On a hillside, just outside of Bethlehem, Ezra was leaning against a tree, daydreaming in the moonlight as the sheep bleated quietly in the chill of the night. He was 16, the oldest of the shepherds and was taking his shift to watch these 343 sheep while his 12-year-old brother Simon and four others were taking their turns sleeping by the fire. It was an especially bright night, as there was a star that seemed larger and brighter than the others. Ezra was looking at that star curiously when a flash of moving light caught his eye. The light stopped right in front of him. It was a winged glowing angel hovering about 15 feet above the ground.
Terrified, he ran to wake up the others, hoping not the upset the flock in the process. The flying angel followed him to the group who was waking up from the light and the commotion. They were paralyzed with fear when the angel told them not to be afraid. He shared that the Messiah that had been promised in the Holy Scriptures had just been born in Bethlehem. He would provide a way for all who believed in Him to be saved. It was a time of great Joy for the entire world.
Ezra asked a few questions, trying to understand what was happening so he could help the younger boys understand as well. When suddenly, there was a blinding light and the sky was full of angels glowing and singing praises to the Lord. Ezra had never heard or seen anything so beautiful in his life. Simon clung to his brother’s mantle, trembling and trying to take it all in. The praises from the angels were like rhythmic waves. Ezra found himself swaying unconsciously to the lovely music of it. All of the shepherd boys were captivated and overwhelmed by the scene, falling to their knees in humble praise.
Like a tornado, the angels were sucked back up to heaven. Not all were whisked away though. There were a few left who promised to watch over the sheep so that Ezra and the other shepherd boys could go find the Messiah. They were told that they would find him lying in a manger in a stable. The lead angel went with them to show them the way as they walked through the sleepy town of Bethlehem. It had been chaos in the last few days because people in the line of David had to come to this town for the census. But at this hour, the overcrowded town was asleep and had no awareness of their travels or the significance of this baby’s birth.
They arrived at the stable for which the angel had directed them and Ezra timidly approached the door entryway. He stayed outside of the stable but called in to speak to the young father. “I’m so sorry to intrude at this late hour,” Ezra said timidly, “And I hope you don’t think we are crazy, but, we had this angel come to tell us that the Messiah was born tonight here… I’m sorry, I don’t know why he wanted us to come and see this baby…”Ezra looked away embarrassed and then looked back at Joseph with pleading eyes… “But, we would really need to see this promised Messiah and”… The new father leaned in and whispered to Ezra…”I know about visitations from angels. I believe you, just let me see if it’s Ok with my wife. She just had a baby you know.” He looked back at the new mother’s curious face and explained that an angel had told these shepherds that the baby was the Messiah and they were instructed to come and see him. They exchanged a look and a shrug that seemed to say, ‘as God wishes’, and let the young men in the room.
Ezra and the shepherds walked slowly into the stable, careful to keep their distance. They knelt in reference to the baby and for a long time, just stared at him. ‘He looks so… ordinary’, Ezra thought. ‘He is just a regular looking baby.’ He didn’t know why he thought that the baby would look different, but, he knew that He was different. Bashfully, he approached the manger and knelt down. He looked up at the new parents with a ‘may I?’ look on his face, asking if he could touch the baby. They nodded that it was OK and he reached his calloused hand up the sleeping baby’s cheek and gave it a gentle brush with this forefinger. Ezra leaned in as if the baby could understand his words and said, “I’m going to be watching for you as you grow up. I’m going to follow you and tell everyone I know about this night. May God’s will come true through you exactly as He promised.”
Ezra looked up and saw the baby’s mother smiling at him. He could see the pain on her face from the recent delivery. It was time to let them have their privacy. Ezra rose and thanked the couple for allowing the unusual intrusion and led the shepherds out of the stable and into the night.
Many years later, Ezra kept his promise. He and his brother Simon shared the story of their encounter with the angels and looked for and found Jesus when He taught in their area as an adult. They followed Him and convinced many others to believe in Him as well. As a result, Ezra and Simon are in heaven with Jesus right now!
I hope you enjoyed looking at the familiar biblical story through the eyes of a shepherd. The Lord gave me this story as a visionary encounter as part of a Creative Writing class I took at Christian Leadership University. If you would like to have adventures like this with Jesus, please check out more about how you can ‘Just Ask Jesus’ yourself at our website: PattySadallah.com. Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year.