“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.
