Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Whitestown UMC

Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)

 

Why was the shepherd fired?

He fell asleep during inventory

 

What did the arrogant sheep say to the shepherd?

You herd me.

 

What did the ram say to Santa?

All I want for Christmas is ewe

 

We’re talking about shepherds today! Shepherds were living in the fields guarding their sheep. Nomadic shepherds live with their sheep and travel with them from pasture to pasture. But the shepherds in Bethlehem were semi-nomadic. They had modest homes, often built on hillsides. They kept livestock in spaces dug out of the hillside or in caves close by. Some homes had a stable on the ground floor, the family area on the second and a guest upper room above that.

 

The Shepherds near Bethlehem
"Glory to God in the Highest and Peace and Goodwill to all"

The Awassi breed of sheep were kept by Middle Eastern shepherds. Unlike American breeds, which birth in springtime, the Awassi birth in from November to January. The Bethlehem shepherds keep temporary shelters in the fields to watch over their sheep during this vulnerable period. They help deliver the lambs, giving them special attention in their first few days. The prophet Nathan told of such a relationship when He confronted King David’s adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

 

A poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. (2Sa 12:3)

 

 

 

 

David knew what that was like, being a shepherd boy himself.

Shepherds wrap the lambs in cloth or even in the folds of their own cloaks to protect them from the elements. Shepherds take the lambs into their shelter to live with them until they are strong enough to join their mothers in the field.

 

An angel appeared announcing the birth of the Messiah. The shepherds were terrified, but the angel calmed them. “Do not fear! See, I bring good news for everyone!” The word rendered as good news is the same word for gospel. The angelic messengers proclaim the good news that Christ is born in the city of David, Bethlehem. After centuries of waiting, the savior king promised by the prophets was finally here! It was, indeed, good news that caused great joy!

 

The angel gave the shepherds a sign.

 

“You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

The shepherds would have recognized the symbolic meaning. The babe is wrapped in cloth just like they wrapped newborn lambs.

 

I remember when our babies were newborn, we would calm them by wrapping a baby blanket tight around them, simulating the pressure and warmth of their mother’s womb. But wrapping lambs also protected them from harming themselves, for these lambs were often given for sacrifice at the temple.

 

The sign given to the shepherds is for us too, for it is good news for everyone. Jesus is the Lamb of God whose life was sacrificed for the atonement of sin. The temple sacrificed yearling lambs without blemish for atonement.

 

When God saved Israel from the angel of death in Egypt and freed them from slavery, God gave the command that every firstborn was His.

 

The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Set apart to me every firstborn male—the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.” (Exodus 13:2)

 

Since the firstborn of Israel were spared, they had to be redeemed by a sacrificial lamb.

 

Jesus was the firstborn of Mary. He was named Jesus, which means the Lord Saves, because He would save us from our sins. He was the redemption paid to set us free from sin and death. Jesus is the Lamb of God.

 

The babe is cradled in a food trough. What is placed in a food trough for sheep and cattle? Grains. Lying in the manger, the shepherds saw the bread of heaven. Just as animals eat grain, the people eat bread made from grain. Bread is a staple for life.

 

In the wilderness, God fed the wandering Hebrews manna, miraculous bread from heaven. And Moses told them its meaning.

 

 Remember The Lord has brought you these forty years through the wilderness so that he might test you to see if you will keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, made you hungry, and fed you manna. He did this to teach you that we cannot live by bread alone, but by everything that comes from the Lord’s mouth. (Dt 8:2-3)

 

Like bread, the word of God is fundamental to life. And Jesus is the bread of life come down to us from heaven. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh who dwelt among us. The Lamb of God restored our relationship with God, who is the very source of life.

 

The baby Jesus laid in a manger, a food trough that held the bread of life. Even Bethlehem, in which Jesus was born, means House of Bread.

 

Bread was also an important symbol in the Holy Place within the temple. Every day priests would place 12 fresh baked loaves on the table of showbread. The loaves represented the 12 tribes of Israel. The priests ate the bread in the temple. They ate it in the presence of God in God’s house. This symbolizes table fellowship and friendship with God.

 

The sacrifice of Jesus restores us to God so that we too might enjoy friendship with our creator. Jesus is the bread that feeds our souls and reminds us that we have a friend in heaven.

 

The shepherds are often depicted as lower class and despised by religious leaders as ritually unclean. It is true that a shepherd had to go through a period of ritual cleansing before entering the temple or synagogue. This oftentimes made attendance to religious events untenable, especially during the birthing season.

 

While some religious leaders had stereotyped shepherds as unclean and suspect of thievery, we must remember that the Hebrews came from a shepherding life. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds. Moses watched over the sheep of his father-in law. David protected the sheep of his father Jesse and was called to shepherd all Israel as their divinely anointed king. David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Often Israel is known as God’s flock.

 

For he is our God;
and we are the people of his pasture,
 the flock under his care. (Psalm 95:7)

 

While it may be true that some shepherds were not to be trusted, shepherding had a long, rich history in Israel, worthy of respect. The shepherds of Bethlehem had kept flocks in the region for centuries and still do. Bethlehem is only 5 miles south of Jerusalem, so it’s very likely they raised sheep to supply the temple. The temple relied on these shepherds to provide ritually clean animals as offerings to God.

The angelic messengers brought the good news of Christ’s birth to shepherds living in the fields watching over their flocks. They didn’t come to Herod or Caesar, not to the high priest of the Sanhedrin, not to wealthy merchants, but to the people providing the temple with sacrificial animals.

 

They went to Bethlehem to see for themselves a child wrapped in swaddling cloth and lying in a manger. The child was poor like them, and descended from Bethlehem’s most renown citizen, the shepherd king David. Jesus would become the king of all kings who shepherds the entire cosmos.

 

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He came that we might have life and have it abundantly. 

 

The shepherds of Bethlehem were the very first to spread the news that Christ had come. They were the very first evangelists to spread the good news about Jesus. They told all that they had heard from the angel and all they had seen.

 

This Christmas, as you enjoy the soft glow of Christmas lights and scented candles, think about your good news about Jesus.

 

Who told you the good news about God’s love, forgiveness, and great promises through Jesus Christ?

What was your life like before the gospel transformed your heart?

How did Jesus save you?

How has trusting in Jesus made your life better?

In what ways have you become more like Jesus?

Now that Jesus is the master of your life, what is your life like now? What are the visible signs of your transformation?

 

I grew up Christian. I grew up knowing that Jesus is the reason for the season. In my teens, I rebelled like teenagers are prone to do. I drank alcohol. I followed the crowd into sin.

In my youth tee-shirts encouraged, “If it feels good do it.” I learned to cuss like a sailor. I grew cynical and depressed. By the time I was 24 years old, I had been arrested for alcohol and drug related misdemeanors. I felt ashamed and empty.

 

But God never stopped loving me. Even though I was running with the devil, God kept calling me home. Like the prodigal son, who lost everything, found a merciful welcome home from his father, God wrapped His loving arms around me when I repented.

 

It wasn’t an overnight change. It took many years for me to trust in God completely and let go of emotional crutches like alcohol. And God continues to chip away at my hard heart. But God saved me from what would have certainly killed me by now. God has given me friendship and an abiding joy that has seen me through many heartaches and disappointments. Life can be painful, but God has never failed me.

 

There was no room for Jesus in Bethlehem the night He was born.

Make room in your heart for Jesus and share the good news.

 

Share what you have heard about Jesus and what you’ve seen and felt of the Shepherd King and Savior of the World.