Tuesday 25 December 2007
- Bible Book:
- Luke
"To you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." (v.11-12)
Background
This passage is the other birth narrative of Jesus as recordedin the Gospels (the other one is in
This text comes after the dramatic events surrounding the birth ofJohn the Baptist. Luke's account offers us a key vantage point toone of the prime witnesses to this story, namely theshepherds.
The shepherds would have occupied an important social and economicrole in the life of ancient Near Eastern communities around thetime of Jesus' birth. In rural and agricultural communitiesshepherds were hugely important. But their economic importance wasnot matched by their social status.
In fact, as largely nomadic people, they would have been on theedge of most communities at this time. People were expected toattend the temple on a regular basis and observe all the cleansingrituals but because of the demands of their jobs, shepherds wouldhave found this an impossibility.
I wonder whether the status of the shepherds might not be likenedto sanitation workers in our present time? Most modern societiescould not function without these often-unseen people who clear awayour waste. But such workers are rarely accorded any great sense ofsocial status with the important job they undertake on the behalfof many!
In this passage, the first people to witness the birth of Jesus area group of persons of low social status. The outsiders get firstglimpse of the most amazing event to occur within human history.Talk about having the best seats in the house at an epoch makingevent! Now what about that for a turn up for the books?
But then again, it can be argued that Jesus' birth and continuedlife has always been one for overturning social conventions andexpected norms.
To Ponder
Who are the unseen people of low status whosepresence enables our society to function?
In what ways can the Church, like Jesus, invitethese people into the central place of our communities so that theyare noticed?