Scripture
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else.
~Luke 18:9, CSB
Quote
Never look down on someone unless you are helping them up.
~Jesse James
God, in His infinite wisdom, revealed the good news to the Bethlehem shepherds instead of revealing it to the Jewish religious leaders who were only six miles away. The orthodox Jews of the day despised shepherds and considered them ceremonially unclean. They were not allowed to come near the temple. Ironically, the Bethlehem shepherds were the ones who raised and tended to the sacrificial lambs used at the Temple: yet they were barred from entering the Temple. It is true that shepherds had a lowly job that no one wanted and one that involved hardships. While others were sleeping comfortably in bed, these shepherds were guarding their sheep through the night. Don’t get the idea that the shepherds were older men. Shepherds were usually very young: older children or teenagers and girls were used as shepherds. David was the youngest of his family. His dad and older brothers were at home while David was in the field keeping watch over the sheep by night. David was probably 14-16 years of age.
We need to be careful about who we despise. The Jewish religious establishment must have been blinded by their pride because the three brightest stars in the Hebrew heaven was Abraham, Moses and David. What did all three have in common? They were shepherds. By despising shepherds, they were despising their forefathers and they were not even aware of what they were doing. Jesus said in John 10, “I AM the good Shepherd,” and the Jewish religious establishment despised HIM. By the way, Jesus was not only the GOOD SHEPHERD, He was also the LAMB OF GOD. So be very careful about who you look down on; you may be despising Jesus.
There is another point I need to make. The angel said to the shepherds, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The GOOD NEWS is for all people; not just VIP’s and elites. Had God shared this news with the Jewish religious establishment, they would not have shared it with the shepherds because they excluded them. Who are we to despise and exclude anyone?
Another good LORD’s day and we give Him praise. We had a Christmas Party at GRACE POINT last night and we had more last night than we had yesterday morning. I fried around 50 fried pies and they ate them all. It was a wonderful time of fellowship. Visitation for the Amanda Barnett family is tonight at Pecks [6:00-8:00] and the COLS is Tuesday at 1:00 at Pecks. We had an informal music program last night and our praise and worship leader sang a song that touched my heart and I want to share it. Don’t give up on it, watch it all the way through. Our man can sing it better than the original artist: so says Big Mama and I agree.