Why The Shepherds?
Wouldn’t the Messiah’s birth be announced first to the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem? No. The humble shepherds were told first. And Jesus was born not in a fancy room, but in a sparse stable in little Bethlehem. God had honoured a poor peasant girl to be his promised Son’s mother.
This makes us wonder about what we think is important to God. Mary had not been looking for any recognition or fame, but she was honoured in a very special way. The shepherds were faithfully doing their duty, even though it did not appear great in their eyes. God comes to those who are faithful, not to those who are thought to be important by human standards.
The Shepherds…
That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them.
The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Saviour was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.” Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God.
They said: “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”
After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.
As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.
