Why The Shepherds

When we think of Christmas, our minds often drift to beautifully decorated trees, twinkling lights, and nativity scenes carefully arranged in our homes and churches. But have you ever paused to consider the unusual cast of characters God chose for the greatest birth announcement in human history?

Among the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, there's a group that doesn't quite fit our expectations of grandeur: shepherds. Not priests. Not scholars. Not nobility. Shepherds—the ancient world's equivalent of society's overlooked and undervalued.

In the cultural context of first-century Palestine, shepherds occupied one of the lowest rungs on the social ladder. They were considered uneducated, ceremonially unclean due to constant contact with animals, and generally untrustworthy. Their testimony wasn't even admissible in court. They lived on the margins, spending nights in fields rather than homes, constantly moving with their flocks, disconnected from the religious and social centers of their day.

Yet when the heavens opened and angels proclaimed the birth of the Messiah, it was to these shepherds that God first revealed this earth-shattering news.

Why? The answer reveals something profound about the heart of God and the nature of His Kingdom.

Scripture consistently shows us that God's value system operates in stark contrast to worldly hierarchies. James 4:10 reminds us, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." Throughout biblical history, God has demonstrated a pattern of choosing the unlikely, the overlooked, and the humble to accomplish His purposes.

The shepherds perfectly embodied this principle. Their very presence at the manger scene was a living sermon about humility—a virtue that would define Jesus' entire earthly ministry. As Philippians 2:7-8 tells us, Christ Himself "made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"

The shepherds weren't chosen despite their low status; they were chosen because of it. Their humility made them the perfect recipients of heaven's greatest announcement.

But there's another layer to this divine choice that's even more significant. These weren't just any shepherds watching any flocks. Historical evidence suggests these were likely temple shepherds, responsible for raising lambs destined for sacrifice in Jerusalem's temple, just a few miles away from Bethlehem's fields.

Imagine the theological poetry of this moment: shepherds who spent their lives caring for sacrificial lambs were the first to meet the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

These men understood sacrifice in ways others couldn't. They knew the purpose of the lambs they tended. They understood that these animals would be examined for blemishes, selected for their perfection, and ultimately offered to atone for sin. When they looked at the baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, they were seeing something that connected deeply with their daily reality.

John 1:29 would later declare what these shepherds might have intuited that holy night: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" The shepherds weren't just witnesses to a birth; they were witnesses to the arrival of the ultimate sacrifice.

As Pastor Frederick Conteh demonstrated in our previous Bible Study, the birth of Jesus was accompanied by several remarkable signs that confirmed His identity and mission:

1. THE VIRGIN BIRTH: The Virgin Birth fulfilled the ancient prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel." This supernatural conception announced that something unprecedented was breaking into human history—God Himself entering our world in the humblest way imaginable.

2. THE SWADDLING CLOTHES: The Swaddling Clothes mentioned in Luke 2:11-12 weren't just practical baby garments. They symbolized Jesus' identification with humanity in its most vulnerable state. The King of Kings, wrapped in simple cloth strips, chose to enter the world not in royal robes but in the attire of the poor. This was the Creator of the universe making Himself accessible to the lowliest of His creation.

3. THE STAR IN THE EAST: The Star in the East guided wise men from distant lands, as recorded in Matthew 2:2, 9-10. This celestial sign announced that Jesus came not just for Israel but for all nations. The light that appeared in the sky that night was a preview of Jesus' role as "the light of the world"—a beacon for all who would seek Him.

4. THE OPPOSITION: The Opposition was prophesied even in Jesus' infancy. When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the temple, Simeon declared in Luke 2:34 that this child was "destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against." From His birth, Jesus would challenge the status quo and face resistance from those who preferred darkness to light.

Credits: Pastor Frederick Conteh

What makes the shepherds even more remarkable isn't just that they received the message, but how they responded to it. Luke 2:15-20 tells us they said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

They didn't debate. They didn't delay. They didn't question whether they were worthy enough to seek out the newborn King. They went immediately, found Mary, Joseph, and the baby, and then became the first evangelists of the gospel, spreading the word about what they had seen and heard.

Their faith was simple but profound. Their obedience was immediate and complete. They returned to their flocks "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen."

The story of the shepherds isn't just a charming detail in the Christmas narrative. It's a theological statement about who God is and how His Kingdom operates.

God could have announced Jesus' birth to the religious elite in Jerusalem. He could have revealed it first to the scholars who studied the prophetic texts. He could have made sure the politically powerful were the first to know.

Instead, He chose shepherds.

This choice declares that God's message is for everyone—especially those whom society overlooks, undervalues, or ignores. It reminds us that humility, not status, positions us to receive divine revelation. It shows us that God delights in using the unlikely to accomplish the impossible.

The humble shepherds remind us that God values the lowly and overlooked, choosing them to play pivotal roles in His divine plan. Their story encourages us to embrace humility and be ready to respond with faith and obedience whenever God calls.

"God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are"

As we reflect on the Christmas story this year, let's remember that the same God who chose shepherds still chooses the humble, the overlooked, and the willing. He still reveals Himself to those who, like those ancient shepherds, are simply watching and waiting, ready to respond when heaven breaks through.

The question isn't whether we're important enough, educated enough, or worthy enough to encounter God. The shepherds certainly weren't by worldly standards. The question is whether we're humble enough, attentive enough, and willing enough to recognize His voice when He speaks—and to respond with the same faith and obedience those shepherds demonstrated on that holy night so long ago.

As we immerse ourselves in the Christmas story, let us not only marvel at the nativity scenes and celebrate with decorations but also consider the profound choice God made by announcing the birth of His Son to humble shepherds. This divine decision underscores a foundational principle of God's Kingdom: He elevates the humble and uses the unlikely to accomplish His great purposes. Just as the shepherds were chosen to witness and spread the news of Christ's birth, we too are called to be witnesses of His love and grace in the world. This Christmas, let's strive to be attentive, humble, and responsive to God's voice, ready to glorify and praise Him just as the shepherds did. May we open our hearts to the unexpected ways God might be calling us to participate in His story today.

By His Grace,
Pastor Daniel Bangura