>>>
Luke 2:15 - A Message of Hope.

Luke 2:15 (NLT) When the angels had returned 
to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, 
Lets go to Bethlehem! Lets see this thing that 
has happened, which the Lord has told us 
about.  

COMMENTARY PEARL

The Lowest of the Low
   When we think of shepherds today, we have 
a positive image of them. After all, Moses was 
a shepherd. David was a shepherd. And the 
Bible compares Jesus to a shepherd. 
   But in first-century Israel, a shepherd 
was about the lowest someone could be on the 
social ladder. The only thing lower were people 
with leprosy. Yet God chose to announce the good 
news of Christs birth to the shepherds. 
   Jesus always seemed to find His way to 
the outcasts of society. There was the Samaritan 
woman who had been married and divorced five times 
and was living with a man. She was such an 
outcast that she didnt have a friend in town. And 
that is why she went to the well to draw water 
during the hottest part of the day. 
   Yet who was waiting there for her one 
afternoon? Jesus. And He wanted to have a conversation 
with her. 
   Then there was Zacchaeus, the tax 
collector. He was a Jew who worked for Rome. Thus, he 
was thought of as a turncoat, a traitor. He 
didnt have a friend in the world. Yet Jesus took 
time for him. 
   When Jesus walked by, He looked up at 
Zacchaeus in a tree and called him by name. Then He 
said, Quick, come down! I must be a guest in 
your home today (Luke 19:5 NLT). 
   There was the woman who had been caught 
in the act of adultery and was thrown down at 
Christs feet. The religious leaders were ready to 
kill her. But Jesus stooped down and wrote 
something in the sand. Then He stood up and said, 
Let the one who has never sinned throw the first 
stone! (John 8:7 NLT). 
   The Bible says they all slipped away one 
by one, starting with the oldest, until only 
the woman was left. Jesus said, Where are 
your accusers? Didnt even one of them condemn 
you? (verse 10 NLT). 
   She replied, No, Lord.
   So Jesus said to her, Neither do I. Go 
and sin no more (John 8:11 NLT). 
   Jesus always had time for people like 
this. Therefore, its only fitting that the 
angels announced His birth to the lowest of the 
low: the shepherds. In the dark world of the 
first century, the Good News came to them. 
   Lukes Gospel tells us, That night 
there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, 
guarding their flocks of sheep They were 
terrified, but the angel reassured them. Dont be 
afraid! he said. I bring you good news that will 
bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, 
the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in 
Bethlehem, the city of David!  (2:8-11 NLT). 
   God sent His Son to die on the cross and 
rise again from the dead so that we could live 
life to its fullest on earth and then live 
forever in eternity in Heaven. It is the gift of 
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. That is 
the real gift of Christmas that we all need. 
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Luke 2:15 - A Message of Hope.

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211215-0914.html 

Luke 2:10, 11 - Good News of Great Joy for 
All People! 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20091225-1210.html 

Philippians 2:5 - Having the Mind of Jesus.

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220312-0934.html 

https://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211201-0843.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/