Who were the first to hear of Jesus’s birth? Surely it was proclaimed by palace trumpeters or broadcast across the earth. No.

Angels made the announcement to a small group of shepherds, lowly outcasts outside Bethlehem. After the shepherds heard the great news, they left immediately to search for the newborn. “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Luke 2:17-18).

The people were “amazed.” Meaning what? Did those who heard the report from the shepherds spread the word? Did they believe that the Messiah had finally come? No such response is recorded.

We find a similar reaction years later to many of Jesus’s miracles and teachings. Upon hearing Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, “[T]he crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority” (Matthew 7:28b-29a). But this amazement did not necessarily translate to belief that Jesus was the Son of God.

The Jews of Jesus’s day expected the Messiah to rise up politically and end the Roman occupation of Judea. They thought He would free them from the power of Rome and establish an earthly kingdom then and there. But Jesus did not do what they expected.

The same attitude is found today. People refuse to accept Jesus because their expectations are dashed. Things don’t go as planned. Disappointment and bitterness harden hearts and keep people from turning to the One who can save them from sin.

We need to accept that God’s ways are not our ways and that He has a better plan. When we surrender to Him, we find a loving Savior.

May we go beyond amazed. Let’s believe!