Why Shepherds?
Please stand with me as we go over our current memory Scripture:
Psalm 1:1-2
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His Law he meditates day and night.”
And our memory Scripture “refresher” verse is:
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Today we will be reading from Luke 2:8-20
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has a reputation for being mean and unhelpful.
Mostly undeserved, I think.
Have you ever put yourself in their shoes?
For eight hours every workday people are coming to you with complex transactions. They must have the appropriate forms and those appropriate forms must be filled out correctly. They must have proper identification for themselves and proof of ownership for any vehicles involved.
Many times these forms are not filled correctly or some paperwork is missing and that makes it impossible for the transaction to be completed.
When that happens the errors or omissions must be pointed out to the applicant. Some applicants don’t like that. Some applicants get angry and snarl at the DMV worker.
Some folks don’t like the amount that the state charges for each transaction as if the clerk sets the amount.
Some people are upset if they cannot pass the eye exam and the examples go on and on and on.
No wonder some of the DMV workers are cranky by the end of the day.
No wonder some of them are quick to negatively respond to your crankiness.
I have often found that approaching the DMV counter quickly, with a smile and being polite can be very helpful in completing a transaction that might otherwise be denied. I think it may be like a breath of fresh air for them, especially if they are stuck behind a mask for eight hours a day for months on end.
I don’t do this because I am a naturally super-kind-friendly guy.
I do this because I know that humans generally respond positively to a friendly face and not so positively to an arrogant, demanding person.
So, what does any of that have to do with anything we would look at on Christmas Sunday?
Just read through the Bible and see who the Lord responds positively to.
Now, I am in no way comparing the Lord God Almighty to a DMV clerk but if anyone in the universe deserves to be approached with an attitude of humility it is our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
With that in mind let’s take a look at Luke 2:8-20 and see some truly humble people who were sent a special invitation by God Himself to attend the greatest event in human history.
(Prayer for help)
Luke 2:8
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified”
Shepherds! Jesus was born in Bethlehem which is about 5.5 miles from Jerusalem.
Who lived in the vicinity of Jerusalem?
Well we know that the Roman governor at that time had a palace in Jerusalem as did Herod the Great.
There were Jewish priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes who lived in Jerusalem.
There were also villages in the surrounding areas where priests and Levites who served in the temple would live.
Here we see many who would be considered to be important people in the eyes of the general population.
But, who does the Lord God Almighty choose to receive the announcement of the birth of the Messiah? Shepherds!
We often think of shepherds in a modern sense. We have sheep pastures enclosed by fences and they are treated much as cattle. They are allowed to graze and they are kept otherwise fed and watered but they do not require constant attention.
But in Luke 2:8 we see:
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified”
So, in those days the shepherds were essentially an extension of the flock! These shepherds were “living out in the fields” near Bethlehem! Living out in the fields!!
And, what happened on that awesome night of Jesus’ birth?
Luke 2:8
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified”
Just try to imagine that! An angel of the Lord appears to the shepherds who are living out in the field!
Now, sometimes when we see an angel of the Lord it appears as a man. For instance, when the two angels from the Lord went to bring Lot and his family out from Sodom they appeared as normal human men.
But this is a different story altogether! Not only does this angel appear to the shepherds but the glory of the Lord shone around them and the shepherds were terrified and probably we would be too!
Why did the angel appear to the shepherds and not to others who would be more important in the eyes of society?
Why didn’t the angel appear to the Roman Governor or to Herod or to the Priests and Levites or to the Pharisees and Sadducees or to the Teachers of the Law?
Well, first of all, God loves those who are humble!
How do we know this? We know this because we read the Bible!
When Abram was seventy-five years old living in a childless marriage the Lord called him to move to a place where the Lord would make a great nation from Abram’s offspring. Abram was humble and obeyed. Genesis 12:1-4
Abram was humble and God chose him just like He chose to reveal Himself to the shepherds who were living out in the fields on the night Jesus was born. Abram and the shepherds were humble.
What about Job? Job was an extremely wealthy man with “seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.” Job 1:2-3
In one single day Job lost it all; his children, his wealth and his servants. What was Job’s response?
Job 1:20-23
“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.
“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Job was humble and the Lord chose him for this test.
The shepherds were humble and God chose them, too!
In Numbers 12:3 Moses writes …
“(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)”
I love that, don’t you?
Have you ever heard those silly questions they ask at job interviews, like, “What is your greatest strength and what is your greatest weakness?” Like, maybe you lie awake at night thinking about those things! Right? Not!!!
Most of us would think of extreme humility as a weakness but apparently the Lord thinks of it as a strength because I do not know of anyone in the Old Testament who spent more time directly conversing with God than Moses. Do you?
Moses was humble and God came to him in the burning bush and on the mountain and in the Tent of Meeting.
The shepherds were also humble and the Lord sent an angel to them to announce Jesus’ birth.
In the New Testament Saul was overly prideful and he had no connection at all with the Lord God Almighty.
Then the Lord God Almighty knocked him to the ground and blinded him. In Saul’s transition from pridefulness to humbleness, Saul lost his spiritual blindness and Paul gained spiritual sight!
You see, God loves those who are humble, like the Shepherds who were living out in the fields.
Why does God love the humble?
Jesus, the Son of God tells us in Matthew 11:29 that He, the Messiah, The Son of the Living God is
“… gentle and humble in heart …”
If Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God is gentle and humble in heart why should any mere human being be filled with pride?
Shouldn’t we be humble like Abram and Job and Moses and Paul and just like the Messiah, Jesus Himself????
Luke 14:11
“All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Ephesians 4:2
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
James 4:10
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
1 Peter 5:5b
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
Jeremiah 6:23-24 says,
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength. Let not the rich man boast of his riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this:
“‘That he understands and knows Me, that I Am (Yahweh) the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.”
And, then, in the New Testament it is written in …
1 Corinthians 1:27-29
“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. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.”
Now, is that how we act or are we more prone to be like the disciples in Mark chapter 9?
In the 9th chapter of Mark, Jesus has just told the disciples that He is going to die and then rise again from the dead. They don’t quite get it but they are afraid to ask Him about it.
So, instead of saying, “Hey, Teacher, can you give us a little more detail about that death and resurrection thing you were talking about” they start arguing about which one of them is the greatest!
Here is Jesus’ response
Mark 9:35-37
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’
“He took a little child whom He placed among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me but the One who sent Me.’”
Are you humble?
Do you know Jesus? Are you a follower of Jesus?
Is Jesus your Savior?
What is the first step toward eternal life that is found only in Jesus?
The first step is need. You must acknowledge that you NEED, Jesus.
That is impossible for the prideful person.
A song that was wildly popular and sung by singers in the 1960’s and 1970’s was called My Way and the last verse goes like this …
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows, I took the blows and did it my way.
Those are the words written by Paul Anka and sung by worldly, prideful, popular men such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley.
What did the Messiah say when He was facing the cross, “Father … not My will, but Thine, be done.” Luke 22:42
We are to be like Jesus, right? He humbled Himself before the Father and deferred His will to the Father’s.
There is another song that goes in the opposite direction from the song called My Way. It is a song written by Hillary Scott after the death of her grandfather and the miscarriage of her unborn baby.
It is called “Thy Will” and the first verse goes like this …
I’m so confused - I know I heard You loud and clear
So, I followed through - Somehow I ended up here
I don’t wanna think - I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of Your plan
When I try to pray - All I’ve got is hurt and these four words
Thy will be done - Thy will be done - Thy will be done
Do you want to know what Christmas is all about?
It’s about giving. Not giving gifts.
It’s about giving up your pride and humbling yourself before the Lord.
It’s about exchanging your will for God’s will.
It’s about giving up your earthly life for eternal life that ONLY Jesus can give you.
Zechariah and Elisabeth were looked down upon because of their inability to have children and God sent them a son would be a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”!
Mary was an insignificant teenage girl in a despised town but the Lord bestowed upon her the honor of bringing the eternal Son of God into humanity.
Joseph was a simple carpenter in the same despised town of Nazareth and the Lord chose him to raise the Messiah!
The shepherds were about as low as you could get on the social ladder of that day and yet God sent His angel to them and honored the Shepherd’s humble position by allowing them to proclaim the birth of the Christ Child to all who would listen.
The Magi were gentiles. The Jews referred to gentiles as dogs and yet the Lord opened their eyes to the Scriptures and they came to Jesus and bowed themselves before Him in humility.
That’s quite a list of people who were honored by the Lord for their humility before Him.
If you humble yourself before Jesus and seek His face, He WILL be found.
Final thoughts and prayer
