Walking With Christ

5 days until Christmas.

Luke 2:8-9 (8)And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (9)And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.(ESV)

When David was a shepherd, the Israelite people were largely nomadic or pastoral in nature. Nearly every family had it’s own flocks of various animals that had to be tended. The family literally lived or died based on the health of the flocks. To be put in charge of the survival of the family was considered a high honor and required a great deal of trust. The shepherd had to be mostly self-sufficient without requiring much help or guidance from others for extended periods of time. This was a vital role. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David were all shepherds, both of sheep and men.

When David became king and settled the people of Israel, the culture began to shift from the nomadic and pastoral society to one more centered around agriculture and urban life. By the time that Jesus was born, the view of shepherds had changed drastically. Shepherds in Jewish society were considered to be in the lowest rung of society instead of the once honored position. They were often considered to be liars and cheats who couldn’t be trusted to do any other type of work. They were typically viewed as being ritualistically unclean because the nature of their work required them to miss many religious ceremonies that were considered sacred by the people of Israel. They also had to work on the Sabbath day as well since predators do not recognize the Sabbath.

The societal view of shepherds had shifted considerably in the time between David and Jesus. Yet, outside of the manger, it was shepherds who were the first to be told of the birth of the messiah. Society had moved on. Shepherds had been pushed to the furthest margins of society into places where most would rather forget they even existed.

That’s the setting of Luke 2:8-9. A group of shepherds watching a flock at night when an angel appears and this divine light floods the countryside. This glory did not avoid the marginalized segments of society. This glory pushed back the darkness of night and revealed everything that was hidden in the darkness. Think about the symbology of this moment. The lowest members of society were not excluded from the message. In fact, they were the first to receive it. The light of Jesus came into a spiritually dark world and pushed back the darkness. Christ entered into this world with the greatest of humility and left no one out of His ministry or promises.

Look ahead to verses 10-14. “(10)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. (11)For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (12)And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ (13)And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, (14) ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’”(ESV)

The angel said this message would be good news for all people. Not just some of society or a select group, but all. There isn’t a single human being throughout history who isn’t covered by that “all”. The glory that shone that night shone in anticipation of the event to come and it stood as a message of hope to any who would listen and believe. All people are covered by Jesus’ ministry and this was written into it before the cornerstone of the earth was laid.

What does this mean for us today? It means that none of us are too small or low to not be included under the umbrella of “all people”. It also means that none of us should ever think that another might be small or low enough to not be covered. It was the humility of including even the lowest segment of society that cements us to that cornerstone of our faith in Jesus Christ. He is our cornerstone. Peter says to the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:11 that “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.”

If we are not humble enough to share our joy with even the lowest members of our society then are we really following Christ? If we think ourselves too good to reach out to the broken people all around us are we really filled with the Holy Spirit? We have been given good news. The best news ever. It’s not gossip to share this news. It’s not shameful to share this joy. When we step out in faith to share the joy that we have then we will truly begin to see the work that God has been doing and we will find God in some of the most unexpected places. We will see His hands moving in the most unexpected ways. We will be blessed beyond comprehension which should push us to share all the more.