Shepherds Who See Jesus
(Luke 2:8–9 NKJV) Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. {9} And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
I love these shepherds; we have so much to learn from them. For a start, God spoke to them, they saw angels, they experienced God’s glory, and they were the first outside of Joseph, Mary, and Elizabeth to understand who Jesus was.
This is the message God sent to them via the angel:
(Luke 2:10–12 NKJV) Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. {11} For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. {12} And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, God’s overflowing joy at the birth of his only begotten son was expressed through a great display of heavenly artistry. (Note: read this and the following passage word for word, and learn something very important about angels.)
(Luke 2:13–14 NLT) Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, {14} “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” [1.]
Why did Father select these shepherds? Why did he choose to overflow his joy and celebration to them? I know that there are many good reasons why; perhaps they were the shepherds watching over the birth of the sacrificial lambs—looking for the perfect, flawless ones, etc. But for now, let’s simply stay with what this passage says:
The first thing we note is that, out of all the people in that region, God chose to share insights about Jesus and his coming to birth with shepherds. This speaks of those who look after the welfare of others. They tend God’s flock, look after his lambs, and make sure they are protected and fed.
Second, we see that God revealed remarkable truths about Jesus to those who—were not only shepherds—but who were actually “out in the fields.” These weren’t “rancher” style shepherds who hired others to care for the flock over which God made them overseers; they were out in the field of service themselves. In other words, they were out where the sheep are, experiencing what they experienced. These shepherds weren’t shielded from the elements; they were exposed to the same harsh environment, subject to the same wolves, thieves, and insects, etc. They were on hand for their flock, ready to heal, care for, nurture, protect, keep them together, and love on them.
Third, Scripture records that these humble shepherds were “keeping watch.” These pastors—to whom God revealed the overflowing abundance of his heart and revelation about the birth of his dream—were very close to their flock. Watching by day and night to ensure its wellbeing. In spiritual terms, this is like flock-tenders today that watch and pray continually over those God has entrusted to them.
Fourth, they were doing all of this “by night.” Despite being in a season of no light for themselves, these faithful, humble, serving people continued to do the best they could for their flock.
I call these people, true shepherds. They were in the field of ministry; they weren’t sitting in cafés talking about how bad things were, murmuring about the current state of affairs, or criticizing how others do their shepherding. These humble servers were not off at the big city, trying to climb the religious ladder of prominence and prestige; they were out in the field, keeping watch … at night! This is the kind of people to whom God revealed the most startling, profound, far-reaching, life-changing revelation ever: Jesus!
