20251224 [성탄묵상] 지극히 낮은 곳으로 오신 구세주 | A Savior in the Lowest Place (눅/Lk 2:8~20)

2:8 그 지역에 목자들이 밤에 밖에서 자기 양 떼를 지키더니

2:9 주의 사자가 곁에 서고 주의 영광이 그들을 두루 비추매 크게 무서워 하는지라

2:10 천사가 이르되 무서워하지 말라 보라 내가 온 백성에게 미칠 큰 기쁨의 좋은 소식을 너희에게 전하노라

2:11 오늘 다윗의 동네에 너희를 위하여 구주가 나셨으니 곧 그리스도 주시니라

2:12 너희가 가서 강보에 싸여 구유에 뉘어 있는 아기를 보리니 이것이 너희에게 표적이니라 하더니

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

2:13 홀연히 수많은 천군이 그 천사들과 함께 하나님을 찬송하여 이르되

2:14 지극히 높은 곳에서는 하나님께 영광이요 땅에서는 하나님이 기뻐하신 사람들 중에 평화로다 하니라

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

2:15 천사들이 떠나 하늘로 올라가니 목자가 서로 말하되 이제 베들레헴으로 가서 주께서 우리에게 알리신 바 이 이루어진 일을 보자 하고

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

2:16 빨리 가서 마리아와 요셉과 구유에 누인 아기를 찾아서

2:17 보고 천사가 자기들에게 이 아기에 대하여 말한 것을 전하니

2:18 듣는 자가 다 목자들이 그들에게 말하는 것들을 놀랍게 여기되

2:19 마리아는 이 모든 말을 마음에 새기어 생각하니라

2:20 목자들은 자기들에게 이르던 바와 같이 듣고 본 그 모든 것으로 인하여 하나님께 영광을 돌리고 찬송하며 돌아가니라

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

                  어제 우리는 이사야서를 통해 구약에 나타난 대표적인 메시아 예언을 보았습니다. “이는 한 아기가 우리에게 났고 한 아들을 우리에게 주신 바 되었는데”라는 그 말씀이 그대로 이루어진 것이 바로 오늘의 말씀이지요. 구약의 모든 이들이 그토록 기다려왔던 바로 그 메시아. 오늘은 본문의 말씀을 통하여 “지극히 낮은 곳으로 오신 구세주”라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

[Introduction]

Yesterday, through the Book of Isaiah, we looked at the prominent Messianic prophecy of the Old Testament. Today’s passage is the very fulfillment of those words: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." This is the very Messiah that all people of the Old Testament so desperately awaited.

Through today’s text, I want to share a message titled: "A Savior in the Lowest Place."

                  첫번째, 제목이 그러하듯 예수님은 지극히 낮은 곳에 오셨습니다. 8절을 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “그 지역에 목자들이 밤에 밖에서 자기 양 떼를 지키더니” 아기 예수님의 탄생 소식을 들판의 목자들이 가장 먼저 듣게 됩니다. 우리가 익히 알고 있는 목자는 상당히 좋은 이미지입니다. 그러나 이 당시의 목자들은 낮은 계층의 사람들로 부정적인 시선을 받았던 사람들입니다. 그런데 이들에게 천사가 나타나 소식을 전한 것은 하나님의 구원이 약자와 소외된 자들에게 먼저 주어지는 은혜임을 알려주는 것입니다. 낮은 자에게 찾아오십니다. 12절 함께 읽겠습니다. “너희가 가서 강보에 싸여 구유에 뉘어있는 아기를 보리니 이것이 너희에게 표적이니라 하더니” 표적이란 하나님의 신적 개입이나 이적을 드러내는 징표입니다. 그런데 그 표적이 “강보에 싸여 구유에 뉘어있는 아기” 라고 합니다. 여기에 무슨 기적이 있습니까? 무슨 이적이 있습니까? 눈에 보이는 것은 그저 지극한 가난, 갈 곳이 없어 마굿간 구유에 아이를 놓을 수 밖에 없는 미천함 뿐입니다. 그런데 바로 그것이야말로 하나님의 표적이라는 것입니다. 가장 낮은자의 모습으로 오신 주님이야말로 하나님의 기적인 것입니다. 14절, 지극히 높은 곳과 땅을 대조하고 있습니다. 하나님이 계신 곳이 지극히 높다면 땅은 자연스레 지극히 낮은 곳이 되는 것이지요. 그런데 그 지극히 낮은 곳에서도 가장 낮은 모습으로 오신 분이 바로 예수님이십니다.

[Point 1: Jesus Came to the Lowest Place]

As the title suggests, Jesus came to the utmost lowliness. Let’s read verse 8 together:

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night."

The news of Baby Jesus’ birth reached shepherds in the fields first. Today, we often associate shepherds with a peaceful, positive image. However, in that era, shepherds were of a low social class and were often viewed with a negative or suspicious eye. The fact that angels appeared to them first teaches us that God’s salvation is a grace primarily given to the weak and the marginalized. He visits the lowly.

Let’s read verse 12:

"This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

A "sign" (or 표적) usually refers to a mark that reveals divine intervention or a miracle. But what kind of miracle do we see here? What kind of wonder? All we see is extreme poverty—the humbleness of a baby who had to be placed in a feeding trough because there was no room for Him.

Yet, according to the text, that very lowliness is the sign from God. The Lord coming in the form of the lowliest servant is, in itself, God’s greatest miracle. Verse 14 contrasts the "highest heaven" with "on earth." If God’s dwelling is the highest, then earth is naturally the low place. But even on this earth, Jesus chose to come in the lowliest manner possible.

                  두번째, 그렇다면 우리는 이 소식을 듣고 무엇을 해야 할까요? 첫째, 전해야 합니다. 16-17절, 예수님의 탄생 소식을 들은 목자들은 양은 어떻게 했는지도 모르게 빨리 가서 천사에게 들은대로 예수님에 대한 소식을 전합니다. 18절에 그 소식을 듣는 자가 다 놀랍게 여겼다라고 하지 않습니까? 두번째, 19절의 마리아처럼 우리는 이 소식을 마음에 새기고 끊임없이 되새겨야 합니다. 묵상해야합니다. 생각해야 합니다. 그래서 가장 낮은 곳에 가장 낮은 모습으로 오신 예수님의 사랑이 어떠한 것인지 늘 기억해야 합니다. 세번째, 20절에 목자들이 하였던 것처럼 하나님께 영광을 돌리고 찬송하여야 합니다. 이들이 이 소식을 듣고 목자에서 도시인이 된 것이 아닙니다. 이들은 그 밤에 다시 자기 양 떼를 지키러 밖으로 돌아가야했습니다. 그들의 환경은 바뀐게 없었지만 그들이 하나님께 영광을 돌리고 찬송하며 돌아간 것은 그들 마음 가운데 이제 예수님이 계셨기 때문입니다.

[Point 2: Our Response to the News]

Having heard this news, what must we do?

1. First, we must share it. In verses 16-17, the shepherds, upon hearing the news, hurried off—leaving their sheep behind for a moment—and spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. Verse 18 tells us that "all who heard it were amazed."

2. Second, we must treasure it. Like Mary in verse 19, we must treasure these things and ponder them in our hearts. We must meditate. We must reflect. We need to constantly remember the depth of Jesus’ love, which led Him to the lowest place in the lowest form.

3. Third, we must glorify and praise. In verse 20, the shepherds glorified and praised God. Notice that hearing this news did not suddenly turn these shepherds into wealthy urbanites. They had to return to the fields that night to guard their sheep. Their circumstances had not changed, but they returned glorifying and praising God because Jesus was now in their hearts.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 세상을 구원하실 하나님의 독생자께서 지극히 높은 하나님의 보좌에서 지극히 낮은 이 땅에 오셨습니다. 이 땅에서도 지극히 낮은 모습으로 오셨습니다. 그 소식은 낮은자들에게 먼저 전해졌고 수많은 천군 천사의 영광은 그들에게 먼저 비추어졌습니다. 하나님의 나라는 약자와 소외된 자들에게 먼저 주어지는 은혜인 것입니다. 지극히 낮은 곳으로 오신 구세주. 우리가 주님의 뜻을 따르기로 결정한다면 우리는 어디를 향해 나아가야 할까요? 이 성탄의 의미를 다시 한 번 마음에 새기고 묵상함으로 우리를 향한 하나님의 뜻을 더욱 분별하게 되시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다. 

[Conclusion]

God’s only begotten Son, the Savior of the world, left the highest throne in heaven to come to this low earth. Even on this earth, He came in the most humble way. This news was delivered to the lowly first, and the glory of the heavenly host shone upon them first.

The Kingdom of God is a grace given first to the weak and the marginalized. If we decide to follow the Lord's will, where should our hearts be directed?

I pray that you would once again treasure the meaning of Christmas in your hearts. Through deep meditation, may you discern God’s will for your life more clearly. Amen.