To ordinary eyes, nothing that was happening in that nearby stable in Bethlehem gave any indication of the extraordinary. But the events just a few miles away in a field assuredly did. The skies that would go supernaturally dark at His death spectacularly lit up when Christ the Savior was born. The implications of the incarnation were so momentous that heaven’s hosts could not contain their joy. We often hear of people leaving earth “in a blaze of glory,” but on the night that God was manifest in flesh, angels arrived on earth in a blaze of glory. And only a few people saw it.
Reputation of the Audience
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, watching over their flock by night” (Luk 2:8).1 Incredibly, the audience for that evening’s dazzling display was a handful of shepherds. The accompanying announcement of the Savior’s birth was not made to rulers or politicians, not to priests or prophets, not to the scholars or philosophers of the day, but to lowly shepherds. At this point in time in Palestine, shepherds did not have the best reputation. They were often accused of preying on lonely travelers and were generally disqualified from serving as legal witnesses in court cases. “A third-century rabbi, commenting on Psalm 23, said, ‘There is no more despised occupation in the world than that of shepherds.’”2 Interestingly, the baby these men heard about that evening would end up redeeming the reputation of shepherds as He later revealed Himself to be the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep (Joh 10:11). But we should not miss the fact that the Lord first chose to reveal the greatest story ever told to the lowly, the despised, the poor – the very kind of people He came to save.
Report from the Angel
“And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luk 2:9-10). As was the case with Zacharias (1:12-13) and Mary (1:30), the appearance of the angel struck the shepherds with fear, and they received one of Scripture’s many “Fear not’s.” The message the angel brought was good news, as it had been to Zacharias and Mary. And it was to “all people,” which many commentators take to mean all the people of Israel. However, Simeon may help us. He uses this exact phrase later in our chapter, then appears to define it for us: “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (vv30-32). I think Luke intends us to see that, ultimately, Christ’s coming was indeed good news for Jew and Gentile, the whole world. The shepherds may not have interpreted it that way, but history has shown it to be true.
That good news was articulated by the angel: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (2:11). Notice the three titles used – Savior, Christ, Lord. The angel seemed to put down all the Caesar propaganda circulating throughout the empire. Augustus was called divine, lord, a son of the gods, savior of the whole world. The angel put Augustus in his place and Jesus in His! Jesus alone is Lord; He alone is the Christ, the anointed and chosen One; Jesus is the only Savior. And the shepherds got the message loud and clear. Their Messiah, the One they had been expecting for centuries, was finally here. Surely they could hardly wait to go and find Him. But where would He be? Bethlehem, the city of David, had many dwellings. How would they know where to go? Well, they got a sign without even asking for one.
The angel continued: “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (v12). Clearly the angel wanted them to go and look for Him and so the sign was given. There might be a baby or two somewhere in Bethlehem that night wrapped in swaddling clothes, but surely only one would be found in a feed trough! They were ready to go and find this Child. But before they had a chance to act on what they heard, act two of the heavenly show instantly and dramatically began.
Rejoicing of Heaven’s Host
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (vv13-14 ESV). If the appearance of the angel struck them with fear, we wonder how these shepherds felt when they were suddenly surrounded by an innumerable throng of heavenly beings that seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon, all extolling God in cosmic stereo. The Lord told Job that “the morning stars [i.e., angels] sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (38:7) at creation. Now at the incarnation, we hear them again, for Christ the long-awaited Savior was born! And He came to bring peace, peace between God and man, long estranged by human sin.
Running to Bethlehem
The night show ended almost as quickly as it began. The angels disappeared as did the blaze of glory around them, and the shepherds found themselves alone again. “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger” (Luk 2:15-16). The shepherds’ response was active and eager. They probably needed to knock on quite a few doors that evening to find the right place. But there was never a more exciting “door-to-door” work in all of history than this one. At last, their running was over, and they came to the right house, finding the young couple, whose Baby was indeed resting in a manger. These shepherds, who looked after lambs every day, were the first to see the Lamb of God. But they were eager to share what happened to them out in the fields that night.
Relaying the Message
“And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child” (v17). They certainly would have told Joseph and Mary their news, which would bring great encouragement to them. The Lord would use others to spread the word about their Son. If it were only Joseph and Mary telling people who their Son was and how He was conceived, who would believe it at all? But the arrival of the shepherds would remind them that the Lord is in control and can overcome any difficulty.
The shepherds told not only the new parents what happened to them that night but everyone they could find. Apparently, their door-to-door work did not stop once they found the Lord Jesus. Ironically, men who were disqualified from bearing witness in court were fully qualified to be the first witnesses of the gospel.3 This pattern would repeat itself when women, whose testimony in court was also disallowed in first-century Palestine, would be the first witnesses of the resurrection of Christ.
Response of the Hearers
“And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (vv18-19). The shepherds had responded with action. Many others reacted to their news with fascination. But Mary responded with reflection. The word “pondered” (Greek sumballo) involves putting one’s thoughts together. Mary would keep tossing things over in her mind, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. She serves as a “model of a careful, thinking disciple.”4 While Mary was left to contemplate what the shepherds had told her, they were on the move once again.
Return of the Shepherds
“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them” (v20). The last phrase, “as it was told unto them,” highlights the fact that God had been faithful. Everything the angel told them was true. They had found the Child, exactly as had been described to them. God was deserving of their praise, and just as the angels earlier that evening could not contain their praise, so now the shepherds could not hold back theirs either. Imitating angels can be a wonderful exercise!
Someday, a blaze of glory (Mat 24:27) will be seen again, and not by a handful of shepherds in a field. This Child, who came miraculously into our world, will enter it once again. When He does, the whole world will witness His splendor (Rev 1:7) and angels will accompany Him once more (Mat 25:31) as He returns in power and great glory (24:30) to establish His earthly kingdom. The righteous will go into the kingdom with Him, but the unrighteous will be cast into everlasting fire (25:41,46). Does your heart skip a beat with excitement to think of it? Or do you tremble with fear because you still do not know Christ as your Savior? If so, you need to do what these shepherds did with the message they heard. So, let’s close this article by noting how they responded to the good news and how you must also.
Closing Gospel Reflections
First, notice that these shepherds heard the good news. The word the angel used for “good tidings” in Luke 2:10 is the word often translated “gospel” throughout the New Testament, simply meaning good news. You, too, have heard God’s good news, even if you have only read this article. God’s Son has come, He became just like us (apart from sin), He died on a cross for our sins, and He rose again the third day. Like the shepherds, you have heard good news. But that is not enough.
Second, we must see that the shepherds believed the good news. The angel told them they would find the baby in Bethlehem, in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. We know they believed the message because they acted on it. Have you believed the good news about Christ’s coming, death and resurrection? Hearing about it is not sufficient; you must act on it in faith. The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Act 16:31 NKJV).
Third, observe that these shepherds believed the good news right away. They said to each other, “Let us now go … And they came with haste” (2:15-16). They did not waste any time. Have you believed the good news? If not, why not right now? The Bible says there is only one time to be saved – NOW! “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2Co 6:2 ESV).
Finally, the story ends with the shepherds sharing the good news. They told Joseph and Mary; they told neighbors, family, and friends; they told everyone who would listen to their story. Have you believed the good news about Christ? Have you shared it with anyone today? This week? This month? The Lord Jesus said, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mar 16:15 ESV). Why not pray that the Lord will give you an opportunity very soon to share the good news with someone who needs Him. And so you will have every reason to do what these shepherds did at the end of our story – glorify and praise God.
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV unless otherwise noted.
2 James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2015), 74.
3 Edwards, 79.
4 Dale Ralph Davis, Luke 1-13: The Year of the Lord’s Favor (Scotland, UK: Christian Focus Publications, 2021), 49.
