What We Can Learn from the Shepherds
Luke 2:8-20
We have heard this story forever. I remember my mother challenging as a young
boy to be able to do what Linus did in the beloved “Charlie Brown Christmas”
and recite from memory this great passage found in Luke 2 known as the
Christmas Story. Perhaps even you have
heard and seen like I did for the first time this year that as Linus recites
this passage and gets to the part we have already read where the angel says
“Fear not,” then drops his security blanket.
There seems to have been a great buzz about this on Christian radio this
year, so I watched it. Sure enough,
Linus starts his recitation and gets to “Fear Not” then drops his blanket. But one thing I noticed, is that at the end
of his great oration, he picks it back up and walks off the stage. Sometimes you and I are like that and return
to the familiar. This morning I want to
invite you to look at this story that you have heard over and over and listen
for something new. I invite you to hear
the Revelation of Christ being born, the Realization of Christ being
worshipped, and the Response of Christ being shared.
The Shepherds were outcasts.
They had a dirty job. Their work
made them ceremonially unclean and kept them away from the temple for weeks at
a time which prevented them from being made clean. Perhaps they even cared for the sheep that
were to be used at the temple as sacrifices, yet they were forbidden to enter
the gates of temple. So they had to
remain out in the fields. The fields
were open and dangerous. As a shepherd,
they were protect their sheep from danger so they had to be alert and wide
awake. They were men’s men. They were practical and not easily persuaded
to believe in things that could be mythical or fantasy. It was their job and way of life to protect
the sheep at all costs. Then it
happens. An angel appears in a way that
all of these shepherds see it. The glory
of the Lord is revealed and they are terrified.
Can you imagine what that was like?
Years ago, I had a friend from college that was driving a back road from
the Blue Ridge Parkway back to Mars Hill.
On this particular road there was a church in one of the curves that had
a very bright fluorescent lighted cross that would blind drivers coming down
the mountain. My friend had been
drinking and partying and decided he could make his way home. On the way home he lost control of his car,
ran into ditch and the impact temporarily knocked him out. When he came too, he was at the foot of that
cross being blinded by the light. In his
drunken state, he thought he had died and was about to be judged for his
actions and confessed his sin and vowed to never drink again. He was afraid of that light and the seeming
glory of that light. It caused him great
fear. Have you ever seen the glory of God? Scripture tells us in Exodus 40:34-35 that
the glory of God was contained in the tabernacle. “Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting,
and glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled
upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” The people could perceive and experience the
greatness of God when His glory was revealed.
2 Chronicles 7:1-3 also shows us something about the glory of God: “When Solomon finished praying, fire came
down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the
glory of the Lord filled the temple. The
priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because of the glory of the Lord
filled it. When all the Israelites saw
the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on
the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks
to the Lord saying, ‘He is good; His love endures forever.’” Surely the shepherds had heard stories from
their ancestors how God revealed His glory to Moses and Abraham and the prophets. They recognized that this was not from this
world and Luke shares with us here that they were terrified. I bet they have the “pujoobies” scared out
them. These rugged, earthy men were afraid. But notice what the angel does next, “Do not
be afraid.” The King James Version says
“Fear not.” He goes on to say “I have
for you the greatest news of the history of the world! I am giving you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people. Today, in
the town of David, over there in Bethlehem, a Savior has been born.” It was not the good news of a soldier being
born nor a great judge being born, nor a reformer being born, but it was the
good news of a savior being born! It
was a message of peace to the world that had known much war. Even though the Pax Romana had been in place
for many years, there was turmoil in the land.
People were taxed excessively, wages were hard to come by, and there
were arguments in the religious community about how one should live. Sounds like today doesn’t it? One writer states “the absence of war does
not guarantee the presence of peace.” In
fact, the Stoic Philosopher Epictetus said “while the emperor may give peace
from war on land or sea, he is unable to give peace from passion, grief and
envy. He cannot give peace of heart for
which man yearns more than ever for outward peace.” This angel said I have good news and it is
going to give you great joy. Joy
produces peace. In fact, after the angel
makes the pronouncement “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to
you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be
a sign to you: You will find a baby
wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger,” the one angel is joined with a great
company of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the
highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” It is interesting here to note that the
Hebrew word SHALOM means well-being, health, prosperity, security, soundness,
and completeness. It is more about
character than circumstances. This can
only come from God!
Great Joy. Great Peace.
Great God.
No doubt these shepherds had heard the prophets proclaim of
a coming messiah. They knew of the
promised one. Isn’t interesting that the
first ones to hear about the birth of Christ were shepherds. The Messiah came to be both the Good Shepherd
and the Lamb of God! They had a
revelation that Christ is born!
With the revelation that Christ is born, the shepherds also
had a realization. Verse 15-16 states
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the
Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried
off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby who was lying in the manger.” They realized this was no dream. They knew this was to be true. They had just experienced the glory of God
and they were ready to enter into the presence of Christ. It was immediate: “they hurried off.” There was no delay. They left their jobs and went in search of
what they had been told. The revelation
led to a realization. The realization
was to pay reverent honor and homage to Christ the Lord. By the way, if you look up the word worship
on www.dictionary.com, the very first
definition listed is “to pay reverent honor and homage to God,” Their
realization was to WORSHIP. Listen to
this another way. When you and I realize
this Christmas that Christ, a Savior, was born to reconcile our sinful, filthy
lives and give us access to a Holy, righteous God, we will worship! The Glory of God was revealed to these dirty,
nasty, hardworking men and they immediately go to find this Christ. They didn’t get cleaned up. They didn’t wait for the right moment. They didn’t wait until the stars were
properly aligned. They didn’t wait until
there was a better time. They went immediately. The use of the word found in this passage
means they had a search to find this baby.
Perhaps they ran from door to door shouting and disturbing the whole
town, “hey is there a baby here?” Then finally, they found him. Do you think they said, “Oh cool, there he
is, doesn’t he look like his daddy?” Do
you think they picked him up and held him?
That’s an awkward thought, or is it?
Or do you think that they bowed down and worshipped that baby? I have tried to put myself in their sandals,
having experienced what they did, I would think I would have come into that
barn or cave or whatever it was, and just sat there in awe thinking of how a
Mighty and Holy God just gave to me in the form of a baby, the greatest gift of
all, that how through Him I could have life and have it abundantly. My sins being forgiven and my relationship
with God being restored. Just the mere
thought of that leads me to worship!
Hallelujah what a savior!
We don’t know for sure what happened there or how long they
stayed. The Revelation that Christ is
born led to the realization and Christ was worshipped. You know, the same happens to you and I if we
think about it and are really honest.
When it is revealed to us that Christ is born for the redemption of our
sins and we truly realize it, we are going to worship Him. Verse 17-18 states “When they had seen him,
they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and
all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” The revelation was that Christ is born. The realization caused for Christ to be
worshiped. The response is that Christ
must be shared. The shepherds were the
first missionaries if you will. They
shared the good news and joy of Christ coming to this world. We know from the text that the shepherds
left. “Mary treasured up these things
and pondered them in her heart. The
shepherds returned to their work glorifying and praising God for all the things
they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Now begs the question, what are you going to do with what
you have been told? My prayer for you is
that you will have a revelation about Christ being born, a realization that
will lead you worship Him, and by doing so, you will respond by telling others
what you have heard and seen, which is just what you have been told.
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