Verse 10
And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people.
Be not afraid ... Fear has ever been the bane of human existence on earth, ever since the fall from Eden. Man is born with only two fears, that of falling and that of a loud noise; but, to these, his experience quickly adds many more, and his fertile imagination countless others. The calming of mortal fears has frequently engaged God's concern, as in this instance through his angels.
To all people ... The good news announced by the angels was not merely for Israel, but for Gentiles and all men. It is not correct to view the universalism of Luke's Gospel as being due to any conscious choice on his part, selecting only the material that would convey this; because in this very episode we have Luke the Gentile recording the first announcement of Jesus' birth, not to Gentiles, but to Jewish shepherds. On the other hand, Matthew the Jew, and scholarly expert in the Old Testament Scriptures, introduced the Gentile wisemen as first learning of the Saviour's birth through the message conveyed by the star (Matthew 2:1,3). Wonderful are the ways of the Lord.
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