“The Shepherds Returned.” Lk.2: 15-20
(Dec.28, 2025)
Opening Illustration: Christmas is over, but not the CELEBRATION!
Wrapping paper is tossed
Directions finally read
Pine needles - Swept, ornaments removed and packed, tree tossed.
Yet,
Today, We must hear the truth about Jesus' birth to keep us from relegating the birth of Jesus to a sentimental and seasonal children's story that we safely file away with the manger figurines until next year. Those whispers of Jesus’ coming we’ve been hearing about these last few weeks, have erupted into shouts of His arrival!
Let us pray!
So we turn to the text, God’s infallible revelation to us Lk.2:15-20.
“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.”
THE BIG IDEA I WANT US TO HEAR TODAY IS:
“WHEN JESUS IS REVEALED, WE NEED TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY”
We start with v. 15-16;
““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.”
The first thing we note,
1.In response to HEARING God’s revelation about Jesus, they HURRIED off! v.15-16
Scripture tells us that “knowledge puffs up…” 1 Cor.8:1 and that, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Jam.2:17
There are many people, even many who profess to be Christians, that have knowledge about the facts of Scripture, they heard the Gospel many times, but have no real faith. They don’t react appropriately, or at all.
But, When God reveals Himself, His will, He expects us to respond appropriately.
When God revealed the truth about Jesus’ birth, notice the shepherds reaction. “They hurried off…” The Greek word indicates urgency, without hesitation, they rushed to Bethlehem. That was an appropriate response to the astounding news and vision they heard and seen recorded back in V. 11-12;
“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.”
So they rushed to Bethlehem. We might be tempted to say, “Well that’s a no brainer.” “If I saw those angels, I’d rush to Bethlehem too.” But as I said, some people have knowledge but they don’t act on that knowledge because it’s not combined with faith. Remember when the Magi showed up at Herod’s door? In Mt.2, we read;
““Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,? are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;?for out of you will come a ruler? who will shepherd my people Israel.”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Notice, the Chief priests and the teachers of the Law, they all had the knowledge, they knew were Messiah would be born, they knew the prophecy about the RULER, the STAR that would arise, yet there is no indication that any of them responded appropriately. Not one went with the Magi! Apparently, they yawned and went back to bed!
Knowledge and dead faith are worthless unless they lead to action! Knowledge about and faith in God are worthless unless it leads to obedience and worship. As one writer put it;
“So I remind myself: the goal of theology is not to *possess* truth, but to be *possessed* by it. I don’t study God to appear wise—I study so that my heart might be changed, my love for Him deepened, and my life shaped by what I believe.”
So we should study Scripture and theology to increase our knowledge of God because that;
Does deepens our relationship,
enriches our worship and
motivates us to live Christ-like lives which is the appropriate response.
So the shepherds “hurried” to Bethlehem to seek The Savior, The long-awaited Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us!
They found the babe lying in THE manger. Recall that it was normal for babies to be wrapped in swaddling clothes. These were not rags, but clothes wound around the baby to keep him warm and still. In this sense baby Jesus is very normal. This would be equivalent for us today to say, “The baby would be in a diaper.” Normal, common. Yet, such a normal scenario belies the absolutely staggering truth - this is Emmanuel, GOD WITH US!
Consider this Holy, Almighty, Sovereign, Eternal God! He who has no beginning and no end. The UNCREATED CREATOR OF ALL THINGS.
His holy glory is an unapproachable light before whom even sinless angels dare not look upon and must cover their faces with their wings and men fall prostrate on their faces. Job 13:11 states of God;
“Would not His splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall on you?”
The Puritan, Matthew Henry echoed Job, writing,
“There is in God a dreadful excellency…a holy awe of this dreadful excellency should fall upon us and make us afraid!”
God told Moses, “for no one may see me and live.” This is why we need a Mediator! The one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus!
This is Emmanuel, Christ the Lord! Consider, Col.1:16 tells us, “all things have been created through him and for him.”
ALL THINGS, He is ALMIGHTY. By His spoken word the universe was created. Our solar system alone is 18 trillion miles, or 4 light years (how far light travels in a year) in diameter! And our solar system sits in the Milky Way which is 100,000 light years across! It contains more than 400 billion stars! Yet, Scripture tells us, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” AND Our Milky Way is only one of over a Trillion Galaxies in the universe, all created by God saying, “Let there be…!” Add to that the aspect of creating every living creature large or small in uncountable variety and complexity and we must to astounded! YET, what does Job 26:14 say about this God,
“And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him!? Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
These are but the outer fringes of His power! How awesome, how powerful, it’s totally beyond our comprehension! God had challenged Job asking;
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?…when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band.”
Now this God Himself laid in a feeding trough in swaddling clothes.
THIS HOLY GOD, condescends to take on human flesh veiling His unapproachable resplendent glory to enter this sin filled world in approachable infancy. THE ALMIGHTY became helpless in the most humble of ways, in the most vulnerable manner, as a baby. THE SOVEREIGN, uncreated God now in the hands of the created creature. Christ became a child that He might make all those the Father had given him, “Children of God”as Pastor Corey mentioned Christmas Eve.
A baby, yes, But that is where the normalcy ends for this is Emmanuel, God with Us. This is referred to as the INCARNATION,God in the flesh. Only as the God-Man, fully God, yet fully Man could He accomplish our redemption. So our redemption starts here at the birth of Jesus. The Incarnation is one of the Cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith. You cannot be a Christian if you do not believe this to be true. In the first chapter of John v.1 we read that;
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
And then down in v.14 we read;
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The Word became flesh! Emmanuel, God with us! Accepting this truth is essential for in 2 Jn.1:7 John warns;
“I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
To not believe that God The Son, that The Word became flesh, is to be the antichrist! This is not a doctrine to be trifled with!
SO, in one way it was just a normal birth, but in another it was the most important and cataclysmic birth ever!
Now we have no indication that the shepherds went running through Bethlehem checking each stable. One theory rests on the little word, the article found in many manuscripts, THE Manger.
Swaddling clothes was normal. What is not normal was to be found in THE manger. Depending on your translation the article is either “a” or “the” manger. The majority recognize the Greek, “ha,” as “THE” Manger. This indicates a specific manger. The shepherds had no star to guide them, no angel leading the way. The detail of “swaddling clothes” was too common. Now, as Bethlehem was not very large, they could have run around looking for “A” manger, as there weren’t too many. But, THE MANGER could have been a very specific spot. There is a theory, somewhat attractive, that THE Manger was called, Migdal Eder or The WatchTower of the Flock. It looked like this. It is mentioned in Gen.35 and Micah 4:8 prophetically states;
“As for you, watchtower of the flock, stronghold of Daughter Zion, the former dominion will be restored to you; kingship will come to Daughter Jerusalem.”
The first floor of this tower was a sort of maternity ward for birthing lambs. It was in this watch tower that the ewes gave birth to the lambs used for Temple sacrifices under the watchful eyes of the shepherds. The stalls had fresh hay, there would be strips of clean clothe available to clean and wrap or swaddle the newly born which was set aside then for a year. This included the “passover lambs.”
Such an occurrence is pregnant with symbolic meaning. Here in the birth place of the Passover lambs, Jesus, who would become our Passover lamb, was born!
To this WatchTower of the flocks the shepherds rushed to.
THEN,
2. In response to SEEING God’s revelation in Jesus, they SPREAD the word. V.17-19
“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.”
In response to having seen the Savior, having an encounter with The long-awaited Messiah, the shepherds spread the news.
Christmas is a holiday, a celebration of a birthday, Christ’s birthday. So we decorate with a tree, lights and ornaments and we enjoy the festive nature of that celebration. It’s truly a most wonderful time of the year.
But it’s not just a holiday. It is so very much more than a Currier & Ives snow covered setting. And it certainly has nothing to do with that usurper of attention, that interloper, Santa Claus! Folks, JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!
Years ago, Helen and I were down in Amish country in Pennsylvania around Christmas. We were in one of those quaint Christmas shops filled with ornaments and decorations and Christmas hymns playing. A young girl, about 10 I guess, looked at one display, turned to her mother and asked quizzically, “Why does everything say Jesus is the reason for the season?!” I was taken back. Could it be this young girl, shopping for Christmas gifts, shopping in a Christmas store, really had no idea what Christmas was about or who Jesus was?
Yet, should I be surprised? Drive around your neighborhoods and see who is celebrated with blow-ups on the front lawns. Kids certainly won’t hear about Jesus’ birth in school at the Winter Holiday Fair. And if you go to the Mall, who do you see? Santa Claus.
1 Jn.3:5 defines the reason we celebrate Christmas, “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.”
This is echoed in Mt.1:21 “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
God sent a SAVIOR, and a SAVIOR SAVES! AND HE SAVES US FROM SIN! HE IS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S GIFT TO US! This is why Christians celebrate Christ and why the world turns to Santa. The world doesn’t want to admit they are sinners, guilty before God and in need of a Savior or being saved.
Folks, Santa Claus can’t save us. And all the warm feelings, good will, and hot chocolate will not address our sin problem.
Are our kids and grandkids, excited for Jesus or Santa at Christmas? Does Jesus have the central place in our homes at Christmas or does Santa? Here’s a challenge, ask your young children, “Who is Christmas all about?” If they answer, Santa, I think that’s an issue!
If we don’t spread the news in our homes, we should not be surprised if they miss the whole meaning of Christmas.
The shepherds spread the word, the Savior had been born! Emmanuel - God with us.
Now Mary was going nowhere. As every mother knows, you’ re exhausted and “uncomfortable” after giving birth. But Mary had so MUCH to more to PROCESS than any other mother. Not only her own virgin birth but what the angel told her, “So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Now the shepherds repeating the angels message, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” She wrestled with joy and anxiety, pride and burden as her calling fleshed itself out and she pondered upon them in her heart.
Then note, whispers become shouts of praise!
3. In response to God’s revelation about Jesus, they returned Glorifying and praising God. V.20
“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.
The first thing to note is the fact that they “RETURNED.” They went back to their everyday jobs of being shepherds. Not all are called to, “leave their nets and follow…”as the disciples were. Not everyone is called to be a foreign missionary like Paul. Most are called to “return” to their everyday lives but they returned changed men and with a mission of “glorifying and praising God.”
To clarify, we should first ask, “What is the difference between “glorifying” and “praising.”
Glorifying and praising God are central themes in the Bible, reflecting the believer's response to God's majesty, holiness, and acts of salvation. To glorify is a larger, more inclusive word and means to honor God, acknowledge His supreme worth, and reflect His character in one's life. Jn.15:8 reads;
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
So the word would seem to indicate that these shepherds were changed men, their lives were changed and they would bear fruit and continue to be transformed by the encounter they had with The Messiah, Jesus Christ.
On the other hand, Praising God more specifically involves expressing admiration and gratitude for His attributes and deeds, often through words, music, and actions.
Mt.6:21 reads; “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If Jesus is your treasure, he will be your pleasure. What you treasure and find pleasure in, you want to tell others about.
C.S. Lewis wrote in Reflections on the Psalms;
“ But the most obvious fact about praise-whether of God or anything-strangely escaped me…I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise…The world rings with praise-lovers praise their (beloved), readers their favorite poet, walkers praise the countryside, etc…
I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t that glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?”So the Psalmist invites; “let us exalt his name together.”
If Jesus is our treasure, we should have pleasure in praising Him.
SO,in conclusion, AS THE WORSHIP TEAM COMES UP, let me ask, how about us?
The shepherds heard and hurried.
The doctor prescribed the medicine. Are we taking it?
Our Pastors preach the REVEALED truth of God’s word;
Be hospitable. Are we?
Be generous. Are we?
Be patient. Are we?
Be forgiving as Christ is forgiving. Are we?
Be eager to serve in this church. Are we?
Do we, like the shepherds, HURRY to COMPLY?
2. The shepherds responded by SPREADING THE WORD.
Isa.52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE YOUR FEET? Is Christ your treasure, your pleasure? Then share Him with others!
It would be a crime if you discovered the cure for cancer but kept it a secret. In Christ we have a cure that can give raise the dead and give them eternal life. Don’t keep Him a secret. Whether in speaking of Him, writing about Him, or demonstrating Him in your good works, spread the word! Let me remind my contemporaries, those 65, 70, 75 years old this is not just for the young. Ps.71:17-18 reads;
“Since my youth, God, you have taught me,? and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
18
Even when I am old and gray,? do not forsake me, my God,?till I declare your power to the next generation,? your mighty acts to all who are to come.”
Spreading the Good News is a life long calling and privilege!
Thirdly,
3. The shepherds went glorifying and praising God.
God is glorified when we produce much fruit in our lives. Are we living such a changed life, a counter-cultural life, that it points people to God?
Gal.6:10 exhorts us;
“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Years ago a dear old saint told me of his brother who was a missionary in a remote village in the Philippines. One of the villagers contracted a disease that without the proper medicine would prove fatal. But the medicine was in the distant city and it was very expensive. The sick man could neither make the journey or afford the medicine. The missionary prayed and decided to use all his own savings and make the hazardous trip to the city and back. After giving the patient the medicine he turned to leave the bedside. The patient’s feeble hand reached up and grabbed his arm and in a weakened whispered he asked, “AMA, father, ARE YOU JESUS?”
DO PEOPLE SEE JESUS IN US?
AND Mt.5:16
“ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
See how the Father has lavished His love on us! He sends His Son into this sin corrupted world, THE WORD BECAME FLESH, to save His people,
to fulfill the Law which we could not.
To die in the place of sinners and endure their punishment, so we would not.
To rise from the grave so that we shall not miss the gift of life eternal.
The last stanza of, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” reads in part;
“O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.”
Has Christ been born in you? It can be today! Today can be your day of salvation. Repent, believe and be baptized, trusting Jesus as your only hope of gaining eternal life.
The Christmas holiday may be over, the whispers have given way to the shouts of celebration, sharing, glorifying and praising because the birth of our Savior is a daily celebration for the believer!
He is Emmanuel, God with us!
