Birth of Jesus Told to
Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)
8And 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 that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today
in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, 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
heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15When 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. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as
they had been told.
Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to
leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a
plane. It’s Superman!
Superman, my favorite superhero. I read Superman comic books, watched
the TV series and the movies. Superman was born Kal-El on the alien planet
Krypton to Jor-El and Lara. Rocketed to earth, found and adopted by Jonathan
and Martha Kent, he was renamed Clark Kent. He grew up in Smallville, where he
and his adoptive parents discovered his superhuman powers. Fortunately, for us,
the Kents taught Clark to use these powers responsibly to help others and fight
crime.
We want to know about people’s origins, even fictional ones. We inquire
where this person was born, where he went to school, who his parents were, and
if he can produce a birth certificate. Aware that people want to know, parents
proudly announce to the world the entry of son, daughter, niece, nephew and
grandbabies. A few:
We joyfully announce the birth of Lauren Anne June 21st at
5:15 p.m. 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
Our home has grown by two feet! David Jonas Peterson born on November
22nd. Weight: 8 lb. 3 oz. Length: 17 inches.
Look who dropped in! Please share our joy at the arrival of our
daughter Meredith Teresa, May 23rd. 6 lb. 11 oz.16 inches.
Who will ever forget this one? The Duchess of Cambridge has been
delivered of a son. 22nd July 2013. Her Royal Highness The Duchess
of Cambridge was safely delivered of a son at 4.24pm. The baby weighs 8lbs 6oz.
The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth.
The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of
Cornwall, Prince Harry and members of both families have been informed and are
delighted with the news. Her Royal Highness and her child are both doing well
and will remain in hospital overnight.
The announcement also named the medical staff who delivered the baby;
the fact that he is third in the line of succession after His Royal Highness
The Prince of Wales and His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge; and that a
formal notice of the birth will be posted on the forecourt of Buckingham
Palace.
What does all of this have to do with angels in Luke? The angels
announce the birth of the Savior in dramatic fashion, trumping any announcement
by parents, princes or Caesar. Caesar?
Were the ancient Christians comparing Jesus to Caesar?[i]
Yes. Archeologists discovered a proclamation in Turkey that dated back nine
years before Jesus’ birth.[ii]
(See right side of handout.) The inscription says that was good for the city to
celebrate the evangelium, the “good news,” of the birth of Caesar Augustus, the
savior of the world. Augustus was seen as the Son of God, since his father
through adoption, Julius Caesar, had been deified. Some of the first instances
of the term “good news” is used in relationship to Augustus, almost at the same
time as the birth of Jesus.
Luke has angels announce the birth of Jesus as Son of God because He is
the true Savior, the Son of God, one greater than the Caesar. With that, we
turn to our text by examining first the message of the angels and then the
response of the shepherds before discussing how we put our faith into action.
Who are the angels? In verse 9, the angel does not reveal his name, but
given that the angel in 1:19 and 1:26 identifies himself as Gabriel, we can
assume he is the same.
His message is, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will
cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been
born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will
find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Since fear was a common reaction to angelic appearances, a few words of
reassurance and encouragement were given. Then the message - Today in the town
of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke used
“today” at least 10 times. “Today” indicates a new era has begun and something
urgent is happening at this very moment.
The titles applied to this baby include Savior, Messiah and Lord. He is
the expected Messiah, but he is also Lord. Before this, the title Lord is
applied only to God. The Jews did not view the Messiah as God. So, to announce
that the expected one, the Messiah, is also Lord means that he is God.
The Jews were also expecting the Messiah to be a Savior who would
deliver them from sickness and physical hardship. Instead, this announcement
reveals the Savior would deliver them from sin and death. Humanity’s true
Savior is not Caesar Augustus, but Jesus Christ.
The message continues. “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and
lying in a manger.” Some translations read “swaddling clothes.” Mothers
swaddled or tightly wrapped infants for various reasons. The significance,
however, is not that Mary wrapped Jesus, but the only other time we hear about
Jesus wrapped in cloth is when Peter bent down to look into the tomb. “He saw
the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself
what had happened” (24:12). Luke ties the birth of Jesus to His death and
resurrection.
After that, “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared
with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” We know this as “Gloria
in Excelsis Deo,” the first words of the Latin Vulgate translation and the root
of the Church’s great liturgical hymn.
The words “on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” literally
reads “To men (who are the object) of (God’s) benevolence” or “To men of
benevolence.” There is debate on the exact meaning of this verse. Some
commentators state that it means peace is assumed to all, while others state
that peace is “only to those pleasing to God – the objects of his good
pleasure.”[iii] The problem in determining the exact intention is that there
is no comma in Greek and one does not know when to pause.[iv]
Even if it means that God’s peace is extended to all people, Luke does not
imply loose living is legitimate. “More than any other New Testament writer,
Luke issues the call of repentance.”[v]
If we tie the hymn, verse 14 to verse 20, we see, “The shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and
seen, which were just as they had been told.” “Luke’s main point, which links
God’s glory in the highest with peace on earth for the humble (2:14) – those on
whom His favor rests – would have been lost had the passage raised only the
matter of Jesus’ identity.”[vi]
Humbly born, Christ was a Savior for the humble (1:46-55), those with whom God
was well pleased.[vii]
…What about the shepherds? … Matthew says Magi were the first to the
Christ, but Luke says there were shepherds. The shepherds live in the fields
year-round protecting the flock reserved for temple sacrifice against thieves
and predatory animals.
Shepherds echo David’s humble origins as a shepherd (1 Samuel 16:1-13);
and in keeping with Luke’s theme of poverty, the shepherds are lowly people.
Shepherds also reflect Luke’s theme of joy in the face of God’s salvation
breaking into humanity. God has saved you from your sins. That is reason enough
to rejoice! … Are you smiling?
The shepherds could also be a stand-in for biblical Israel, since the
Shepherd-Sheep image is a common metaphor to describe Israel’s relationship
with God. However, in the first century shepherds were not highly regarded.
They were not clean because they were with sheep all the time. So, depending on
your point of view, the presence of shepherds is either very interesting or
odd. But since Luke is always promoting the odd person out as the privileged
one, it stands to reason that we’re supposed to see these shepherds as those
privileged outsiders who acknowledge Jesus. That continues throughout the
gospel. Tax collectors and prostitutes are favored. The people that you don’t
think are worthy to be with Jesus really are.
Lastly, I see the shepherds, like Mary, as model believers.[viii] They are evangelists, like Mary Magdelene, running to tell Joseph
and his wife what was revealed to them. They are joyful apostles who just
witnessed the Risen Lord’s ascension, leaving that place praising and
glorifying God. We are model believers, evangelists and apostles – believing,
announcing and praising God.
Discussion Questions
1) The angels
announce several titles for the child Jesus at his birth. For a moment, forget
you are in 21st century America listening to a pastor talk about
Jesus as Son of God, and transport yourself to the Roman Empire of the 1st
century. If I said Caesar is divine and greater than anyone, you would not
dispute me. If I proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth as Savior and Son of God, you
would label me as a dangerous traitor who drastically cut his chances for a
long and prosperous life.
Now imagine hearing the Roman centurion at Jesus’ death say,
“Surely this is the Son of God.” (Mt 27:54) How significant is it that a
centurion whose oath is sworn to Caesar says the Son of God is Jesus, not
Caesar.
Are you willing to lose your job, property, savings, friends,
family and your life for the sake of the Gospel? How strong was the belief of 1st
century Christians that they were willing to lose all?
2) Is peace assured
to all or is peace reserved only to those pleasing to God?
3) What is the
purpose of clothing? The purpose of the infant’s swaddling cloth and the body’s
burial cloth? The shepherds find him dressed as the angels say and Peter finds
the cloth in the empty tomb. The shepherds go away rejoicing and Peter leaves
wondering what it meant. What are your thoughts? Share them with your family
members.
4) In chapter 2, we
read, “When they (the shepherds) had seen him, they spread the word concerning
what had been told them about this child.” In 24:9 “When they came back from
the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.” And
in 24:33-35, “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found
the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The
Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened
on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.” What
joy does the Gospel stir in your heart?
4) The angels
announce peace to all. The Risen Lord announces His peace to His disciples.
What does the peace of Christ mean?
5) Chapter 2 concludes
with verse 20, saying, “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for
all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
After seeing Jesus ascend, the Gospel concludes with, “Then they worshiped him
and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the
temple, praising God.” If you were to witness only one, would it be Jesus’
birth or ascension?
[i] Birth announcements: Examining the infancy
narratives, by a U.S. Catholic interview. The editors interview Laurie Brink,
O.P. This article appeared in the December 2008 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol.
73, No. 12, pages 28-32. http://www.uscatholic.org/church/2008/11/birth-announcements
[viii] Luke 8:19-21; 11:27-29; Acts 1:14
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