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July 23, 2025 14 mins

Welcome to the Christmas series! The shepherds arrive to see the newborn king swaddled in a manger. The sight, as humble as it is, fills them with awe. They share what they’ve seen, and rumors of the Messiah’s arrival begin to spread throughout the land. 

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As we dive deeply into iconic Bible heroes' enthralling narratives, we find more than just stories of faith and miracles. We discover a recurrent theme, a spiritual undertone that connects each tale to the grandeur of the Gospel.

They're not just standalone legends; they're threads in a divine tapestry, weaving a story that foreshadows Jesus Christ, the ultimate hero, the promised Messiah who brings light to the darkest corners of history.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
For the word of the Cross is foolishness to those
who are dying, but to us who are being saved,
it is God First Corinthians one eighteen. Dear Lord Jesus,
we stand in awe of your incarnation, humbled that you
would choose us to witness your love and grace. Fill

(00:26):
our hearts with reverence for your holiness. Give us the
boldness to share your good news without fear of rejection
or failure. We know that the message of your gospel
holds the power to change and transform lives. May we
press forward with boldness and joy, sharing with others the

(00:50):
same message that has changed our lives. May our lives
echo the shepherd's song of hope and redemption. Empower us
with your spear to be bold, brave, and humble in
the presence of others. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

(01:11):
Thank you for praying with me today. Stay tuned now
for another episode of Stories of the Messiah with Rabbi Schneider.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Go therefore and see for yourselves. You will find the
baby wrapped in swaddling class lying in a manger. The
Angel continued his words, infused with an urgency that set
their hearts aflame. As he spoke, the choir of angels
slowly rose their voices. The light swirled to the rising

(01:49):
and falling of their harmony. Finally, the song crescendoed into
a resonating song of praise. Then, as suddenly as it
had come, the light dissipated, leaving the valley bathed in
the soft glow of the stars. Once more, The melodies
of heaven were replaced by the gentle whispers of the
evening wind and a few chirping crickets. The shepherds sat

(02:12):
stunned and silent, their minds reeling from the vision they
had just witnessed. The oldest shepherd turned to his companions,
Did we all just see that?

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Or is this old man finally losing his mind? The
two others nodded their heads in confirmation that they had
all born witness. Still stunned by what they had seen,
Slowly their eyes turned towards Bethlehem, where a few torchlights
still flickered in the distance. Resting above the city was
a new star, radiant and singular, unlike any they had

(02:45):
seen before. The older shepherd turned to his young friend
and laughed, you.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
May get to see royalty.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
After all, they all laughed with unexplainable joy. With a
shared understanding, they rose, leaving their belongings behind, their steps
quickening as they ran towards Beth for him. Their hearts
were aflame with a joy they could not contain, and
a purpose they could not deny.

Speaker 4 (03:14):
Hello and welcome to another Christmas episode of Stories of the Messiah.
I'm your host, Rabbi Schneider from Discovering the Jewish Jesus,
here to guide you as we behold the Newborn King.
This episode explores the themes of reverence, evangelism, and the humbling
joy of being chosen to witness God's goodness. In our
last episode, a small group of shepherds were visited by

(03:37):
a choir of angels, proclaiming the newborn King with passion
in their hearts. The shepherds will embark on a search
for a child lying in a manger. Their search for
Jesus mirrors our own. We stumble in darkness, looking for
hope around every corner, and when we finally find Jesus,
joy abounds in our lives. I pray this story will

(03:59):
be a beacon of hope for everyone lost in darkness.
The Gospel of John describes Jesus as a light that
darkness cannot overcome. The closer you are to Christ, the
further you are from darkness. That is why story to
the Messiah was created to draw you closer to the
light of our savior, Jesus Christ. Now, let's place ourselves

(04:21):
in the sandals of these shepherds. Let's step into the
presence of Christ and feel the gravity of his goodness.
This story will showcase the transformative power of Jess's presence
and how it changes us from the inside out. After
this story, we'll unpack themes and lessons to take into
our daily walks with God.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
The city of Bethlehem was still asleep. Silence covered the
night like a warm blanket. Dawn was approaching to welcome
the chirping of birds and the humming of vendors preparing
for the day. The tranquil silence of the morning was
interrupted by the ragged breath of shepherds desperately searching for
a child swallowed in a manger. Are we sure we

(05:05):
heard the angel correctly, one of the masked. Would the
child really be found in a feeding trough? It seemed absurd,
but then again it was absurd for acquire of angels
to visit a few lowly shepherds. The wisdom of God
seemed like foolishness to the world. None of it makes sense,
the older.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
Shepherd said, with a chuckle. But we know what we
heard and saw.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
The companions paced through town, looking behind fences and walls
for any sign of a baby in a manger. The
enthusiasm didn't wane, especially when they heard the faint cries
of a new born baby in the distance. The shepherds
followed the sound down a cobbled stairway of an inn
carved into the side of the hill. A flickering oil
lamp revealed shadows of two people leaning over crying baby.

(05:51):
The babies crying turned to soft whimpers, eventually soothed by
his mother's voice. The shepherds inched closer, finally stopping at
its entrance. When they reached the stable, their bodies froze
in reverence. Their minds grappled with the enormity of what
lay within. Like Moses near the burning bush, they knew
that they were.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Un wholly ground.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
The air was thick with expectancy. As they peered into
the shadows. Joseph met their eyes and stood up. He
stepped forward, clocking their view of his wife and child.
Who are you, he asked sternly. Mary reached out and
touched his arm, her eyes filled with understanding. They came
to see him, She whispered, her eyes soft and tired.

(06:35):
Joseph's eyes softened, and he nodded, stepping aside to allow
the shepherds to approach. With hesitant steps, the shepherds came closer,
their hearts fluttering with awe and eyes brimming with tears.
The humble surroundings faded away as they beheld him. The
baby Jesus lay in a manger, his tiny form wrapped
in swaddling clothes, his face radiant with innocence and promise.

(06:59):
They were over when with joy and humility, God chose
these simple men to witness his newborn son. The knowledge
was a weight and a blessing, a secret that filled
them with the reverence they had never known. The youngest
shepherd of the three stepped forward with humility. He pulled
out a woolen blanket he had woven himself from his lambs.

(07:20):
He handed it to Mary. His voice, choked with emotion,
faltered as he spoke for the child, a humble gift.
Mary's eyes beamed with gratitude as she accepted the offering,
her lips curving into a gentle smile. Thank you, she whispered.
Her voice was warm and soothing. The shepherds bowed to Jesus,

(07:41):
their bodies trembling with the enormity of the moment. A
profound and unbreakable connection had been forged, a moment in
time that would resonate throughout the ages.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
Mary didn't say anything.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
She pondered everything in her heart, wondering what the future
held for Jesus. The shepherds stood and bowed their heads
to Marry and Joseph. They exited the stable, stealing one
final glance at the child. Before they left. The sun
began to rise over the hills, painting the sky with
hues of gold and pink. Their hearts were filled with

(08:14):
an overflowing.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well of joy.

Speaker 3 (08:16):
Their contemplative walk slowly turned into a dance of praise
and worship. Soon enough, the shepherds were shouting through the streets,
their voices raised in worship and faces glowing with a
light that drew curious onlookers. Some shook their heads, thinking
the shepherds were crazy, drunk, or both. But the shepherds,
undeterred by scorn, proclaimed that the Messiah had been born

(08:39):
and they had been privileged to see him. Word began
to spread like ripples in a pond, the whispers growing
in strength and conviction. The shepherd's testimony, although unlikely, rekindled
hope and a few who heard it. If the Messiah
had truly been born, then hope for Israel was alive.
The testimony reached the ears of some of the servants

(09:01):
of Herod, the land's ruler. Their faces paled, their hearts
pounding with fear and hope. They did not tell Herod,
choosing instead to hold silent, their minds filled with dreams
of redemption from the oppression of Rome. Once weighed down
by sorrow and suffering, the land seemed to awaken to
a new possibility. The whispers grew into a chorus of voices,

(09:24):
a community united by faith and longing. In that humble stable,
a child had been born, a king who would change
the world. The shepherds, once forgotten guardians of their flock,
had become heralds of a new era, their voices resonating
with the truth that would transcend time and space.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
As the day.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
Unfolded, the sun casting a golden glow on the land,
the shepherds returned to their fields. Their souls were forever changed.
They looked to the bright blue skies and basked in
the sun's warmth. Their eyes would permanently be filled with
wondering gratitude that God had chosen them to bear witness

(10:05):
to his greatest gift.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
It was a story they would tell for the rest of.

Speaker 3 (10:09):
Their lives, a tale of faith and providence, of humility
and grace. They had stood on holy ground, and they
had witnessed God incarnate in the silence of the fields.
As the sheep grazed and the world moved on, they
would remember, and they would give thanks, their voices raised
in a song that would echo through the ages, a

(10:32):
melody of hope and redemption.

Speaker 4 (10:36):
I want us all the pause for a moment and
consider how strange this scene would be to an ancient reader.
The God of all creation chose to dwell among us,
not in the form of a tyrant nor warrior, but
as a child. When he was born. He chose to
be born from a poor family in a stable, said
in a feeding trough, and as he lay there in

(10:59):
the manger, his first worshipers were a few lowly shepherds.
God packaged remarkable event and unremarkable circumstances. This is proof
to us that God uses the foolish things of this
world to confound the wisdom of the wise. We often
want to see God move in mighty and miraculous ways,

(11:20):
like Moses parting seas or Elijah calling down fire from heaven. Still,
the Christmas story reminds us that God is also at
work in life's mundane and unremarkable margins. God chose to
move in a run down stable surrounded by ordinary shepherds.
Therefore He can work in your life as well. The

(11:42):
shepherd's reaction as they entered the stable was pure awe.
They felt the weight of the moment. They were in
the presence of something holy and divine. In today's fast paced,
noisy world, the concept of reverence can seem outdated. Yet
these simple men teach us timeless lesson about reverence and worship.

(12:02):
What does it mean to have reverence and awe for God? First,
it means to recognize God's holiness, just as Moses did
before the burning bush. The shepherds realized they were on
holy ground and responded accordingly. This encounter invites us to
recognize God's sanctity in our lives. Do we approach God

(12:24):
with the recognition He is holy and set apart from us. Second,
the shepherds allowed themselves to be suspended in wonder. Their
hearts were fluttering with awe at the presence of Christ.
This awe and wonder at God's nature is something we
can cultivate by reflecting on God's greatness, love, and works

(12:45):
in our lives. It requires us to pause, ponder, and
press into the glory of God. When was the last
time you stepped back and allowed yourself to be in
awe of God? Lastly, the shepherds respond to God's holiness
with evangelism. The shepherds didn't keep their experience to themselves.

(13:05):
They went out into the streets proclaiming the birth of
the Messiah. Despite scorn and misunderstanding, the shepherds boldly share
the good news. We are called to share our faith
with others, not fearing rejection. Their testimony ignited hope in
the hearts of those who heard. Sharing our faith can
catalyze hope in a world often weighted down by despair.

(13:28):
Some people will dobt your testimony, and others will receive
it gladly. One Corinthians, one Pint eighteen tells us that
the Gospel is folly to those who are perishing, but
to those who believe it is a source of power.
The realization that they were chosen to witness this event
overwhelm the shepherd's with joy and humility. The shepherds were

(13:49):
simple men, yet they were chosen. This is a profound
reminder that God's choosing is not based on status or
worldly qualifications, but on his grace. My friends, you are chosen.
You are chosen to be witnesses to the light and
love of Christ. Just as the shepherds proclaim the Messiah

(14:09):
in the city streets, so too should we boldly proclaim
the good news of Jesus. May this Christmas season awaken
in us a renewed reverence, a boldness to share the
joy of Christ, and a profound gratitude that we have
been chosen to be part of God's marvelous plan. Join
us for our next episode of stories. The Messiah as

(14:31):
Jesus is revealed to a man named Simeon words of prophecy, glory,
and warning will be given to Mary. If you've enjoyed
this podcast, consider sharing with a friend. We want the
story of Jesus to change lives. If you're interested in
my ministry, you can visit discovering the Jewishist dot com

(14:51):
for more engaging and transformative biblical stories. Download Theprey dot
com app.
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Host

Rabbi K. A. Schneider

Rabbi K. A. Schneider

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