Luke 2:8-14

The Angels Declare the Coming of the Messiah and Bless God for His Goodness in Sending Him, and Appear to the Shepherds in the Fields to Prepare the Way For His Coming. God’s Own Enrolment Is Being Made On Behalf of His Son (2:8-14).

We should note that in the two Gospels that speak of Jesus’ birth those who acknowledge Him are the unexpected. Matthew has foreigners coming to acknowledge Jesus and Luke has shepherds. That Luke stresses the shepherds ties in with his continual emphasis on the poor, for shepherds were regularly poor, and they were also looked on as not being quite the thing because their job prevented them from observing the laws of uncleanness, and even engaging regularly in Sabbath worship. They were seen (sometimes quite justly) as dishonest and irreligious. Indeed their testimony was unacceptable in law courts. However the fact that God selected these men out suggests that they at least were devout men. Indeed others see these shepherds as those employed by the priests and the Temple in order to look after sheep which had been brought for offerings, which would tie in with this. Even so they would still be poor and have difficulty in maintaining the proper observance of ceremonial law.

These shepherds are the last of a trilogy (Zacharias, Mary and the shepherds) in which an angel appears to declare the coming of the Messiah (no angel appeared to Elisabeth), and the first in a trilogy (the shepherds, Simeon and Anna) of those who welcome Jesus after His birth. On one side of them are Zacharias and Mary, and on the other Simeon and Anna. We might see Zacharias as representing the priesthood, Mary as representing womanhood, Simeon and Anna as representing all the men and women who are faithful in Jerusalem, and the shepherds as representing all the people. They are in noble company.

We may analyse the passage as follows:

a And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the countryside, and keeping watch by night over their flock (Luke 2:8).

b And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were very much afraid (Luke 2:9).

c And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” ’(Luke 2:10-11)

d “And this is the sign to you, You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

e And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying (Luke 2:13).

f “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased” (Luke 2:14).

e And it came about that, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even to Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come about, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15).’

d ‘And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger’ (Luke 2:16)

c And when they saw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child, and all who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds (Luke 2:17-18).

b But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19).

a And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them (Luke 2:20).

In ‘a’ the shepherds are abiding in the countryside, and in the parallel they return to the countryside full of praise to God. In ‘b’ the shepherds ponder on what they hear and see and are afraid, while in the parallel Mary ponders on all that is said. In ‘c’ the angel gives the shepherds great news about the Coming One Who is to be Saviour, Messiah and Lord, and in the parallel they make known the great news to others causing great wonder by their words. In ‘d’ the sign is that they will find the babe lying in a manger, and in the parallel they do so. In ‘e’ there appear a multitude of angels who give praise to God, and in the parallel they depart, leaving the shepherds to act on their words. In ‘f’, central to the passage, we have the content of their praise, giving glory to God and certainty of salvation to the world.