Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, Mary Treasured and Pondered

by David Chadwick

Did you know Jesus is alive? Not just in the Christmas story, but today and forevermore!

As we continue to study the birth of Jesus, the most compelling reality of the Christmas story is that the same wonder and glory that came with his birth is still available to us today. His birth unlocked an eternal promise. Jesus’s birth impacted all of history and all of eternity.

The first coming of Jesus was a foretaste of his second coming. As we read Luke 2:1-21, we should swell with anticipation in our hearts for our soon and coming King!

Today, we are going to look at Luke 2:15-20 where the angels ascended to heaven and the shepherds set out to find the manger. Verse 16 says that the shepherds went “with haste” to find the couple and the baby. Haste. What a powerful word; meaning excessive speed, urgency, hurry. They knew they had been given a very important assignment and they acted swiftly!

I love to presume all that might have happened along the way with the shepherds. Did they have to ask around to find the manger? Do you think they found the innkeeper and asked if he knew of a couple giving birth in a manger? Was this one of only a few mangers in Bethlehem, making it relatively easy to find? Maybe the only manger? Although Luke, once again, left some of these details missing, he was detail-oriented enough to show us the most important thing–that with very little information, these shepherds found Jesus.

When they saw the baby, they remembered the angel’s words. Everything was just as they had told him it would be. After all, angels can’t lie! The shepherds went on to tell Mary and Joseph all that had just happened. The appearance of the angel. The message of how to find them. The angelic choir proclaiming the glory of God. The shepherds returned to their fields praising God. They saw and heard exactly as they had been told by the angel. Their lives would never be the same!

Don’t you know Mary and Joseph must have added this info to their own list of angelic appearances, to the many stories they were already collecting, and to the promises that had been made to them through the birth of their son? This was prophetic fulfillment happening before their very eyes. From that day forward, they surely had a lot to talk about in their newly married lives.

After the birth of her son and subsequent events, what did Mary do? The Bible says that “she treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Do you think she ever shared all of the intricacies with Jesus? Or directly to Dr. Luke? She clearly told someone. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have this account today.

Not only did Mary treasure and ponder, but she also shared it. Because when you know something is life-changing, you can’t help but share it! It changed Mary personally, but it changed everyone around her. And even more, it’s changed all of us today! Praise be to God for this good and Godly woman.