The First Noel – The Unlikely Shepherds.
Stephen March discusses the role of the shepherds who would seem to be unlikely witnesses to the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.
The Shepherds Were the First
We often suppose the first to see the Christ child were the shepherds. Their story is found in Luke chapter 2, and is one of the most famous parts of the nativity story, due to the quotable nature of the angelic message they receive, and because of the imagery that is presented with their visit.
“And in the same region there were shepherd out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ 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.’ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
The Unlikely Shepherds
When I read this portion over again, what really stands out to me is how much is actually going on in these verses. To start, when we look at the shepherds an immediate question can be asked as to why them? Of all the people God could have made the first announcement to, why would it be a simple group of herdsmen, people who would have been among the social outcasts of the current culture? Now, given the fullness of the scripture, an easy answer would be because Jesus was the Good Shepherd, and that he referred often to his followers as his “flock.” Or maybe it was because he was the Son of David, who was a shepherd when Samuel first proclaimed him to be the one who would be king of all Israel. Some might say the shepherds were raising the Passover lambs, so this was a foreshadowing Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. These are all great thoughts, and quite possibly true, but they require the fullness of the bible to arrive at, so it would mean that this significance would be lost on the people of Jesus’ day. I have another thought and that is God used the shepherds because they were shepherds.
The Shepherds & The Angelic Visit
I don’t want to discredit them, but the general understanding of the culture of Jesus’ time would suggest that shepherds were generally uneducated men, perhaps even more so when it came to a knowledge of the scriptures. Knowledge and education are good things, but often times the more we have of them, the more skeptical we can be, desiring first to analyze and verify everything we hear before accepting it. The shepherds on the other hand, have a visit from an angel and that is enough for them. They didn’t feel the need to ponder what the angel said, or inquire at the temple if it could be true, the angel said “unto you is born a savior who is Christ the Lord,” and they said, let’s go see this thing that has happened.
Filled With Joy
After they visited Luke tells us they returned home praising and glorifying God for everything they had seen and heard. They were filled with joy. I believe this was part of the reason God used them, because they would receive His message with gladness, share the message, and rejoice in what God had done.
Along with that, it is a reminder that the gift of God through his son Jesus is available for everyone. It doesn’t matter what your profession is, or your social status, education, wealth, or even how religious you are, if you are willing to accept the message from God that Jesus came to be our savior, then the joy of the Lord that comes through Christ is yours.
A Cave a Stable or a House?
The next part may shatter some of our ideas regarding the picture of the nativity. We like to picture the manger, maybe in a cave or a stable, Mary and Joseph kneeling in quiet awe around the baby Jesus, and it is a beautiful image. In Luke 2:16-19, we read that the shepherd went and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, and then told everything that had been said to them by the angel. In verse 18 though it says that all who heard these things wondered at it, but Mary, indicating that Mary was not part of the “all who heard” pondered them in her heart.
I think it is quite possible that Jesus was actually born in a house, likely one of Joseph’s relatives, they didn’t have proper space for them or for a new baby so they brought a trough in to be a crib. I think it is safe to assume that there were more than just Mary and Joseph present, it is implied in the passage from Luke we just read, but also, with Joseph being a carpenter it is very unlikely he would have had the medical acumen to safely deliver a baby. So perhaps there was a midwife, maybe even a doctor, and if it was in a home, the people who lived there took up all the space, that meant there was no room for a new baby.
Why Shepherds?
So what does that have to do with shepherds? Well, it may have been difficult for Joseph and Mary to convince the family and those around them how special this child was. Even Jesus, who performed miracles, could not convince his brothers as we can find in John 7 and Mark 3. However, if someone from outside were to verify it, it could be much more impactful. Shepherds would have been a group least likely to be chosen by a person to deliver this message, so by them showing up it would seem more likely that the message from God was indeed true. Not only that, but it is always impactful to see joy in the hearts of those who we think have the least cause to be joyful. Given their position in society, it would be very unexpected to see these shepherds filled with such joy, except that they had received a message from God that the savior of the world had been born.
A final thought on this, the baby Jesus proclaimed and adored as the Christ by three separate groups, the shepherds, the wealthy magi, and the religious Simeon and Anna. The most popular of the three groups even in today’s retelling of the story, are the shepherds, the commoners. Why did God choose shepherds? There could be any number of reasons, but the one that stands out to me is because they remind us how Jesus Christ, the Savior, is for everyone.
Why do you think the shepherds were chosen to visit Jesus? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Stephen March
Stephen March is the President of FBH International and HopeStreamRadio. He graduated from the Broadcasting Program at Niagara College in 2001, and has previously worked in television production and post-production. Stephen lives in St. Catharines, Ontario, with his wife Corinne and their four children. He serves as an elder at Scottlea Gospel Chapel.
Read and hear more from Stephen Marchon his contributor’s page.
Stephen currently has 3 Programs on HopeStreamRadio:
More Podcasts Below:
More Blogs
Peace Through The Christ of Christmas
Can We Be Holy? The Process of Sanctification
Images courtesy of:
The Shepherds – Jacopo Bassano
Gift – Bob-Dmyt
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