A Sign of Great Joy

Bible Passage: Luke 2:8–20

Teaching: The teaching revolves around the themes of divine revelation to the humble, the joy of the gospel, and the importance of sharing our faith. It highlights how God chooses unlikely individuals to receive His message, reinforcing the idea that everyone is valued in His sight.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage points directly to the incarnation of Christ, showing how God's plan for salvation unfolds through humble beginnings. It reflects the overarching narrative of God coming to humanity through Jesus, who is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises for a Savior.

Big Idea: The birth of Jesus is a transformative event that brings joy to the marginalized, inviting all to experience the hope and light of God's love through Christ.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider exploring the cultural significance of shepherds in first-century Jewish society using your Logos library. Delve into the historical context of the nativity narrative, looking for any exegetical challenges or textual variants in the accounts of the birth of Jesus. Pay particular attention to the theological implications of the angel’s proclamation and their significance in relation to Old Testament prophecies.

1. Joy in Unexpected Places

Luke 2:8-12

“same” referring to what has preceded in the account of Luke.

Shepherds - what do we know about shepherds of Jesus’ time? Rabbinic sources reveal that shepherds in Israel were despised and considered unreliable. They were a representative group of the outcasts and sinners, considered unclean according to the standards of the law.

Their location? in the fields. This normally occured during the months of March through November, but two things: this may be the flock of sacrifice for the temple; with the crowds in Bethlehem and nearby villages because of the census, they moved out of enclosed pens to the fields. In any case, nothing in this account or in Matthew’s gospel ties Jesus’ birth to a specific date.

What are they doing? keeping watch over their flock.

Time? Night, i.e. night watches to protect the flock from predators and thieves.

This was a normal activity.

What is not normal--the sudden appearance of an angel of the Lord before them. His appearance turn nighttime into day, for the glory of the Lord shone around them. Apparently they are surrounded by heavenly glory, a manifestation of God’s presence among His people.

Their response? terribly frightened. “in a state of fear, fearing greatly”

They are commanded by the angel to stop being afraid. He is not here for judgment but to be a messenger for God, bringing a message of of good news of great joy, not for just them alone, but for their nation, and by implication all people everywhere, both Jew and Gentile. This was the joy of the messianic promises now coming to pass.

The verb is the bringing of good news; from the noun form, we get gospel, good news, or good tidings. The sender of this news is God, the angel is the carrier, the recipients, the shepherds and it will spread from there to all the people. It is not to be cloistered away, but to be actively proclaimed for how else will all the people learn about this good news.

What is the message? this very day; it has happened. Today of all days, the long wait is over.

place? the city of David, Bethlehem.

What? born for you a Savior, one who rescues or saves. This is in the form of a royal announcement.

Who is he? Christ (Messiah, the promised one from ages past) the Lord (one who exercises supernatural authority over mankind, i.e. a title for God and for Christ). A declaration of a divine person, yet born in time and space on a small, worldly insignificant village just five miles south of Jerusalem. Micah had proclaimed that out of this small place would come forth One who was destined to be Israel’s Messiah. Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 NASB95

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

The shepherds were then told how they would know Him: looking for Him, they would find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger, a simple feeding trough. The Messiah born in extremely humble circumstances, when He should have been born in circumstances which befit who He is. He identifies with us even here, through the experience of human birth, in a state similar to that of the common man, not the state of the wealthy, or pampered.

You could explore how God's message of joy comes to the humble shepherds, emphasizing their initial fear turning into peace and hope. This shows that God often reveals His greatest truths to the lowly and overlooked, and they are invited to partake in the joyous news of Jesus' birth. Perhaps this demonstrates that God's joy is accessible to everyone, regardless of social standing, encouraging believers to embrace and share this joy in their own lives.

2. Proclaiming Heaven's Peace

Luke 2:13-14

Joining the angel suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host who were praising God. The shepherds are in the presence of the armies of God, who are not appearing to wage war, but to praise God in the shepherd’s presence.

They said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” The highest refers not to the highest degree, but to the highest heavens, the place where God is.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, which has a richness beyond just saying the word.

The peace refers here to the fullness of blessing which the Savior/Christ/Lord brings. It is essentially a synonym for salvation

The point here is that God’s peace is not given to all, but to those who are recipients of God’s good will, favor, pleasure.

Maybe discuss the heavenly hosts praising God, declaring peace and goodwill to those on whom His favor rests. This suggests that Jesus' arrival ushers in divine peace, a peace that transcends human understanding. You could highlight how believers today can experience and proclaim this peace, bringing God's favor into our daily realities through faith in Christ.

3. Witnessing with Joyful Faith

Luke 2:15-20

Next? The angels left the shepherds, returning to heaven, while the shepherds spoke to one another.

Let us … go straight to Bethlehem… no time for stopping,

… see this thing (literally, word) that has happened … the sign the angel declared to them,

… which the Lord has made known to us… revelation from God, the ultimate source of the revelation, through His messenger, the angel.

No debate, no delay, only quick obedience to find the promised Babe. The odds of finding another newborn baby lying in a manger would be extremely small, but this would be a sign of identity for the shepherds.

They found their way to Mary and Joseph and the baby as He lay in the manger, just as the angel had said. The sign was confirmed with their own eyes.

Then they shared all that had been told them about this Child.

there is three responses to what the shepherds shared, which implies that the shepherds shared their story with many, not just Joseph and Mary.

Wonder-- the response of all who heard their testimony was to wonder at the events told them by the shepherds, but it did not seem to make a difference, for the text does not tell us that they went to see the Babe for themselves.

Treasured-- for Mary, it was another piece to the puzzle as to God’s plan for Jesus. The participle translated pondering means to give careful consideration to various implications of an issue. It is a term that was used in the LXX in Daniel 4:28 and in Gen. 37:11 to describe a person who is puzzled by what they have heard but keeps it in mind in order to understand, often with divine help, its meaning. Mary believed God and trusted Him, but she also thought deeply about what it all meant.

Glorifying and praising God -- This response by the shepherds is active, glorifying and praising God, that they had both heard His promise and now have seen the sign for themselves, the hope of Israel and the world, wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger.

They find Christ and spread the word, filled with wonder and praise. Perhaps this invites us to actively pursue and testify to God's work in our lives, emphasizing the importance of living as joyful witnesses of Christ's transformative love.