Luke 2:17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child
What would you think if I told you I saw an angel last night and the angel gave me some message to give you today? Would you believe me? Well, I hope not because that didn’t happen. However, there is a ditch on both sides of that road. On one side we have people who are wrapped up in their feelings. They have had experiences or dreams, and the authority for their lives is based on the experiences they have had. People on the other side of the ditch totally deny any kind of supernatural in the world that we inhabit.
When you come to Luke 2, you find a lot of special effects, wonder, ponder, marvel, astonishment, and amazement. These words describe the reactions of people. Think of Mary. If a young, unwed lady came to you and said she was with child but she had not been with a man, would you believe her? If she told you she had seen an angel that had given her a message from God, would you believe her? I wouldn’t, not today, but would you have believed Mary then?
What about Joseph? He tells you that an angel has come to him with a message and everything is okay. Would you have believed him? What about the five hundred people referred to in I Corinthians 15 who were witnesses and saw the risen Christ after the resurrection. Would you have believed them?
What about the shepherds? Verse 13 tells us about the shepherds to whom the angels came proclaiming the birth of the Christ child. Luke 2:13 says, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” I think there could have been a million angels that night, but however many there were, it would have been absolutely stunning and staggering and terrifying in some ways. You would suppose that everyone would have seen something, yet nothing in the text indicates that anyone else saw this. To be sure, no matter how many angels there were in the sky, one angel would be enough to scare most people to death.
In Acts 9 and 22, Paul came face to face with the Lord Jesus on the Damascus Road. It is quite apparent that the people with him did not experience the same thing he did. In Galatians 1:8, Paul says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” He goes on to allude to the experience he had with the risen Christ, yet he says, “Even if an angel gives you a message, but it is contrary to the gospel you have already received, let him be accursed.” Those are strong words.
Peter had experienced much on the Mount of Transfiguration. He had literally seen two men who had been dead for centuries, Elijah and Moses. That would have been incredible, yet he says in II Peter 1, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we have made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” He goes on to say, “We were with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration, but we have a more sure word of prophecy.” He is talking about the Scripture which is not “of any private interpretation,” but was give by the Holy Ghost, God Himself.
There is a lot of wonder and supernatural experience here. The bottom line is we are to be witnesses of what we know. That is exactly what these shepherds did. Verse 17 says, “And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.” Again, verse 20 says that they praised God “for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told unto them.” So, we are to be witnesses of what we know.
First, start with the truth. The angels gave God’s Word, the shepherds relayed God’s Word. God Himself has given us His Word. That is the ultimate authority. The reason we know about the angelic appearance and the shepherds is not because we experienced it, but because we know it from what we read in the Word God has given us. So, start with the truth. We are to be witnesses of what we know.
Interpret your experiences by the truth, not vice versa. You can either interpret the truth by your experiences, or you can interpret your experiences by the truth. We are to trust God’s Word. Think about so many false religions today, what we would call cults. Many of them begin with an angelic appearance. Someone says, “I don’t believe an angel appeared to the founder of this religion.” Really? The Bible says the devil is an angel of light. I think they experienced something. There is too much there. It may be false, but there are entire intricately-filled books of falsehood. How could that be? There was an angel. You have to interpret your experience by the truth, not vice versa. Thy Word is truth.
God gives more to those who are willing to act. Why did angels appear literally to these shepherds and not to the Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees and other religious leaders who knew roughly when and where Christ would be born? It is because they didn’t have a heart to hear. The shepherds weren’t brilliant, doctors of the law or theologians, but they had reverence and submissive hearts open to the truth they had. God gives more to those who will act.
The shepherds received something I doubt I will ever receive, a host of angels giving an angelic message from God, and I don’t think anyone else saw it other than the shepherds. The reason they saw it was because they were submissive when God led. We are to be witnesses of what we know. Start with the truth. Interpret your experiences by the truth in God’s Word, and remember that God gives more to those who are willing to act.