What did you go out to the desert to see? (Luke 7:24)
Jesus asked this question to those who went out to the desert to listen to John the Baptist. John foretold the coming of the Lord, but he was clearly not what his listeners expected.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4)
We might well ask the shepherds watching their flocks the night Jesus was born what it was they went to see. They were given heavenly guidance as to what they should look for.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. (Luke 2:8)
Keeping watch in Scripture is often an analogy to controlling the desires of our heart. Night is often used to invoke the act of prayer, which our Lord demonstrated throughout His earthly life.
In those days He departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)
In this way, even the Son of God communed with His Heavenly Father and received the guidance He needed for His mission in this life.
When the multitude of heavenly hosts appeared to the shepherds, and the Angel of Heaven spoke to them, the shepherds took the Angelic advice and went to Bethlehem to investigate.
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. (Luke 2:11)
What were they looking for? And what did they expect to see? Their curiosity was elevated by the prophetic announcement of the Angel, but this Messiah appeared to them in a very unexpected way - as a mere baby.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:12)
This was indeed what the shepherds were told, but they must have wondered how a mere child could be the savior of the world. God did not conform Himself to their expectations. Our Eternal King chose to enter our world in a way the shepherds could not have imagined. What about us?
If we made the effort to attend services this Christmas, why did we? What did we go to see? What did we expect to experience? More importantly, were our expectations fulfilled?
So often we set our own expectations of how God should manifest Himself in our lives. We allow our preconceived ideas of who He is and how He should work to influence what we then expect to see and experience of Him working in our lives.
Again, when Jesus questioned those who sought out John the Baptist, He challenged them to consider whether what they saw in John was what they expected. Could they have believed that the ill-clad, locust eating John was a credible messenger of the coming of the Savior?
What did you go out to the desert to see—a reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine garments? Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously are found in royal palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom scripture says:
‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
he will prepare your way before you.’ (Luke 7:24-27)
If we desire to see and experience God working in our lives, we must be willing to abandon our expectations of what that should look like. God may choose to announce His coming in the presence of an ill-clad and foul-smelling character or unpleasant set of circumstances.
And He may enter our world in a way that does not appear to garner much attention, and in the dark of night.
We will only recognize these events in our lives if we are watching over our hearts in the night - listening in the silence of prayer to a message echoing deep within our hearts.
Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. (Luke 2:10)
Happy New Year to All
God Bless
Copyright © 2025, Deacon Mark Danis
Image credit:"St. John the Baptist," El Greco (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA), Public domain, via WikiArt