Thu, 16 February, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

Luke 2:8-13

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 fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a 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!”

Luke tells us about the shepherd’s role in the birth of Jesus. They were out in the fields when the angels came to call them to witness the newborn Messiah in the most unlikely of situations: lying in a stable manger. The shepherds themselves were a despised class in Israel, and they were not allowed to testify in court. This makes it even more amazing that they of all people would be called to witness the arrival of the Messiah.

What do we learn from this?

Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection are filled with the unexpected. He is born in humble obscurity. God sends those who could not testify in court to witness to His birth.

God’s ways are not our ways, and very often they are exactly the opposite of what we would expect. God born in human flesh is not born in a palace, like we would expect. The witnesses aren’t the highest ranking of society, but the lowest.

In His life, He associated with the lowest class of people. He spent time with sinners. And He was attacked by the religious leaders. He was executed by the government as a criminal and in His ignoble death, He won the salvation of His people.

Where is Christ in this passage?

The angels tell us right at the time of His birth what Jesus’ mission is: He is the Savior. He will live the perfect life, earning the righteousness we require. And He will die on the cross, paying the penalty for all the sins of all His people.