The Wondering of All that Heard - Luke 2:18

Luke the beloved physician wrote how an angel and a heavenly host appeared to shepherds to tell them of the Messiah's birth, and “as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child”, and in chapter two and verse eighteen of his book Luke shares how, “all they that heard it wondered at those things” where we read:

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

The verse reads, “And all they that heard it wondered ...” Luke began with the words, “And all they that heard it” or “and each, every, the whole and everyone who was given the faculty for hearing, perceiving, attending to, understanding and comprehending that the Savior was born” “wondered” which means “marveled and were in a state of admiration”. Luke shared how the people who “heard” what the shepherds declared were “marveling” over what they told them.

The verse continues, “... at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” Luke added the words, “at those things” which means “at the events and happenings concerning the birth of the Savior” “which were told them” or “that were uttered, declared and proclaimed to the people” “by the shepherds” which means “by means of the herdsmen or ones who oversaw, cared for and presided over sheep”. Luke shared how the people who listened to the shepherds “marveled” at their declarations concerning the birth of the Messiah.

When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we can imagine the “wonder” that rose up within the people who heard the shepherds speak. We remember that shepherds were not a well regarded group of people as a whole, and in fact, many of them were looked down upon. However, these “lowly shepherds” became the “heralds” of the Messiah being born, and when they told others about what they saw and heard, people were affected by their words. People who encounter Jesus cannot help but be “changed” or altered by what they see. Some will yield their lives to Him as a personal “Savior and Lord”, and the remainder of their lives will be spent telling other about Him. Still others will be “offended” by Him and not marvel at all at what they hear or see. Those who are wise will carefully consider the behavior of these shepherds, and submit their lives to God so all the world will know about His Son Jesus.

Next time Luke shares how, “Mary kept all these things, and pondered them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".