Luke 2:9-11 AMP
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for [f]all the people. 11 For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).
The news of the newborn king, the saviour of the world was not first announced to the Kings in the palace or the Priests in the temple but to shepherds out in the field tending their sheep.
To understand the significance of this we have to understand the place of a shepherd in the society at that time. Shepherds belonged to the unschooled, poor, uncultured group of people. They were rough and looked upon as religious outcasts, considered unclean. They were the kind of people you would not want to be associated with yet God in all His wisdom sent a host of angels to make the announcement to them that a saviour had been born.
God chose to associate the birth of Christ with the lowest of the low, showing us that Christ had come for all regardless of their status in society. Can you imagine how things would have turned out and the perception that would have been created if the angels had appeared to the king, prince, and those affluent in society? It would have been said that Jesus is only for the affluent in society.
Also remember David the greatest king of Israel was a Shepherd, and it was to him that God made a covenant concerning his descendant sitting on the throne forever. Jesus was the fulfilment of that covenant, and he also referred to himself as the good shepherd, thus befitting for the angels to appear to the shepherds.
God picked to associate with the lowly in society, and we see the same theme throughout the life and ministry of Jesus.
This is so relevant for us today because we still put people in classes based on what they possess, and this is even evident in the house of God. We think some people are too far below, and we should not associate with them. I wonder, who are the “shepherds” in my circles, and how do I interact with them?
Reflective Thoughts.
Who are some people considered lowly in today’s society?
What should our attitude be towards those who are considered of low class in society?
What would your reaction be if you were one of the shepherds?
