Articles
Shepherds
Luke records a magnificent event that heralded the birth of Jesus, a glorious glimpse into the heavenly world normally shielded from human eyes by the azure skies of daytime and the blackness of the night. Through the cultural adornments of the holiday season – the crèche on the lawn, Christmas card artwork, paintings depicting the manger scene or carols like The First Noel – the shepherds who heard the angelic announcement of the Savior’s birth are given due notice.
The pertinent passage reads:
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 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. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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!’
“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. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Lk 2:8-20).
This account, so unlike the fictions of men, and so like the workings of God, is not what we would expect. In this moment one of the most significant events of God’s redemptive plan comes to pass: the divine Son of God becomes the Son of Man and enters the world in the normal fashion – labor, delivery, first breaths. The Savior from heaven utters his first cries as a newborn, thus beginning a journey that will end in tears of grief at the cross. For now, the babe is placed in a feeding trough in a stable because it was the only accommodation available in a small town swollen with pilgrims registering for the Roman census (Lk 2:1-7).
But those shepherds … what they saw and heard! At a time when visions and dreams were exceedingly rare – just a handful over a 400 year span – what a stunning spectacle in those Judean fields! And why them? Why was such a singular honor not vouchsafed to the august Sanhedrin? Or the great rabbi Gamaliel? Or the scoundrel King Herod who in the madness of jealousy and fear would soon slaughter the toddlers of Bethlehem? No, shepherds – common laborers of low stature in the social hierarchy, and nameless witnesses of history – were privileged to see what precious few had in the whole span of mankind. And the message was one never heard before: “there is born to you this day … a Savior …” (Lk 2:11).
The shepherd motif abounds in Scripture as a metaphor of humble labor, courage, conscientious leadership and support and defense of the helpless.
David. As a youngster David did not grow up in a palace, did not receive formal training in royal administration, international affairs, economics, etc. Rather, he was shaped by the elements of nature while tending his father’s sheep, risking his life against bears and lions to protect the family investment (1 Sam 17:34-36). So insignificant was he that when Samuel came to Jesse’s to anoint Saul’s successor, David wasn’t even called to the lineup (1 Sam 16:5-13). And from such ordinary beginnings David learned to depend on his divine shepherd: “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 …” (Ps 23:1ff).
Unfaithful shepherds. Sadly, the OT has much to say about spiritual shepherds who used their position for personal gain and were unconcerned about the welfare of God’s people: “‘Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!’ says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord … against the shepherds who feed My people: ‘You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings …” (Jer 23:1-2; cf. Ezk 34:1-10).
Elders/shepherds. The NT provides for local congregations of the Lord’s people to be looked after by spiritual shepherds, also referred to as elders or overseers (cf. Ac 14:23; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Tit 1:5-10; 1 Pet 5:1-4; Heb 13: 17). This is another of those areas in the new covenant that lacks a comprehensive, explicative passage that wraps up the eldership in a neat package. In overview, those who would serve as elders are selected by the sheep themselves; i.e., by the consent and approval of the local church. They are judged according to qualifications enumerated; it is not a popularity contest, coercion by the candidates or an honorary position granted to the aged. Elders are to work, not be served; they are to feed the flock on the word of God; they are to protect against wolves in sheep’s clothing (cf. Ac 20:29-31; cf. Mt 7:13-20). Their duties require knowledge, spiritual maturity, approachability, compassion, wisdom and selflessness. Many of their duties, as with the literal shepherd in the field, are unpleasant and stressful, but those truly qualified walk into the task with their eyes wide open; they endure hardship for the Lord’s sake and for His sheep.
The Chief Shepherd. Peter, who himself is a shepherd (of a congregation we know not of), advises other overseers to “shepherd the flock of God which is among you … not by constraint, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock” (1 Pet 5:2-3). And what serves as both motivation and restraint in this undertaking? “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (5:5). Further, elders serve “as those who must give account” (Heb 13:17). Truly, shepherds watch a flock not their own, for the owner who is not present, in view of a reward not fully realized in this life.
We do not know what became of the Bethlehem shepherds; they pass silently from the pages of sacred history. But we do know the role of shepherds today, and it is both a grave responsibility and blessed privilege to serve the Lord and His people in such a capacity.
