Have you ever wondered why the shepherds were invited to see the Christ Child? Yes, we are told it is because anyone can come to Jesus. This devotions questions whether there was more reasons than that.
Nuggets
- As these were fields just outside of Bethlehem, these were David’ fields where he kept sheep and possibly his descendants.
- The angel’s message brought great joy because, only through the birth and death of this Baby could our relationship with God be restored.
- Jesus came to heal our brokenness and deliver us back into God’s presence.
- The shepherds had to look for Jesus.
- The shepherds may have initially been afraid when the angels showed up, but they got over it.
To read devotions in the People of Christmas series, click the appropriate button below.
Have you ever had a newborn baby show up where you work? A newborn infant gets carried in the door, and everyone flocks to see it.
I’m not talking just women here. Men may not go out of their way, but they stop to give the appropriate “what a cute baby” remarks.
What is it about a baby that attracts people? Is it that the baby is so defenseless, we feel like we have to protect it? Is it we feel like the baby is making a fresh start — it has no history, no mistakes, no failures as baggage? So, we celebrate the baby’s arrival.
Let's Put It into Context
“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them” (Lk. 2: 6-7 NLT)
The census/taxation got Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. That happened so the prophecy would be fulfilled. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf” (Mic. 5: 2 NLT).
For whatever reason, Mary and Joseph ended up in the stable. They were tucked away out of the crowd … until they got visitors.
David’s Stomping Grounds
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep” (Lk. 2: 8 NLT)
Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem because they had to go back to the family home. “And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home …” (Lk. 2: 4 NLT).
So, think about it. David was a shepherd. “David answered Saul: ‘Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep …’” (I Sam. 17: 34 CSB). These were David’s fields.
Do you see what I see? God came to who were more than likely some of David’s descendants. God had promised David a descendant Who would reign forever. That descendant was here, so God sent the angels to tell other descendants. He came to family.
0Being a shepherd had to be a rough life. They would have been out in the elements continuously. Caring for animals can be challenging.
I want to say it would be a solitary life. We don’t know how many there were — it just says shepherds – plural. So, we don’t know if there were two or twenty.
What I am trying to say is they probably didn’t have much contact with people who weren’t shepherds. Surely, they would come into town sometimes, but they were probably in the fields more times than not.
The shepherds would have been simple men but probably not outcasts. They undoubtedly poor. Just as the fishermen Jesus chose for disciples later, the shepherds were uneducated.
How did they angels find them? They were working. They were guarding their sheep. Geikie gave a real good description of what this entailed.
Okay, it was nighttime, so they would have just been watching. “Therefore be alert, because you don’t know either the day or the hour” (Mt. 25: 13 CSB). Yes, that verse talks about Jesus’ second coming, but doesn’t that also apply for His first coming? Israel was supposed to be watching for Him.
They Had Company
“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them” (Lk. 2: 9-14 NLT)
What is it about angels? Are they scary looking or do they startle scare you? Nine times out of ten, Scriptures say “angel appeared … humans were afraid.”
We don’t know who the head angel was. If all the visits were from Gabriel, he had been busy. After 400 years of silence, he visited Zacharias, Mary, Joseph and now shepherds.
It could be they were afraid because “… the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them …” (Lk. 2: 9 NLT). Most other translations say, “… the glory of the Lord …” (Lk. 2: 9 NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV, CSB, GNT, HCSB).
We’ve talked about God’s glory before. In several passages, it has been described as a cloud (Ex. 13: 21; Ex 33: 9: Ezek. 10:4; Num. 12: 5). There had to have been some light associated with the cloud to pierce the darkness of night. That is why the verse say, “… the glory of the Lord shone around them …” (Lk. 2: 9 NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV, CSB, GNT, HCSB).
The angel performed his work admirably. One year when I was directing children’s choir, the head angel for the Christmas musical got sick. A little angel had to step up and give the message. It was easy for her because, even as young as she was, she knew the message the angel had given because the passage is that familiar to us.
“‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people’” (Lk. 2: 10 NLT)
The angel said that the message he was giving was going to bring great joy. “The hope of the righteous is joy …” (Prov. 10: 28 CSB). Jesus is our hope. Righteousness is the product of being holy, created by having faith and loving as Jesus does. Holy means to be set apart, perfect, and pure. The Holman Bible Dictionary says that joy is “the happy state that results from knowing and serving God.”
How many times do we stop the definition of joy after the happy state? We get joy confused with the emotion of happiness.
The joy comes from knowing God. It comes from the peace that only He gives us.
Why did that message give joy? Ever since the original sin, our relationship with God was severed. Only through the birth and death of this Baby could that relationship be restored. Only when we accept the gift that this Baby brings can we go from spiritual death to spiritual life.
“The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Lk. 2: 11 NLT)
Oh, Israel had been waiting for the Messiah. They wanted Him to come like yesterday. They had put their hopes in the Messiah, and now, there He was.
Jesus had not only been born, but He was born into a human family. Mary was His mother. Joseph acted as His father. He lived and walked. He ate and breathed. He grew and felt.
Jesus was one of us. But He was One of God.
What Jesus was, was a Savior. He came to heal our brokenness. He came to deliver us back into God’s presence.
Jesus was right where the shepherds were. “That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby …” (Lk. 2: 8 NLT). They didn’t have to go halfway around the world to find Him.
The shepherds could approach Jesus. If they asked, I bet Mary let them touch Him.
“And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” (Lk. 2: 12 NLT)
But the shepherds had to look for Jesus. God didn’t try to hide Him, but He looked like an ordinary baby.
He was hiding in plain sight. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (I Cor. 1: 27 NIV).
Yes, it is an ordinary type of thing — a baby — but it is special — in a manger.
Afraid but Believed
“When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about’” (Lk. 2: 15 NLT)
The shepherds may have initially been afraid when the angels showed up, but they got over it. They probably said a few things more than “let’s go.”
The main thing is that they went. They got on their little feet and sought out Jesus. Scripture doesn’t say they got a star as a guide. We don’t know how many stables they had to go to before they found the right one.
But the shepherds strapped on their faith and set out. Just like Abraham, they really didn’t need to know their destination (Gen. 12: 1).
Making the Connections
The announcement of Jesus’ birth did not go to government leaders or even religious leaders. It went to your average Tom, Sally, and Elaine.
God calls us to do what He calls us to do. We have to work at it.
We shouldn’t have the innards-are-jelly fear. We should have the reverence-and-love fear.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
How Do We Apply This?
“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased’” (Lk. 2: 13-14 NLT)
When we search for and find the Baby, we need to shout it from the rooftops. The joy is supposed to just bubble out of us.
“After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child” (Lk. 2: 17 NLT)
The angels preached to the shepherds. Then the shepherds preached to anyone and everyone who would listen. We are called to share God’s message, also.
Job description
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Description
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
“The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them” (Lk. 2: 20 NLT)
So, the shepherds went right back to their flock. Oh, yeah. I bet they were changed people.
But the shepherds had their job. And they did it.
Coming to Jesus should change us. Above, we talked about the first part of the verse in Proverbs. The last part is important, too.
“The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish” (Prov. 10: 28 CSB).
When we come to Jesus, we have a choice. Are we going to believe as the shepherds did, or deny that He is the Savior we need?
We deny, we perish.
To read the Hell Does Have Fury series, click on the appropriate button below.
Choose wisely. Choose today.
If you have not admitted that your relationship is not right with God,
have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior,
and have not confessed your sins,
please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Father. You have given us good news. We are humbled that You would want to restore the relationship with us. We are in awe of the price You were willing to pay to do that. We admit our sins, believe on Jesus as Redeemer, confess God as Sovereign Lord. Help us to demonstrate that commitment by following our job description. May we, as the shepherds tell anyone and everyone of You love for us. Amen.
What do you think?
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