"GLAD TIDINGS FOR THE DESPISED"

“GLAD TIDINGS FOR THE DESPISED”

LUKE 2:8-20

INTRODUCTION

          What a sad commentary on what the birth of our Lord has come to mean is this all-too-true parody of the wonderful words of Luke’s Christmas narrative.

          “And there were in the same country children keeping watch over their stockings by the fireplace. And, Lo! Santa Claus came upon them; and they were sore afraid. And Santa said unto them: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people who can afford them. For unto you will be given great feasts of turkey, dressing and cake; and many presents; and this shall be a sign unto you, you shall find the present, wrapped in bright paper, lying beneath a tree adorned with tinsel, colored balls and lights. And suddenly there will be with you a multitude of relatives and friends, praising you and saying, ‘Thank you so much, it was just what I wanted.’ And it shall come to pass as the friends and relatives have gone away into their own homes, the parents shall say to one another, ‘Darn it! What as mess to clean up! I’m tired, let’s go to bed and pick it up tomorrow. Thank goodness, Christmas only comes once a year! And they go with haste to their cold bed and find their desired rest.”

I. GOD’S MESSAGE TO THE SHEPHERDS VV. 8-14

          In the ancient world, if someone had asked if there was any person more important than Caesar, the ruler of the Roman Empire, the answer would have been no. Yet, it is the birth of a boy in Judean rural town that launches the Angel into chorus of praise. The circumstances of Jesus’ birth are so basic and humble that it is difficult to appreciate the person who is born there. The promise of Jesus’ birth was made to Mary by the angel Gabriel. After Jesus is born, an angel carries the good news to the shepherds who are keeping watch over their flock nearby. It is believed that during the night the shepherds take turn in watching the sheep. In other words, one would watch the flock while the others sleep. And when the unexpected happened he would wake up the rest. In one of their normal routine, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them. There is no wonder the shepherds were terrified. The glory of the Lord shone around them. This glory is the splendor that is associated with God’s perceptible presence. Fear is the standard reaction to divine manifestations. Overcome by the unexpected and supernatural occurrence, fear came upon the shepherds. Shepherds in the presence of angels that is incredible! As a class, shepherds had a bad reputation in those days. Their vocation as shepherds prevented them from the observance of ceremonial laws, which meant so much to religious people.

          Shepherds were considered unreliable and were not allowed to testify in a court of law. Shepherds were a despised people. There is no need to think that these shepherds were devout men of God. The angelic visitation and message to them were all a part of God’s grace. What is grace? Grace is the unmerited favor of God. You cannot earn it; you cannot work for it; all you need to do is to accept it from God. Shepherds represent the lowly and humble who respond to God’s message. God chooses the weak things to confound the wise.

          Verse 10, the angelic messenger deals with their fear provoked by this supernatural visitation. The angel could see these shepherds shaking all over their body like a tree caught in tornado or hurricane. The angel then commands them, do not be afraid. That statement literally means stop being afraid. The angel does not just command them to stop being afraid. He also gives them the reason they need not to be afraid. He brings them the glorious news that in Bethlehem, the city of David the Savior, who is the Christ, has been born. The angel is saying to the shepherds the greatest event in history has just happened! The Messiah has been born.

          For many years, the Jews had watched for this event, and when it finally occurred, the announcement came to humble shepherds. The hope of the centuries has been fulfilled. What Abraham, Job, King David, and all the prophets of the Old Covenant had expected to happen in their life time has finally arrived. God has now moved in complete grace to the human race. The shepherds have nothing to be terrified. You and I have nothing to fear when God moves in grace. The titles the angel uses for the newborn child are significant. Savior reflects the call of Jesus to deliver His people, as Mary and Zechariah’s hymns had declared (1:46-55; 67-79). Christ is from the Greek word for Anointed One. This term is indicative of Jesus’ role as the promised Messiah. The term Lord deals with His lordship and authority. The Gospel narrative bears witness to the lordship of Jesus in His earthly ministry.

          Verse 12, the angel gives the shepherds a sign, which implies that he wants the shepherds to go and see the child for themselves. The sign is that when they make their way to the little town of Bethlehem, they will see a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The sign is not the swaddling cloth, but the baby in the manger. This is the third sign in the infancy narrative (1:19-20, 36). You see, when the shepherds make their way to Bethlehem they will not find the baby in a palace; they will not find the baby in a castle; they will not find the baby in a mansion, but in a manger. The shepherds will not find the child surrounded by outward glory and splendor, but wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger. This is simply the humility of divine condescension. The angel gives the shepherds this sign not that they may believe him, because they already believe. Rather the angel explains how the shepherds may recognize the baby. Many newborn babies may be wearing swaddling clothes, but only one may be found lying in a manger.

          As if the announcement were not enough, the heavenly choir strikes up in praise to God, giving Him honor for what is taking place. In words intelligible to the shepherds, the angelic host burst into praise on the nature, significance, and consequences of the event of which the heavenly messenger has brought tidings to the shepherds. What has happened, the birth of the Redeemer is the outcome and revelation of the glory of God, for in the coming of Christ the zenith of the divine self-revelation has been reached. Therefore, to God belong the honor and the glory and to Him who is in the highest heaven praise should be accorded for the event. The birth of the Christ bears the richest significance to the world—it brings peace, real peace on earth. When Christ was born some form of external peace was already in place (the pax Romana), “the peace of Rome.” While the emperor may give peace from war on land and sea, he is unable to give peace from suffering, grief, and envy. The emperor cannot give peace of heart, for which many yearn more than even for outward peace. Through the coming of Christ, however, as the angel’s message depicts, true peace will come on earth.

          Do you have this peace in your heart? This baby born in a humble environment is the source of peace for the human race. He is also the One who brings peace between God and man. There is no real peace apart from Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus is the Prince of peace. Are you going through some turmoil in your life? Come to the Prince of peace and He will change you and your situation. The angelic praise in verse 14 makes it clear that salvation and its fullness is not automatic for everyone. Only those who respond to God’s grace and follow the path lit by the rising sun will experience the peace into which that path leads (1:78-79).

II. THE SHEPHERDS’ TRIP TO BETHLEHEM VV. 15-17

          As the host of angels ascend to heaven, the shepherds make their way to Bethlehem to see the miraculous birth. The shepherds know that the event has actually taken place, and they realize that it is God who has sent the angel to give them the good news. Today our local and national papers are filled with bad news. National and international news on radio and TV are full of bad news, but the birth of Jesus is the good news for the human race. This Christmas you can be a recipient of this good news when you invite Jesus to come into your life. We hear more about terrorist attacks today; we hear of violence in the Middle East. We hear of the bombing of Afghanistan. We hear more of killings in Syria and bombings in Baghdad but these are not the only news that are going on in the world. Today you and I do not hear of the thousands of people who are being saved and added into the Kingdom of God. When people flood stadiums, convention centers, and churches for crusades and revivals, the numbers of people whose names are added to the Lamb’s Book of Life do not make the headlines.

          Therefore, if you are not a realist and a believer, you may think that all we have going for us is bad news. The outcast, the look-down-upon, the downtrodden, and humble shepherds became the recipients of the good news. One thing you and I do not know is whether the shepherds left their flock under the direct protection of God when they took off to Bethlehem. If you were one of them, would you stay behind to care for the flock? I don’t know about you but I would not stay behind. Upon this angelic visitation I would go to see this special and unique baby whose birth was announced by heavenly messengers.

          When the shepherds get there, they find the child in the manger as the angel has said. Again, God has kept His word. Our God is faithful to His word. God is not like you and me that He should tell a lie. You can bet your life on God’s word. God’s word is His bond. Now do you see what I see in verse 16? Do you see the tremendous contrast? The miraculous announcement of the birth of this baby and the poor humble circumstances in which the shepherds find Him! God’s ways are different from our ways. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours are. This is no normal setting for the birth of a King; for Jesus’ birth is almost a story of rags of royalty. Importance is not a matter of one’s environment or the supposed status that things bring. Rather, importance is a function of your role in God’s work. Jesus is important not because of the setting of His birth, but because of who He is before God. For one moment, the center of God’s activity resides in animal trough. The dignity of this event comes from the person lying at the center. Sometimes God’s work goes on quietly in hidden places. The Son of God is born in a place of obscurity.

          The shepherds cannot keep this good news to themselves. They share their story with the people present. How long have you been a Christian? When did you tell someone about Jesus Christ? When did you share the good news with a family member, a friend, a coworker, or a neighbor? The shepherds know that this news is too good to keep to themselves. The shepherds respond with obedience and cannot contain themselves from testifying to what God has done in making Jesus’ presence evident to them. Now get this; the shepherds share what God has shown them when they witness the birth of the promised Messiah in the manger. You should also follow where God leads and with grace testify to His direction in your life. When God guides you through trial, a vocational crossroads, or a decision involving a mate, your future, your children, you should be prepared to speak about how God has impacted your life. These shepherds were fresh eyewitnesses and yet, they shared what they had seen and heard. Why are many Christians silent about Jesus? Why do many Christians gossip, but can’t tell others about Jesus Christ? Why are many Christians tight-lipped when it comes to give a testimony to Christ? Are their experience of salvation not real? Why can’t you get excited about Jesus and what He has done for you?

III. THE REACTION OF WITNESSES TO  

THE BIRTH OF JESUS VV. 18-20

          Those who heard the testimony of the shepherds were amazed. The reaction of this miraculous event was that of amazement. A regular response to a divine initiative is amazement, which indicates the impressiveness of what is encountered. In one group, the reaction is astonishment. But Mary treasured all these things in the inner recesses of her being, but she has seen nothing yet and neither have we. God has just begun to reveal the story of His involvement with the human race. Mary did not say anything; she internalized the whole event of Jesus’ birth. The shepherds on the other hand, could not be silenced. They went back glorifying and praising God. In my sanctified imagination, I could see the shepherds dancing and jumping in praise of God. They praised God for the news from the angels. They praised God for what they had seen, just as the angel told them. The news of the birth of Jesus is the best thing that has ever been told men and women, boys and girls. The birth of Jesus is the best thing that has ever happened to the human race—you and me.

          The Good News about Jesus is that He comes to all, including the plain and the ordinary. He comes to everyone with a heart humble enough to accept Him. Whoever you are, whatever you do, you can have Jesus in your life. Don’t think that you need extraordinary qualifications—He accepts you as you are. God is involved not just with the special or the great but with all people. The note of humility surrounding the birth of Jesus issues a major challenge to our contemporary culture where braggadocio and self-promoting is the way of life. Churches can face similar situations. A church can exaggerate her significance by the number of people who attend and the amount of money she has at bank. There are some churches where rich people have special seats. Such churches have backslidden from the teaching of the Bible. How does a church meet the humility test? How do you and I meet the test of humility? The Bible tells us that we are all special and we have a role to play in the body of Christ. Competition is something God abhors. If the Lord is doing something in you, with you, and through you, be careful that you don’t blow your own trumpet. Trumpets are best left in the hands of angels not us.

          The birth of Jesus also demonstrates to us that greatness is not a function of the size of your bank account or your social résumé. Status does not make the person, for God recognizes the quality of the inner person. God did not inform Caesar of Jesus’ birth. The angel did not tell Herod of Jesus’ birth. God did not tell the Sanhedrin of Jesus’ birth. God did not tell the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ birth, but God informed the ordinary shepherds, the despised of the society. The Incarnation displays that the most powerful person ever born entered the world in total simplicity and humility. Simplicity has a divine power all its own. God shows His greatness walking with us where we are, not in elitist isolation and insulation, which is often the way powerful people live in the world.

          In a real sense, the story of Jesus is our story; told to us and for us just as we had been among the angels on that night near Bethlehem. What the angels announced that night to the shepherds is announced on behalf of all humanity. The shepherds’ journey to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus should be every person’s journey to see what God is up to in Jesus. Perhaps after two thousand years of publicity about Jesus, you have taken the amazing involvement of God with us for granted. Now get this, who the baby Jesus was, is nothing compared with who He is. His birth and the testimony surrounding it reveal to us that He was special. But His life, ministry, death, and resurrection secure the fact that He is unique.