And so it was,
when the angels had gone away
from them into heaven,
that the shepherds said to one another,
"Let us now go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has come to pass,
which the Lord has made known to us."
And they came with haste
and found Mary and Joseph,
and the Babe lying in a manger.
Luke 2:15-16, NKJV
I love the response of people to God in the story of Jesus' birth.
When Gabriel appears to Zacharias, the old priest's first response is to question the logic of fathering a child in his old age with an old wife. But after he gets struck mute, he goes home and contributes the only thing he can to the plan of God. Elizabeth conceived, John the Baptist was born, and the plan of God is in motion.
When Gabriel appears to Mary, the young virgin's first response is shock and awe. She knows how baby's are made, and she's saving herself for marriage. It's okay, the angel reassures her. The power of God will come upon you, and the Spirit of God will overshadow you, and the miracle of conception with human contribution will take place within you. And to that she said, "I am God's servant. Let Him do to me just as He said." (You should rally go back and check out my earlier Evertold posts on the subject)
When Gabriel appears to Joseph, who has just discovered Mary's pregnancy and is debating the finer points of private divorce or public execution for his intended, the bewildered carpenter heard the angel out, then got up and immediately did as he was commanded.
Now Gabriel has appeared to a group of shepherds (at least, we might assume it was Gabriel, since he was the bringer of good news elsewhere in this story), announcing the birth of their long-awaited Messiah in Bethlehem and commanding them to go find him. It's interesting to me that they seem to have had less trouble with the angelic messenger and his good tidings of great joy than anyone else previously in this story. There were no doubts expressed, no questions voiced. They started out fearful, but nobody said to Gabriel, "Are you sure about that? The story sounds a little far-fetched if you ask me." They didn't waste time asking, "Why us? Why here? Why now? What do you want us to do again?" They had their marching orders, and they made haste to obey them.
As soon as the angelic host and their heavenly glory had faded from the hillside, the shepherds were on their feet: "Let's go!"
Oh that people would respond thusly today! The message of salvation through Jesus Christ alone may sound exclusive--only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved--but it is really an all-inclusive message. Anyone can receive Jesus. Anyone can have eternal life. Anyone can go to heaven. All they have to do is believe in the risen and living Christ, the son of God, and confess Him as savior. All they have to do is turn their life over to God and accept His acceptance. All they have to do is say "YES" to the savior.
But so often, they don't. They challenge the message and the messengers. They question the amazingness of it, the audacity of the thought that an Almighty and Supreme Deity wants to be in a permanent and eternal relationship with them, but they have to do it His way (after all, He is God). They don't like the one way that has been provided; they want to try to find another way. They wish fancifully for all roads to lead to God. They want to make it up as they go along.
And here we stand, the good news in our hearts and hopefully on our lips, sharing Jesus and salvation with those who need it the most, and we cry and beg and plead and encourage the dead and dying to take the life that Jesus offers. I wish I could make people believe, but alas! If God's not going to make them accept Jesus, nothing I can do can force the issue either. God calls. The Word calls. The Spirit calls. The Church calls.
I pray for and wait expectantly for the day that I can simply announce the good news of Jesus Christ, and those who hear the message will leap to their feet and say, "Let's go find what we've been told! I want to see this Christ!"
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