Angel appears to shepherds; Shepherds find baby Jesus

Bible Bites 4 Teens Posted on by

The First Christmas RGB22On the night Jesus was born God sent an angel to the shepherds in the fields. You can read about it for yourself in Luke 2:8-20. The angel told them that the Messiah, the Savior of the world had come to earth.

Why did God choose shepherds to hear this message? In Jesus’ time, most people thought shepherds were among the least important people. It was a dirty job for the youngest son. Shepherds were not allowed to appear as witnesses in court because their testimony was not seen as believable. But in God’s unique wisdom he chose the shepherds to be the first people to hear about the Messiah’s birth. It brings to my mind the Scripture verse that says “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” See Matthew 20:16. God values the lives of all people, not just the privileged few who seem to be in charge of everything.

The mighty angel frightened the shepherds as it glowed with God’s glory. But the angel calmed their fears and delivered a message that boggled their minds. Read Luke 2:8-20 again. What was the message? Good news! Great joy! The Savior – the Messiah had been born! And where would they find the baby? In a manger in Bethlehem!

Shepherds may not know everything, but they would know where to look for baby Jesus. They would know where the cattle and donkeys were kept in the village of Bethlehem. But before they had time to think about that the sky filled up with legions of angels all praising God together saying “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14 NLT) And then the angels returned to heaven.

Can you imagine the shepherds’ astonishment? The village people wouldn’t bother to make conversation with them, but God sent his angels to give them this amazing message! In no time they were hurrying to Bethlehem to look for the baby Jesus, and they found him in a manger, just as the angel said.

The First Christmas RGB24Can you imagine what was going through the minds of the Shepherds as they peeked into the manger? The grubby stable wouldn’t likely bother them much, but to get close to a baby… and not just any baby… this baby was God Himself!

After the shepherds left the manger they told everyone they could about the wondrous things they had seen and heard. We are left to wonder whether the village people believed the shepherds or not as the Bible doesn’t say. Then the shepherds returned to their fields to care for their flocks.

 

For younger children The First Christmas, by Janice D. Green, illustrated by Violet Vandor. Front cover RGB (300)

Birth of the Christ Child

Bible Bites 4 Teens Posted on by

The First Christmas RGB20Read the two short verses that tell about Jesus birth in Luke 2:6-7. Joseph and Mary had to make do with the only shelter they could find in Bethlehem. Tired and exhausted, young Mary gave birth to the Christ Child and wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth. Then she laid baby Jesus on a manger bed which was probably filled with straw or hay for the animals to eat.

We have many unanswered questions about what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph that night. What kinds of animals shared the shelter? What kind of shelter was it? Many Bible scholars believe it might have been a cave. How clean was it? What might it have smelled like?

But a better question begs to be asked: What was it like for Jesus? Jesus didn’t come into existence on the day he was born in Bethlehem. Jesus has existed since before the beginning of creation. Jesus was the Creator of all things. (See Colossians 1:16) He was there with God from the beginning of creation. But now, the God who created life itself found a way to squeeze himself into a tiny infant, and accepted the physical limitations of being human for thirty three years. He left his home in heaven with God (See John 6:38) to be born in a manger – where the lowly animals lived.

God came to earth as a tiny baby to grow up in a family with brothers and sisters and to live on our planet earth for a time. Mary and Joseph gave him the name of Jesus as the angel told them, but we are also given several other names in the Bible for him as well. One of them is Emanuel, which means “God is with us.” Another is Savior because he came to save people from their sins.

How tired Mary and Joseph must have been that night, weary from travel with no comfortable bed to sleep in. Did they get any sleep, or did they simply marvel at the miracle they had just witnessed in the birth of Jesus the Christ child – God Himself, sleeping in a manger?

 

 

For younger children The First Christmas, by Janice D. Green, illustrated by Violet Vandor. Front cover RGB (300)

No room in the Inn

Bible Bites 4 Teens Posted on by

The First Christmas RGB18Tired and weary from their long journey and final steep climb from Jericho to Bethlehem Mary and Joseph see the busy town of Bethlehem ahead of them. Because of the census, travelers were everywhere. When they found the inn they learned that it was full – there were no rooms available.

Where would they sleep?

 

 

For younger children The First Christmas, by Janice D. Green, illustrated by Violet Vandor. Front cover RGB (300)

Mary & Joseph travel to Bethlehem

Bible Bites 4 Teens Posted on by

The First Christmas RGB16 If Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, how did it happen that baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem? Read Luke 2:1-5.

Old Testament prophecies had to be fulfilled. The prophet Micah (See Micah 5:2) foretold that the ruler of Israel will come from Bethlehem. This might be an insurmountable problem for people, but not for God.

The Roman emperor sent out a command that all people must return to the towns of their ancestors for a census (some Bible translations say they went to be “taxed” which may well have been a key component of the census taking). Since Joseph was descended from King David, Mary and Joseph were required to travel to Bethlehem, the city of David, for this census. It is worth mentioning that Mary too was a descendant of King David.

Again, Mary had a long trip ahead of her – close to 100 miles. This time Mary was “great with child” and very close to her delivery date, but she had to complete this journey to fulfill the law. The last part of the journey was a long steep climb that would be difficult with or without the help of a donkey. The Bible doesn’t say if Mary and Joseph even had a donkey, so they may have walked all the way.

For younger children The First Christmas, by Janice D. Green, illustrated by Violet Vandor. Front cover RGB (300)

 

Joseph’s Dream

Bible Bites 4 Teens Posted on by

The First Christmas RGB14Joseph had made up his mind not to marry his pregnant fiancée Mary. He would divorce her quietly. (See Matthew 1:18-19) But God’s hand was on Joseph and Mary and the baby she carried. Joseph went to sleep thinking about what he would do when God sent an angel to speak to him in a dream.

Read about it in Matthew 1:20-24. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, and assured him that her baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was told to name the baby Jesus because he would save people from their sins.

The writer of Matthew also tells us that Isaiah foretold this hundreds of years earlier when he wrote that a virgin would have a son and the people would call him Immanuel which means “God is with us.”

Joseph believed the angel’s message and took Mary as his wife, but he did not have sexual relations with her until after baby Jesus was born.

One must admire Joseph’s courage. People would surely draw their own conclusions about what might have happened between him and Mary concerning their first child, but he would stand by her and her baby.

Click here to see a video on YouVersion about Joseph’s dream.

For younger children The First Christmas, by Janice D. Green, illustrated by Violet Vandor. Front cover RGB (300)