Christmas is a season overflowing with memories. But in all of the remembering, there is one great truth: The best gift ever given was Jesus. Long before Calvary, long before miracles and parables, long before disciples dropped their nets to follow Him, a star appeared in the ancient sky announcing that God Himself had entered the world in the form of a child. Heaven’s most perfect gift had been given.
Two groups found their way to this Gift—the shepherds and the Magi, the poorest and the wealthiest, the near and the far, the common and the esteemed. Their stories, though different, converge on the same point. To find Jesus is to find everything. That truth remains through the ages: Jesus is God’s gift to all.
The Shepherds: The Gift Received and Shared
The story begins in quiet darkness. In Bethlehem’s outskirts, shepherds—ordinary men working an ordinary night shift—were not expecting wonders. They were not recounting prophecies. They were simply trying to make it through another night. But heaven could not keep silent. God’s eternal plan was unfolding.
Suddenly, the sky tore open with angelic radiance. A messenger from the Lord declared, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you, Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10–12). An amazing sight and amazing words! The shepherds had to have been awestruck. “Did the angel really say, ‘Unto you is born?’ Did we really hear, ‘you shall find?’” Shepherds had been personally invited to behold the Lamb of God! The ageless angel announced to that handful of common laborers that just over there was a Gift from God that no one in the world could earn or deserve, yet the Gift was given freely to them.
And then, to go from glory to glory, an amazing spectacle took place! Not one angel, but tens of thousands of them sang or shouted praises to God for this wonderful gift to people everywhere.
Their response was simple and immediate: “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing . . . the Lord has made known unto us” (v. 15). They hurried to Bethlehem and found the promised Child just as the angel had said, not in a palace, but in a manger. They beheld God’s glory bound up in swaddling clothes. They watched the One who had exhaled the breath of life into Adam, filling his newborn lungs with earth’s air. God with us.
These humble men did not arrive with treasures, but they offered to God a gift more precious than gold or incense: their testimony. “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. . . . Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (Luke 2:17–18, 20 NKJV). Their joy overflowed and they became the first messengers of the gospel. They found the Gift—and immediately shared Him.
The Magi: The Gift Sought and Found
The shepherds had been nearby, but another journey began far away. Across the miles they traveled. From faraway lands came very educated and wealthy men who had seen a sign unlike any other. A celestial light appeared, and they heard, “A King has been born.” They were not Jews, but they had studied Judaism’s prophecies . . . and believed. They were not invited, but they traveled in faith . . . and persevered. They were not told by angels, but they searched . . . and found.
The Magi embarked on a long and costly pilgrimage to find the One worthy of worship. Their treasure chests carried gold, frankincense, and myrrh, each gift rich in symbolism: gold for a King, incense for deity, myrrh for suffering. Yet for all their costly offerings, an astonishing truth awaited them: They had come bearing gifts for the One who Himself was the Gift.
When at last they found the Child, not in a palace but in a simple home, they fell to their knees. The greatest sign of their understanding was not in what they gave, but in what they did first: “They bowed down and worshiped Him.” Their posture declared what their hearts already knew—He was not just a king, but the King; not a gifted child, but God’s Gift to the nations.
The shepherds came with nothing. The wise men came with costly treasures. And in the presence of Jesus, everyone finds the same truth: Nothing we bring compares to what God has given.
When the Gift Becomes the Giver
A remarkable reversal lies at the heart of the Christmas story. The shepherds gave praise. The wise men gave gifts. But Jesus gave Himself:
To the shepherds, to show that everyone matters.
To the wise men, to show wisdom had a name.
To Israel, so they would see their promises fulfilled.
To the world, so that all nations might find salvation in Him alone.
In every Christmas moment we are invited to remember that God did not send merely blessings or instructions. He sent His Son. Jesus is God’s love wrapped in human flesh, God’s mercy walking our dusty roads, God’s presence choosing not a throne but a cross.
The Shepherds Found the Lamb; the Wise Men Found the King
Each encounter reveals something essential about Christ:
The shepherds found the Lamb of God; the One who would one day lay down His life.
The Magi found the King of all kings; the One who would reign in righteousness and peace.
Together, they show us who Jesus truly is. He is the sacrificial Lamb and the King of kings, the suffering Servant and the triumphant Lord.
The Gift that Still Seeks Us
The story does not end in Bethlehem. It continues in every heart that responds to God’s invitation. The shepherds teach us that no one is too ordinary to receive Him. The Magi teach us that no one is too far away to be drawn to Him. And Jesus Himself teaches us that God’s love is greater than any distance we travel, any treasure we lay down, any brokenness we bring.
In many cultures, giving gifts is a part of celebrating Christmas. Some gifts will be cherished, some forgotten. The only gift that changes everything is the One heaven gave. Jesus is still the best gift, not because He was once wrapped in swaddling clothes, but because now He wraps us in his love and care. He is forgiveness for the guilty, peace for the anxious, hope for the weary, light for those in darkness, and life for all who believe.
Finding Him Again This Christmas
As His people, we are invited to follow the path of the shepherds and the wise men. Seek Him with wonder. Find Him with joy. Worship Him with devotion. Share Him with the world.
For whether we come empty-handed like shepherds or bearing gifts like kings, finding Jesus leads to the same understanding: He is the treasure. He is the Gift. He is everything we need.
