A Jesus Story Retold - Keeping Watch
Amos leaned on his staff. With the sun gone for hours, a night chill settled in among the shepherds and their flock. His teenage body craved sleep, but he couldn't afford such luxury. Amos had to stay awake and keep a vigilant watch. He was a shepherd, after all, and shepherds needed to guard the sheep against predators.
Although the sheep could not defend themselves against attacks, they did have excellent eyesight and hearing. More than once, the sheep identified the threat before Amos. Paying attention to the flock was essential, even in the middle of the night. Since sheep slept about four hours a day, there always seemed to be at least one critter who was awake. Amos came to rely on his charge to be able to keep them all safe from harm.
Grazing in open fields at night posed a particular challenge. Each year following the wheat harvest in June, the farmers would welcome the shepherds and their flocks. The sheep were adept at nibbling on what the harvesters left. Field workers could get only so low with their cutting sickles. The sheep cleared the field and had the added benefit of fertilizing the soil in the process.
Amos felt exposed, out in the open. He much preferred later in the summer, when they would move the flock to the higher pastures in the mountains of Upper Galilee. There they would make use of large caves for nighttime protection.
He rubbed the scar on his forearm; it was a painful memory. The beast attacked with a barking snarl. Amos clubbed it to death but not before it tore up his arm. Although it took a while to heal, he was glad that it didn't cause permanent damage. Being a shepherd was not without danger.
There was a time when folks held shepherds in high regard. In that region and throughout the Davidic kingdom, shepherding was a royal image. King David himself was a shepherd. So was Amos' namesake, the famous prophet from Tekoa, which was a short distance from where they were in the hills surrounding Bethlehem. Such romantic and glorious images of watching sheep remained in the past, kept alive by sacred ancient texts.
These days, shepherds were among the lowest of the low. They were landless, day wage earners. Even the rabbis looked with suspicion on them. Since Amos was the youngest in a family of four boys, there would be no inheritance for him. The family farm would go to his eldest brother Judah. If something unforeseen should happen to him, two others were in the predetermined line of succession. It meant that his future was not too bright. Maybe one of them would show mercy and give him a sheep or two to start his flock. Knowing his brothers as he did, it was not likely. Instead, Amos imagined that he would be caring for his brother's flock forever.
Forever seemed as bleak as the night. The clouds blocked the moon's light and cast ominous shadows upon the ground. It was a perfect setting for Amos to host one of his regular private pity parties.
Just then, the sky shone with unnatural light. In a flash, it was as bright as midday. Amos raised his hand to shield his eyes. From the heavens descended a glowing figure. A man? No, an angel!
The light radiated from the celestial being as he walked toward the flock. By now, all the shepherds woke and were down on their knees. All were terrified. Standing before the quaking herdsmen, the angel spoke.
"Do Not Be Afraid! I am here to bring you some good news. To you - all of you - is born this day a Savior. This Savior is the Christ for which your people have long waited. Go. See with your own eyes. The baby is lying in a manger in the town of Bethlehem."
The divine glow intensified. Suddenly, there was a multitude of angels - more than the sheep in the flock. Hovering over the shepherd's heads, they sang songs of joy.
Amos felt a strange feeling inside. His fear was gone; joy effervesced through his entire being. At the core of his spirit, resolve bubbled up. They must go and see the one of whom the angel spoke.
For the first time in his young life, Amos felt like he was part of something special, something sacred. God, the hope of his heart's desire, had always seemed far away. No longer. Now, he would get to see first hand the face of God. Not even the great shepherd Moses got to do that! Honored by the recognition and the invitation, Amos and his comrades hastened to Bethlehem.
To the light of a stable, they scurried with dawning spirits.
