One day, we woke up early and travelled to Bethlehem. Before reaching the city, we stopped outside to a beautiful spot looking out over the hills all around.
Behind us, was a cave that has been made into a church. This cave is likely the place where the shepherds protected their sheep in a pen at night. They would sleep at the mouth of the cave so as to be the first line of protection between wolves and other hunters.
Inside the church, I had the honor of leading "Silent Night" for everyone to sing, then we went outside and looked at the fields all around. These were not only the fields where the sheep were grazing in Luke 2, when the angels appeared to the shepherds, but it's been confirmed that these are the actual fields of Boaz (and Ruth).
Over the millennia, the topography has changed thanks to earthquakes, but we were looking at the fields where Ruth met Boaz and eventually raised their family—ancestors of Jesus.
The tour guide also explained something very interesting to us, highlighting the fact that these sheep weren't just any sheep that the shepherds were watching. These were the sheep reserved for sacrifice at the Temple. They needed to be spotless, without blemish. This means that the shepherds would never in a million years have left the sheep except for something of the upmost importance—something like the birth of the Lamb of God just over the next hill.
Behind us, was a cave that has been made into a church. This cave is likely the place where the shepherds protected their sheep in a pen at night. They would sleep at the mouth of the cave so as to be the first line of protection between wolves and other hunters.
Over the millennia, the topography has changed thanks to earthquakes, but we were looking at the fields where Ruth met Boaz and eventually raised their family—ancestors of Jesus.
The tour guide also explained something very interesting to us, highlighting the fact that these sheep weren't just any sheep that the shepherds were watching. These were the sheep reserved for sacrifice at the Temple. They needed to be spotless, without blemish. This means that the shepherds would never in a million years have left the sheep except for something of the upmost importance—something like the birth of the Lamb of God just over the next hill.
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