It is Christmas! It is a joyous time for many families and friends as they celebrate the holiday. Many customs accompany this holiday. There will be midnight church services, gift buying, and giving gifts. There will be food, food, and more food. There are work parties, school parties, and family and friend gatherings. Some will travel long distances to see people they only see once a year. Many will spend money they do not have to give gifts to impress someone. Christmas is a celebration that multitudes will engage in, but when the holiday is over, it is forgotten.
In Luke 2:8-20 we find the Shepherds being told of the Messiah’s birth. “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. “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. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” They were excited to hear the news from the angel. So much so that they left everything to go see this miracle baby. I can only imagine their joy and how they told their grandchildren about an angel sharing with them the birth of Jesus. However, we never hear from these shepherds again in the scripture. Maybe they believed what they saw was the Messiah, or maybe when they got together with relatives, there was scoffing, and they changed their minds about the event.
We find another celebration of Jesus in Matthew 21:6-11 “And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” The disciples had gone into the town to a place Jesus had told them and brought back a colt that had never been riding. The disciples knew exactly what to do and how to do it. As Jesus rode this colt into the city, they worshiped and celebrated Him. They took their outer garments and laid them on the ground as he rode past them. They waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” The translation from Greek to English means, “Save now, O thou that dwellest in the highest heaven, or among the highest angels.” They celebrated and, to some measure, believed He was the Messiah, but just as most celebrations end, this one also ended. One week later, some of this same crowd was screaming, “Crucify Him.”
There are other accounts of how people followed Jesus and then turned back. They wanted the miracles; they enjoyed the celebrations, but they did not continue to follow. In both of these accounts, we find no further accolades for Jesus. They should have believed and shared with everyone they saw about this child in a manger, this man on a donkey, but think about our modern-day celebration. Many hear the truth of Christmas, attend the Christmas services, say a prayer for the family meal, they may even give a monetary gift to a church or charity because it is Christmas, but after it is over they go back to their daily living for themselves. Do you live from celebration to celebration? When the gifts are given and the tree comes down, is Christmas over for you?
