Expounding the Christmas Event
Analyzing the Flow:
Luke 2:15-20
Steps to show how the following passage might be expounded in a Christmas Address:
‘When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord
has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who
was lying in the manger. 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. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them
in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things
they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.’
A. Analyzing the structure:
Re-write to show the structure’s shape (what stands out? and what relates to what?).
Underline the main topics or subjects and theme(s).
Circle (or put in italics) the verbs and consider all the actions and re-actions involved.
‘When the angels had left them and gone into heaven,
the shepherds said to one another,
“Let’s go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph,
and the baby,
who was lying in the manger.
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.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all the things they had heard and seen,
which were just as they had been told.’
B. Deciding the subject:
Note down all the possible subjects of the passage. (What is it about?)
Decide what is its over-all subject (the subject that relates to the total content).
Possible subjects: The shepherds, the baby, Mary, God; or an amazing event (Which?)
The only subject that covers the whole passage: An amazing event!
C.
Who is doing what?
What comparisons are suggested by the way the narrative is written?
How does the narrative develop through various stages?
A. The shepherds are responding to what they have been told
by going…, seeing…, telling… and praising…
B. Three different responses to this amazing event are recorded and compared:
i) The shepherds who spread the news through testimony and praise of God
ii) Mary who ponders (meditates upon) these happenings
iii) Others who are simply amazed.
C. The story moves from a desire to confirm the truth of an amazing revelation,
through enthusiastic testimony to this revelation,
to a return to routine while still praising God for the revelation
and the amazing event they had experienced for themselves.
D. Expounding the Passage:
What does this study of the structure tell us about the over-all subject of the passage?
• An amazing event had been announced by no less than a heavenly angel
• The simple shepherds to whom it was announced responded at once
• They wanted to see for themselves what had happened
• They recognized that God himself had told them of it
• Once they had seem for themselves, they told others about it
• Their testimony was effective; their hearers were amazed by it all
• Mary’s response was to think deeply about it
• The shepherds continued to praise God while returning to their work.
E. Applying its Message:
How should we apply this passage to ourselves?
• We should be enthusiastic about the Gospel and what God has told us (in our
case, through His Word)
• We should make sure we have “seen” Christ and been amazed at what God
has done and thus experienced the Gospel for ourselves
• We should spread the Gospel by telling others what we have been “told” (i.e.
what we have learnt for ourselves from listening to God’s Word)
• Like Mary we should think deeply about God’s intervention in our lives
• We should always be praising God and glorifying Him in our daily work