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The Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke tell of two different events in two different places. Luke speaks of the angel’s appearance to the shepherds and their visiting the newborn Jesus in the manger. Matthew tells of the wise men visiting the “young child” in a house some time later.

I just read that the early church has always loved the wise men, but it largely ignored Luke’s shepherds. Drawings of the wise men appeared in the catacombs 200 years before drawings of the shepherds for example. (E.A. Carmean Jr, art historian). The shepherds were low status men, poor, and did not seek out the Messiah until the angels called them. The wise men, on the other hand, were high status, wealthy, and had to work really hard and travel a long way. 

God used them both. The shepherds’ appearance was a confirming sign to Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds started telling about him right away (Luke 2.17). The wise men came later and didn’t tell anyone. However, their gifts would have funded the family for a long time. 

Here are a few simple lessons:

• The Messiah is for all people, rich and poor. 
• God works through ordinary people.
• God often calls people through their work. The shepherds were working when the angel appeared to them. The wise men would have discovered the star as part of their work. For that matter, Jesus called the first disciples while they were at work fishing!