THE SHEPHERD’S CHRISTMAS
LUKE 2:8-20
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Q: What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? A: The Christmas alphabet has Noel.
2. Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus? A: Claustrophobic.
3. Q: What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? RUDEolph.
4. Q: What nationality is Santa Claus? A: North Polish.
5. Q: What do you call a kid who doesn't believe in Santa? A rebel without a Claus.
6. Q: What do you call Santa's helpers? A: Subordinate clauses.
B. TEXT & TITLE
1. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 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.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard
and seen, which were just as they had been told. Lk. 2:8-20
2. Let’s look at “The Shepherd’s Christmas.”
I. WHY THE SHEPHERDS SEEMED A BAD CHOICE
1. Why did God choose shepherds to tell the news of His Son’s birth? Why not fishermen, potters, or Jewish leaders?
2. Now if I had been the heavenly spin doctor - advising the Lord God how to advertise the birth of His Son - I would have suggested a different group of people to inform, but it would definitely NOT have included shepherds on the list.
3. WHY? Shepherds didn’t have the best reputation in Jesus’ day! They weren’t the sort of people you’d want “proclaiming the birth of God’s one and only Son!”.
4. What do I mean?
A. SHEPHERDS WERE CONSIDERED UNCLEAN
1. Their line of work prevented them from participating in the feasts and holy days that made up the Jewish religious calendar.
2. When everyone else was making the trip to Jerusalem to make sacrifices at the temple, or to participate in one of the annual feasts, shepherds had to be out in the fields, watching over the sheep.
B. SHEPHERDS WERE LOOKED UPON WITH SUSPICION
1. Because shepherds were one of the lowest paying jobs they were usually poor, and the higher classes often accused them of being thieves. If something went missing – its loss was usually attributed to the shepherds.
2. They were constantly on the move because their jobs fluctuated a lot, so the long-term residents, not knowing them, were suspicious of them.
C. A SHEPHERD’S WORD WASN’T ADMISSIBLE TO JEWISH COURTS
1. Shepherds weren’t allowed to act as witnesses in a Court of Law because their word was not considered trustworthy.
2. The Talmud stated, "No help should be given to heathen and shepherds."
D. SHEPHERDS WERE ROUGH, UNEDUCATED MEN
1. They had a hard life. They were "lived out in the fields" with the sheep, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2. When Joseph wanted to keep his family separated from the Egyptians, all he had to do was say they were shepherds, “for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians” Gen. 46:34.
II. GOD SEEMS TO HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR SHEPHERDS
Here’s 5 reasons why God chose shepherds;
A. GOD DOES THE UNEXPECTED
1. God seldom works as we expect, which is one of the best evidences for its authenticity.
2. If you had been a Jewish writer wanting to make up a story about the entrance of the Messiah--the Savior of the World--into human history after two thousand years of prophecy, would you have invented a tale in which He was born in a stable and laid in a feed bin? Would you have made the announcement to a bunch of shepherds? Of course not.
B. JESUS WAS THE DESCENDANT OF A SHEPHERD-KING
1. A thousand years before, the boy David was among flocks in those same rugged pastures.
2. Now another Shepherd-King—the Son of David -- had been born.
C. THE ANGELIC CHOIR NEEDED AN OUTDOOR AUDIENCE
1. This might seem a trite and inconsequential point, but think: No house, temple, chapel, or cathedral could have contained the angelic numbers that night.
2. Highest heaven was evidently emptied as the blackened sky was filled with ten thousand times ten thousand angels. Only a group under the open skies could have received the message.
D. JESUS CAME TO THE POOR & HUMBLE
1. Jesus came to redeem common, ordinary people like us. Being born in a stable and laid in a manger symbolized His poverty and His identification with us. He left the golden palaces of heaven to enter a world of woe. He who had been rich became poor that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9; see Is. 61:1-3).
2. Now God also remembered the educated and well-to-do by sending the star to the wise men, who were the exact opposite of the shepherds. Jesus came for all.
E. A LAMB WAS BORN THAT NIGHT
1. Perhaps most importantly, this message was given to shepherds because that night the Lamb of God was come into the world. Jesus as the Lamb is the Bible’s most consistent picture of Christ.
2. Who would be a more appropriate audience for the Good News about the birth of the Lamb than an audience of shepherds? But there’s more.
3. The Hebrew scholar Alfred Edersheim tells us that the flocks near Bethlehem were no ordinary sheep, but were those being raised for sacrificial uses in the temple. JESUS WAS TO BE GOD’S FINAL SACRIFICE FOR SINS! How right the angels should appear to them that night.
4. No wonder God seems to have a soft spot for Shepherds! He even identifies Himself as the “Good Shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20).
III. THE SHEPHERD’S REACTION IS THE BEST
A. THE ONLY PEOPLE AWAKE SPIRITUALLY
1. It was just another night…crickets chirping, wind blowing…the sheep were bahhing.
2. Then suddenly, brilliant light flashed all around them and “the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory (Shekinah) of the Lord shown round about them,” “and they were sore afraid” ? feared exceedingly.
3. Of all of Jerusalem-Bethlehem area, only 3 or 4 men were “awake” to the presence of God – the rest of the land’s occupants were asleep spiritually!
4. I want to be one of the ones awake; I want to hear from God. There were many religious people in Israel in those days, but few of them were privileged to know God’s working. Don’t be afraid to be the only one serving the Lord – it’s always been only a few, a remnant.
B. THE ANGEL’S MESSAGE
1. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be to all people” (Vs. 10).
2. A DOUBLE MIRACLE: Isa 7:14, Matt 1:23
a. Miraculous sign to House of David – The Virgin promised through Isaiah has brought forth the Deliverer!
b. Greater miracle – no ordinary child; He would be “God with us.” A Savior is born, which is Christ (v 11), the Lord.
C. WHAT THE SHEPHERDS DID 2:15-20
We would do well to follow the pattern of the Shepherds in celebrating Christ’s birth.
1. WENT SEEKING THE SAVIOR (Vs 15). They longed to know Jesus by personal experience.
2. THEY BEHELD THE SAVIOR (Vs 16, 17a). They searched throughout Bethlehem till they beheld Jesus with their own eyes.
3. THEY TOLD OTHERS ABOUT JESUS (17, 18)
4. RETURNED TO THEIR OCCUPATIONS AND KEPT WALKING IN THE WONDER OF CHRIST.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
“Never again are we to look at the stars, as we did when we were children, and wonder how far it is to God.” Because of Christmas, God is no longer a spectator, looking on, but taking no part in our lives. God has moved into our neighborhood and became one of us, to die on Calvary’s Cross so we can be saved! God is no longer just in heaven, but He’s “God with us,” Immanuel. [Paraphrased from Joseph McCabe]
B. ALTAR CALL
1. I believe the message God is speaking to us today is that He loves us and wants everyone to come to Him – for forgiveness of sins.
2. IF GOD WILL ACCEPT SHEPHERDS, HE’LL ACCEPT YOU! Like the Shepherds, have we:
a. longed to know Jesus by personal experience?
b. Have we searched until we’ve beheld Jesus? Are we telling others about who we’ve seen?
c. Have we gone back to our regular occupations, but are still walking in the wonder of the Savior?
C. SONG: “THE FIRST NOEL”
