Shepherds

Shepherds

(Luke 2:8-20)

Yearly Theme:  “Goodness is… the Great I AM”

Series Title:  “What Child is This”

December 15^th, 2024

Something to think about:

When you have good news, who do you tell first?  When something exciting has happened and you can’t contain it, who is the first person you call or think of to tell?

Today, we come to the scene of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem as written by Luke.  Interestingly, the angel that heralded the news of His birth came first (and only) to some unnamed shepherds who were guarding their flocks of sheep on the hillsides just outside of the small town of Bethlehem that night.  But why the shepherds?  Why not the religious leaders in Jerusalem?  Why not the Jewish High Priest, or the Pharisees, or the teachers of the law and the scribes?  Wouldn’t they be the obvious choice?  They would have known more details than the shepherds did about the coming Messiah.  They would have been able to verify and document with Hebraic prose the importance of this most longed-for special visitation.  But it was to the shepherds that the angel went with the good news of the newborn Savior, born in the town of Bethlehem, who was wrapped in swaddling, and lying in a manger. 

Let’s look once again at the narrative that Luke lays out for us of this event:

Turn in your Bible to:  Luke 2:8-20

Biblical scholar, Ken Heer writes,

“It has been suggested that the shepherds near Bethlehem may have been caring for the sheep that were used for the sin offerings in the Temple sacrifices.  If this were true, it would be fitting that these shepherds would be the first to visit the Lamb of God.  The name Jesus means ‘Savior,’ and Luke is the only Gospel writer who specifically calls Jesus ‘the Savior,’ which he does five times within the first two chapters (1:31, 47, 69; 2:11, 30).  The humble shepherd was the first to hear that salvation was personally available, and that message remains current and applicable to each of us.”^[1]

Key Point:  “The shepherds were the first heralds of the Good News of Jesus’ birth.”

So why did Luke provide this information in his Gospel in the New Testament and what can we learn from it?  Let’s take a closer look at the details:

• The shepherds were the first to  of the birth of Christ.

Luke 2:8-12 (NLT),  ⁸  That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  ⁹  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them.  They were terrified, ¹⁰  but the angel reassured them.  “Don’t be afraid!” he said.  “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.  ¹¹  The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  ¹²  And you will recognize him by this sign:  You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

• The shepherds were the first to  the newborn Jesus.

Luke 2:16 (NLT),  They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph.  And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

• The shepherds told  what had happened and what the angel had told them.

Luke 2:17 (NLT),  After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.

Something to take home:

The lowly shepherds couldn’t hold back their praise after seeing with their own eyes the newborn Messiah and Savior.  The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.  It was just as the angel had told them.  Praise is the result of a heart filled with joy and hope because of the good news of salvation offered through Christ.  The shepherds couldn’t just go back to business as usual.  As they went back to their flocks that night, they did so glorifying and praising GOD, and telling everyone they came in contact with what they had seen and heard.   As Bruce Barton explains it, “They knew that they had received a special message and had been privileged to be the first to see the promised child.”^[2]

Though this season can bring great sorrow and pain because of trauma and loss, it is also a season of great joy because of the One who turns mourning into dancing and clothes us with joy![3]  Like the shepherds, we too can glorify and praise GOD because of the birth of Christ who came to set us free from sin and death and give us eternal life.

Key Point:  “The shepherds were the first heralds of the Good News of Jesus’ birth.”

^[1] Heer, Ken. 2007. Luke: A Commentary for Bible Students. Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.

^[2] Barton, Bruce B., David Veerman, Linda Chaffee Taylor, and Grant R. Osborne. 1997. Luke. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

[3] Psalm 30:11.