“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”
Luke 2:8
The year is what we will later call 30AD, and we’re speaking with a man named Simon. Simon’s been a shepherd all of his life. He’s an honest man and has always tried to do a good job. He’s practical, reliable, and dedicated to his work. Simon watched a miracle but never understood what he’d been a part of.
“Let me tell you about my little brother Nathan. He hasn’t been right for many years.”
One night thirty years ago, Nathan had the watch. I’d just fallen asleep when something – I still don’t know what it was – woke me. At first, I thought the hillside had somehow caught fire, Everything around us was bright. I couldn’t see any flames, but the light was there.
I saw my father and Nathan standing and talking to someone. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they sounded excited. Then the light was gone.
Nathan came to me and said that he and Dad had just seen a group of angels. I said that angels only talked to prophets and there weren’t any holy men around our camp. We were too busy making a living to visit the temple.
Nathan told me the angels said a baby had been born in Bethlehem who would save us from our sins and that we should go into town and see for ourselves.
Somebody had to look after the sheep. We were responsible for the flock, and angels weren’t going to take care of our business. We didn’t need deliverance from our sins – we needed deliverance from the Romans.
I couldn’t believe that my father got caught up in this, and I was mad at both of them. Somebody had to have common sense. Dad and Nathan headed down the hill. I stayed to watch the sheep.
Dad died a couple of years ago. One of the last things he said was that he was sorry I hadn’t come to Bethlehem with them...
Nathan often talked of that night. He says that he’d like to meet that child from Bethlehem again. I asked Nathan how he’d recognize the man the baby had grown into after some thirty years. Nathan says he’ll know who he is.
Well, I guess that I’d better get some sleep if I’m going to stay up tomorrow while my crazy brother chases that holy man. I HOPE he finds who he’s looking for.
Dave Lewis
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