The Promise of Joy - Spread the Good News

What makes a grand announcement grand? Is it the content of the message? The beauty of the medium? The timing? The recipients?

When we make grand announcements, such as a birth, or a wedding, or a grand opening, we make sure all of these elements are in place - just so. Brides-to-be spend a great deal of time picking out wedding invitations. Places of business go to great lengths of advertising to announce a grand opening. We post photos and graphics and videos on social media to announce the birth of our children, or an event or party.

Here in Luke 2, we have the makings of a grand announcement. The birth of a savior is announced in a grand fashion. Verses 1-7 give us the account of the humble birth of Jesus, as Joseph and Mary made journey to Bethlehem, Joseph’s hometown, to pay tribute. There the Prince of Peace, the Messiah himself was born in the lowliest means.

Verse 8 gives us a heavenly, glorious, angelic telling of good news - great joy. There is no more magnificent display, no more extravagant telling and announcement, no more grand publication of news than we have here.

Yet the recipients here are not so grand. From a purely human perspective, the effort put in to the announcement doesn’t match the audience. Some poor shepherds living in the fields? Why them? Why such grandeur for a lowly crowd?

As we examine the announcement, this proclamation of good news, we find that the recipients of the message of the Gospel are never worthy of the glory of the message itself. In this announcement is the promise of joy for all people, the promise of peace for all those who find themselves in God’s favor. Divine joy and Divine peace cannot be earned, and none of us are worthy.

Jesus, quoting from Isaiah 61 says in Luke 4:18

Luke 4:18 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Last week, Scott referenced Luke 7:22

Luke 7:22 ESV

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.

The joy of the Gospel, the good news, always finds its hearers to be lowly, downtrodden, unworthy. That is true of the Shepherds, that is true of us, and that is true of all who receive the truth.

In this passage we see both cause for great joy at the Angel’s announcement, and also a pattern of gospel proclamation that resonates through the rest of the scriptures.

The good news that the Angel proclaimed to the shepherds is the Gospel that we much preach to all. There is cause for great joy because of the Savior.

1. A Great Fear - Vs. 8-9

Before the miraculous telling of great joy, there was great fear displayed. Before the revelation of the truth of the savior, there was confusion and wonder. Before the grand announcement, there was lowly trembling. Luke tells us that, at the same time that the birth was taking place, in the same region, perhaps just outside of Bethlehem, there were shepherds.

In the introduction, I made mention that the recipients of this announcement were not very grand. I want to address that here, because It gives us a beautiful picture of the contrast between the glory of the good news and the humility of the hearers.

Shepherds, in this day, were sort of despised. The were part of the lowest class of Palestinian society. They were quite necessary for commerce, agriculture, the Jewish sacrificial system, and other things - yet they were debased. Whether legitimately or not, they were subject to constant suspicion from the rest of society. They were nomadic. In our text we are told they were “out in the field”, but that phrase really translates one word which means “living outside in open country.” They made their home, their life, and their existence moving about from pasture to pasture outside, day and night. They were separated from the rest of culture, they didn’t fit in. They had a reputation for being thieves in the night, again, whether true or untrue.

They had such an ill repute and social disposition that they were banned from being legal witnesses. A third-century rabbi said “there is no more despised occupation in the world than that of shepherds.” You could say that they represented the outcasts and the sinners that Jesus came to save.

In reality, however, most shepherds were simple, born into that occupation, and kept a meager but meaningful life. They knew their craft and trade well, they endured through the cold and the heat, and they raised sheep. The most exciting thing that would come upon them was perhaps a predator. This makes me think back to David’s day, when he killed a lion and a bear in the keeping of His father’s sheep. But most nights would have been relatively quiet.

“The night watches” was a timekeeping term in that day. The shepherds, and other occupations of guarding things, took shifts in the night. It was part of normal duty. They were not up this night for some extraordinary reason, yet, they suddenly were overtaken with extraordinary circumstances.

An angel of the Lord Appeared - that is, all of a sudden an Angel was standing by them. And all of a sudden they were surrounded with what is described as “the glory of the Lord”. We don’t know exactly what this looked like, but other instances of the Lord’s Glory appearing indicate that it was probably a very bright, white, light. Like Paul on the road to damascus, like the transfiguration of Jesus before Peter, James, and John.

Use your sanctified imagination for a moment. Imagine the sudden shift from sitting by a small fire in the rolling wilderness of Palestine, perhaps chatting with your comrade, making small talk or telling jokes, to being suddenly and in the presence of an Angel of the Lord, and overtaken by the brightest, whitest light you had ever seen. From midnight stillness and darkness, to glorious splendor and majestic glistening. From normal, to extraordinary in an instant.

This is significant. At one time, the brightness of God’s Glory was present with the people on a regular basis. In the exodus they were led by the pillar of fire. Moses saw the afterglow of God’s glory at the burning bush. There was a period of time in the Old Testament where a display of God’s Glory was in the temple constantly. But through sin and unbelief, the glory departed.

The display of God’s Glory here was a sudden and shocking announcement in itself - the presence of God has returned. The glory is here. This no doubt hearkens back to Isaiah 9:2 - the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Not only did these Shepherds walk in physical darkness in the night watch, but as Jewish shepherds, they had been walking in the same spiritual darkness without the glory of the Lord that their people had been walking in for hundreds of years now.

So it is no wonder that Luke tells us they were “filled with great fear.” The Old King James says it, “Sore Afraid.” Luke actually uses two words for fear. Literally it would be, “they were filled with fear, great fear.” Or “They feared with a tremendous fear.” This was fear unlike any other, for this was a display unlike any other.

But fear would not remain, and fear was not the purpose. The Angel had their attention - but it was not just to scare these poor shepherds - there was an announcement to come.

2. A Great Joy - Vs. 10-12

The Angel is not named here. It may have been the same, Gabriel, that appeared to Mary months earlier. Either way - we find the message starts the same way. Do not fear. That is what the angel told to Zechariah when the birth of John was foretold. That is what the Angel told Mary when she was troubled by his presence. That is what the Angel told Joseph to dispel his concerns about an unexpected pregnancy. That is what he tells the shepherds here.

The message, “Do Not Fear” was not a “don’t worry about it” or shrugging off the intensity of the moment. Rather, “do not fear” was because of what came next - the promise of great joy.

The telling of the Christmas Story is full of these wonderful contrasts. Darkness versus light, terror versus love, and here, great fear versus great joy.

Great joy was on the angels lips, even as great fear shook these poor shepherds. And not just great ethereal or potential joy, but great joy because of wonderful news - wonderful news of the birth of the Savior.

Good news brings great joy. That is a theme for Luke. Luke uses the term “good news” more than any of the other three gospel writers. And the good news is nothing less than this: Christ the Lord is the savior.

What a remarkable title for a child of such humble birth - yet here it is.

Christ - Greek “annointed one” - equivalent of Hebrew Messiah.

Savior - a rescuer. Savior highlights our desperate condition. The fact that Jesus came as Savior reminds us that we need saving. We need rescuing. Savior and Lord. It is interesting to note that In this time of History, Caesar himself promoted a cult-like following of Himself. He promoted himself as a “savior of the common people.” He promoted himself as a son of the gods. He promoted himself, as Lord, even later requiring the citizens of his empire to proclaim “Caesar Kurios” which meant, “Caesar is Lord.”

How fitting then, that here in this humble birthplace, this little child is born as the actual Savior. The true Messiah. The unique and true Son of God. And those whom he saves make the proclamation, not that Caesar is Lord, but that Jesus Christ is Lord!

And the angel says that this is good news “for all the people.” This, of course, refers first to the Jewish People. The ones to whom the messiah had been promised. The ones from which the Glory of God had departed, yet now His presence had come once more. Yet, we know that this announcement was not just for the Jewish people - As Simeon Prayed in the temple when he saw the Christ-Child.

Luke 2:30–32 ESV

for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

And this theme hearkens all the way back to Abraham, when God reiterated the promise that

Genesis 22:18 ESV

and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

The angel is specific the child is born “today” and the child is “born to you.” In other words, this is right now, and it concerns you! Yes, even you lowly shepherds.

The shepherds were told, then, that they should go find this child. They would find Him in Bethlehem, the city of David, wrapped up tightly, swaddled in cloth, lying in a manger.

The “city of David” reference here is somewhat dual. Bethlehem was David’s hometown, yes. However, when this phrase is used other places in scripture, it referred to David’s city of rulership, Jerusalem. Interestingly, the phrase “city of David” is used most commonly in reference to the place of burial for the kings of Judah. The fact that Jesus birth is connected to this, connects him to his rightful line of Kingship. The burial place for monarchs is now connected with the birthplace of the ultimate King, the Messiah.

It would be unlikely to see another newborn baby lying in a feed trough on this night. This served as a sign of identification, but it also served as a picture of humility and condescension.

The humble, lowly shepherds, would go and find their messiah, in humble, lowly clothes, in a humble, lowly, town, in a humble, lowly bed, born to humble, lowly parents. There was nothing miraculous about the details, but yet the entire thing was miraculous and glorious, as exemplified in the coming verses. It was miraculous and glorious, because despite the meager and brutish appearance, this poor baby in the feed trough was Immanuel - God with us.

Truly, any time that God makes Himself known to us, He does so with some level of condescension. God is the eternal, infinite, invisible Spirit. Any appearance or revelation of Himself makes Him look smaller than He actually is - for he must condescend to human terms and understanding. In the incarnation, The second person of the Godhead made his ultimate condescension for revelation to human beings. But veiled in that condescension is glory incomparable.

3. A Great Glory - Vs. 13-14

And that Glory is not ignored in this passage.

Another drastic change in scenery takes place. Now, not only are the presence of an angel and surrounded by a display of God’s glory, but now appears a multitude of Angels with the first. They were “praising God” - this word for Praise is a favorite for Luke. It is a very specific word. It cannot be used for human praise - it literally means to extol the greatness of the work of God - an act of worship.

Multitude of Heavenly Host can be literally rendered as an Army. They are surrounded by an Angel Army. And what is this Army’s mission? What is their objective? To proclaim God’s Glory and the peace he brings to his people. It is, in this case, an army deployed for peace rather than war. Any army deployed to declare the greatness of God and his work.

They didn’t just say this once, they were continually saying it - over and over again.

They proclaimed two wonders of the work of God - two wonders which this birth of the Messiah brought forth.

Glory to God in Heaven

Peace to men on earth.

In other words, God’s work is not just relevant to His throne in heaven, but his work is to be praised for its effects on earth.

And the peace to men is a very specific peace. The word for “good will” or “favor” or “well pleased” depending on your translation is referring to God’s saving work, not just general good will. This, of course, fits with what the Christ-child was prophesied and proclaimed to be - a Savior. A rescuer.

So the angels proclaim that the Glory of God is revealed in his saving work. His saving work brought to mankind. His saving work brought to those walking in darkness. His saving work brought to the humble, the lowly, the poor, the afflicted. His saving work brought to the sinner. His saving work brought decisively and personally - not in an abstract idea or another word of promise - but in the person of Christ. A person who was, in that very moment, a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a feed-trough. I said earlier that the Christmas story is full of these great contrasts. Light versus darkness, joy versus fear, and here perhaps the grandest of all. Glory versus humility.

4. A Great Task - Romans 10:14-17

Its an easy transition to bring the relevance of the Angel’s announcement to our day in a couple of ways.

First, do you believe the message of the Angel? Do you believe that the child born in Bethlehem is the Savior, the Christ, the Son of God? Is that a cause for great rejoicing for you? The message was brought with such glory and rejoicing because it was a message of incomparable importance. I declare to you, today, that this message is one of incomparable importance. What you do with this information is not just relevant to here and now, but it is relevant for your eternity. What Christ came to save sinners from is not just temporary discomfort on earth, but eternal condemnation because of sin. So I ask you, what will you do with Christ? What will you do with this announcement? Will if be for you a cause of great joy, or will you ignore it, file it away as just a Christmas tradition?

Secondly, for believers, what will we do with this announcement? If we agree that this message is of incomparable importance, will we be satisfied only in the hearing of it again? Or will we act upon its importance? I ask you, do you believe that the Gospel, the call to repent and believe in Christ is applicable to each person? I assume that you do. So what?

Paul says,

Romans 10:14–17 ESV

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

We saw this reference a few weeks ago when we looked at Isaiah 52. The good news is the good news of the Savior! It is a message that is to be proclaimed! History, nature, and human existence may give mankind a knowledge that there is a God, a creator, but the truth He has revealed about himself must be heard - it must be told - it must be proclaimed. Faith is a divine gift from God, but he has ordained that faith to come through the hearing of the Word. It is not faith in faith, or just ethereal faith, it is faith in Christ.

If we were to read on in Luke 2, we find that the poor, lowly shepherds went and found the Christ-child. They went and saw him in the manger. They went out, and they “made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.” They spread the news of the birth of the Savior - and everyone who head it was in wonder about what the shepherds had told them.

We talked about how lowly, and despised, and untrustworthy shepherds were in Palestine. They were, again, not even allowed to be witnesses in a legal trial because of their reputation - yet God ordained that these shepherds would be the first human witnesses of the birth of Christ. God ordained that these humble, uneducated workers would be the first human proclaimers of the glorious news of Salvation. God ordained that these men of no means would be the first to publish the means of peace with God.

The good news that the Angel proclaimed to the shepherds is the Gospel that we much preach to all. There is cause for great joy because of the Savior.

We, too, dear ones, are lowly, unworthy messengers. It has been said many times that we are beggars telling other beggars where to find bread. But I say to you the contrast is more than that. We are robbers and thieves and criminals, telling other criminals and people of ill-repute that we have been made righteous by the sinless one! We are those who walked in darkness telling others that we have been overtaken by the light! We are those of great fear telling others that we have been recipients of incomprehensible joy! And we are those, though lowly and poor and despised, telling others that we have witnessed the glory and splendor of heaven, and it is found in the Savior, Jesus Christ!