The Privilege of the Shepherds

“And it came to pass, as 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 hath made known unto us.”  Luke 2:15

Have you ever wondered why it was shepherds out in the field who were the first ones who were notified of Jesus’ birth?  There they were, keeping watch over their flock of sheep not too far from Bethlehem when an angel appeared to them and told them not to be afraid.  The angel said that he had some really good news for them, and not just for them, but for people of all ages.  The Messiah had been born in Bethlehem.  The way that they could recognize Jesus was to find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger, which was an animal feeding trough.

I would suspect that all newborn babies were wrapped in swaddling clothes because that was the custom in ancient times.  We dress our newborns in cute little outfits and put toboggans on their heads and little socks on their feet to keep them warm.  Going from a nice warm womb to a big, cold world is quite a shock.  Thus, finding a baby wrapped this way would not be unusual.  However, to find a Baby wrapped and lying in an animal feeding trough would be unusual, even for shepherds.  We don’t know if any of them were fathers, but I doubt any of them who were fathers would allow their babies to lie in a place where animals ate their hay.

After the angel announced the good news, the shepherds were eager to find this Baby.  These men were apparently familiar with prophecy and believed God for His promise of a Savior.  They were completely aware that God had sent the angel to inform them of this most blessed birth.  Scripture says they “came with haste”, meaning they wasted no time in leaving their sheep unattended, we assume, or maybe they herded their sheep along with them.  Either way, they found their way to the exact spot where they found Baby Jesus lying in a manger just as the angel had said.

Scripture doesn’t say, but I would imagine that they bowed down and worshipped Jesus.  They understood that He was the promised Messiah that many had been looking for in Israel.  After they left Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, they began to tell everyone with whom they came in contact what they had just seen.  They were the first known witnesses of the first coming of Christ.  Scripture tells us that all the people to whom they spoke of this miraculous birth “wondered” at what they heard from the shepherds.  We are not told if any of these people had any curiosity to go and see for themselves.  But isn’t that the way it is today?  The gospel is preached across the globe, yet few pay any attention.  Yes, millions of folks celebrate Christmas, but many do not appreciate the real meaning of the birth of Christ.  Jesus is not just a little Baby that folks pull out of storage every November or December and then put Him back in storage in January.  He is no longer lying in a manger, but rather sitting at the right hand of Almighty God intervening in the lives of people and awaiting His Father’s signal to return as King of kings and Lord of lords.  The shepherds at that time were not privy to all that Jesus would do during His time on earth, but they understood that His appearance on earth would make a difference in the lives of earth’s inhabitants.

We can only speculate why the men herding sheep in a lonely pasture in Israel were the first to hear about and witness the newborn King.  Jesus is called the good Shepherd of His sheep (John 10:11, 14).  Perhaps the choice of the shepherds as the first ones to be told of the birth of the Savior was symbolic of Jesus’ ministry in Israel.  Or perhaps it was because the shepherds were looking for the Messiah to come.  Not everyone in Israel was desirous of a King, particularly Herod.  It could be that the shepherds represented the common folks, the weak and the oppressed of whom Jesus came to lift up.  Whatever the reason that they were chosen to see this miracle birth and to spread the good news that the Messiah had come, they were certainly some of the most privileged men on earth to be the first to honor the Lord Jesus Christ.

Next time:  A Promise Fulfilled