The visitors to the Bethlehem stable where the Christ Child lay came from the opposite ends of the social spectrum, but they were in some respects very similar to each other, says a theologian – and also similar to usAt first glance, the shepherds in Luke’s Nativity story (2:8-20) and the Magi in Matthew’s Nativity story (2:1-11) hardly pair off together. The shepherds may not be totally destitute, but they belong with the poor who struggle to survive. They sleep rough at night, as they guard their sheep under the stars. Economically they rate nowhere near the Magi, who have the resources to travel from a distant country to Bethlehem and bring expensive gifts for the newborn Christ Child. The shepherds bring no gift to the manger but only themselves.Moreover, the Magi ar