Shepherd-like Faith

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Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing over the plains.

And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria in exclesis Deo!

This morning, we study the text from which this is taken: Luke 2:8-20, a passage about an extraordinary message given by extraordinary means to a rather lowly group of people who then proclaims this good news message of grace to all who will listen about an extraordinary child born in rather ordinary and lowly circumstances. The response is one of wonder, deep contemplation and praise. Let us join together, read, and pray.

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A Lowly Group

While some commentators have gone so far as to portray the shepherds as representative of the sinners that Jesus came to save, that type of negative image of shepherds just doesn't exist in the Bible. What is true is that they are of the lower class in Israel, which can be taken as representing the poor and humble.

The appearance to the shepherds has been included for a reason. It's not just a point in the historical narrative. The first people to hear the good news of Christ's birth are humble outcasts, folks low on the social totem pole, the last on the list ,but also one of Jesus' own, for He Himself will be known as the the Great Shepherd.

But, the initial question is, "Why would God first appear to those of such lowly estate, and why would His Son be born in such a poor place?"

Shepherd's work often kept them from being able to participate in the religious rituals of their day. Also, they were not permitted to give testimony in court because many viewed them as untrustworthy. Yet, these are the ones whom first receive news of the Savior's birth. And, it's not uncommon for God to choose a shepherd. When He appeared in a burning bush to call a leader to bring His people out of Egypt, it was to a shepherd named Moses. When Israel entered the PL and eventually needed a great king, He anointed the forgotten shepherd in his father's field. Amos the prophet was not a man of stature, but a shepherd called to proclaim God's truth. And finally, God sends His messenger to shepherds to hear and then report the good news.

Leave it to God to leave nothing to human ability. The least likely recipients who could not even bear plausible witness become the first human messengers to herald the birth of the Messiah.

An Extraordinary Proclamation

The glory of the Lord is the visible aspect of God's presence that man can actually look upon. Seeing it leaves the shepherds in a state of fear and confusion. (BTW, this is what was missing when the second temple was dedicated in Ezra, if you think just a few weeks back to our study).

The event for which so many Jews had waited has finally happened: the Messiah is born. And yet, the news doesn't come to the religious elite or social superstars. Instead, the news is delivered to humble, lowly, plain and ordinary shepherds. It is a good reminder that there are no pre-cursors to following Christ. The believer is accepted just as they are.

The angel bring good news, a verbal form of the word for gospel.

And notice the response: fear! The following all came in contact with an angel: Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, Mary, Shepherds, Peter, Paul, and John. The common refrain from each encounter is a command to "fear not." Once this is communicated and the people realize God's heavenly messenger desires to communicate, the fear subsides. (It is a terrifying thing to be in the presence of an angel, let alone the Lord, but calm assurance is given).

There is a personal touch in the message of the angel before he mentions that it is also intended for the whole world. I bring you good news is followed in v.11 by the proclamation that Jesus is born unto you. Both emphasize the personal nature of the message.

Here, newly born, Jesus is a Savior, holds the title of Anointed One (Christ), and is the Lord. (This mirrors the marvelous miracle of the announcement made to Joseph -- God in the flesh, born of a virgin, the unique God-man who has come to save His people from their sin. Further, He is Messiah, a term loaded with OT anticipation.)

Savior refers to someone who redeems or delivers. Christ focuses on the one who is anointed to rule as king. Lord can refer to secular rulers, but it is also the title given to God in the OT in place of the name YHWH.

The angel gives not only the gospel to the shepherds, but the identity of who the gospel is: Savior...Christ the Lord. This is the only time when all three titles of Jesus appear together like this. He will save His people, graciously rule over them as the heir of David, for He is God, the Maker of all. High truth is given to lowly individuals. The church should strive diligently to tread the deeper waters of theology for every individual.

Many people search the world over for the thing that will give their life meaning and purpose...joy...but the angel clearly notes that true joy...great joy...comes only from Jesus.

While many are likely more familiar with the KJV rendering of "On earth peace, good will toward men," the scholarly consensus seems to be that the truer rendering would be "Peace on earth for those on whom His gracious kindness rests." The difference is not so subtle, for in the first, the implication seems to be that Christmas would bring peace to the entire world. However, the second seems to point that only those who have received the grace of Christ will know the peace of God. This peace comes from the gracious gospel of Christ by which the enmity between God and man is ended through the substitutionary death of Christ, by which the redeemed rightly sing, "God and sinners, reconciled."

What the shepherds had seen with their eyes, the glory of the Lord, now is testified to by a multitude of the heavenly host. The song mirrors the message the angel has just proclaimed. The heavenly host that appears is heaven's angelic army, typically associated with those who fight for God. However, notice the irony. Here, they are not fighting but declaring peace. This peace is the end of hostility between sinful man and a perfect and sinless God. For those who hear and respond to Jesus the Messiah, the war is over and peace has come, for they have been reconciled to God.

Jesus brings peace to those with whom He is pleased. The natural question is, "With whom is God pleased?" The answer: those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus in order to know Him as Savior, the recipients of His marvelous grace. The first phrase of vs.14 in the Latin Vulgate is Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Giving God glory does not indicate that glory is something He lacks. Instead, it is the recognition of His forever glory that worshipers confess.

A Message Worth Contemplating

As the heavenly messengers leave, the ones left behind are left with a choice: return to life as normal, or go and see this thing that has happened. The shepherds choose obedience. There seems to be no debate on the matter. Rather, as soon as they are left alone, they turn to go and see Jesus.

When the angels departed, the shepherds went with haste to find this glorious news they'd just received. They were not disappointed. They found the baby lying in a manger, just as the angel had said.

The shepherds become the first evangelists of the Christian church, and though their testimony would've been worthless in a court of law, it clearly is valued by God. They had been entrusted with a message of good news, and they made it known.

Mary had nine months to contemplate the life inside of her. Now, she takes in all that the shepherds share, memories that reveal something new or different about her unique Son, all confirming what the angel Gabriel had said to her.

Consider marriage relationships...to hear but not listen is not good. But, hearing without listening is completely devastating to one's relationship with God. Consider the fact that God has chosen a rather "ignorable" means of communicating His truth. There are many more uninteresting preachers and teachers than there are gifted orators. Again, it's not the messenger, but the message that's important.

The shepherds did not keep this fantastic story and good news to themselves. Rather, they told everyone, and all who heard it wondered at their news. Part of the wonder may be because shepherds were not typically privy to such wonderful information, the message was literally life-changing, and it was a miraculous life experience for the shepherds. The marvelous story should have the same effect upon those who hear it today!

So, Mary treasured and pondered the things she'd heard. To treasure is to keep in mind, to purpose to remember what has happened, while pondering means she thought deeply on the matter to try and understand what was being said. Think about what Mary has learned in the past nine months: Gabriel said the boy would reign forever (Lk.1:31-33), and now the shepherds proclaim that He is the Savior, Christ the Lord (Lk.2:11). That seems to be quite the report about the child who is lying in the manger. How did Luke come by all of these unique details? It is not out of the realm of possibility that he asked Mary, the one who treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. How often would Mary have recalled these truths in the quiet moments of nursing, or nurturing Jesus during His youth, or watching Him grow into a righteous man?

Content should trump craft every day, and the truth of Scripture, rightly divided and mined, should be more interesting and valuable than all the gold and silver from the entire earth. It is this truth that Mary considered deeply. By pondering, Mary sought to put the shepherds' words into context, exploring how they fit the rest of revealed truth. In essence, she asked, "What does this mean and how does it fit with the rest of what I know?" How often do believers sit and contemplate, for any length of time, the significance of a passage of Scripture? What insights could be gleaned if one were to think on a single verse for say 10...15...even 30 minutes? It seems the temptation is to gloss over a passage after an initial reading as if all has been gleaned that can be gleaned.

A God Worthy of our Praise

Shepherds, why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?

What the gladsome tidings be which inspire your heavenly song?

Everything had been as it had been told them, and this was cause for the shepherds' rejoicing and worship. The shepherds' response, after seeing Jesus, was the same as that of the angels: glorifying and praising God.

And here, it all comes to a head. Really, the Christmas story is fantastic news…glorious news…good news…the best news! But, it’s only good news if you first have dealt with the bad news.

PREACH THE GOSPEL

Now, the only response truly is to ponder these things deeply, and to respond rightly…to respond in worship to the God who proves His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us.

Experience

Purpose this Christmas season to take some time to think deeply on what exactly took place in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago. Brew a cup of coffee, dim the lights, remove the distractions, and think deeply on the incarnation, the purpose of Christ’s coming, and the peace and end of hostility between us and a holy God that is the result of Christ’s coming.

Weigh your life, searching for the areas that are yet to be surrendered. And then, not in some “New Year’s Resolution,” do it for two days and forget it, but in a genuine and worshipful surrender, let go of some of the things that you have refused to surrender to Christ. After all, Scripture tells us that our reasonable act of worship is to place ourselves on the altar of surrender and death to self each and every day.

Indeed, Gloria in excelsis deo — Glory to God in the Highest!!!