Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
—Psalm 96:11-12a
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
—Isaiah 9:2
“But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
—John 3:21
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
—1 John 2:10
The shepherds were spending the night out in the fields. There's no hint that they expected anything out of the ordinary. They weren't expecting a great light. Their reaction to the appearance of the angel and the glory is understandable. It follows the pattern well established from Genesis forward.
And the angel's message begins with words that appear and reappear from Genesis forward: “Fear not!” Abram and hagar and Isaac and the Israelites by the sea had heard those words. The prophets brought them again and again. As well as the next word, “...for...”
Don't be afraid. Because...
Something unexpected—better than was expected—was to come. And, instead of running away, the shepherds obeyed: "Let's go and see..." They went to look for Jesus.
There's a thin line between fear and hatred. The majority of the rulers of Jesus' day seemed quite willing to cross that line. Nicodemus was scorned for questioning the hostility of the chief priests and Pharisees. He later joined Joseph of Arimathea in helping prepare for the burial of Jesus.
But when we first meet him in John's gospel, he is following the example of the shepherds. He went—by night—to look for Jesus. He and the shepherds were surrounded by deep darkness, but they were willing to come to the place where Jesus was.
By Night
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
—Psalm 96:11-12a
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
—Isaiah 9:2
“But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
—John 3:21
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
—1 John 2:10
The shepherds were spending the night out in the fields. There's no hint that they expected anything out of the ordinary. They weren't expecting a great light. Their reaction to the appearance of the angel and the glory is understandable. It follows the pattern well established from Genesis forward.
And the angel's message begins with words that appear and reappear from Genesis forward: “Fear not!” Abram and hagar and Isaac and the Israelites by the sea had heard those words. The prophets brought them again and again. As well as the next word, “...for...”
Don't be afraid. Because...
Something unexpected—better than was expected—was to come. And, instead of running away, the shepherds obeyed: "Let's go and see..." They went to look for Jesus.
There's a thin line between fear and hatred. The majority of the rulers of Jesus' day seemed quite willing to cross that line. Nicodemus was scorned for questioning the hostility of the chief priests and Pharisees. He later joined Joseph of Arimathea in helping prepare for the burial of Jesus.
But when we first meet him in John's gospel, he is following the example of the shepherds. He went—by night—to look for Jesus. He and the shepherds were surrounded by deep darkness, but they were willing to come to the place where Jesus was.