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Where the Sheep & Goats Go
Mary was excited as she and Joseph approached Bethlehem. It was a famous town. It was the ancient home of Israel’s greatest king, King David. But much more important than that – for Mary – Bethlehem was the home of Joseph.
Joseph was not a king. He was a carpenter, and Mary loved him. They were going to be married soon. They might even get married in Bethlehem. No wonder she was excited.
Even more exciting: Mary was expecting a baby. Mary’s baby was not Joseph’s child, but God’s. She and Joseph planned get married after the baby was born. And the baby – God’s child and Mary’s child – was due to be born soon.
Mary was also excited because she was about to meet Joseph’s family. Joseph grew up in Bethlehem, and most of his family lived there. They were descendants of King David.
But, until Mary arrived in Bethlehem, she did not realise just how big Joseph’s family was. It was huge. And they were all there: aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, cousins, second cousins, step-sisters, the lot. They had all descended on Joseph’s family home, in Bethlehem.
The Roman Emperor, Augustus, had ordered that everyone in the whole country must return to their family home to register for a census. That’s why Mary and Joseph had travelled to Bethlehem. And that’s why Joseph’s family home was full to bursting.
The guest room was full. The living room was full. There were even people sleeping on the roof. But because Mary was expecting a baby – any day now – she was given a place of her own to sleep, away from the rest, underneath the house in a small cave, where the sheep and goats were kept during the winter. Fortunately for Mary, and for the people sleeping on the roof, it was not winter.
And it was right there, in Bethlehem, underneath the house, in the cave where the sheep and goats were kept during the winter, that the baby, Mary’s baby and God’s baby, was born. It was a baby boy. She bundled him up in strips of cloth, and made a bed for him in the trough where the food for the sheep and goats usually went. The baby’s name was Jesus.
That same night, as it was not winter, the sheep and goats were out in the fields with their shepherds. In the middle of the night, an angel from God suddenly appeared.
The shepherds were terrified. So were the sheep and the goats. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the angel said. ‘I have some good news.’ The shepherds were no less terrified, but they listened. ‘Tonight,’ the angel told them, ‘in King David’s town, the Messiah has been born, your saviour.’ The shepherds were still terrified, but it was exciting news. ‘This baby will be easy to find,’ the angel continued. ‘He has been bundled up in strips of cloth, and laid in a trough where the food for the sheep and goats goes during the winter.’
All of a sudden, the night sky was full of angels, bright and wonderful, and they sang songs of praise to God.
Then they vanished.
The shepherds rushed into Bethlehem. They knew where to look: under the houses, in the caves where the sheep and goats were kept during the winter.
All the caves were dark and empty; all except for one. In that one cave there were lights shining. In that one cave the shepherds met Joseph, who they knew. In that one cave they found Mary. And in that one cave, right at the very back, in the trough where the food for the sheep and goats usually went, they found a new-born baby, the Messiah, their saviour.
Amazing.
©Robert Harrison
“Must Know Stories” was a Scripture Union project. Rob Harrison’s set of stories for adults was published by Scripture Union, and can be found here.
