“Lessons from the Field”
December 10, 2006
Intro: Sheep are sometimes wild and crazy animals. They are often lost, they smell bad, and they are not particularly smart. Sheep, for all of their quirks and peculiarities, make for some great stories.
Take for instance the story of Shrek. Now this is not about an ogre who is friends with a talking donkey, but about a wild sheep in New Zealand. Shrek was a young sheep when he escaped form his shepherd. This is not an uncommon occurrence, because sheep are notorious for wandering off. What is unusual is that Shrek stayed lost for six years.
Most sheep could not survive for that long on their own. The threat of wild animals and the lack of being led to food and water all make it very difficult for sheep to survive on their own. Not only did Shrek survive, but he also grew a very impressive coat of wool.
When Shrek was finally captured, it was decided that he would need to have his fleece trimmed. In New Zealand they made his haircut into a televised special. Tens of thousands of people tuned in to watch Shrek be freed from his 60 pound coat.
There are a lot of goofy TV specials on, but I cannot imagine watching a sheep get his fleece cut.
Today, I want us to look at some lessons we can learn from sheep and shepherds to help us understand better the deep meaning of the Christmas story.
“That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, 10 but the angel reassured them. "Don’t be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!" 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God: 14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors.” 15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. 17 Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, 19 but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. 20 The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.” Luke 2:8-20 (NLT)
Some thoughts about the passage:
Why did the angel appear to shepherds?
Shepherds were considered untrustworthy members of society.
They had a bad reputation as men of low morals and low quality. They were not highly regarded at all.
Shepherds were ceremonially unclean for worship.
Because of their occupation and work with animals, they were considered unclean to go into the temple without ritual bathing and sacrifices.
Last week we discussed how the “wisemen” or visitors were not Jewish. They were not a part of the expected religious class to welcome Jesus. Now we see the same kind of arrangement made when the announcement of the Messiah is made to the shepherds.
The gospel of Jesus first came to the social outcasts of the day.
One of the major themes in the book of Luke is that the gospel is for all mankind regardless of status and social acceptance. It is a principle that we need to forever hold in front of us to remind ourselves of the saving work of Jesus.
The implication is that we do not have to be “right” in order to come to Christ.
Scripture is filled with images of shepherds and sheep. Almost always Jesus is referred to as our shepherd and we as his followers are referred to as sheep. The only exception is when Jesus is pictured as the lamb of sacrifice for our sins.
Some lessons about sheep.
Sheep are notoriously stubborn creatures.
One of the reasons they require so much care and attention is that they are stubborn to the point of harming themselves. That wouldn’t describe any humans would it? We aren’t stubborn or set in our own ways are we?
Sheep actually are so stubborn that if it were not for constant care of the shepherds they would fall into running waters and drown. When their coat gets so saturated that they cannot bear the weight of it anymore, they simply drown. The shepherd has to constantly move them away from danger.
We are stubborn in that we keep looking for meaning and purpose in life apart from our relationship with God. We keep looking for other things to give us meaning and fulfillment. We keep looking for satisfaction in the attractions of this world.
The biggest area that humans are stubborn is in looking to Christ as simply a figure in history instead of as the Messiah who came to rescue us from our sin.
Sheep are prone to getting lost.
Sheep will wander off of the path and into harm’s way if the shepherd does not move them along. One reason they get lost so easy is they have poor eyesight. Sheep will actually walk off of a cliff if they get to close to it because they cannot see where they are going.
As humans we are inherently stubborn and prone to getting lost.
“Israel is as stubborn as a heifer, so the LORD will put her out to pasture. She will stand alone and unprotected, like a helpless lamb in an open field.” Isaiah 4:16 (NLT)
“All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.” Isaiah 53:6 (NLT)
We are lost in our wickedness and our desire to get our own way and control our own life. We tend to look in all the wrong places for answers and we keep being surprised that we do not find fulfillment in dead end approaches to this life.
Because of the nature of the human heart, God had to send a shepherd.
Some thoughts about shepherds.
Shepherds are devoted to the sheep.
Shepherds lived a very solitary life because they spent most of their time with the sheep. They protected, fed, and cared for every aspect of the sheep’s life.
The life of the shepherd centers on the life of the sheep.
Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:10-11 (NLT)
Jesus came into our world to sacrifice himself for our behalf. He laid down his life so that we would not have to pay the price for our wandering away from God.
The story of Christmas is that the “Good Shepherd” also became a lamb of sacrifice.
In announcing his birth to the shepherds, God painted a picture of the nature of God and man woven together through the life of Jesus.
My question for you today is, “have you made the decision to quit being stubborn and lost as a sheep in the wilderness?”
Today is a day where you can decide whether you want to wander as a lost sheep or is you want to be found in the Good Shepherd.
Today as we close I want to give you a candy cane. Notice that the candy cane is shaped like a shepherd’s staff. It is a reminder that the Good Shepherd was born at Christmas to become the sacrificed lamb on our behalf.
