Sunday December 9, 2018
More than Just a Good Sheep Story
Some of Israel’s great heroes were shepherds – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. But in the First Century, it seems, shepherds had a rather unsavory reputation. The ancient rabbis are quoted as saying, “most of the time they were dishonest and thieving; they led their herds onto other people’s land and pilfered the produce of the land.” Because they were often months at a time without supervision, they were often accused of stealing some of the increase of the flock. Consequently, the pious were warned not to buy wool, milk, or kids from shepherds on the assumption that it was stolen property.
Shepherds were not allowed to fulfill a judicial office or be admitted in court as witnesses. A midrash (an early Jewish interpretation of or commentary on a Biblical text) on Psalm 23:2 reads, “There is no more disreputable occupation than that of a shepherd.”
How amazing then is it that an angel of the Lord would appear to these shepherds! How awesome is it that the lowliest of men would be even able to see and hear angels?! The glory of God, for which Israel had long awaited, was not revealed to the priests or the Pharisees, but to shepherds. Do you know that we are those shepherds? Let me explain.
Isaiah, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, paints a picture of how we resemble the shepherds:
But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Is.64:6)
Yikes! No self-help book can change that. No make-up or fancy clothes can cover it up. Even our best efforts cannot produce righteousness. But…God did something amazing for those shepherds, and us! He covered them in His glory…His righteousness! What a beautiful picture of salvation!
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. (Lk.2:9)
Notice that an angel, just one, stood before the shepherds and that the glory of God shone around them, plural. God wrapped those stinky, dirty, disreputable shepherds with His very glory! They didn’t first have to clean themselves up. They didn’t have to go through church membership classes or wear the right clothes. They weren’t required to recite the Lord’s Prayer or sing the right way. All they needed to do was hear the Word from the Lord…and receive His Truth. That is salvation. (See WORD WISDOM for a deeper meaning of glory)
“Shown around” in the Greek is perilampo from peri meaning “around” and lampo meaning “to shine.” When you put the two together, it means, “to encircle, encompass with light.” They were completely encompassed in Light, the Light of “the glory of the Lord.” Surely this was nothing less than the shekinah, the brilliant white light of God’s glory, which represented the holiness and presence of God. We exchange our righteousness for His! That too, is salvation.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Is.61:10)
In the New Testament, in addition to this passage, this Light was seen at the transfiguration (Matt.17), by Stephen (Acts 7:55), and by Paul (Acts 22:6-11). In the Old Testament this glory appeared to Abraham (Acts.7), it appeared in the tabernacle (Ex.40:34-35), in the temple (1 Kin.8:11), and it was the glory which Ezekiel saw depart from the temple (Ezek.10:18-19). For more than 500 years, Israel had been without the visible blessing of God’s presence among His people…God’s glory.
That is why we needed a Savior!
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. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Lk.2:10-11)
To appreciate the good news, men must understand and accept the fact of the bad news. The law had demonstrated to Israel for hundreds of years that all had sinned and come short of the glory of God, that there were none righteous…not even one…and that men needed a righteousness from God, one apart from man’s works through faith.
Do you remember how those crazy shepherds responded to this great invitation?
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.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. (Lk.2:15-16)
They left everything and ran! Our response to the news of Christ and to His word, our desire to assemble for worship, praise, and to learn about Him says a whole lot about the nature of our relationship with the Lord.
How beautiful are these verses? How full of significance these words which point us to that great historical event one night 2,000 years ago when God became man and took upon Himself true humanity. But what is our response to this great event? Is it one of awe, of praise, of transformed priorities, of seeking and finding and telling others?
The birth of the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, and the Chief Shepherd of our souls was first announced to those men whose very work spoke of the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. It was this Lamb who would lay down His life for us, provide for and lead us as His sheep, and then one day reward those who have been faithful themselves.
Today, I want to be one of those crazy shepherds! I want the glory of the Lord to envelope me…I want to trade my righteousness for His…I want to run to see my King…and I want to share this Good News with the world!!