Luke tells us in chapter one of his gospel that when the angel appeared to the priest Zechariah in the temple telling him of the coming birth of a son in his old age, Zechariah questioned him about how he would know this was really going to happen. He seemed to want more of a sign than the appearance and words of an angel of the Lord. This angel then gave him a sign that was most likely not what he had hoped for, but because of his unbelief he was unable to speak and hear until John was born and given a name.
Throughout Scripture signs were given by God that pointed to what He was doing and would do. One of the first was the bow God set in the clouds after the flood which was a sign of the covenant He was making with all those on earth never again to destroy everything with a flood. In Genesis 17, circumcision was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. There were many signs in Exodus, including the sign of the blood on the doorposts, which saved the people of Israel from the plaque that killed the firstborn of Egypt.
At the time of Jesus birth, shepherds who were tending sheep nearby were visited by an angel just as Zechariah had been. They were told that a Savior had been born and they were given a sign to look for, which was that they would find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Before they could even respond, they also saw the air suddenly filled with an overwhelming number of angels and heard these angels praising God!
I see quite a difference in the experiences of Zechariah and the shepherds. It seems that Zechariah, as a priest, would have known the Scriptures well and would be more likely to trust in the words given to him by an angel in the temple. The shepherds would most likely have had much less exposure to Scripture and doing direct work for the Lord. But it was they who were given great signs of the truth of what they had heard.
How about you and I? Has our continual exposure to church and regularly hearing the Word made us skeptical of what God is doing and will do? I pray for all of us at this season of the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior that our knowledge and experience with him would not lead to complacency or skepticism, but that it would enhance our ability to rejoice anew in the glory of the gospel. Let us rejoice over and over in the knowledge that Jesus would leave the splendor of heaven to come to be with us, to die in our place, to rise again, and return to the Father’s right hand and intercede for us.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”