ANGELS, SHEPHERDS, AND THE LAMB OF GOD
Luke 2:8-20
"Return, O faithless sons," declares the LORD; "For I am a master to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion."
"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:14-15).
Silver starlight gleaming down from the velvet vault of heaven onto the rolling hills of Judea. The bare ghost of a breeze gently stirring the chilly night air. The occasional bleat of the sheep. Throw another log on the campfire. Its crackling flame casts long jumping shadows. Simple country shepherds gathered around the blaze in an effort to warm themselves as they keep their midnight vigil.
One of the shepherds breaks away from the hypnotic flickering of the campfire to check the sheep. Satisfied that his charges are safe, he lets his gaze sweep upward to the midnight sky and its vast array of stars. Perhaps he remembers the familiar words of the Psalmist as he ponders the glory and majesty of the God of creation who has wrought the cosmos with His fingertips. Yes indeed, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament of the sky shows forth His handiwork.
But on this night as these simple shepherds gaze into the heavenly expanse, they are about to experience that which is beyond their wildest dreams.
There is a beautiful significance in the fact that the first announcement after the birth of Jesus should be made to shepherds. It seems fitting that the arrival of the Lamb of God should first be made known to shepherds and that these shepherds should be the first to learn of the birth of the Great Shepherd.
Furthermore, it is possible that these shepherds were keeping the flocks that had been designated for the Temple sacrifices. The Mishnah (the oral collection of Jewish interpretations of the Scriptures) states that only the Temple flocks were to be kept within the land of Israel. All other sheep must be kept in the wilderness areas.
If this is true, then these shepherds take on an even deeper significance. The sheep that they are watching on this fateful night are destined to be sacrificed in the Jewish Temple.
Each morning and each evening a sacrifice is offered. A lamb is taken and is killed to provide the forgiveness of sins. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year. For over a thousand years, this unending ceremony had taken place. And it was never enough. Today’s sacrifice must again be repeated tomorrow. With an endless succession of tomorrows. Endless observances. Endless sacrifices.
And yet, there was a promise. It was a promise which had come down from the Hebrew prophets of One who would put an end to sin. One who would be like a Lamb led to slaughter. One who would have laid upon Himself the iniquities of all.
On this night...
God had dealt with men in the past. In many times and in many ways He had spoken to the fathers through the prophets. But now He was going to draw near in a NEW way. Now He would become a baby.
A baby! The picture of helplessness. The Creator held in the rough hands of a humble carpenter. The Life-Giver to be suckled at the breast of a young peasant girl.
And yet, there's something appealing about a baby. Everyone loves a baby. And so, when God desired to draw near to men, He came as - a BABY. God has drawn near. And that has made all the difference in the world.
BECAUSE GOD HAS DRAWN NEAR, FEAR HAS BEEN REPLACED BY JOY
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. (Luke 2:9).
Can you picture the scene? The shepherds are gathered around their campfire, trying to warm themselves against the chilly night air. Suddenly there is a light. The shadows and blackness of the night give was to a sudden brilliance. Before them in the blazing light stands an awesome creature - and angel.
The shepherds are terrified. In the penetrating light of the majestic spectacle, they suddenly realize what sinful and lowly beings they really are. And then the angel speaks.
And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;
The angel begins by telling the shepherds not to be afraid. This is usually the first thing an angel says when speaking to a mortal man. In the angelic handbook under the chapter heading under "Bringing Messages to Humans" it says that the angels are to begin all conversations with the words "Don’t be afraid."
Why is that? Because angels are different. And the presence of an angelic being forces me to recognize that there is an even more powerful God who sent that angel. And when I am confronted with the reality of the reflection of God's holiness in His messenger, my reaction is fear.
But the good news is that I do not have to be afraid. I do not have to be afraid because the awesome messenger of God has brought a MESSAGE of SALVATION.
When I am confronted with the wondrous holiness of God, the result is fear. But when I hear the message that the holiness of God has drawn near in the form of a BABY, then the result is JOY.
After all, no one was ever afraid of a baby. When God spoke through a burning bush, Moses was afraid. When God spoke from Sinai and the earth trembled and the mountain quaked and the people fell down and pleaded for an intercessor lest they die. When God spoke in dreams and in visions, men had reason to fear because He was mysterious and holy. But when God wanted to dispel all fear, He came as a baby.
And because He has come as a baby, fear has been replaced by joy. Because He has come as a baby, we can come with confidence before the throne of God.
BECAUSE GOD HAS DRAWN NEAR, THE PROMISE HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE FULFILLMENT
That’s what the message of the angel was all about.
"For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11).
Jesus was not born into a vacuum. His birth had been promised from the very beginning. At the dawning of human history, the promise had been given. As the crunch of the forbidden fruit echoed through the Garden of Eden, the prophecy was told that a Deliverer would come - one who would...
a. Overturn the works of the Serpent
b. Defeat death.
c. Save men from their sins.
And the shepherds understand this. When they are told that the identity of this newborn Savior is "Christ the Lord" they need no further explanation. Even though they are relatively ignorant and unlearned men, they have been taught from childhood that there is coming one who would be anointed by God - a Messiah.
They may even have been familiar with the prophecy from the book of Micah that the Messiah was to be born in nearby Bethlehem, the ancestral home of King David.
But how are they to recognize the newborn King? Will he be found in a palace, perhaps clothed in rich purple silks and lying in a golden cradle? The shepherds need a sign.
BECAUSE GOD HAS DRAWN NEAR, DOUBT IS REPLACED BY CERTAINTY
The birth of Christ was replete with signs which were designed to dispel any doubts.
Now these shepherds are also given a sign. It is a twofold sign.
First, they will find the Baby wrapped in cloths. The Chosen King and Savior will be found, not in rich purple silks, but wrapped in simple and common cloth devoid of any great worth or significance.
Second, the Baby will be found lying in a manger. These shepherds may not know a lot about babies, but they know all about mangers. A manger is a tool of their trade. The last place that they would ever think to look for a newborn baby, much less a newborn King, is in a manger.
I don’t think they could have been more surprised than if you had been told to look for the Messiah in a dumpster.
A feeding trough for animals. No more humble surroundings could be imagined. Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness entering the world...
The world today is looking for a sign. Astrology is at an all-time high. Religious charlatans abound. Hucksters can even be found in the House of God. And although God sometimes works through the dramatic -the pillar of fire, the parting of the sea, the making of the sun to stand still - more often than not His signs are like the one which is seen here.
A baby in a manger. You can miss it if you try. There were a lot of people in and around Bethlehem who didn't see the sign. It's not that they weren’t looking for Messiah. They were. They were looking for a great and mighty prophet like unto Moses. They were looking for a great high priest who could make the final sacrifice on their behalf. They were looking for a conquering King of a white charger.
A prophet. A priest. A King. Jesus was all of that. But because He came in the midst of humility, people didn’t recognize Him when He came.
You can still miss Him if you try. What are you going through lately? Think of your most difficult situation. Did you see Christ in that? He is there. And when you realize that He is, then YOUR doubt will turn to certainty, too.
BECAUSE GOD HAS DRAWN NEAR, SILENCE IS REPLACED BY THE SHARING OF A PROCLAMATION
There are two proclamations which are recorded within this passage.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:13-14).
As though the heavens were unable to contain the excitement of this glorious moment, the entire sky breaks forth and is filled with a manifestation of heavenly bodies praising and proclaiming the salvation of God.
By the way, I want you to notice what the passage does not say. It does not say that the angelic army came down from heaven. Rather, it says they APPEARED. This indicates that they were already there, but could not be seen by the shepherds.
You see, there are spiritual forces which surround us all the time. The Scriptures tell us that we are in the midst of a spiritual war. But most people aren't even aware that there is a war going on. We need discernment if we are to be aware of the spiritual reality around us.
Do you realize that right now there are all sorts of sounds and colors moving around you that you are unable to see and hear? And you will never be able to see or hear them... until you turn on a television and suddenly these sounds and colors which are traveling over the airwaves are revealed to you.
By the same token, it is not until you take the Bible and read it and "plug" into its truths that the spiritual world is ever revealed to you.
This is important. We are people of a proclamation. We have a message to proclaim. It is the gospel. But this message did not originate with mankind. It is not merely a human philosophy. It is a proclamation from heaven. And because it came from heaven, we can believe it. And if we believe it, we ought to also proclaim it. This is what the shepherds did.
And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. (Luke 2:17-18).
The shepherds heard the message and they acted on it. They made their way to Bethlehem and came to find Mary and Joseph and the Child.
Can you imagine them running through the town, knocking on doors and waking everyone up while trying to search each barn and manger in the village? At last, they come to the place where Joseph and Mary and the Child are staying. There they are! And there is the Child, just as the angel promised.
What now? (There IS a "what now"). The confirmation of the message produces a reaction on their part. The reaction is that they begin to proclaim the news. No one had to tell them that they ought to witness. They didn’t enroll in Evangelism Explosion. They didn’t memorize the 4 Spiritual Laws (they already knew about the 10).
Their reaction was spontaneous. They would have found it difficult NOT to spread the news. You see, true faith always brings about action. It is as simple as the law of physics which states that every action produces a corresponding reaction. This has been called a law of nature, but it is really a law of God who created nature.
As God’s law is true in the physical realm, so it is also true in the spiritual realm. Faith always brings about a corresponding reaction.
How about you? I know that you have the ability to witness. But have you come to the point where it is a spontaneous reaction?
I was driving in Miami with my mother a number of years ago and I went to pull out of a parking spot and backed into another car. It was my fault, there was no doubt about it. We called 911 and were waiting for the police to arrive. While we were waiting, she began to share the gospel with the man into whose car I had hit. I remember thinking, "I wouldn't do that; he might think that all Christians drive poorly." But I’ve come to recognize that she was right because her’s was an act of spontaneity.
We have a message. It is that God has drawn near. And we are commanded to take that message to others. And to draw near to them, too.