The Bible

 

Luke 2:8-20 : The Shepherds Visit Jesus in Bethlehem

Study

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, 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 hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

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

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Commentary

 

Shepherds in the Fields

By Junchol Lee

The Annunciation to the Shepherds, By Henry Ossawa Tanner - http://www.artnet.de/artist/16406/henry-ossawa-tanner.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4864375


To continue browsing while you listen, play the audio in a new window.

One of the most significant events, if not THE most significant event, in human history is the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior of humanity. Christ's birth had been prophesied by many, but it was Isaiah who gave us the fullest and most detailed description of the Messiah's coming. It is notable that besides Mary and Joseph, shepherds were the only individuals allowed to visit Jesus on the night of his birth. Why only shepherds? What is the spiritual significance of the shepherds? We will explore this question.

(References: Isaiah 46:3)

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #465

Study this Passage

  
/ 962  
  

465. I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. (10:1) This symbolizes the Lord in His Divine majesty and power.

That the angel here is the Lord is apparent from his description, that he was clothed with a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; that his face was like the sun and his feet like pillars of fire; and that he kept his feet on the sea and on the land; moreover that he cried out as when a lion roars, and that his voice was like thunder.

He appeared as an angel because that is how He appears when He manifests Himself in the heavens and below the heavens. For He fills some angel with His Divinity in accommodation to the reception of those whom He gives to see Him. No angel, and still less any mortal, can endure His presence as He is in Himself or in His essence. Therefore He appears above the heavens as the sun, which is as distant from angels as the world's sun is from people. He is present there in His Divinity from eternity and at the same time in His Divine humanity, which are united like soul and body.

He is called here a mighty angel because of His Divine power. And He is called another angel owing to the fact that described here is another aspect of His Divinity than was described before.

  
/ 962  
  

Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.