The Shepherds’ Telegram
Psalm 8
Luke 2:8-20
If I were to ask you, who was the greatest evangelist who ever lived, who would you name? Many of you would probably say Billy Graham…
But if you were to ask ME: who is the one person, who was humbly committed to publicly preaching the Gospel, with the intention of sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ, I would say, hands down, without a second thought - LINUS. You know, Linus. Yes, that Linus. Linus, from Charlie Brown Christmas. Since 1965, Linus has been sharing the Gospel message to millions of people all over the world. When Charlie Brown is nearing a meltdown - pulling out his two hairs over the Christmas pageant - he screams, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Linus, in his matter-of-fact, sweet voice, says, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”
Linus then walks to the middle of the stage. The lights go dim, and he recites from memory the story from Luke, chapter 2, the King James Version:
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 sore 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.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you;
Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
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, good will toward men.
This is where Linus stops, but Luke records even more of this special night:
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,
which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
CHURCH, THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD FOR US, THE PEOPLE OF GOD.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
Oh, Linus! Yes, he may truly be the greatest evangelist that ever lived! But I’d like to also make the case for another group, who had the same zeal for Christ: The Shepherds.
Not long ago, I stood in a Shepherd’s Field, nuzzled within the city limits of Bethlehem. I recalled the words of Linus, and Luke, and imagined what it would have been like for the shepherds that Christmas Eve night. Who were they? What made them so special? What’s their story? So, of course, I came home and researched Bethlehem shepherds! And the best way I can tell you what I learned is by telling you a story: a story compiled from commentaries, archeologists, historians, scholars, and of course, the Bible.
So, let’s travel back in time 2000 years to hear a story of a Bethlehem Shepherd, from her point of view:
Hello! My name is Max. I am a shepherd here in Bethlehem. Of all the shepherds in all the world, I have the most important job. Because we are only 5 ½ miles from Jerusalem… That’s right, Bethlehem is only 5 ½ miles from Jerusalem… I am in charge of raising sheep for sacrifices in the Temple.
What’s a temple sacrifice, you may wonder? According to the Torah, sheep used for offerings must be one-year-old male sheep, and they must be kept outside for 365 days. They can’t go inside or sleep in a cave. And they must be unblemished - absolutely perfect – no broken legs, no bumps, no bruises. When the sheep are of age, they are taken to Jerusalem to be sacrificed. Men purchase a lamb for their families and present it to the priests as a sacrifice to atone for their sins. The priests then take the sheep into the Temple, and once the sheep’s blood is completely spilled for all of the sins, the priest returns to the people and proclaims, “It is finished.” It. Is. Finished.
About 33 years ago, my shepherd buddies and I were laying in the field. It was a beautiful night. We were looking at the night sky and seeing the majestic work of God’s fingers. The moon and the stars were set perfectly into place, and we were thanking God for creating us and entrusting us to care for His flocks and herds. Out of nowhere, angels appeared! Angels. In the sky. We looked at each other, back and forth, back and forth. Was everyone seeing this?! Had we eaten something poisonous?! The angel began by saying, “Fear not!” Fear not?! Thankfully, that is a statement we know well. Angels always begin their greetings with “do not be afraid.” In fact, “do not be afraid” is written 365 times in the Scriptures. Our beloved hero – the SHEPHERD who became KING - David - often lamented about trusting in God in the midst of fear! We reminded each other of this, and took a deep breath. Our heartbeats slowed, and we eagerly listened.
The angel said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David (DAVID! Our shepherd hero, King David!!)… For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.”
Wait. Did he say “sign?” This will be a sign for you? A sign? How is this a sign? One of my shepherd friends spoke up, “Didn’t Micah the prophet write that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem? (Micah 5:2) And didn’t Micah prophesy that the Messiah would be announced at the tower of the flock?” (Micah 4:8) Our eyes grew wider. We were… sitting, in Migdal Eder, in a field, with our flock, staring at a two-story tower.
Let me explain…
Priests are priests. Priests cannot be unclean, and they cannot come near unclean people. And we shepherds, we are filthy. Because we are with sheep 24/7, we cannot go into town for religious ceremonies, holy days, or feasts. When everyone else is making the trip to Jerusalem to make sacrifices at the temple, we are out in the fields, watching over the sheep. Rain or shine, blistering hot or freezing cold, we’re outside. And most of the time, I smell pretty ripe. No one ever wants to hang out in the fields with me. But back to the priests.
The priests would come to “assist” us, or observe the sacrificial lambs, to ensure they were unblemished for sacrifice. Since they wouldn’t come near us, we built a tower in the field. Like an overlook! Priests would watch from the top floor of the tower, while we shepherds would bring the pregnant sheep in from the field to the tower’s bottom floor. That’s where the sheep would give birth. As soon as the lamb was born, we would wrap it with strips of cloth made from old priestly undergarments. This was done to keep the lamb from getting blemished. Then, we would place the lamb onto a manger to make sure it wouldn’t get trampled.
Remember what those angels said? You will find the babe wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger?
We jumped up at once. IMMEDIATELY. Now, Shepherd Derek and Shepherd Erik were a little slow to move with their bad knees, so they were volunteered to stay with the sheep while we ran to town.
A star guided us into the middle of Bethlehem. The light rested over a house, and there, on the ground floor, we heard a crying baby and His new parents.
I walked in first, and introduced myself to the father. I apologized for my smell, and then stammered and stuttered for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say. Would he think we were lunatics for appearing and demanding to see his newborn Son? I slowly explained to him that a heavenly host of angels appeared to us in the field and guided us by a star to meet his Son. I waited for him to yell or tell us to stay away from his family. But instead, Joseph, with a sheepish grin, ushered us inside, saying, “Mary and I have a lot of experience with angels.”
The cows and sheep and goats knelt by the manger, as if they were worshipping. And then I saw the baby with my own eyes. Jesus. There He was - firstborn son, completely perfect, wrapped in strips of cloth, and lying in a manger. I thought to myself, “There, the Lamb of God, prepared for sacrifice, completely unblemished!”
You should have seen us! I was excited beyond description! The sign! We understood the sign! It was just for us, directly from God. A personalized sign!
Joseph caught me staring at Jesus, and introduced us to Mary. She was fretting over her newborn son, wishing she had some of the baby clothes her family had given her, “All I had in my bag,” she said, “were these strips of cloth from my cousin’s husband. Zacharias is a priest, and my cousin Elizabeth gave me these clothes. We carry them to wrap our sacrificial lamb for Sabbath. And now my son is wrapped in old priestly undergarments.”
My eyes widened to the size of saucers. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! This was the Messiah, the One we have been waiting for! We left that night, walking and leaping and praising God, full of awe and wonder. And we told EVERYONE! We didn’t care who believed us and who thought we were crazy. God is not a secret to be kept.
A few months later, I was laying in the fields with my sheep. My life had not been the same. I couldn’t shake the amazement and wonder. God could have announced the birth of His son to anyone. He could have invited anyone to see Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus.
He could have proclaimed this message to Caesar, the emperor of Rome. Or Quirinius, the governor of Syria. God could have appeared to the High Priest in Jerusalem. Or He could have called the Mayor of Bethlehem: “Hey Mayor! Organize a parade! I’ve got some good news!” All of these people would have been logical, first choice recipients of Christ’s birth announcement.
But the palace didn’t hear. The Temple didn’t hear. Jerusalem didn’t hear. Instead, God’s first invitation was to a bunch of uneducated, smelly, low-class, social and religious outcasts, an anonymous group of sheep herders on the outskirts of Bethlehem!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’ve probably seen the nativity sets and imagined shepherds with crooked staffs and flowing robes, as if we actually belonged at the birthplace of a king. But we didn’t. We work every day, all day. During the day, we lead sheep to grass and water. We watch while sheep graze. We keep an eye out for predators. And at night, we sleep near the sheep to protect them from thieves or wolves.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my sheep. I can identify each lamb. They all have names. I know their “baaaa’s”, and they know my voice. But at times, it gets lonely. I don’t get a lot of invitations to parties. Some days are boring and tedious. Other days are dangerous. I have a lot of contact with sheep, but rarely am I exposed to people. It’s no wonder David – you now David, the SHEPHERD who became KING of Israel – It’s no wonder David was such an accomplished musician. We have hours and hours with nothing to do but watch sheep eat grass, and guide sheep to the next spot of grass.
So, why? Why did God do this? Why did He send His angels to announce the birth of Christ to us, lowly shepherds? Why did He invite us to come and see the child?
I think God knew what He was doing. (Doesn’t He always?!) Maybe it is because He knew how special we would feel. Maybe He trusted us to share the news with others. In that moment in time, I was in awe, so much so that I became the birth announcement, a singing telegram!
But honestly, I think the reason is much simpler. God wanted to show that His love does not discriminate on the basis of class, or wealth, or social standing. He doesn’t respect kings and princes more than hourly laborers; He doesn’t value priests and pastors above the people in the pews. God does not show favoritism; He doesn’t give preferential treatment to one group of people over another. His love is available to all on the same basis – faith in Jesus Christ, and faith alone.
And even more so, God loves to lift up and empower the lowly and humble. It’s all throughout Scripture:
Samuel wrote: “You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.” – 2 Samuel 22:28 (NIV)
The Psalms say: “For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.” – Psalm 149:4 (NIV)
Isaiah proclaimed: “This is what the LORD says: . . . ‘This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.’” – Isaiah 66:1-2 (NIV)
By choosing humble shepherds to be the first to receive the news of Christ’s birth, God demonstrated that… Jesus is the Savior of all equally.
He doesn’t give preference to any group or any class. He doesn’t discriminate on the basis of intelligence, or education, or wealth, or profession, or political power, or social standing, or any of the other qualities that human beings judge by. God’s love and God’s grace are offered to anyone who will repent and believe, anyone who will trust in Him as Savior.
I think God especially likes to use people who are humble and ordinary, because that makes His power and wisdom all the more evident. If God had gone to Caesar or anyone else in power, they may have turned this miraculous event to their advantage. They likely would have conspired to see how they could use this to increase their prestige. They probably would have figured out a way to make money off the announcement.
But we, shepherds? We had absolutely nothing to gain, and certainly nothing to lose. We were empty vessels, waiting to be filled with God’s overflowing joy. We were proof that God’s message is for everyone. From the faithful disciple to the seeker to the skeptic, God’s Word is for everyone.
I have one last theory as to why we, shepherds, became the first-responders to the Christmas miracle. Maybe, just maybe, we were the only ones listening. We were alone in the fields; we were not distracted. We weren’t worrying about finishing Christmas shopping or finalizing travel plans to Jerusalem. Over the years, we have honed our listening skills while sitting in the fields. So, when God called, we were attentive and responsive. We listened. Isn’t that what God calls us to do every day? Listen? And follow?
Over the next 30 years, we heard a lot about Jesus. He and His family escaped to Egypt for a few years, and then they returned to a town north of here, called Nazareth. About three years ago, He began teaching and preaching, and performing miracles in the region called Galilee. The people loved Him; the priests were threatened by Him.
We were so excited to learn that He called Himself the Good Shepherd. We knew He was giving a nod to us - His first visitors. And just a few days ago, we received word that He returned to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Jesus had made a mess of things in the Temple, turning over tables, and yelling that they were charging too much for doves. You see, the families who couldn’t afford lambs would often buy doves for their sacrifices. Jesus wouldn’t stand for them charging too much and making them unavailable to the poor. He wanted everyone to have access to forgiveness, no matter how much money they have.
And then we heard He had been arrested and crucified. They told us His last words were, “It is finished.” It is finished. Isn’t that exactly what the priests say when the Passover lamb has been sacrificed? Yes, it is finished. Yes, He truly is the Messiah, for He has come to save us, to save all of us. Yes, He is the King of Glory.
Friends, after this Christmas season,
we, too, will return to our “fields and flocks,”
our normal routines and responsibilities.
But we are not the same people we were before.
Christ has come.
God is with us.
We are called to go forth humbly, as the shepherds,
forever changed, transformed by the experience of Advent,
praising and glorifying God,
and letting people know about the Good News of Christ
through the way we live our lives.
We are called to go back into the world as a people
changed by God and for God.
We can return to “business as usual” at the same places,
but not as the same people.
Remember the words from Luke:
“When they saw this,
they made known what had been told to them about the child.
The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen.”
Church, you have heard. You have seen.
Who will you tell?
Will you channel your inner-Linus with a matter-of-fact, sweet voice
and tell others what Christmas is all about?
Will you shout for joy, like the shepherds,
and be a singing telegram?
Will you be the next great evangelist?
