The Angel Message
Scripture Reading
8 And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
9 And lo, an angel of the Lord appeared unto them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
10 But the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this is the way you shall find the babe: he is wrapped in swaddling clothes and is 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 to men.
15 And it came to pass, when the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go, even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 All they who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds;
19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things which they had heard and seen, as they were manifested unto them.
The Shepherds
What is even more surprising than the appearance of angels is that the first people to hear this good news were shepherds: “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). Why did God choose these men to be the first to learn the true meaning of Christmas?
Various explanations have been offered. Some say that the shepherds make a connection with King David, the royal ancestor of Jesus, who was also a shepherd. Then there is a prophecy in Jeremiah—often overlooked—that God would send the Messiah when shepherds were watching their flocks in Judea: “In the cities of the hill country … the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them.… In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and … Judah will be saved” (Jer. 33:13, 15–16). By fulfilling this ancient prophecy, the shepherds proved that Jesus is the Christ.
There is another reason why the shepherds were chosen, however, and why Luke—alone among the Gospel writers—included them in his book. Shepherds were outcasts, and thus their presence at the manger shows that salvation is for everyone. We tend to romanticize the shepherds, especially since there are so many good shepherds in the Bible, but they did not enjoy a very good reputation in their day. Because they lived out in the fields, they were unable to keep the ceremonial law, and thus they were treated as unclean. They were also regarded as liars and thieves, which is why their testimony was inadmissible in a court of law. Shepherds were despised. With the exception of lepers, they were the lowest class of men in Israel.
The Angels
44 And thus the gospel began to be preached from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Message of the Angels
The last title the angel gave to Jesus was Lord. This term of honor points to his deity, and to his sovereign rule over our lives. Jesus is the Lord God. Luke has already used the term “Lord” more than a dozen times, and always with reference to the Lord God. But this was the first time that the words “Christ” and “Lord” had ever been brought together. It was an unprecedented combination: Jesus is the Lord Christ. This meant that the promised and anointed Savior was none other than God himself, appearing in the flesh.