M-G: 12.31.13 // The Way of the Shepherds, Luke 2:20,

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Passage: Luke 2:7-20  

It has been many years now since I have approached Christmas with the pent-up energy of a young boy. Teeming with unabated anticipation, I delighted and drenched myself in the atmosphere of Christmas. By Christmas Eve I was on the verge of exploding with excitement; wired would be a mild descriptive word. The lights on the Christmas tree never looked so bright stuffed with presents under the tree like a hen with her chicks. I was so hyped up the night before that sleep would fail me. When morning broke, I flew out of bed as if shot out of a cannon, aiming straight for my parent’s bedroom in a one-piece toe to neck jump jammies, “Mom, Dad, it is Christmas! Wake up! Wake up! It’s time to get up!” I will never forget the excitement on those mornings.

All of this pent-up emotional energy was focused on the presents under the tree and released with the sweet sounds of wrapping paper ripping. Never being disappointed, Santa seemed to know just what I wanted! Christmas was a big deal around our house when I was growing up with all the lights inside and out and ubiquitous decorations. It was easy to get caught up in the “spirit” of Christmas. Looking back, it was a good spirit but the wrong kind of spirit, a spirit without Christ.

I never knew Jesus then. Without the Holy Spirit living within me, all of those great Christmas carols, like Noel or Silent Night, were just “Christmas” songs; words I never could remember past the first verse; so I hummed the rest of the verses to the tune! I was spiritually blind as a boy to the spiritual import of these songs about Christ (2 Cor 4:4). Once I got saved the thrust of the material spirit of Christmas never went completely away but tempered with age. When Christ became the “centerpiece” of my Christmas the focus was on a Person, and presents were “secondary.” We would always read the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke around the fireplace, offering praise to God and thanking Him for His goodness to us.

Afterward, we approached the stockings that had been hung on the mantel with care, stuffed with little goodies and lots of personal items there. Once the stockings were unburdened by the blessings they bore, it was off to the real evergreen tree to make a big score!

When all the gifts were unveiled, we ate a hearty breakfast. The rest of the day was spent playing, laughing, eating, and enjoying the day without a care. This is how my Christmases would be for many years, but looking back there was still too much of “the spirit of Santa” and not enough of Jesus in my celebration on the day of Christmas.

There is so much concern about offending others today over Jesus Christ in Christmas that large corporations that once openly said, “Merry Christmas,” opted out of being politically correct to prevent damaging sales by saying, “Happy Holiday,” with little to no embarrassment or apology. How do we put Christ back into our Christmas rather than volunteering to the dictates of the world? It starts by recognizing and opposing the spirit of the world from formulating and fastening to the mind (cf. Rom 12:2). If we are not careful, we will find ourselves having trouble extricating ourselves from a culturally engrained and entrenched perception of Christmas that focuses more on the presents than the Person. There has always been a struggle for the believer between the material and the spiritual. This is evident at Christmas time.

Unlike Christmases of today, there were no gifts or exchanging of gifts on the first Christmas. It has evolved into gifts that are perfectly fine as long as it doesn’t become more important than the reason for the season, but in time presents have replaced the Person, the material overrunning the spiritual. Now this spirit is dominating our culture for fear of offense, but have you ever noticed; the world isn’t troubled by offending any Christians, only non-Christians. We should not be surprised that a godless world is on the side of non-believers who are complaining about having to put up with Christ in the holiday season, and how uncomfortable the Christ of token Christianity in America makes them feel; it's ridiculous, but they could be on to something about the superficiality of so-called Christians. So, how caught up are we in the commercial enterprise of Christmas? How badly do we need Christ in our Christmas? Could we get by celebrating the holiday without Christ in it? It is similar to the question; would you want to go to heaven if Jesus wasn't there? Truthfully, I fear the answer to those questions would be yes for many so-called believers.

It is faulty thinking if we expect the world to promote Christianity at Christmas. But such an idea seems to me like putting the cart before the horse? Are we here to bring about a change in the world or a change in people? It is not about saving the world; it’s going away (1 Jn 2:16, 17), but reaching others for Jesus. Let’s take a look at Luke’s Gospel concerning the first Christmas, the birth of our Savior, and see what took place surrounding His birthday that may help us to realign our values with the original celebration of the birth of our Savior with a God-focused Christmas rather than a gift-focused Christmas.

As I stated earlier there were no gifts or exchanges on the day of Jesus’ birth. The first to celebrate the birth of a Savior [Jesus], who is Christ [Messiah] the Lord [God manifest in the flesh] (Lk 2:11) were the “shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Lk 2:8). “When the glory of the Lord shone round them” the shepherds were terrified (Lk 2:9). The angel delivered to them the message, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Lk 2:10) because born to you this day [emphasis mine] was “a Savior,” who is Christ the Lord (Lk 2:11). The angel gave the shepherds “the sign” (Lk 2:12) – of all the swaddled babies in Bethlehem, this one would be the only one “wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

The notable thing was not that the Baby would be lying in an animal trough, but He would be wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in an animal trough. MacArthur noted, “The absence of swaddling cloths was a sign of poverty or lack of parental care (Ezek 16:4)” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary on Luke 2:7). The cloths were believed to strengthen the limbs and protect the baby from itself in early infancy. Luke gives us the reason for the manger scene, “… because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk 2:7), probably due to the influx of people registering for the census (Lk 2:1-3). The situation was no different than going to a motel with no vacancy during an event of some kind; in Mary’s and Joseph’s case, it was probably a first come first served situation. Could the proprietor have made room for Mary and Joseph since she was pregnant? They probably didn’t stay there long in the non-inn conditions where Jesus was born because when the Magi came to Bethlehem, they were found living in a house in Bethlehem (cf. Mt 2:11).

What did the shepherds do when the army of angels left and everything went dark and silent? “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’” (Lk 2:15); there was an urgency in the matter. The time of Jesus’ birth is not given, but He was obviously already born before the angel gave them the good news that night. It is possible that they saw Jesus that night given the urgency but more probably the next morning light. They didn’t have a star to follow like the Magi.

Rather than using the word “manger,” HCSB literally translates the Greek word phátnē, used exclusively by Luke (x4), as “a feeding trough.” From this, it is deduced that Christ was born in a stable (cf. Lk 13:15, “stall”), but the Scripture gives no physical description of the location, only that He would be wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a feeding trough used for animals. Some scholars believe Jesus was born in a cave used to shelter animals from the weather and easier to protect them at night. The number of shepherds heading for the feeding trough is unknown; the flock, of course, could not be left entirely unattended. How many feeding troughs might there be in Bethlehem? Only one with a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in it! The shepherds it appears had no difficulty in locating the manger (cf. Lk 2:16, “they came with haste and found,” emphasis mine).

All the nativity scenes we have laid our eyes upon over the years are merely filling in the gaps artistically: “They came with haste and found” what? This discovered only the mother, the father, and the baby that was wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a feeding trough just like the angel declared (Lk 2:16). There was no visible army of angels there as was in the open fields, but you can bet they were there watching over Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. The shepherds came without gifts. 

Well, that’s it, the first Christmas, a child born of a virgin, but it was the reason for the season, a Savior was born, the nucleus for all Christmases to come but severely lacking in all of the pizzazz of today’s Christmas jubilation. So, maybe this is not as “Christmassy” as we are accustomed to? Maybe we can imagine some garland around the trough if it makes us feel any better, no electric lights though. I bet if truth be known most of us love all of that stuff surrounding Christmas today; I do though I could easily jettison the Santa story.

The pull of tradition around Christmas time is strong and difficult to break free of. Pizzazz is okay as long as we don’t lose sight of the Person, and I am not referring to a token sight or token homage like today. But losing sight of the reason for the season is easy to do because buying gifts can become a financial burden, a chore, a joyless experience, and a joy robber. 

I have experienced being bogged down with the expectations of presents that Christmas was becoming more of a burden rather than a blessing. A growing family and living in a materialistic culture help to contribute to the impetus of a runaway gift train, but that is no excuse. We are not victims of our culture only volunteers, but familial pressure is another animal. All we hear is “I want, I want, I want,” and try to put out the fire with cash or credit. We pay off our debts the next year and prepare for the onslaught of another Christmas on the horizon. A biblical Christmas could relieve us of some of that self-imposed strain, but our generation may be in too deep! Nobody wants to be considered an Ebenezer Scrooge; why, God forbid! 

If you had to give one up which would it be, presents or the Person of Jesus? Okay, be spiritual and choose Jesus over gifts. Now, try explaining to your kids and grandkids that have become addicted to a cultural entitlement of presents under the tree every year that there are no gifts this year; we are going to celebrate Christmas like the shepherds! Feel the tug of cultural pressure now? Sense just how deep you are into gift mania, to the point of being over your head? How do you tell it to a “shop until you drop” spouse? “Honey, don’t you think you are carrying this a bit too far?” She sighs before anger settles in. “Bah Humbug” is sounding pretty good right about now if we were yet so bold. 

t doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where the source of excitement is around Christmas time. For many of us believers, we are so addicted to things that excitement would drop like a lead ball if presents were absent like on the first Christmas. Announce to the family that there is a New Year resolution and a new spiritual experiment next Christmas – there will be no gifts next year at Christmas; we are wanting to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus. Divorce ensues or an appointment is set up to see a Christian psychiatrist…. I don’t advocate throwing the baby out with the bath water, but you can see how deeply we have plowed into a materialistic culture. We can reclaim Christmas territory for Christ if we desire to do so. It won’t be easy; it never is when breaking an old habit or addiction, but the spiritual excitement over a Baby in Bethlehem is worth the trip; the shepherds thought so – Then the shepherds returned to the fields, “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (Lk 2:18).

The Bible doesn’t record what the shepherds did or said at the manger scene, but it does give us a little bit of information on what they did about getting there, “they came with haste” and leaving there, “they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child” (Lk 2:17). And all that heard the shepherds’ report, “marveled” (Lk 2:18). Then the shepherds returned to the fields, “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (Lk 2:20); they didn’t know His name was Jesus heading there, but it is possible Mary may have told them. Eight days later, the baby was circumcised and given the official name of Jesus (Lk 2:21; cf. Lk 1:31; Mt 1:21); the name relayed by the angel [Gabriel] before He was conceived in the womb. 

Now, I am not bringing the Magi and their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh into this first day of Christmas for the simple reason they did not see Jesus on the day of His birth or that next morning, only the shepherds. The wise men saw Jesus as a young child when He was around 6 to 18 months old. When the Magi failed to report back to Herod the Great (Mt 2:8), he ordered the death of every young male child two years old or younger in the town of Bethlehem and the surrounding districts (Mt 2:16). Herod was paranoid of any possible rivals to the throne and had a well-known penchant of putting any perceived contenders to death.

Whenever Herod heard the words “king of the Jews” from the Magi (Mt 2:2), all of Jerusalem was troubled, and for good reasons (Mt 2:3). But Joseph was directed by the angel of the Lord in a dream to take the young Child and Mary and flee into Egypt (imagine the irony of that, Egypt being a type of the world – in the world but not of the world) and remain there until Herod the Great was dead (Mt 2:13). While Jesus was safely in Egypt, there was great weeping around Bethlehem and the surrounding areas (Mt 2:16-18).

What we have on Christmas Day was really a simple affair; the visit by some eager shepherds for the sole purpose of seeing a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a feeding trough. What kind of Christmas can we make from that humble situation to radically turn a modern-styled Christmas more into a biblical Christmas and still keep the trees, lights, and gifts going? I probably will be considered a liberal compromiser for not suggesting doing away with those worldly things, but I like the idea of retaining those things to a lesser extent and emulating the response of the shepherds of our Savior’s birth to a greater extent. I like the spirit of giving and thinking of others at Christmas, but my New Year’s resolution (I say this with fear and trepidation) is to make the way of the shepherds my way every day throughout the year, along with Christmas in particular. Well, let’s look at the way the shepherds on the first Christmas and see if we can make that a more dominant part of our Christmas celebration. 

The shepherds were excited about the Savior. This excitement includes a determination with a sense of importunity, “Let us now go” (Lk 2:15); it possesses a pace or drive, “came with haste” (Lk 2:16);  it seeks the Savior, “found” (Lk 2:16); it goes public, “they made widely known” (Lk 2:17); and it worships God, “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (Lk 2:20). Consider “as it was told them” as equivalent to the Scriptures telling us this or that. I am all for bringing this kind of excitement the shepherds had experienced on Christmas Day into my life that results in glorifying and praising God long after that wonderful day had concluded. 

The shepherds were bold and unashamed of telling others what they had heard and seen, “they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child” (Lk 2:17; Rom 1:16; Acts 1:8). Too often we suffer from the silent witness syndrome. Our profession is personal, but it is far from private! Anyone claiming otherwise doesn’t know what they are talking about. If anyone tells us, “Oh, I didn’t know you were a Christian,” there is a spiritual problem, for every believer is a mouthpiece for God.    

The shepherds caused others to think about spiritual things (cf.1 Cor 6:20; 2 Cor 5:20; Col 3:17), “And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds” (Lk 2:18). It doesn't take too long into a conversation to determine its spiritual content; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth loves to yap (Lk 6:45). The GPS of the heart is quickly determined by those with spiritual discernment. The content of most conversations of believers is on self, gossip, jokes, or getting rich quick.  

The shepherds worshiped God on a daily basis, habitually (Jn 4:24; 1 Cor 10:31; 1 Thess 5:18), “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Lk 2:20). The things they had heard and seen changed the lives of the shepherds forever. The tense of the participles, glorifying and praising is in the present tense, active voice; it was continual without end, a lifestyle of glorifying and praising God our Savior (cf. Isa 7:14; 9:6, 7; Gal 4:4, 5). They were engaged and elated. Now that is a Christmas spirit!

The way of the shepherds sounds like something we should do every day, not just on Christmas Day, keeping every day on a spiritual level, avoiding the carnal! Let us get pumped up over Christmas, but rather than focusing on presents, allow the focus and energy to be invested in Jesus and the joy springing from His incarnation, being clothed in flesh, born of a virgin. What that birth meant to you and to me was a way of salvation. For if God had not given His only begotten Son, there would be no salvation for any of us. There is the greatest gift of Christmas! Would we dare to get excited over Jesus like the shepherds, bold in telling others about Jesus, causing others to think about spiritual things, and worshiping God as a way of life on the next Christmas Day? Too radical a departure from the norm? Better to keep with tradition?

These kinds of spiritual gifts we bring to Him will outlast the physical gifts under the tree because they are eternal, making that decision in chasing after Him, “as it was told us,” possessing a faith that will not rest, seeking Him with a relentless pursuit, going public with a profession that refuses to remain silent, and worshiping Him openly with a never-ending desire of glorifying and praising Him. That is a long sentence, but it makes for a great Christmas list of gifts for Jesus!

The more I reflect upon these shepherds the more I am impressed and humbled by the depth of their spirituality and not being caught up in the superficial religiosity of the Pharisees or the Sadducees of the day. Those religious phonies were indifferent to the birth of Christ. They looked for a Messiah but wouldn’t seek Him out. They had the academics of his birth down but were unmoved by the Magi showing up in Jerusalem looking for the One who was born king of the Jews (Mt 2:3-6). Did anybody question within the spiritual leadership of Israel, “We need to check this out?” No, they were going to stay far away from it as possible because Herod was involved, and they didn’t want to be seen as implicated in some revolt against Herod. Oh, how stale, sterile, and spurious was the faith of the religious leadership in Israel!

God knew of the disaster to come in 70 A.D. when Titus would level Jerusalem and the temple built by Herod, scattering the Jews and the Church throughout the world. Jesus would be born of a virgin around 6-4 B.C. based on the death of Herod around 4 B.C. Christ would become the penalty for our sins, propitiate the wrath of God for sin, and become the only way of salvation for mankind (Acts 4:12; Jn 14:6). With the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was given to permanently indwell believers. The Church was established at Pentecost, and special revelation was given in the form of the New Testament to show us God’s way of salvation and godliness.

The Apostle John finished the last of God’s Word to us about 25 years after the decimation of Jerusalem while in exile on the island of Patmos located in the Aegean Sea southwest of Ephesus (cf. Rev 1:9). The birth of Christ and the way of the shepherds are part of this lengthy revelation given under Inspiration. It was not without purpose. Perhaps one reason would be to keep us on track in celebrating His birth and avoiding the world’s rendition of Christmas.

This one day we officially set aside to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Maybe the next Christmas, God willing, the world around us will see the excitement of the presence of Jesus in our lives rather than the presents in our hands; if we go the way of the shepherds there will be no doubt of it. The way of the shepherds was coming to the Lord with empty hands but with hearts overjoyed with a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” on that gloria in excelsis Deo (glory to God in the highest) Christmas Day.

I can help but think the best Christmas any of us will ever experience is when the way of the shepherds takes precedence over the way of self on Christmas Day and every day of our lives; insomuch that when Christmas arrives, there will be no need to do anything differently but adding to the to-do list, trimming the tree and shopping for presents in moderation and within budget! Now, for that New Year resolution, the way of the shepherds reflects a biblical, spiritual, and eternal approach to Christmas than what we are normally accustomed to if we are honest. This is, in my opinion, the way for us to put Christ back in our Christmas, the way of the shepherds, the way it should be – His presence over presents. Happy New Year! <><