just witnessed. They couldn’t stop talking about what it was they needed to go do. And what they needed to go do now was to go to Bethlehem. They say it right there, “Let us go to Bethlehem.”

Isn’t that interesting? Having just witnessed what they witnessed and having just heard what they heard from these angels, these shepherds didn’t simply shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, that was neat. I mean, that was really something to behold. I guess I’ll go back to sleep now. I guess I’ll go back to tending the lambs and the sheep in the field.” No. Their response was to immediately go to Bethlehem and to look for this Child. The angel Gabriel had told them, back in verse 11, “For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” And now, in verse 15, “the shepherds began saying to one another, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem.’” That’s the city of David then. There’s no confusion, in other words. There’s no talking in circles, there’s no delayed follow through, there’s no stopping to ask questions, or to raise objections. Rather, there is action, action that’s rooted in a very simple and pure faith.
And note this also, that what these shepherds say, is not, “Let us go to Bethlehem to see if this thing has happened.” No. They say, “Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened.” See, they were persuaded before they saw. They had faith. The angel had declared to them that the Child, the Christ Child had been born in Bethlehem. So, acting in faith, these shepherds are now resolved to go see Him. They’ve received this revelation from God and they believe it. And now their simple desire, rooted in belief, is to go see this very thing that God had made known.

Now, in my LSV, and I think in your NASB, if that’s what you’re using, you do see that word “thing” there, in verse 15. “Let us go . . . see this thing.” That’s the word we see in both translations. Now, interestingly, that word “thing”, is the Greek word “rhema,” which literally means “word.” That’s how it’s typically translated, as “word.” In fact, just down the page, in verse 2:19, Luke uses that same word, when he’s speaking of Mary. Mary “was treasuring all these things,” it’s “rhema” there again, “in her heart.” Now, how does a word like “rhema”, which typically gets translated as “word”, get translated here as “thing”? The basic answer is this, the word rhema has Hebrew origins, it’s a lone word from the Hebrew language. And in the Hebrew language as it comes over to the Greek, it has a much broader range of meaning. The word can mean “word.” But the word can also mean event, or sequence, or object, or matter, or thing, or reality. And that’s the sense in which the term is used here. The shepherds want to go see this rhema. They didn’t go to see a word. They went to see an event, a sequence, a reality. They really went to see, in Bethlehem all that had been reported to them, with their own eyes. This angel had visited them and given them this news and this report. And now, they wanted to go to Bethlehem, in faith, to confirm it. They wanted to see with their own eyes the sign the angels spoke of, of this Child being there in Bethlehem wrapped in cloths lying in a manger.

And these shepherds, by the way, they understood that when this angel spoke all that he spoke to them, that it wasn’t’ simply an angel speaking. Look at how it’s phrased at the end of verse 15. As we look here, note the expression of the shepherds, they wanted to “see this thing that has happened”, which came from Whose hand? From the Lord’s. Note the language there,
“which the Lord has made known to us.” Now, that’s really interesting. There has been no mention up to this point in the account of the shepherds having been visited by God Himself at this point. So what’s going on here? In what sense had the Lord made anything known to them? What we’re seeing here is that these angels who have appeared to these shepherds, were intermediaries between the shepherds and God. In other words, God Himself was visiting these shepherds through these holy angels. He was speaking to these shepherds through the heavenly host. And this is not the only time we see this in Luke’s Gospel, by the way. Over in Luke 1, we see the account of Mary, in Luke 1:26-27, who is visited by the angel Gabriel. Luke 1:26 says, “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.” So, you see who the visitor is there, the visitor is the angel, the angel Gabriel. But then, down the page in Luke 1:45, Mary’s relative Elizabeth, says to Mary, “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by . . .” the angel? No, “by the Lord.” So, the two are equated there by Elizabeth and the Holy Spirit as He puts this in the text of scripture -- is showing us that when angels spoke to these people in this account, it was God speaking through these angels.

And back to our text, Luke 2:15. The shepherds, we see here, attributed to the Lord, that which had been spoken to them by the angel, the angel Gabriel. They took the angel’s words as being the words of the Lord Himself. They took this to be a divine announcement. God had spoken to them through these angels, through these intermediaries. And whatever the angel had said they needed to do, they were committed to doing. And that’s, by the way, what we see exactly in the next part of the narrative in verse 16.

Verse 16, our second point here is “The Prompt Procession.” Verse 16, look at these next inspired words from Luke. It says, “So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.” Now, those words, “they went in a hurry”, aren’t so much referring to the speed of the travel of these shepherds. This is more referring to the fact that these shepherds responded quickly. They reacted promptly. They reacted with haste to the prompting of God’s communicating to them. Realizing that it was God Himself that was communicating to them through the angel, they left immediately. They left in obedience to God. They left from their fields outside the city of Bethlehem, to go to Bethlehem, to go and see the newborn Child.

And when they arrived in Bethlehem they found the Child. Still in verse 16, look what it says, they “found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.” Now, how they got there to this manger in Bethlehem? We don’t know what path they took. We don’t know how many doors they knocked on, how many tents they unzipped. We don’t know. We just know that these shepherds resolved to go straight to Bethlehem. They knew they had to go to Bethlehem. And when they got to Bethlehem, it says, verse 16, they found their way to this Child they were looking for. And we know that when these shepherds first spotted Mary and Joseph and that Child lying in that manger, their faith in this context, their belief in what the angel had reported to them, had announced to them, became sight.

And that’s important to know, that’s worth noting. Every indication we have from this text is that these shepherds, though lowly in status, were abundant in faith. From all intents and purposes, from all that we can see, these were devout men who believed in the true and living God. They didn’t go to Bethlehem in order to believe. They went to Bethlehem because they believed. And in their belief, they wanted to see this special Child who had just been born. The one promised back in Isaiah 9:6-7, the Child who was to be born, the Son who was to be given. The One who had been proclaimed through the words of angels to several different people, even in this account, to Joseph and Zechariah and Mary and to these shepherds themselves. And what they were anticipating, they would see. They, in fact, saw. Because there he was, the Child, lying in a manger, just as the angel Gabriel said He would be.

So we’ve seen “The Holy Huddle” as these shepherds commiserated about what to do next. We’ve seen “The Prompt Procession”, as they made their way with haste to go see this Child. Now, as we turn to verse 17, here’s our third heading, this is “The Shared Statement”. Verse 17 says, “And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.” Now, who are the different “they’s” and “them’s” mentioned in this verse? Well, Luke is still referring to the shepherds. The shepherds were the ones who went in this hurry to go find their way to Bethlehem. The shepherds were the ones who saw and encountered this baby lying in the manger. And now, getting back to our passage, Luke says, that “when they had seen this,” meaning the Child laying in the manger, “they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.”

So, picture that scene for a minute with me. There are these shepherds. Then they are coming out of their fields. They’re stunned and overwhelmed from all they’ve just experienced. They’re excited, surely, and exhilarated by what they’ve witnessed. And they’re probably a little exhausted and worn out from their hurried trip over to Bethlehem. And now, they’re ready to share. To share what they’ve just seen. And what they’ve been told by this angel. To make “known the statement which had been told them about this Child.” Now, we need to answer a couple of questions. What was it that they shared would be one question. And who was there? With whom did they share? In other words, who was around them to hear whatever it was the shepherds were about to share?

Well, let’s start with the first question: What was it that they shared? What were the contents of this “statement”, verse 17 “which had been told them about this Child”? The answer is found back in Luke 2:10. This is the angel Gabriel again, saying to these very shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Those words we saw from our study of that text last week are profound. Those are profound words communicating profound truths concerning the profound depths of the glorious, good news of the gospel. This Child who was lying in that manger -- this is what the shepherds are now communicating -- is the Savior, God’s solution to man’s sin problem encased in a body of flesh as a newborn babe. Lying there seemingly helpless in a manger. He was, this Child that’s lying in a manger, the Christ. The Messiah that was promised to Israel. The One who, the Old Testament scriptures testified, would be of the line of David. And would be born in the city of David. And would be born to a virgin. This Child that’s lying there in the manger is the Lord. Which we saw last time was not merely a title of nobility but a statement of His deity. This Child lying there in the manger, was also, is also, the God of the universe.

Not only were these shepherds the recipients of all that good news. They were the ones sharing now this good news. Some have even said they’re the first New Testament evangelists. I’m not sure I’d use that title. But you get the context. They’re sharing right away. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t it amazing how the scriptures record, over and over all these different incidents of men who once coming into contact with Jesus -- the One who is the Christ, the One who is the Lord -- they immediately go out reporting on what they’ve seen and what they’ve encountered through Him, and with Him, and in His presence? We think of Philip in John 1 and he goes off running to Nathanael and says, “Come and see.” See who? Jesus. We think of Saul of Tarsus charging down the road to Damascus, going to persecute Christians, knocked off his horse, converted, starts preaching Christ to others. And here, we have these shepherds, who, after being told about this Child who was born in Bethlehem, not only go to see Him, to witness Him, to behold Him, but they are already proclaiming Him to anybody who would listen. I mean, isn’t it amazing, what the scriptures portray over and over again is people coming to grips with the reality of who Jesus is and what He came to do and then going and proclaiming Him?

Isn’t it amazing, getting a little personal here, that when you first got saved, that’s what you did -- as you started telling anybody who would listen about this Savior who had saved you? Isn’t it amazing though also, and sadly, that for many in the room that zeal has since faded? And isn’t it amazing, how though we have all been transformed, if we’ve believed in Christ, by the realities of Jesus being the Christ, the Savior, and Lord -- that after a while some of those sharp edges of the most profound truth we have ever heard, that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, can get dull? And isn’t it amazing, that though we have been granted eternal life, if we’ve believed in Jesus Christ and though we have the message of eternal life -- that we’re these channels of that message of eternal life -- we often neglect to share it? Or often outright refuse to share it, saying, “Someone else will get to them,” or “Someone else will get to her,” or “That’s just not my gift,” or “I’m too busy,” or “I’ve got a meal to prepare,” or “I’ve got a meeting to get ready for,” or “I’ve got a ministry function I need to attend.” Isn’t it amazing, that we can shift from being in awe that Jesus would die for any of us, to a place where we start thinking we’re the only ones He died for? Isn’t it amazing, that we can let temporal blessings -- which are blessings, good food, good friends, possessions, vacations, kids, grandkids, that turkey warming up in the oven on Thanksgiving morning -- we can let that push to the side eternal realities -- about the truths of judgment and wrath and hell for all who reject Jesus Christ?

These shepherds kept things in focus. They had, right away, this evangelistic zeal that we all once had. And that we’re all called to maintain. They “made known”, verse 17, “the statement which had been told them about this Child.” They were -- we don’t want to call them New Testament evangelists, that’s fine -- they were witnesses though. Immediately they were witnesses. And that itself is ironic. Because in light of their low societal status as shepherds, these men would have been disqualified from testifying in a legal proceeding as witnesses. But here, they are being witnesses to the message of Jesus Christ. Witnesses of the hope that’s offered through Him. They took this message that they had been given by this angel, this “statement which had been told them about this Child,” this word about this Child from this angel and they proclaimed it.

Now, who was there to hear it all? Who was there to listen to these shepherds sharing? This is fascinating. Because it appears there were two groups on the scene to hear whatever it was the shepherds had to say. On the one hand, there was Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus. We know that from verse 16, which tells us the shepherds “found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.” So, those three are at least there. On the other hand, it appears there’s this larger group of people present, which we see down in verse 18, which says, “all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds.” That word “all” suggests that there’s a group present that is broader, larger, than just Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus.

Now, we’ll get to the reaction of this larger crowd when we get to verse 18. But just think about this with me for a moment. What must Joseph and Mary have been thinking when these shepherds entered the room? As these strangers, these shepherds who I’m sure had some distinct and unique smells to them, stood in their presence and are relating their own amazing experience. About this appearance that the angel Gabriel made to them. And this message that the angel Gabriel had given to them. And this sign that had been given to them by this angel Gabriel. What must have been running through Joseph’s and Mary’s minds? I mean, think about this, the shepherds knew that they were going to look for this baby that was in a manger. But there’s nothing to indicate that Joseph and Mary were ever told that they were going to be visited by some shepherds. So, this was a surprise visit. And these shepherds arrive, offering whatever customary greeting they offer. And just imagine the reaction of these two young, new parents as the shepherds begin telling their side of the story. How this angel had visited them, the shepherds, in the fields. How this angel told them about this Child who had been born there in Bethlehem, this Child who is the Savior and the Christ and Lord. And how this whole host of angels came down, radiant, worshiping and praising God. Saying what they said in verse 14, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men, with whom He is pleased”, before eventually, verse 15, returning to heaven.

Now, imagine just for Joseph the wonderful affirmation this would have provided. Recall, Joseph himself had been visited by the angel Gabriel. And Gabriel had said to Joseph that he need not worry about the fact that his virgin-bride-to-be Mary was now pregnant since that Baby that was in her womb was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And recall that Gabriel told Joseph that Mary was going to have a child who would be Immanuel, God with us. He’d be named Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. So, Joseph’s processing all of that, as these shepherds come in and share what they’re sharing.

And then there’s Mary. What wonderful affirmation and confirmation the message of these shepherds would have been to her. Recall, she herself received a visit from the angel Gabriel. And Gabriel told her that though she was this young virgin girl, she was going to have a Child. A Child who was going to be the Son of David, the Son of the Most High God, and a Child who was going to rule over a kingdom forever. Think of how it must have been ‘clicking’ for Joseph and Mary at this point. As these seemingly random shepherds come out of their fields, and they tell Joseph and Mary a story which to this point this young couple likely thinks only us, the two of us, and Zechariah and Elizabeth know any of this. But now suddenly these shepherds are confirming that they too had inside information. This must have left these new parents, Joseph and Mary, in awe.

And it wasn’t just them. There was this larger group who would have been in awe. Look at verse 18. This will be our fourth point, by the way, this is “The Reverent Reception”. Verse 18 says, “And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told to them by the shepherds.”
Again, this is telling us that the shepherds’ announcement as they arrived in Bethlehem went further and wider and broader than just Mary and Joseph. Rather, there was a larger gathering there. A gathering large enough to use the word “all” here. And “all who heard it”, we’re told, “marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds”, as those who heard the shepherds report on the fact that this Child in the manger was Savior and Christ and Lord. You see the impact it had on them. They were amazed. They were in awe.

And one thing worth highlighting here is that this theme of amazement, and wonderment, and astonishment, and marveling, is all throughout the Gospel of Luke. All throughout it. We’re going to see it time and time again. That word “marveling”, “thaumazo” in Greek, speaks of the common reaction to those who encounter Jesus. I’m going to give you just a few here to give you kind of a taste of how much marveling is happening in the Gospel of Luke. Luke 2:33 says, “His father and mother were marveling at the things which were being said about Him,” speaking of Jesus. Luke 4:22 says, “all were speaking well of Him and marveling at the gracious words which were coming forth from His lips, and they were saying, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’”
Luke 8:25 says, “And He, “Jesus, “said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were fearful and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?’” Luke 9:42 says, “But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to this father. And they were all astonished,” same verb there, “at the majesty of God.” Luke 11:14 says, “And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. Now it happened that when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the crowds marveled.”
Luke 11:37 says, “Now when He,” Jesus, “had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have a meal with him. And He went in and reclined at the table. But when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal.” Luke 20:26 says, “And they were unable to catch Him in a word in the presence of the people; and marveling at His answer, they became silent.” Luke 24:12 says, “But Peter stood up and ran to the tomb; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen wrappings only. And he went away by himself, marveling at what had happened.”

Note that all throughout Luke’s Gospel, this common refrain of people marveling at the birth, the life, the death of Jesus Christ. Marveling at the person and the work of Jesus Christ. Folks, this is important. Because what it reminds us of is that we can’t ever lose sight of our sense of awe, wonder, at who Jesus is. And what He came to do. And what He came to accomplish. And what He did do. And what He did accomplish. We can’t allow our commitment to studying the finer points of theology or busy family schedules or our pressing ministry commitments, to take away from the One who is always to be at the center of our affections, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is always to be preeminent in our thoughts. In our affections. In our devotion. And if He isn’t, if we think that we have somehow matured beyond marveling at Jesus, well, what that shows is that we really haven’t matured at all.

Back to Luke’s Gospel and specifically to verse 18, those who heard these shepherds marveled. It says, “all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds.” They marveled at the “good news of great joy which will be for all the people.” They marveled at the angel’s announcement that “today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” They marveled.

And now, as we turn to verse 19, Luke shifts his focus from the crowd, the “all” of verse 18, to one specific person, Mary, in verse 19. And this is our fifth point this would be “The Maternal Mulling.” Verse 19 says, “But Mary was treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart.”
Now, for starters, note that connecting word there, the beginning of verse 19, “But.” That word is signaling to us that there was something different about the crowd’s reaction to what the shepherds shared with them. And what Mary’s reaction was to that same news. The crowd, we just saw, marveled, verse 18, “at the things which were told them by the shepherds.” But Mary we see here, her reaction is different. She was, we’re told, “treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

Now, we need to work through that. We need to hack our way through that, because Luke’s word choice is indicating to us here that apparently there’s a difference between “marveling” and “treasuring.” The crowd “marveled”. Mary “treasured”. The crowd “marveled”. Mary “pondered.” So, what’s the difference? Well, there’s no doubt that this crowd was stirred up in verse 18. There’s no doubt this crowd was amazed, hearing what the shepherds shared caused the crowd to wonder and marvel. And we’ll see that all throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, in all four Gospel accounts, right? Jesus amazed people. He did amazing things. He performed amazing signs and wonders. No one had ever seen anything like it. And even today, when you think about it, there’s a certain degree of amazement and wonder around the person of Jesus. Especially right now, as people ramp up toward the Christmas season. I mean, there’s even a certain amount of secular admiration for the Christmas story. There’s a certain amount of warmth and fuzziness allowed even in an unredeemed heart toward the nativity scene. There’s a certain amount of respect and honor given to Jesus this time of year.

But those warm and fuzzy feelings about Christmas cannot be confused with salvation. Simply respecting Jesus, or admiring Jesus, or being amazed by Jesus, that doesn’t mean a person has been saved by Jesus. No. “Marveling” isn’t synonymous with genuine saving faith. Just because one marvels doesn’t mean one necessarily believes. See, while the crowd in verse 18 “marveled”, that doesn’t tell us anything ultimately, about the status of their souls. Simply because they were ‘wowed’ doesn’t mean they were converted.

Well, Luke paints a different picture in verse 19 when he says, “But Mary.” Mary, on the other hand, she was “treasuring all these things.” She was “pondering them in her heart.” And what do those expressions mean? Well, to begin with, to say that she “treasured” these things, the literal expression is that she “kept on keeping together” all these things. Which is kind of a mouthful. Maybe a better way to smooth that out would be to say, she was “collecting” these things, she was “gathering” these things. I’ve lost total track of whether scrapbooking is a thing anymore. I know it was like 20 years ago. But that’s kind of the idea here. Mary is piecing together her various thoughts and recollections about all that’s transpired. Not only with the shepherds’ immediate visit to her here in verses 15-20 but going all the way back to the beginning of this account, to that first appearance of the angel. To those promises and the assurances the angel made to her. To that visit that she had with Elizabeth. To that trek she and Joseph had to Bethlehem. And now, here she is looking at this manger. And lying in this manger is this Baby who has just come out of her womb. This Baby who was conceived and born to her though she had never known a man. This Baby who is the Son of the Most High God. This Baby who is the rightful heir to the throne of David. This Baby who is the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and God in human form. She’s taking in each of these individual thoughts and recollections. And she’s stringing them together on a line in her mind. She’s gathering all these thoughts about all of these mind-boggling circumstances. And she’s treasuring them. She’s mentally, spiritually scrapbooking.

Not only that, she’s “pondering” these things, it says, verse 19, “pondering them in her heart.” And that word “ponder” is what you would assume it means. It means to think on, to contemplate. And of course, at this time in history, the heart is considered, not only the seat of one’s emotions, but the seat of one’s thoughts.

So, what Luke is painting a picture of here, is Mary, this young, virgin girl, surely exhausted from having just labored through birth, now thinking and contemplating on all that has just happened to her. All that she’s been privileged to partake in. She’s there, next to her newborn Son, Who was also the Son of the living God, and she’s mulling it all over. She’s contemplating it deeply. She’s “pondering” all of these things in her heart.

So, while the crowd is wondering and marveling, Mary is treasuring and pondering. She’s taking in this much deeper view of the situation. And a deeper view that’s rooted in faith. See, Mary was a worshipper. She was a thoughtful worshipper. We’ve seen this already. She speaks in her Magnificat of God being her Savior. There’s this reference back in Luke 1, we’ve seen many times before, verse 38, where she sought to do according to God’s word. She was a worshipper.

And speaking of worship, so were the shepherds. They were also worshippers. Those who came to visit this Child were worshippers. Which brings us to our sixth point, in verse 20, this would be “The Rejoicing Return.” Look at verse 20, it says, “And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as was told them.” So, the shepherds returned to their fields and to their flocks. And as they did so, they were overjoyed with all they had seen. They’re overflowing in their worship of God. Much as the angels had done back in verse 13-14, as they glorified and praised God and then returned to their heavenly home. The shepherds here glorifying and praising God, overflowing in their worship of God and then they returned to their pastures just outside of Bethlehem.

And note this, note what their worship was ultimately rooted in. The clue here is in the final two words of verse 20. It was rooted in what was “told them.” Everything these shepherds saw, everything they heard, everything they witnessed, everything they encountered, stemmed from what was “told them” by the angel Gabriel as he spoke for God. These shepherds had been given God’s words through this angel who told them that they would see this infant lying in a manger and when they got to Bethlehem that’s exactly what they saw. God’s divine and prophetic words, in other words, had been fulfilled. And it was the fulfillment of God’s word which caused these shepherds to glorify and praise God. They had been told that they would see this Child in a manger Who would be the “Savior, Christ the Lord.” And what made this whole experience so powerful and profound is that it is exactly what they came upon, that very Child. Everything that had been prophesied and predicted came to fruition. And I mention that, and even belabor that a little bit, because that’s, I think, a good word for us today. Where so many in our day are looking for some sort of visual, fresh experience with God. When what we see here, what we’re reminded of here is that God’s fulfillment of what He has promised through His words is reason enough to praise Him and reason enough to glorify Him and worship Him.

Well, we are short on time and as we wrap up I’d like us to just simply take in and appreciate what a simple story this is. It’s a story about shepherds. And it’s pretty easy to track. These shepherds who were out there in this field 2,000 years ago, they experienced this whole series of events starting with this visit from this first angel and then this heavenly host. That’s what we’ve been looking at for the last couple of Sundays. It’s a pretty simple story. Easy to track.
Now, at the same time, though this story is simple in terms of being able to follow its flow and its character and its direction, there is a layer of application to this text that I think we can fairly extract and grab on to -- by tracking specifically through the various action verbs in this account.

See what I mean, consider this. In this account we’ve seen resolving, there was a resolve on the part of these shepherds to go to Bethlehem in faith based on what the Lord had made known to them through the angelic witness. In this account we’ve seen walking as the shepherds went in a hurry off to Bethlehem, walking in faith to witness for themselves all that the angel had told them. In this account we’ve seen seeing as the shepherds saw this Child lying in the manger, and as their faith in that sense became sight. In this account we’ve seen sharing as the shepherds communicated what had been said to them through the angels about this Child lying in a manger. In this account we’ve seen marveling by all who were within earshot of these shepherds. In this account we’ve seen treasuring and pondering, by Mary specifically, as she took these truths to heart. In this account we’ve seen returning as the shepherds returning to their homes and their fields glorified God and praised God for all they had seen and heard.

So, here’s our takeaway question, our takeaway point of application for this morning. Who in this account are you most like? Perhaps you’re like one of the shepherds. Like the shepherds you’re acting in faith. You’re moving forward in faith as you faithfully proclaim to others the hope that you have in Christ. To some maybe you’re more like Mary as you devote a lot more of your time treasuring and pondering what Jesus has come to do for you. But maybe there are some here this morning who are more like this crowd who marveled. You’re good with Jesus. You’re even impressed by Jesus, but you haven’t devoted your life to Jesus, you haven’t put your faith in Jesus. If that describes you, remember the words of this multitude of angels in Luke 2:14 where they say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men whom He is pleased.” If you haven’t put your faith in Jesus Christ you might be experiencing all sorts of pleasures in this life, but God is in no way pleased with you. You might be thinking to yourself, that “Hey, I have a peaceful and I have a prosperous life.” But you lack the only type of peace that matters – peace with God, through faith in Jesus Christ. See, true peace and true joy, true contentment, true satisfaction, not only in this life but in the life to come, comes only through believing in Jesus Christ, believing in His promises about who He is. He said Himself, “I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. None comes to the Father but through Me.” And believing what He did for you, dying for you, rising from the grave for you, so that your sins might be forgiven and so that your soul might be saved. As we’ve seen this morning, marveling is great, but marveling is not enough. Wondering, having awe, is not enough. Parking your backside in a chair at a church is not enough. Believing is what’s required. You must believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. You must believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. And then, and only then, will you be saved.

Let’s pray. Father, thank You for this time in Your word this morning. Thank You for the rich truth of the Gospel of Luke in this narrative of the birth account, the birth of our Lord. God, it’s amazing how we can spend all this time, and work through this text, a familiar text to so many of us, surely -- at the same time there are new truths that You reveal to us, as we study it, and study it deeply. And God, I pray simply that as we reflected upon the birth of Christ, that we who have put our faith in Christ would reflect on the new birth -- the fact that we have new life in Christ, that we have been regenerated and redeemed, renewed, saved. What a joy that is to know that we who have believed upon our Savior Jesus Christ are secure in His hands and nothing will pluck us out of it. And God, if there’s anybody here this morning who is not sure, or just open, about the fact that they have not experienced the new birth, I pray that today would be the day that they would understand what it means to be one of Yours. To be saved. That they would understand that it’s not about works that they could perform. Not about a good, upright, moral life they could live. Not about comparing themselves to others who, in their judgment, are worse than they are. But it’s all about laying one’s life down for Jesus Christ. Trusting in that what He has done on the cross is the answer for our sin problem. And trusting that what He has done in dying and rising is the means by which we might be saved. God, do a work of salvation here this morning. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.