Shepherd & Angels: Suddenly

Introduction

We are here in the heart of the birth Narrative for Jesus. This is what we have spent the last few months. Yes months. This is not something we should reserve for a couple weeks in December, but something that we should fully understand. This is the pivotal event; a climatic moment when everything that the Lord moved through the ages as recorded in the Old Testament culminates and sets the stage for our atonement and forgiveness. So lets get right into reading this portion of Scripture.

Luke 2:8–20 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and 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 among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Shepherds

Jesus came to save the world. He didn't come to be an example of nobility or morality.  He didn't come to be an example of passivity or patience or kindness or mercy.  He did all of that but the reason He came to be the Savior of the world.  The Jews had long waited for that to happen. They long awaited the Savior who would come and satisfy the justice of God.

Interestingly, he was also born into obscurity. No one knew he was born, except Joseph and Mary, at least. No one in Bethlehem knew. No one in Jerusalem knew. No one in the Roman world knew. The Magi - basically pagan astrologers - saw the signs in the sky and knew, but they were looking for a Nobleman. Jesus was born anonymously and in the silence of the night.

Which may help us understand the audience of the angelic announcement.

Luke 2:8–11 ESV

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Imagine if God asked you to plan the announcement of the birth of His son, the Savior of the world. Who would you choose to tell first and why? How would you go about doing that announcement. People today spend all kinds of money today for “gender reveal parties” (a little ironic in today’s culture of the gender blender).

Have you ever wondered “why Shepherds?” Shepherds is one of the oldest professions in the world. Adam was given dominion over all the animals (Gen 1:26). Abel is called a “Keeper of the Sheep (Gen 4:2) . God is described in Psalm 23 as our shepherd and Jesus calls himself in John 10 as the “Good Shepherd.”

These Shepherds, which were in the fields outside of Bethlehem, were tending to the flock. Incidently, Bethlehem is just a couple of miles outside of Jerusalem. It’s practically a suburb just before the rolling hills of Judea turn into the dessert. A shepherd would be guarding the flock from predators during the night. The sheep would be gathered together in the Sheep-fold. Interestingly, these same sheep would likely be used for sacrifice in the temple. Now the Savior of the world was coming and would be the final sacrifice.

Some believe that the shepherd was once a position of honor. A person who was recognized of being important. In Israel, Shepherds were critical to the sacrificial worship at the Temple. But it was a dirty, lonely job of very meager wage. Because of their work, they were ineligible for participating in the worship at the temple. They also weren’t able to testify in court.

Shepherds were the the most unlikely group of people for an angelic pronouncement. But God loves to take up people that others look down on and promote them. We’ve seen that already in our study of Luke. An old priest and his barren wife. An obscure teenage girl and her husband in a desolate little village, barely a dot on the map. And we will see this theme continue throughout Luke.

The welcome that Jesus received (or didn’t receive) has spiritual significance. It shows us that he was coming to live among sinners. This humility is demonstrated from his birth right up to his death on the cross

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This morning one of the greatest things that we can do is humble ourselves to around us, especially to the world looks down. The Devil and his followers do the exact opposite. They demean. They put down. They ridicule. They accuse. They curse. They attack. They blame. But God and His people have good news. News that sets the captives free and brings hope to the least, the last, and the lost. That is the God we serve and that is the privilege we have today as His People. We have to Be Ready to be elevated ourselves and to help elevate others.

Think for a moment of the people who have had the greatest influence in your life – Were they the people who looked down on you, who accused you and who didn’t believe in you? Or were they the ones who have help you up, who have believed in you and who have poured their lives into you?

That night the LORD GOD HIMSELF looked down on all the earth and He chose those shepherds. He could have chosen lawyers. He could have chosen Pharisees. He could have chosen soldiers but He chose a bunch of shepherds doing their best to take care of their sheep. No one, and I mean no one, is beyond the touch of God’s mercy. God touches the the lowlifes and outcasts of society. Jesus was accused of being friends with prostitutes, drunkards, and sinners. Why should any God’s own people think more of themselves.

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Good News

It was that night, maybe it was the same angel, Gabriel, who appeared to Mary and Zechariah, that appeared to the Shepherds. Verse 9 says the glory of the Lord was everywhere. “ Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (vv. 10-11)

Every word in the angel’s pronouncement is vital. “Fear Not” offers reassurance, not only to the Shepherds but to us today. The Bible tells us 365 times not to fear. We are safe in the arms of God. Safe, even when it feels like life is falling apart. Safe in the most terrifying of circumstances. The manifest glory of God bring paralyzing fear on people. Isaiah found himself in the presence of God and thought he was doomed to die. (Isaiah 6:7). Is it possible to hear good news even in the mist of dread? We must if we are going to hear from God

The word “Gospel” means “good news” and this good news brings “great joy.” This good news and great joy was not just for a select few, the highest in society, the noble, or the chosen. This news is for “all people” and it has personal significance for the shepherds for you and for me. This is the first proclaimation of the Gospel and verse 11 is the central theme of this passage:

Luke 2:11 ESV

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

The humblest, the most ignorant, the most uneducated, the most lowly and unskilled, even despised, even the chief of sinners,even the lowest of the low, He is Savior of everybody who is saved, from every people and tongue and tribe and nation on the face of the earth and anybody who chooses to come.  He's the world Savior and He's your Savior. (MacArthur)

Luke 2:12–13 ESV

12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

How are you going to find him? Not in heaven where a sinner cannot dwell. Not in a palace where you cannot get in. Not even in a home or public inn. He’s lying in a manger. Christ the Lord is available to all people, all nations, everyone. That’s Good news. Such good news that the heavens open to reveal a choral song of praise to God:

Luke 2:13–14 ESV

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 among those with whom he is pleased!”

Imagine what joy it must have been to sing in that angelic choir. The skies opened up and the countless chorus streamed from the courts of heaven—an army of angels revealed in all its glory. They were singing in a new venue, praising God on earth as they had always done in heaven. Imagine what joy they had in going out in the middle of the night and scaring people half to death with the glory of God. They were also singing in a new key, praising God for his grace to sinners. Imagine what joy they had in worshiping the newborn Christ and saying “Glory to God.” God was highly glorified in sending his Son to be our Savior. The Christmas angels saw this glory and revealed it to the shepherds so that we could see it too.

After giving glory to God in the highest, they proclaimed peace on earth. What a contrast this was to the kind of peace that the Romans had to offer. This story began with a decree from Caesar Augustus, which reminds us that this was the age of the Pax Romana, when the Romans often praised their emperor for bringing “peace on earth.” But this peace came at a dreadful cost. Nations were subjugated and plundered; peoples enslaved; the poor oppressed. There were peace and prosperity for some, fear and poverty for others. For Caesar only “gave peace as long as it was consistent with the interests of the Empire and the myth of his own glory.”

Even those who had outward peace in Roman times did not have rest for their souls. The famous Stoic philosopher Epictetus—a contemporary of Luke—observed that “while the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief, and envy. He cannot give peace of heart, for which man yearns more than even for outward peace.” Nor could the emperor offer peace with God, which is the most necessary peace of all. But now a new King was born, and with his birth the angels pronounced peace on earth—peace like the Hebrew shalom: total peace for the whole person. This meant peace with God, first of all. Until we have peace with God, we cannot have any true peace at all.

Response

Luke 2:15–20 ESV

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

There is so much would could dig into here, but I think the most significant points to close here are this:

First the Shepherds took action on the revelation. There is always confirmation with revelation. They went “with haste” and found Jospeh and Mary.

Secondly, and I think this is important for some of you today sitting here, is that the arrival of the Shepherds was probably more of an encouragement for Mary and Joseph than it was for the Shepherds. It says,

Luke 2:19–20 ESV

19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

In God’s goodness both Mary and Joseph were once again being reassured. I am sure they were experiencing some anxiety and concern – was Mary really bearing a supernatural child? Had Joseph’s dream been real? Had they been obedient to come to the city of Bethlehem? Was this the way God wanted His Son brought into the world – lying in a feed trough surrounded by animals?

When the Shepherds showed up just minutes after the birth all was confirmed.

Yes - everything was going just as God had planned.

Yes - Mary had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah.

Yes - Joseph was doing everything God wanted done.

Yes - Everything is going to be ok.

We need to be ready to share the Good News that Jesus not only came as a baby but that baby grew up, lived among us, shared the Good News, died for our sins on the Cross of Calvary and was resurrected on the 3rd day.

We need to be ready to share the Good News that we can be redeemed, cleansed, purified and filled with His Holy Spirit.

We need to be ready to share the Good News that Jesus is right now standing at the Right Hand of the Father and everyone in heaven and on earth will proclaim Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!