Shepherds
Notes
Transcript
If you remember last year, I did cover a little story about the Shepherds. Shepherds in the Christmas narrative have a special place in my life. You see, I was usually type cast growing up in the children’s Christmas program as the shepherd.
I have often wondered why I was type cast as a shepherd.
Maybe it was my mangy hair that always looked that I came out of the barn.
Maybe it was my simple folk look, not handsome or ruddy or tall.
Maybe it was because I liked to go for long walks in fields and be by myself for hours on end as a child.
Or maybe, this could be it, I owned a brown housecoat and my mom would wrap a towel around my head.
Isn’t that the picture of you think of when you think of the shepherd.
A few years ago, I had neighbor who was the staff sergeant of our local detachment who took a posting in the middle east to train police in the middle east.
Upon his return, he gave me a gift, a hat that was made for quite possible the shepherd’s hat rather than a towel.
place on hat
I want to give you this image as this morning we discuss, once again, the Advent series on What Child is this
What Child Is This?
What Child Is This?
This is our third in our series of What Child is this we watched the Skit Guy’s view of the shepherds. One thing that stood out to me was
“It was like a new lamb was born”
What Child is This?
Shepherds
Shepherds
In 1865, an Englishman named William Chatterton Dix penned the words to a poem entitled "The Manger Throne." A few years later the first three stanzas of that poem were set to the music of an English traditional folk song called "Greensleeves" that soon became known as the beloved Christmas carol "What Child Is This?" This combination of poetry and music first was published in the United Kingdom in 1871 as a new song when it debuted in a prestigious compilation of Christmas music called Christmas Carols Old and New. For close to a century and a half the question found in the title of this carol has become an annual reminder that something significant happened on that night in Bethlehem as someone significant lay wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. This child would change the world forever;
but What child is this?
The title of the carol, "What Child Is This?", is intended to be the primary question the shepherds must have asked on the night they visited the baby Jesus. After their angelic encounter and receiving the startling news while they tended their sheep on the outskirts of Bethlehem, their heads must have been spinning rapidly. They tried to comprehend all they experienced on that first Christmas night. Luke's Gospel records the scene in chapter 2:8-18.
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.
While no nativity scene is complete without the shepherds' presence, subsequently, the answer to this Christmas Carol's question also would be only partial without the description of "shepherd." What child is this? He is a shepherd; in fact, Jesus later described Himself as the good shepherd and told what a good shepherd does and who a good shepherd is in John's Gospel, chapter 10:11.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
This is a summary statement of what this child in the manger came to be for all people. He is the one who came to lay His life down for all of humanity just as a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. While at times the shepherds in the Christmas story have been labeled as the ones who were a bit rough around the edges and living on the lowest rung of society's ladder, Jesus describes Himself as being a shepherd who has great responsibility. There is no greater responsibility than holding the life of another in the control of one's own hands. Protecting the life of others was the responsibility and calling of the shepherd.
Shepherds
Shepherds
The imagery of the shepherd is prominent in Ancient Near Eastern history. Shepherds were equated with righteous government and often appear in contexts where the subject of justice is prominent.
Shepherds were expected to be the ones who showed kindness in counseling, protecting, and guiding those whom they were responsible for through every difficulty. The shepherd often times was intended to signify rulership as good, just, wise and beneficial for the people and particularly has been associated as a metaphor of kings and deity. Even the shepherd's crook has been viewed throughout the ages as a symbol of power, authority, and strength.
Throughout the Bible, shepherds are mentioned over one hundred times. If we can understand who shepherds were in terms of how they are defined and described historically in the Bible, perhaps we can gain a better and more complete understanding of the question: What Child Is This?
One of the first careers found in the pages of the Bible is that of the shepherd. After Adam and Eve had begun their life together outside of Eden, we learn that their son, Abel, was a shepherd.
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
In biblical days, those who possessed flocks of sheep and other animals that needed shepherding such as goats, cows, oxen, horses, donkeys, and camels were viewed as wealthy and powerful. Great flocks and herds were deemed as blessings from the hand of God. Abraham is an example of such a blessing of this type when he is described in Genesis 24.
35 The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become great. He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male servants and female servants, camels and donkeys.
Job, a man equated with experiencing and enduring some of the most difficult trials and seasons of loss, later is deemed as one who was blessed and wealthy because of the flocks in his care.
12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
Jesus speaks about having many sheep later within the John 10 passage referenced earlier.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
The owner of the flocks often was the one who also was the shepherd of his sheep such as Abel in Genesis 4 and Jacob in Genesis 30. Other times the work of a shepherd was delegated to both the daughters and sons of the owner. In Genesis 29, Laban's daughter, Rachel, is given the responsibility of shepherding her father's sheep. In fact, the first time Jacob meets Rachel, who would turn out to be the love of his life, she is working the sheep and leading them to water, just as a good shepherd would do on a daily basis.
Likewise, Jesse's son, David, was given the responsibility to take care of his father's sheep before he would be called to care for and lead the people of Israel as their king. In fact, the place David was found before he was anointed as king by the prophet Samuel was out in the fields tending his father's sheep.
Sam 16:1
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Even after this incredibly significant anointing of David as the future king of Israel, he continued to fulfill his duties as a shepherd while King Saul still was enthroned and leading Israel.
"The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle.
David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem." 1 Samuel 17:13-15
The child that would be born in the manger in Bethlehem would be near the pastures that David grazed his father's sheep centuries beforehand. The Savior of the world, the good shepherd, would be born in the City of David and a direct descendant of the King who also was a good shepherd in bygone days.
What child is this?
He is a shepherd and king just as his ancestor David.
The principal duty of the shepherd was to make sure the animals that were under his or her care had enough food and water. David's most famous poem speaks to these priorities in Psalm 23 that begins with truth that echoes the answer to the question of the carol: What Child Is This?
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
This week, as I was preparing this message, I came across a FB post that included the following quote, I did some digging and could not find the original author, but I would love to share this with you
The Lord is my Shepherd -----
that's a Relationship!
I shall not want -----
that's Supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ----
that's Rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters -----
that's Refreshment!
He restoreth my soul -----
that's Healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness --
that's Guidance!
For His name sake -----
that's Purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death--
that's Testing!
I will fear no evil -----
that's Protection!
For Thou art with me -----
that's Faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me -----
that's Discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies------
that's Hope!
Thou annointest my head with oil -----
that's Consecration!
My cup runneth over -----
that's Abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life----
that's Blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord -----
that's Security!
Forever -----
that's Eternity!
Just as the shepherd was responsible for the food and water provisions of the sheep, protecting the flock also was a priority that continually must be provided. Sheep were easy prey for wild animals as seen in various places of the Bible.
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
David continues in Psalm 23 to speak of the protection he felt from the Lord as his shepherd.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
David describes attributes of the Lord who not only provides for his nourishment, but also protects him wherever he might find himself in life. These characteristics of the good shepherd help answer the question the shepherds posed at the Nativity: What Child Is This? He is the one who will provide for and protect all who are under His care.
This good shepherd would not only protect his sheep from wild animals, but also from thieves who might try to snatch them away from their home and the life that was intended for them by the one who watched over and owned them.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
The good shepherd went to great lengths to take care of those under his or her care. He would make sure they were kept intact and would go the extra mile to make sure one that was lost was looked for until it was found as Jesus taught in His parable of the lost sheep found in Matthew 18:10-14.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Matthew 18:10-14
What child is this? He is the one who left all the riches and comfort of heaven to look for the ones who went astray. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one of us—to our own way. The mission of the shepherd is to look for and rescue the ones who are lost. This is what a good shepherd naturally does. This is who this child in the manger would grow to become. He is the one who came to seek and to save those who were lost, alone, exposed, and astray. Isaiah the prophet speaks of the Lord who would come in vivid imagery of a good shepherd.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
When Jesus completed the rescue mission on the cross outside of Jerusalem three decades after being born in the Bethlehem manger, He restored, empowered and entrusted the shepherding responsibilities to Peter on the shores of Galilee where they first met three years earlier. The whole conversation revolved around the ongoing role and responsibility of being and training others to be shepherds of the ones Jesus came to rescue and call His own.
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
What child is this?
He is the one who came to lay down His life.
He is the one who came to provide for and protect His flock.
He is the one blessed beyond measure with ones He would call His own and who would come to know His voice.
He is the one who is the good shepherd.
His name is Jesus, the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in the manger, just as the angel said he would be. Now go and tell everyone what has been heard, seen and experienced concerning who this child is, just as the shepherds did on that first Christmas in Bethlehem. What child is this?
He is a shepherd…the good shepherd.
I hope you noticed the last lines of the drama.
“Benji” A play on words for Benjamin, the patriarch which the town of Bethlehem
The actor says to his trainee, shepherd,
You know, ever since that morning, My soul has been awake.
What about you today.
Has this Child awakened your soul today?
Let’s walk this Christmas season, seeking like the shepherds
the Christ Child born
praising God that he came to die and be raised to life so that we might have eternal life.
We do all this to bring glory and praise to God.
Amen