Angels Appear to the Shepherds

Out in the fields. “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (2:8). They stayed outdoors and guarded the sheep from wild animals and thieves. Ordinary people. Shepherds were not rich or famous. Their work was dirty and hard, and many people looked down on them. Yet God sent the news of His Son to them first. David's fields. Long before, young David kept his father's sheep near Bethlehem. When Samuel came, Jesse said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:11). Now the great Son of David was born in that same town. The glory of the Lord. “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (2:9). The glory of the Lord is God's own bright, holy greatness, shining out where people can see it. Greatly afraid. The shepherds “were greatly afraid” (2:9). When sinful people come close to a holy God, they feel how small and unclean they are. The prophet Isaiah felt the same way when he saw the Lord (Isaiah 6:3-5). What we learn. God does not wait for people to become important before He comes to them. He knows your name and where you are, even on a dark and ordinary night.

Living out in the fields (2:8). The shepherds stayed with the flock all night and took turns keeping watch. Sheep needed guarding from lions, bears and thieves (compare 1 Samuel 17:34-35). Low on the ladder. Shepherds smelled of the animals they cared for and could not always keep the washing rules the religious leaders taught. Many people looked down on them. God's first announcement of His Son went to the bottom of the ladder, not the top. Mary had already praised the God who “has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly” (Luke 1:52). Bethlehem's shepherds. David “went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem” (1 Samuel 17:15). Micah promised a Ruler from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and Matthew 2:6 calls Him the One “Who will shepherd My people Israel.” The Shepherd-King was born among shepherds. Glory in a field (2:9). The Greek word for glory is doxa (say: DOK-sah). In the Old Testament, God's glory filled the tabernacle and the temple (Exodus 40:34; 2 Chronicles 7:1). Now it shone over a sheep field outside Bethlehem, because God had come near in His Son. Great fear (2:9). Word for word, Luke's Greek says they feared a great fear. That is how sinners feel when they meet a holy God. The angel's first words answered that fear. Why it matters. God chose humble witnesses for the birth of His Son. The gospel is good news for people who know they are small and needy (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

Shepherds had a hard and lonely job. They stayed outside with the sheep all night. They kept wolves and robbers away. Many people did not think shepherds were important. But God sent His good news to them first! He did not go to a palace or a rich house. He went to tired workers in a dark field. This shows us what God is like. God cares about ordinary people. He sees people that others forget. Then God's glory shone all around them. Glory is God's bright, holy greatness. The shepherds were very afraid. People feel small next to our holy God.

God sent His angel to shepherds. They worked hard all night. God loves ordinary people. He knows where you are too!

Do not be afraid. The angel's first words were, “Do not be afraid” (2:10). God was not coming to punish the shepherds. He was coming with good news. Good tidings of great joy. “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (2:10). Tidings means news. This joy was for everyone, rich or poor, from every nation. Born to you. “For there is born to you this day” (2:11). Jesus was born for the shepherds, and He was born for you. A Savior. A savior rescues people who cannot rescue themselves. Jesus came to rescue us from sin. “He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Christ. Christ means the Anointed One, the King God had promised. He was born “in the city of David” (2:11), just as the prophet Micah said (Micah 5:2). The Lord. Lord is a name for God Himself. The baby was God the Son, who became a real human being. The sign. “You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger” (2:12). Babies were often wrapped in cloths, but no one expected to find a newborn in an animals' feeding box. What we learn. The King of the whole world came small and humble so that He could save us.

Good tidings (2:10). The verb is euangelizo (say: yoo-an-geh-LEED-zoh), to announce good news. It is the word behind our words gospel and evangelist. Gabriel used it when he told Zacharias he was sent to “bring you these glad tidings” (Luke 1:19). To all people (2:10). The joy began with Israel, and it was meant for the whole world. Simeon would soon call Jesus “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). Savior (2:11). A Savior is a rescuer, someone who saves people who cannot save themselves. Mary had praised “God my Savior” (Luke 1:47). Now the Savior had been born to her. His name Jesus means the Lord saves, “for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Christ (2:11). Christ means the Anointed One. It is the same title as Messiah, the word Israel used for the King God promised. Kings were anointed with oil, and Jesus is the King God promised to David (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Luke 1:32). Lord (2:11). Kyrios (say: KOO-ree-os) means Lord. The Greek Old Testament used it for God's own name. In 2:9 the angel came from the Lord, and in 2:11 the baby is called “Christ the Lord.” The child in the manger is God the Son. The sign (2:12). Swaddling cloths were normal for any newborn. The manger was the surprise. The Lord of glory chose a feeding trough, and later a cross: “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

The angel's first words were kind. He said, “Don’t be afraid.” He brought good news that would make people very happy. This news was for all people everywhere. The baby was born in David's town of Bethlehem. The angel told three big things about Him. He is the Savior. A savior is someone who rescues people. Jesus came to rescue us from sin. He is Christ. Christ means the King God promised to send. He is the Lord. That means He is God Himself! Then the angel gave a sign. The baby would be lying in a feeding box. God's Son came small and poor because He loves us.

The angel said, “Do not be afraid.” A Savior was born! Jesus came to save us from sin. That is happy news!

Suddenly. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” (2:13). A host is an army. Heaven's army came, not to fight, but to praise. Glory to God. “Glory to God in the highest” (2:14). To give God glory means to tell how great He is and to honor Him above everyone. The angels honored God first. Peace on earth. “And on earth peace” (2:14). This is first of all peace with God. Sin makes us God's enemies, but Jesus came to make peace. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Goodwill toward men. Goodwill means God's kindness and favor toward people. God was pleased to send His Son to people who did not deserve Him. The Prince of Peace. Isaiah promised a Child whose name would be called “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). That Child was born that night. Angels rejoice. Jesus later said, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). What we learn. The angels gave God the glory, and Jesus brings the peace. Put God first in your praise, and trust Jesus for peace with God.

The heavenly host (2:13). A host is an army, a great company of soldiers. Here it means the angels of heaven. God is “the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3), the Commander of heaven's armies. That night His army came to worship. Praising and saying (2:13). The angels were “praising God and saying.” Their praise had words, and the words told the truth about God. Good praise always says something true about Him. In the highest (2:14). The highest means the highest heaven, where God's throne is. Heaven's first answer to the birth of Jesus was to honor God. Peace on earth (2:14). The Greek word eirene (say: ay-RAY-nay) carries the Old Testament idea of wholeness and being made right with God. Jesus did not come to stop every war at once. He came to end the war between sinners and God. “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5), and Paul says, “For He Himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Goodwill (2:14). Goodwill means God's good pleasure and favor toward people. God's peace rests on people because He is pleased to be kind to them, not because they earned it (Ephesians 2:8-9). Why it matters. Peace with God comes before peace with others. A person who has peace with God through Jesus can then become a peacemaker at home and at school.

Suddenly a huge crowd of angels filled the sky. The Bible calls them the heavenly host. That means God's army from heaven. But this army did not come to fight. It came to praise God! The angels gave glory to God in heaven. That means they told how great and good God is. They also spoke about peace on earth. This is peace between God and people. Our sin had made us God's enemies. Jesus came to make peace with God for us. The angels are glad when someone turns back to God. We can praise God too, at home and at church!

Many angels praised God together. They gave God glory. Jesus brings God's peace to people. We can praise God too!

Let us go. “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us” (2:15). The shepherds believed the message came from the Lord. With haste. “And they came with haste” (2:16). Faith does not sit still. They left the field and hurried to find the baby. Just as it was told. They found “Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger” (2:16). Every detail was true. God always keeps His word. They made it known. “They made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child” (2:17). The shepherds were the first people to tell others about Jesus. Amazed. “All those who heard it marveled” (2:18). Marveled means they were filled with wonder. Mary's heart. “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” (2:19). Pondered means she thought about them carefully, again and again. Back to work, praising. “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God” (2:20). They went back to the same sheep with new joy. What we learn. Go to Jesus, tell others about Him, think about His Word and praise God wherever you are.

This thing (2:15). The shepherds called it “this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” They wanted to see the word God had spoken come true. Gabriel had told Mary the same truth: “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). Haste (2:16). Mary herself had gone “with haste” to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39). People who believe God's word move toward what He has done. The first witnesses (2:17). “They made widely known the saying.” Shepherds, whose word many people did not trust, became the first to tell others about the Messiah. God loves to use ordinary voices (1 Corinthians 1:27). Mary treasured it (2:19). Kept means she guarded these things and held them safe. Pondered means she put them together in her mind. Mary fitted each piece beside the others: Gabriel's words, Elizabeth's greeting and the shepherds' report. Every piece pointed to the same truth: her baby was the Savior, Christ the Lord. Glorifying and praising (2:20). They returned to the same fields “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” Meeting Jesus did not take them out of their work. It changed how they did it (Colossians 3:23). Why it matters. The shepherds heard, went, saw, told and praised. That is still how people come to Jesus and share Him today.

The shepherds did not wait around. They said, “Let us go to Bethlehem.” They believed what God had told them. So they hurried to find the baby. Everything was just like the angel said. God's words are always true. Then the shepherds told everyone what they had heard. The people were amazed. Mary listened closely to it all. She kept these things in her heart and thought about them. Then the shepherds went back to their sheep. Their job was the same, but their hearts were full. They praised God the whole way. Jesus can fill our hearts with joy too.

The shepherds hurried to see Jesus. Then they told everyone. They praised God! You can tell about Jesus too.

Angels Appear to the Shepherds

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