In reading the story of Jesus birth again, I was interested to read the account of the shepherds who saw the angels telling them about what had happened in Bethlehem. Here is that passage from the gospel of Luke.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12

This was an incredible moment for these shepherds. Its worth remembering that they weren’t a people group who were used to angelic visitations. How would they respond to such news?

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:15-16

From the use of the phrase “they hurried off” we can presume that they left what they were doing pretty much straight away. Whilst they may have had helpers that they called in to look after their sheep, their livelihood, when I read this it seems like they just left them. What they had seen was so incredible, it had captivated them so much, that they had left what had so important to them in order to behold Jesus.

I don’t have much to add or comment on here except to say that I feel so challenged by their devotion – would we leave all we know in order to gaze upon Jesus? Would we get all our affairs in order first? We see this later in the gospels where people ask Jesus for time before they follow Him. This is contrasted by the story of Simon and Andrew who leave their nets and follow Him.

In case you are worried about the sheep. The verse below tells us they did return!

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20