The Announcement to the Shepheds
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1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
Last week we considered the juxtaposition of the powerful Caesar Augustus who was essentially the king of the world. The most powerful man on earth controlling vast armies and worshiped as a god and lowly Mary and Joseph who had nothing were nobodies from nowheresville. Merely peasants in Caesars empire and yet to them is born the King of kings. Caesar with wealth beyond measure is found registering the people so that he can acquire more wealth, Jesus without a bed only a feeding trough. But God exalted Jesus to sit on the throne forever and Caesar has become nothing. As Mary proclaimed in the previous chapter.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
This theme continues as Luke no tells us of the story of the shepherds. We note first who the angels visit and make this amazing proclamation to.
8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
The Lowly Shepherds
The Lowly Shepherds
The angel does not appear to Caesar Augustus or to Herod the Great. The angel did not visit the high priest or the Sanhedrin or any of the religious rulers. No, God sent His messenger to the dirty, gritty, poor, hard working shepherds.
In some ways it’s not surprising that God would make this great announcement to shepherds. Shepherds have always had a special place in God’s heart going right back to the first shepherd ever mentioned, Abel. As we look back into the history of Israel we find many shepherds. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, all Jacobs children the heads of the 12 tribes. We remember that when Jacob and his children moved to Egypt that shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians and it was for this reason that they had to live in Goshen.
Moses, after he fled from Egypt when to Midian and became a shepherd. It was while he was shepherding his flock that the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush.
And of course we cannot forget king David who’s first occupation was shepherd.
God himself is depicted in the Psalms as our Shepherd and in the prophets the spiritual leaders are called shepherds as they are looking after God’s flock.
Christ called Himself the Good Shepherd and He commanded Peter to feed His sheep.
However, shepherds, even at the time of Christ’s birth were dirty, smelly, anti-social types who usually worked hard just to make a humble living.
So God, by choosing to make this proclamation to these simple people, exalts the humble.
Luke tells us that they were in the same country living out in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night.
It was while they were busy working that the angel of the Lord stood before them. And it says the glory of the Lord shone around them.
The Hebrews scholars have a name for this shining glory of God. “Shekinah” It is first seen in the burning bush when God spoke to Moses, then in the pillar of fire and smoke that guided the Israelites through the desert. It was in Mt. Sinai when Moses was receiving the Law from God. It lingered on Moses’ face when he came down from the mountain so that the people were afraid and Moses had to wear a vail. It finally dwelled in the tabernacle and later the temple until Ezekiel's vision when the glory of God departed from the temple. It is the bright shining light that is the Glory of God and is the visual evidence that God is present. In fact the Hebrew word Shekinah means the dwelling. But Israel has not witnessed the Shekinah for centuries. God’s glory had departed long ago. but here it returns and is witnessed by the Shepherd.
It is seen again at the transfiguration of Christ where it says his face shone. And many have associated the Shekinah glory with the flames that appeared over the apostles on Pentecost representing that God now dwells within his people through the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps this signifies that the coming of Messiah is the beginning of God coming to dwell with His people now and forever. To be eternally united with us.
Here in Luke’s account it causes them to immediately fear. This was also the effect on Moses after seeing the burning bush and God spoke to him telling him that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses hid his face because he was afraid to see God. Fear of God comes from an awareness of our sinful condition.
Prior to the fall Adam and Eve walked with God everyday but after the fall they hid themselves because they were afraid.
The reality of our sinful condition and separation from God and therefore our just recompense of God’s wrathful judgement should terrify us. And it is what makes the good news so good.
So many people take issue with what seems to us God’s harsh and heartless destruction of whole nations in the old testament. We say how could God slaughter so many innocent people? Thats just the point. There are no innocent people. We all deserve total destruction. What we should see is God’s mercy that He didn’t kill everyone but always left a remnant. We should see His longsuffering that He persevered humanity long enough that a Saviour could be born. We should see His grace that through the sacrifice of Christ we can be restored, forgiven brought back into fellowship with God.
As it says in
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
So then the fear that the shepherds feel is natural for us as fallen humans. Fear sadness, remorse and repentance must always proceed the greatest joy that we can have. Because God gives grace to the humble but He resist the proud. The message that the angel brings them is one which turns our fear of God into great joy.
10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The Joyful Message
The Joyful Message
The angel behold I bring you good news of great joy for all people. Our gentile physician writing to a gentile friend ensures to point out that this is good news of great joy to all people of every nation. This gospel is for all people of every tribe and every tongue. any who hear may come all are invited.
Because there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior Yeshua “deliverer”
Who is Christ “Messiah” the “Lord” which was the common reference to God. So a lot of Christology is tied up in this announcement. The shepherds would have know the reference to Messiah. The announcement is clear. the awaited anointed one has been born right here in this city tonight . The Jews had not heard from God for over 400 years long they had waited for the Messiah and aside from the families that were directly involved one one had heard anything from God and then this first public announcement comes to these working men while they are watching their sheep.
The angel then tells them the sign to look for in order to find the Christ child. Look for a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
You won’t find Him in a palace or in the temple. He is now with some wealthy family or the child of a powerful leader or pharisee. No his mother is a nobody from nowhere, betrothed to a carpenter from nowhere. They don’t have a house to stay in and the child doesn’t have a bed, but He’s the Savior of the world
The suddenly there was a heavenly host praising God.
Then look at their song.
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
On earth peace. Caesar Augustus reign was know for peace. But a very different kind of peace. It was the kind of peace that as long as you do what he says and pay your taxes you have peace if you don’t you die. It was peace that was brought through fear. But this peace was to take away fear and make us have peace with God
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
The peace offered is not universal rather it is for those and on those whom God favors or shows grace.
So we have the tension or the paradox here in the announcement to the shepherds.
It is great joy which will be to all people. and yet it is peace only on those who God favors.
The gospel is for all people, whosoever will may come. God’s favor is on those who have faith. This is good news for all people but peace only for those who have faith. Christ is the good shepherd.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch.
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.
26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
30 I and My Father are one.”
If you hear the voice of Christ then follow Him.