Like the Shepherds, We Should Celebrate Jesus' Birth with Joy, Surprise, and Wonder

When God had news for his people, whom would he tell first? Popular political leaders? Important religious leaders? The riches? scholars? Actually, no. God told shepherds. I assume everyone who reads about the message of the angel about the birth of Jesus to the shepherds is surprised that God chose shepherds to reveal the truth about Jesus so quickly.

Why didn’t God choose the religious leaders? Surely, they would have been excited after waiting for thousands of years to meet their Savior. Why not choose a king or a rich man whose testimony would have carried more weight? Why shepherds?

Let’s examine the Text in the Gospel according to Luke 2:8-20 and learn about why God chose them as first recipient of the good news about birth of Christ.

Because we are the right people that God has entrusted with the greatest news of eternity (Luke 2:8-10)

1. Introduction of the recipients of the Good news

The character introduction in this passage is found in verse 8

“There were shepherds in the region living outdoor and Keeping the night watch over their flock.

The three clauses used in verse 8 answer the questions: who? Where? What?

To whom was the good news revealed? Where were they? What were they doing? All the answers introduce the identity of the recipients of the good news.

Application: The church and specifically believers are the right people to who the goodness of eternity is revealed today. Who are you? where do you live? what do you do? Whoever you are, wherever you live, and whatever you do, you do matters most to God. He has chosen you regardless of social status. You are the right person who clearly understand the good news and because you are a believer.

2. Reaction to appearance of the Angels: The good news was delivered by the Angel, “Then the angel of the Lord stood before them.” (v. 9) Luke tells us also “The glory of the Lord shone around them (shepherd).”

The heavens glory comes to earth filling sky with light the space where shepherd who were sitting in darkness. The “glory of the Lord” is God’s visible presence in creation and is associated with awesome events in Israel’s past: the giving of the manna (Exod. 16:10) and the covenant at Sinai (Exod. 24:16-17).

For Isaiah the glory of the Lord is associated with the restoration of Israel (Isiah 40:3-5).

For Habakkuk, the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord in the end time. (Hab. 2:14).

The glory of the Lord is also associated with the tabernacle and later, the temple (Exodus 40:34-35; 1 Kins 8:11; 2 Chronicles 5:7; and Psalms 63:2).

Surprisingly that glory did not appear in the temple in the nearby Jerusalem. Nor did it shine around the manger and the newborn baby. Instead, it appeared in the open field to lowly shepherd (who were awake at that time) and faithfully keeping watch over the sheep- an exhortation motivation for us to be always spiritually watchful (waiting) for the second coming of Christ.

Note the progression of the narrative: Then an angel of the Lord stood before the, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.”- The shepherd reaction was fear of the glory of the Lord.

Because we have received the good news that the Savior, Messiah, and Lord was born according to God’s plan (Luke 2:11-14)

Assurance of the Angel

Its amazing that we don’t know the name of the angel. What mattered to the angel was the delivery of the message. Sometime our social status may obscure the message of the good news that we deliver.

Look at how “The angel said to them, “Fear not” -why should they “fear not?”

The cause for not to fear is-For behold I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people (v. 10b). The use of definite article “the with the people” refers specifically to the Israelites at that time of delivery of the message. The message of the angel was that the shepherds’ great fear will be overcome by great joy, and that joy will be extended to “all the people”-the Israelites. That’s the immediate interpretation in that context. But the Messiah Jesus came for all people of the earth as later we read the ministry of Jesus and the disciples.

The cause for the great joy is – “because to you is born today in the town of David a savior, who is Christ, and Lord.” (v.11)

The announcements of the good news were a term familiar to the ancient audience from Roman Propaganda. It was used for the glad tidings related to the birth of an heir to the emperor, his coming of age, and his accession to the throne. The term would be completely redefined by the gospel story of Jesus.

The prophecy is fulfilled “today “is an emphasis throughout Luke (4:21; 5:26; 19:5; 23:43).

“Today” connects to the yesterday of God’s promises and Old Testament prophecies, which are now being fulfilled.

The “town of David” is identified as Jerusalem in 2 Sam. 5:7, 9, but Bethlehem is closely associated with David. It was his family hometown (1 Sa. 17:12-16; 17:58; 20:6, 28-29; John 7:42). According to Mic 5:2, it is one of little clans of Judah, but this birth suggests that things are being reversed.

Delivery of the Good news also revealed the identity of the baby as Jesus. ”-a savior who is Christ and Lord

How to identify the baby-sign “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (v.12).

After the revelation of identity of the baby who is to be found laid on the manger, a kingly proclamation from a host of angels who suddenly appeared together with the messenger angel-they praises God: And suddenly

There was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts (army) praising God and saying,

The term host is a military term applied to God’s attendants. The heavenly army come to announce good tidings and peace and to give glory to God (Psalm 148). Here peace refers to spiritual peace between God and humanity. It is not peace wish but a “proclamation of the divine event.” Its an official announcement of matter of great importance. “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (v.14). Unlike the ax Romana and Hebrew Shalom, God is the only source of true peace.

“Those favored by God” translates clearly as “those among humans of(this) goodwill.”-This translation interprets the phrase to refer to God’s divine favor in his gracious visitation of humans. “Jesus in Luke 12:32 uses the same verb and favor ““Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” -to mean the disciples are recipients of the divine favor.

The movement of the favor is from heaven to earth, but it requires a response from those so favored so that it moves back from earth to heaven-This his is what we ought to do every day, and this is why we are assembled here today.

Because we are called to be God’s witnesses of the greatest news of eternity (Luke 2:15-20)

The holy spirit does not overshadow Mary to give her divine insight to understand what everything means.

It is sometime hard to see what God is doing when one is living in the midst of events.

She learns more information from the shepherds who came to see her child.

The tell her about the angels and the announcements that the child is the savior, the Christ, and the Lord.

The verb “was treasuring” is imperfect and the participle “was pondering” imply that she continued to try to “put the pieces together” to see the whole picture.

Spirituality includes informed activity of moral reasoning, wondering about things and trying to figure them out.

Then Luke tells us what happened next. “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

The shepherds did not overstay their asking Mary questions about how she feels about it. They returned “glorifying and praising God.” -Every time we bear witness about God’s redemptive works and see the results of what God does in bringing people to faith, I am of the opinion that we need to “glorify and praise God.” – we ascribe all glory and praises to God.