Luke 2:8-9 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
The picture we have, because of our different Christmas books, movies, and Nativity scenes, is of shepherds who have the faces of grown men…faces that show years of hard work, cares and concerns. But this may not be the most accurate picture. In ancient times, it was the youngest boys in the family who tended the sheep. The older boys would help with plowing, sowing crops, and harvesting, while the younger boys would tend the sheep. We catch a glimpse of this when Samuel is sent by God to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king of Israel...
1 Samuel 16:11: And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep…."
Most likely, some of the shepherds in the field, near Bethlehem, on the night of the birth of the Messiah were young lads or teenagers. If that is the case, this means when Jesus began his ministry some thirty years later, these same shepherds were, most likely, still alive and able to testify to what they had witnessed three decades before on that night of nights. These shepherd boys had no idea when they settled their sheep in for the night what they were about to witness.
At night, the shepherds would often tend their sheep in the open fields instead of in a fold. When they did this they would join forces with the other shepherds of the same region. They would take shifts sleeping, keeping watch for predators, and watching one another’s sheep.
Luke 2:9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
I love to picture the shepherds on the hillside when they receive the experience of a lifetime. Maybe a couple of the lads are dozing, while the others are on the alert for any danger. In the dark of the night, an angel of the Lord is suddenly standing in front of them. Here they were on high alert… and he appears out of nowhere! How terrified they must have been, especially because of the light!! The glory of the Lord shone round about them....."them" meaning the shepherds and the angel. The glory of the Lord was visible in the same way Paul describes the light from the Damascus Road. The word for “shone round about” in the original text is the same in Luke and Acts.
Acts 26:13: "At midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.”
Picture a time before floodlights, spotlights, streetlights, or for that matter …flashlights….and you are all of the sudden in the midst of a flood of light from the glory of the Lord!! That would rock your world!! For goodness sake….IN a time of floodlights, spotlights, streetlights, and flashlights…it would rock your world!
Luke 2:11-13 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Their parents and their parents’ friends had been talking about the coming Messiah for as long as they could remember. Everyone in Israel had been longing for the day when their Messiah King would come to deliver them from their oppressors. The last thing on earth they expected was for the Messiah’s arrival to be in such humble circumstances, AND for the delivery announcement to first be made to a group of humble shepherds. I am sure, it was the very last thing this bunch of shepherds would have expected!!
But they didn’t have much time to process it right then because…..
Luke 2:13-14 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
The word translated “suddenly” in English, means “unexpectedly” or with a rush…like a crashing wave of the ocean. One minute you are trying to process the fact that an angel of the Lord is standing in front of you delivering the most incredible news you could have ever imagined, and the next thing you know there is an explosion of angels across the sky!!! A multitude, meaning a huge number....of heavenly hosts...meaning of heavenly armies....in other words, thousands upon thousands of angels from the heavenly armies! And they are singing and praising God!! How excited the angels must have been!!!! The level of joy and exuberance must have been amazing!!! I get so tickled thinking about what an event this was for the angels.
Luke 2:15-16 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
These guys don’t waste any time! They have been given a message about the Messiah and where to find Him. They are going to see what the Lord has made known to them. But what did they do with the sheep? Did they leave them unattended? Of course not! The sheep went with them! Picture the procession that made…. these young shepherds leading their sheep as they go to meet the Messiah. The sheep being guided by their shepherds to gather outside the place that held the Savior of the world. There he lay in a dirty manger, meant for lowly animals, wrapped in His swaddling clothes. There He lay being worshiped and adored by humble shepherds.
Praise you, Jesus, for such a beautiful picture of how simple it is to come to you. It is not about station, knowledge, age, or anything else…It is about hearing the Good News, and being obedient when You call us to come to You, our Shepherd. It is about accepting you as Lord of our lives. Help us to be bold and do as the shepherds did when they heard the Good News…
Luke 2:17-18 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
Thank you, Father for sending Your Son, Jesus to be the Light in the darkness…to be the Light of the world….
John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."
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