The scriptures are full of sheep and shepherds.
Abel tended sheep. Abraham had sheep. Jacob knew how to breed sheep. Moses tended his father-in-law’s flock of sheep. David worked as a shepherd. Job had large flocks of sheep. Jerusalem had a designated sheep gate.
“And in the same region (Bethlehem) there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock 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 great 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 a 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!'” (Luke 2:8-14)
Were the shepherds the first to hear of Christ’s birth? Not really. God promised it in Genesis 3:15. Isaiah spoke about a child who would be born to assume the throne of David. Mary and Joseph both heard it from angels. Magi learned of it in the stars.
But on that actual night when Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in a manger, the angel and all the other angels brought the announcement to the shepherds in the Bethlehem hills. Angels are always around. They were present when God created the heavens and the earth. They spent an afternoon in Abraham’s tent. They climbed and descended the ladder to heaven in Jacob’s dream. They shut the lions’ mouths to save Daniel in the lion’s den. They ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the desert. They were on alert but stood down when the mob came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. They were at the empty tomb to let the women know that Jesus was alive on the third day. The angles will accompany him when he comes again in glory.
Angels are always around, we just don’t get to see and hear them like the Bethlehem shepherds. Not yet, anyway. They’ll be there when we join them and all creatures to praise and worship him (Revelation 5:13).
The shepherds who heard the angels went to see the baby, and then went and told what they had seen. They become some of the first to witness the incarnation and proclaim it. So let’s give them an ornament on the Jesse Tree.
Jesus tells the story of a shepherd that leaves a flock of 99 to go in search of one sheep who wandered, who went missing, who didn’t show up for role call. The point is, God cares deeply about the lost. But does a real, live, genuine shepherd do that? Does that one sheep matter that much?
Waite for it... 