Luke 2:8

Luke 2:8

Concerning the birth of Jesus, the Bible says in Luke 2:8-10, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were very afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." The eternally existent all-powerful Son of God was born into the world, and God revealed the wonder and glory of His birth to only a few shepherds who happened to be tending their sheep nearby. The birth of Christ could have been declared with trumpets in the royal palace of every major city of the Roman Empire. But the truth from God is only revealed to those who have open hearts and ready minds to receive the truth. The rich, the powerful, and those who seek material things above all else have no time or place to hear the truth from God. In the mansions of the rich there are jewels and gold, but there is also sometimes the treachery and deception of man. The common people heard Him gladly. It was true the day that Jesus was born. It was true when He walked the dusty roads of Palestine, and it’s still true.

Perhaps there is also a deeper meaning as to why God revealed the birth of Jesus to shepherds first of all. One of the duties of shepherds is to keep guard over little lambs. Lambs were used as sacrifices in the Jewish religion: temporary sacrifices for sin. The day would come when John the Baptist would point to Jesus and say, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Shepherds took care of lambs and Jesus was the Lamb of God. Jesus would also become a shepherd Himself one day. Jesus would become the good shepherd and the great shepherd. He would give His life for His sheep. Perhaps when Jesus was born in a manger, and God decided to reveal His birth to shepherds, God was thinking of Psalm 23 that He inspired King David to write. Jesus became the fulfillment of the shepherd that is spoken of in Psalm 23. One of the great artist conceptual drawings of Jesus shows Him as a shepherd cradling a lamb in His arms. Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Notice the things that are said to the shepherds by the angel in Luke 2:10, "Fear not, good tidings, great joy, to all people." The greatest fear that any person can have is the fear of death. If you learn the true meaning of the coming of Jesus into the world, and if you experience the forgiveness of sins through faith in Him, you can have the fear of death as well as all other fears taken away and you can have them replaced by the promise of eternal life. Life is precious and should be lived to the fullest for as long as God permits, but for those who believe in Jesus an even better life will follow death.

Because of the birth of Jesus, the angel told the shepherds to fear not, and he told them that he brought them "good tidings." The phrase that is recorded, "I bring you good tidings" is a translation of the Greek verb "to evangelize" which means to pronounce the good news. If you turn on the evening news broadcast, you will hear a lot of bad news; but if you open the Bible, you will hear a lot of good news. The good news is that Jesus was born into the world. The good news is that He died for the sins of the world. The good news is that you can be forgiven of your sins and find eternal life through faith in Him.

The angel told the shepherds "good tidings of great joy." Most people would like to be happy. One explanation for behavior is that people do what they do because they think it will make them happy. When Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem, God sent an angel to declare that the good news concerning Jesus is a message that would bring "great joy." Some people are unhappy because they are looking in the wrong place for happiness. There is a songwriter who understood this truth and he wrote in a little Christian song, "If you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy; let Jesus come into your heart."

The angel declared a great message to the shepherds, but the angel made it very clear that this message about the Christ was not only for them. The angel said, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." The message of the gospel of Christ is for "all people." It’s for all people because all have sinned and all need a Savior. It’s for all people because God loves everyone equally, and God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

In Luke 2:11 the angel explained to the shepherds the significance of the child who was born to Mary in Bethlehem. He said, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." He got to the point very quickly. The importance of the baby Jesus was who the baby would become and what He would eventually do. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but the angel did not mention Bethlehem here. Instead he called it the city of David. That’s because he wanted to draw the association between Jesus and King David. Jesus came in the lineage of David, Jesus was born in the city of David, and Jesus was the fulfillment of the promises about the Messiah that God would one day send into the world.

What would be the work of the Messiah? What is the most important thing that He would do? It is true that He will one day sit on the throne of David from the city of Jerusalem. It is true that He was the greatest teacher to ever walk the face of the earth. He came to be a king. He came to be a teacher. He came to be an example. But the greatest work of Jesus is found in the statement made by the angel, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior." If Jesus had not come to be a Savior, there would be no hope for the human race. Since all have sinned, without a Savior all would face condemnation for their sins. The reason that Jesus came into the world was because God loves the world. In John chapter three Jesus would tell Nicodemus why He came into the world and Jesus would say, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

The angel extended an invitation to the shepherds to go and see the Christ for themselves. He said in Luke 2:12, "And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." The Bible says in Luke 2:13-16, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will. And it came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger."

There are a couple of things about the shepherds and their finding of the Christ that is very similar to what happens when anyone finds Him. God chose a way to bring the shepherds the truth with the spoken Word. That’s the way of God with the people of the world. Jesus came into the world to save men from their sins, but how can they believe except they hear? Once a person is touched with the story of the Christ, then that person must make a decision on how to respond to the invitation to believe and repent. The shepherds heard about Jesus and they made a decision. They said, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us."

Some people hear about the Christ and show no interest. Others hear and run hurriedly to believe and to repent and to receive the forgiveness of their sins. They realize how important and how great is the opportunity to believe in Jesus and have Him as their Savior. Notice also what the shepherds did after they believed and after they came to the Christ. Luke 2:17-20 says, "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."

There are two specific things that the shepherds did after they had seen the Christ. First the Bible says that "they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child." "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." If you believe, then you will speak. Anyone who truly believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, will show evidence of such belief in what they say. If God has loved you and revealed to you the truth that is in Christ, then the same Spirit who brought you to faith in Jesus will also bring you to tell others. The shepherds spread the Word about the Christ, and they also used their speech to praise God. They were thankful to God and they praised Him for the things that had been revealed to them. In the age in which we live we are able to know details about the Christ that people in other ages could not know. The shepherds knew how blessed they were to hear what they heard and to learn what they learned about the Christ. Do you?

The response made by Mary to the events that happened concerning the shepherds immediately after the birth of Jesus is given to us in Luke 2:19. It says, "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Of course, because Mary had just given birth to a son, she was not able to do as the shepherds had done to go around telling others how great things the Lord had done for them. But she was able to think deeply about the things that had happened. One of the very important parts of Christianity is to think the right thoughts at the right time about the right things. If you think what you ought to think, you will serve God. On the other hand if you let your mind wander to other things independent of the things of God, you will fail to serve Him whenever your mind wanders. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." "Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Philippians 4:8 tells us how to use our minds. It tells us how to think as Christians with the mind of faith. It says, "Finally, brothers, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Evidently, that’s what Mary did concerning the circumstances around the birth of Jesus. Instead of being negative about the fact that He was born in a stable, Mary observed a purpose to it all because she took those things and pondered them in her heart.

Perhaps there are things that have happened to you that you would not have chosen: things that could crush you down or sadden you or depress you. If you take the time to ponder them in your heart like Mary did, with the help of God you will understand that there is a purpose to them. You will understand that somehow these things are a part of God’s plan. If you take the time to ponder them in your heart, you might also understand what God wants you to do in response, and what plan God wants you to have to adjust to the circumstances. Through prayer and meditation you just might find the mind of God. After all a very large part of serving God is to think what you ought to think about the things that happen to you.

Concerning the young life of Jesus, the Bible tells us in Luke 2:21-24, "And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the days of her purification were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." These verses tell us an important point about the life of Jesus. Everything that He did and everything that happened to Him was according to the law of God. When Jesus was born into the world a great mystery took place. Somehow God the Son set aside the prerogatives of being divine and took upon Himself the form of a man. He came to be the Savior of the world, but until He died for the sins of the world, He lived a life that was subject to the same passions and temptations that all flesh is heir to.

One of the astounding things about Jesus is that He is the only one who has ever walked this earth who did everything perfectly according to the holy law of God. Everyone else has failed and sinned in same way. Most people have failed and sinned in many ways. But the law demands perfection. The law demands that if anyone fail, they must be punished. That’s how law works. The laws of man work that way, and the law of God especially works that way. We were told that Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. The reason that He is qualified to be the Savior is because He had no sin. "He who no knew no sin was made to be sin for us so that we could be made the righteousness of God."

In the early life of Jesus we can also see important lessons on how to raise children in this world. Mary was told by an angel that her son would be the Christ, the Savior of the world. It all took the power of God and the work of God for it to happen, but Mary did not leave everything to God. She and Joseph did their part when it was in their hand to do it. There is a time in the life of a child when most decisions are made by the parents. In the teenage years the child will begin to make his or her own decisions. A parent is responsible to do everything they can while they can to expose the children first of all to the teachings of God.

You can pray for your children. You can be an example to them on living for Christ in this world. You can have a relationship with them that is based upon gentleness and kindness and patience. But there still will be no guarantees because ultimately every child will decide for himself or herself. Your children are no different than anyone else’s children. God loves other people’s children as much as He does yours, and God loves them all more than you ever will. But they live in a world in which they are faced with the same choices that everyone else has. You can fulfill your responsibility as a parent by knowing that you did what you could to make sure your children had ample opportunity to hear the truth. Listen to the great principle of the Bible for how people become Christians and how anyone comes to have faith. Romans 10:14 says, "How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?" Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."

The first thing that is recorded in the book of Luke concerning Mary and Joseph after the birth of Jesus was the fact that they took Him to the temple to do that which was recorded in the law of God. Surely God is trying to teach every parent something through this example. If you are a parent the message from God to you is this: do everything you can as early as you can to get your child involved in the things of God. Seeds of truth may be sown in their hearts that will be reaped for the rest of their lives. This principle is true for you and it’s especially true for your children in the tender and formative years of their lives: "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." In our day there are Bible-teaching churches where parents can take their children to hear the Word of God.

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