Shepherds of Privilege

Shepherds of Privilege

Luke 2:1-20

Once in a while you get an opportunity of a lifetime. You happen to be in the right place at the right time and something great, something life-changing happens. Perhaps a talent scout happens to be at an event where you are performing; a publisher stumbles on to a draft of your new book; a college scout attends the best ballgame of your career; the owner of the company notices your excellent job performance; you are selected for a private audience with the President or an outstanding leader; or you are offered an internship with one of the best in your field.

In Luke 2 we read the traditional Christmas story. It’s the same passage that Linus quotes on the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. We read of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the appearance of an army of angels to a group of Shepherds who, it appears, were in the right place at the right time. It’s a familiar story but I think there are some things we can learn if we try to look at it with fresh eyes.

THE CENSUS

Every 10 years our government is required to do a census of the United States. The last census was taken in 2000. From this census it was determined that there were 281,421,906 residents in the United States of America. The information gathered by the census is used for several things,

· To determine how much and where over 100 Billion dollars of government money should be allocated for aid, new schools, libraries and highways

· To decide where and what kind of social service agencies to develop

· Congress uses this information to determine how many seats our state will have in the House of Representatives (and consequently in the electoral college).

· Many private businesses use the information gathered in the census to determine where to locate their businesses.

At the time of Jesus, Caesar Augustus declared a census for the entire Roman Empire. Some records tell us that this was done every 14 years. This census was the first one while Quirinius was Governor of Syria. Most likely this census took place in 4-6 B.C.

The census required everyone to register his name, occupation and family. This information would be used by Rome for taxation purposes. In the Jewish world, people would have been required to go to the town of their birth and be counted because of the concern to maintain accurate records of family lineage.

This information given us by Luke is valuable for several reasons. First, it reminds us that the birth of Jesus occurred at a specific time and place. Historians can trace the information listed here. The birth of Christ was not a fable; it was an actual event in time and history. Luke is not telling a story, He is recording history at a specific place and time. Christianity is based on factual information. If it were shown that Jesus was not born in Bethlehem, that Mary was not a Virgin, that Jesus did not die at the hands of Pilate or that He did not rise from the dead . . .the Christian faith would crumble; it’s transforming power would be gone. We do not celebrate some fantastic story this Christmas. We celebrate the historical entrance of the Son of God to the world.

Second, notice that something that was probably seen as very negative was actually something positive. The Jews despised the idea of a Roman census. They felt it was a sacrilege. They were God’s people and Rome had no right to subject them. In fact, at (I believe) the census that followed this census, the Jews rebelled.

There is another reason this was seen as a negative event. In Joseph’s mind you would think this seemed like a terrible imposition. He had to take his very pregnant wife 75-80 miles to Bethlehem for this “stupid census”. If I was Joseph I would have complained all the way to Bethlehem!

Yet, this seemingly negative responsibility was God’s way of putting all the pieces into their proper place for the Messiah to come as He had been foretold. The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because of the Roman census. God controls all of history.

Third, notice the wisdom of God. The timing of the Savior’s birth was perfect. The Roman Empire was at its peak. Because of the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome) had developed a series of highways that made travel around the empire much easier. It was the perfect time for the good news of the gospel to spread quickly throughout the world. The fullness of time had come.

THE SURROUNDINGS

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. [They were actually already married but had not consummated their marriage]⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn [implying there would be other children], a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. [italics are my comments]

We are told that Mary and Joseph were in the manger because there was no room in the Inn. The Inn(s) was most likely crowded because of the census. Either the Inn was filled with travelers like Joseph and Mary or with Roman military personnel who were charged to keep order.

There are several different ideas as to where this manger was. There are four different views of where the manger might have been.

1. It was on the first floor of a two-story Inn. In these Inns the second floor would be where guests stayed. The first floor (an open courtyard) was where the animals and merchandise was kept during the stay.

2. It was in the Inn’s stable that was just outside the wall of the Inn often sharing a wall with the Inn.

3. It was in a cave that was associated with the Inn

4. It was a separate cave or structure not associated with an Inn at all. [There is no record that the owner of the Inn offered the couple the stable].

Truthfully, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that Jesus was born not in the Inn but in the place where the animals were kept.

This account may show how poor Mary and Joseph were. If they had had any money, room most likely would have been found for them in the Inn, especially since Mary was about to give birth. It was a most humble birthplace.

The Son of God was born in a stable! The conditions were unsanitary and perhaps even a little humiliating. Jesus was not laid on a warming table or a cute bassinet but in the feed trough for the cattle. This baby was loved and wrapped in clothes by his parents to keep him warm and secure. Surely straw cushioned his resting place.

THE SHEPHERDS

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

We really don’t know anything about these Shepherds. It is possible that these Shepherds took care of the Sheep that were used for sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem. These sheep had to be especially cared for because the lamb had to be “without blemish”.

Shepherds didn’t have the best of reputations. Because they were out with sheep and often had to kill predators, they were almost always “unclean” so the seldom (if ever) were allowed to worship at the temple. Their social skills were not very good since they spent their times in the pasture talking to sheep. They had a reputation as being untrustworthy in court and many said Shepherds had a difficult time telling the difference between “mine” and “thine”.

Here’s how I imagine the scene that night. The guys (we don’t know how many) were probably sitting around the fire eating a can of beans and maybe making “smores” (I didn’t say it was a historically accurate picture, just my picture.) All of a sudden there is this bright angel in front of them. The brilliance is painful. They are caught off guard and this angel scares the stuffing out of these guys. I’m sure their first thought was, “Uh Oh! This can’t be good!”

The angel announced that a “Savior”, the “Christ” (or Messiah) was born to them in Bethlehem. The long-awaited Redeemer was born in Bethlehem and they could find this baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. There may have been other newborns in Bethlehem but there was certainly only one who was spending his first night in a manger.

After these words from the Angel we are told that a great company of the heavenly host appeared. A multitude! This was not just a few angels! It could have been thousands upon thousands of angels. It is possible that all the angels in Heaven join in this multitude. John’s vision of heaven recorded in Revelation reveals that there are innumerable angels in heaven: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand” (Rev. 5:1)

The Angels said (or sang) “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Too often we hear these words and think the angels are longing for an absence of war on the earth. The word for “peace” is shalom” which is a much deeper, internal peace. The word means well-being, health, prosperity, security, soundness and completeness. It points to an internal change. The angels were celebrating a new depth and dimension that was being brought to life.

But yourself in the shoes of these Shepherds. What must it have been like? They were never more afraid, yet never more alive. They were never more paralyzed by fear but also never more excited. They were never more anxious and yet never did they know such a sense of peace and goodwill.

I imagine that when the angels came their cans of beans fell to the ground. Some of the Shepherds may have shielded themselves as if they were about to be attacked, others may have simply stood dumbfounded with their mouths hanging open. They listen as the angels talk (always a good idea). I suspect there was too much to take in with their eyes and their minds. It must have been like looking at the Grand Canyon . . . it’s beauty and scope makes it impossible to fully appreciate.

After the angels left I suspect the Shepherds stood there for a long while saying nothing. It took a little while to absorb what had just happened. Did they cast sideways glances at each other? Did they shake their heads as if trying to clear out the cobwebs? Did one the Shepherds say, “Did you just see what I think I saw?” or maybe, “What just happened here?” It must have been a heart-stopping time.

Luke tells us,

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:15-18)

The Shepherds wasted no time. They went to Bethlehem to see the baby. Did they draw straws and leave someone to stay with the sheep or did they all go trusting God would take care of the sheep? We don’t know.

As the Shepherds approached Bethlehem they certainly must have gotten stares from the people. Shepherds were usually not welcome in town. I wonder, did they walk up to people and say, “We saw angels in the sky and they told us that a baby had been born who was going to be the Messiah. We were told to look for Him in a manger. Can you point us in the right direction?” I wonder how many people walked by them never slowing their pace at all ignoring them completely. I wonder how many people thought these Shepherds were nuts. How many people rejected them before someone pointed them in the right direction?

I’d like to know, What did the Shepherds do once they found the baby in the manger? Later the wise men bring gifts. We aren’t told anything about the Shepherds. Did they just stand around and say things like, “you have a very beautiful baby” or “where are you guys from?”. Or, did they tell the story to Mary and Joseph? Did they worship? I suspect they did. I also would bet that every one of those Shepherds took their turn at holding the Christchild.

I wonder, how long did the Shepherds stay? Were they only there a few minutes? Was it awkward or was it an intimate and God-touched time? We don’t know. What we do know is that these men were changed. This encounter with the Messiah transformed them. They socially awkward Shepherds not told everyone they saw about the baby that they had seen. I can’t help wondering if, because of the Shepherds, a steady stream of people didn’t come to see this new baby.

SOME LESSONS

Isn’t this a great account? Isn’t it fun to put yourself into the situation and experience it again for the first time? Have you ever stopped to wonder what God was trying to teach us by the players he chose to be a part of the birth of Jesus? Why a stable and a manger? Why the poor youngsters Mary and Joseph? Why the Shepherds?

Certainly the Lord was trying to show us that He came to save common folks. I think He wanted us to see that the message of salvation is not for the elite, the learned, the admired . . . it is for anyone and everyone. There are too many people who feel they don’t belong in a church. They don’t think they are good enough. These people are missing the message of Christmas. Jesus did not come to save the elite (do you notice that there are no rabbis, no Pharisees, no Sadducees at His birth), He came to save anyone who was “open” to receiving His gift.

The question is: will you make room for Jesus in your life or will you relegate him to some secondary role? Will you be more like the Innkeeper or the Shepherds? Will you respond to the birth of Christ with wonder or with indifference? Will you continue so focused and absorbed in your own activities (even religious ones) that you miss the transformation of His grace? Will you continue to run so fast in your life that you miss the Shalom that is offered to you?

The Shepherds embraced the opportunity given to them. They heard God’s summons, they went to Jesus, and they were transformed. They told everyone. They weren’t concerned with whether or not they were using the right words and methods . . . they just shared their experience with the joy and wonder that flooded their hearts. And that’s what Jesus wants from you. He wants you to see, to hear, to receive, to be transformed, and then to tell others. The Shepherds’ story is over. How your story ends is up to you.