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“In the same region, there were some shepherds staying out in the field and keeping watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And they will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased”.
Luke 2: 8-14
The shepherds were the first ones to hear about the best news the world has ever known, the birth of Jesus, the eagerly anticipated Savior. You’ve probably heard the story of the shepherds since you were in preschool. After all, it’s part of the Christmas story we’ve all grown up hearing. There’s even a song written about it, and you’ve probably sung it - The First Noel:
“The First Noel the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.”
But have you ever stopped to consider the deeper meaning of this wonderful story about some shepherds in a field? Are we supposed to read this story, accept it at face value, and keep reading? As we dig a little deeper, we will discover there are some lessons to extract from this age-old story. The account of the shepherds only appears once in the Bible, in the Gospel of Luke, as opposed to other stories that appear in multiple Gospels. The question then is what really happened that night when the angels appeared to them.
The night that Jesus was born, the angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds out in a field taking care of their sheep. It was a dark, quiet evening, except for the occasional bleating of lambs breaking the silence. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, an angel appeared.
“And angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.” Luke 2:10-11
Why did the angel of the Lord choose to appear to some lowly shepherds? Besides Mary and Joseph, the first people to see the Messiah were these shepherds - rough, hard-working men just doing what they had to do to survive. Were they truly deserving of this great privilege? Perhaps that is why the angel appeared to shepherds, who were not so-called "holy" men like the Pharisees, priests, or rabbis. The shepherds were simple, and they took the angel’s message at face value and just believed. All too often, I think we deceive ourselves into believing that we must be qualified to do God’s work. We think that before we can be effective in ministry, we must have a degree or certification or be ordained. Or we believe the lie that we won’t ever be good enough. The only necessary qualification is that you are called by God.
The second thing we need to consider is that God gives clear directions when you are called by God. When God tells us to do something, He gives us clear directions so we will know where to go and what signs to look for. When the angel appeared to the shepherds, the angel said, “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12
I know there were times in my life I wished that an angel of the Lord would come down and tell me exactly what sign I need to look for so that I know I’m going in the right direction. But honestly, that’s not necessary. As I have matured in my relationship with God, I have discovered everything I need to know is in His Word, the Bible. When I make it a priority to study His Word daily, I have a clear vision of the path I’m supposed to take. I want to encourage you to spend much time in the scripture so that you will follow God’s plan for your life.
Another thing to consider is that the angel never actually told the shepherds to leave their field and find Jesus. The angel told them where to find the baby but left the decision of what to do with that information up to the shepherds. Even when God points us in a direction, He still gives us free will to decide which way we will go. After the angel left, the shepherds looked at each other and said, “Let’s go find that baby!” They knew the only right thing to do next was to go seek after that which the angel told them about. If the shepherds had decided to stay put, they would’ve missed out on the blessing. They didn’t have to be told what to do, yet they knew they needed to do it right away.
One of the things we can learn from the shepherds is the fact that after they saw the newborn Messiah, the shepherds could barely contain themselves. It was exactly as the angel had said it would be. In awe, they knew they could not keep this secret to themselves. After seeing Jesus, they went out and told everyone the news, and they glorified and praised God for everything they had heard and seen. I would consider the Shepherds to be the first evangelists. I imagine everywhere they went, they boldly told the good news just like we need to do everywhere we go. I pray that during this Christmas season, we will be like the shepherds and know that God wants to use us to tell the good news about a Savior who came into this world so that he could die on the cross for our sins so that we can have eternal life. May God bless each of you during the Blessed Christmas season!
Bro. Gary
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