Chapter 6: The Shepherd

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.   An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. 

Faith is not the sole possession of society’s cream.  In fact, it bubbles out most profusely from the lower levels.  And even though that is where it resides in abundance, it always seems surprising to those it comes to.  

Sir,  may we speak to you for a moment.

I didn’t do it.

Didn’t do what?

Whatever  you think I did.  I’ve been out here all year.  I have witnesses.

That’s what I'd like to talk to you about: your life, 

as a shepherd, and what you’ve seen out here.

Oh.  You know about that.

A bit.  Tell us about your life, first.  I’ve always thought

being a shepherd would be a great way of life.

Not really, the life of a shepherd is quite boring.  Sheep don’t do much more than eat, sleep, stink and run into stationary objects. Looking after these stupid animals is not really mentally stimulating.

So why do you do it?

Keeps us out of trouble, mostly.  You see, when the job gets to us... like when we start bleating along with the sheep.  We revert to our regular lifestyles.  We go to town for a little excitement.  A little drinking, some singing, some fighting ... and a Iittle thievery to pay for it all.  Needless to say, the townspeopIe don't like to see shepherds come in from the fields.  Most of us have been run out of town one or more times in our lives and shepherding is a good thing to do while one lets things cool down a bit.

Nobody's perfect.

...and some of us are considerably less than.  That’s why this whole thing is confusing to me.

What thing?

That night was so clear.. so beautiful...so bright. The star hung in the sky and lit up everything. None of us could say anything. We just stared at the star.  The sheep were caIm, too. In fact, they ceased bleating altogether.  Then he... she...it appeared!  So bright.  So powerful. We wanted to run but we were to terrified.

“Don't be afraid," it said. 

Were you?

Petrified.  That’s why we didn’t run away.  Then it said, “I bring you tidings of great joy.  Today your savior has come, born in the City of David: Christ the Lord. You will find him in a manger, wrapped in his father's burial cloth."

Then what happened?

Well, the sky exploded.  There were thousands of...angels ... I think that’s what they they were... a singing the most beautiful and powerful psalms I had ever heard. Then...they were gone.  Just gone.  

What did you do?

We went. I mean, after a command like that, are you going to stay home? And we found him, just like the angel said. He was - a really nice baby. Real healthy. And his parents were real nice too. They welcomed us and treated us like members of their family. You know, we never doubted that this was the Messiah. Even though he was in such a nasty, dirty place. I mean, you don't get an army of angels telling you about this sort of thing unless it's true or you’re crazy. And we're not crazy.  We're just not trustworthy.

And that's where it ended for you?

No, not really.  About a year later, this caravan came by and we were called in to see these noblemen..or were they priests? I don't know. They were really rich. They asked us a lot of questions about the baby. All kinds of questions.  It turned out that they were only guessing that he existed. They never saw any angels. They just followed the star. They weren't sure what they were looking for. After we told them what we could, they left the next day.

What did you think about that?

Actually, that's what really confuses me. I mean, I'm a Jew, one of God's chosen people, and I should have some idea as far as what he has in mind. But I just don't understand.  Why does he make intelligent, honest noblemen guess about the most important event in the history of mankind, but he sends an army of angels to tell sinners exactly what is going on. What kind of God chooses scoundrels over holy men?