Gospel Bookends

Bookends are those supports that keep books from falling over on a shelf or

desk. By way of analogy, there are two events that bookend the life of

Jesus as recorded in the Gospel accounts of Luke and Matthew: two angelic

appearances, two unlikely recipients of the angel’s message, and two

responses that teach us how to live in this Advent season.

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Angels appeared to two unlikely sectors of society: shepherds at Jesus’s

birth (Luke 2:8-20) and women at Jesus’s resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10). In

Jesus’s time, shepherds were looked down upon in society. Similarly, women

were not regarded as reliable witnesses in those days. However, God saw fit

to announce both the birth and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah

of Israel, to these marginalized people. Note the angel’s words to the

shepherds: don’t be afraid, look, good news, great joy, and glory

to God. And to the women: don’t be afraid, come and see, go and

tell.

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When the shepherds obeyed the directive to go and see the baby in the

manger, they found it to be exactly as the angel had said. They left

worshiping God and telling others what they had seen and heard. And when

the women left the tomb with great joy (Matthew 28:8) they met the risen

Lord Jesus and worshiped Him. Their testimony was followed by the eleven

disciples receiving the great commission for every Christian to go and make

disciples of all nations (verses 16-20). These bookends give us some clear

examples to follow when it comes to our relationship to the Lord this

Christmas season.

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Don’t be afraid. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior

of the world. Believe in Him, praise Him, and go with great joy to tell all

that the Lord has made known to you. Cameron DeCou

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Why do you think God chose unlikely messengers for these two essential

moments in Jesus’s life?

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What are some things God has done for you? How could you share these

things with others?

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Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to

observe everything I [Jesus] have commanded you. And remember, I am with

you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20 (CSB)

Read Verses:

Matthew 28:1-Matthew 28:10; Matthew 28:16-Matthew 28:20