(Luke 2:8-20)…..Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!”
15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
We know all the details of the account of Jesus’ birth, but if we are not careful our familiarity with it can cause us to overlook just how amazing this account really is. One might think that God would want to announce the birth in a splendid ceremony in the Temple, and yet the announcement was not made to the wealthy or to the most important people in the land. God did none of that. Instead, He announced the birth of Christ to a ragtag band of shepherds. They were the last group of people that you would expect God to make this kind of an announcement to, at best the shepherds were common, ordinary men who were social and religious outcasts. Few are shepherds by the same vocation today, yet we have a few similarities we share with these shepherds. It didn’t matter that these shepherds were raising lambs to be sacrificed in the Temple, they themselves were social outcasts, and their work kept them away from the Temple for weeks at a time. Even the nature of their work caused them to be ceremonially defiled. Shepherds were considered unreliable and social outcasts in their culture so that these men probably struggled with hope.
- We Are Similar In Our Offensiveness
While none of us are shepherds (as they were), every man/woman has been or is a defiled sinner in the eyes of God (Galatians 5:19-21) (Romans 3:10-20) (Romans 5:12). In that lost condition, humanity has a common destination, a Christ-less eternity. In our natural state (flesh) we are all headed to Hell (Psalm 9:17) (Matthew 22:13) (Romans 6:23). It is sad but true, but if we got what we deserved we would all go to Hell.
- We Are Similar In The Grace Given
Religion had no place for them. Society had no place for them. But God had a purpose in His call of them. God had a place in His grace and in His love for these dirty defiled sinners. Quite possibly these shepherds believed the gospel that evening and their lives were changed forever. Do you remember the day Jesus Christ changed your life forever? The Gospel, or the Good News of salvation, has been given to us just as it was to these men.
Jesus came looking for the dead, the lost, the vile, the sick, the filthy, and the outcast. That’s not a very good resume to say the least. But it is who the sinner is. Therefore, He came for you (Luke 19:9-10) (Mark 2:17) (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
- Jesus Christ loves us in spite of what we are – (Romans 5:8)
- The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) (Romans 4:23-25)
- The invitation for us to come to Jesus has been extended to us by God the Father (Matthew 11:25-30) (John 6:35-40)
- If we will come to Him, believing Him by faith, we will be saved (John 6:47)
If He is calling you, and you have not believed the gospel yet, you need to come to Him today (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).
- We Are Similar In Being Changed
Jesus changes every life He saves (2 Corinthians 5:17). Every real Christian is a testimony of that truth. He gives us a new song (Psalm 40:1-3). He makes us witnesses of His saving grace. He gives us a new life and a new purpose in that life. So meeting Jesus, and knowing Jesus changes everything in one’s life. After we meet Him, see Him, like the shepherds at His birth, there is in us a desire to praise God, and to go and tell others about Him. Like the shepherds, we will want to praise Him for what He has done for us (Matthew 2:20). We will live our life with a new purpose of heart, thanking God for His love and for His grace