| Luke 2:1 And it came to pass
in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all
the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 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. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 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 hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 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 no accidents in God's plans. The fact that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem had been prophesied centuries before (Micah 5:2), so even though Mary and Joseph lived in Nazareth, God in his providence had already worked out their presence in Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. He chose to do it through the agency of the Roman government, for all the fact that it was a godless empire ruled by godless men. The stage was set by a decree of man, but the curtains were opened with a proclamation from God.
Three angelic messages accompanied the birth of Jesus: one to Zacharias; one to Mary, and one to the shepherds (four if we count the appearance to Joseph in a dream). The intervention of the angels served to transform the news of an otherwise ordinary occurrence, the birth of a child, into something extraordinary, the birth of God's Son, God become flesh. As God, Christ was born by a miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit in the life of a young woman; as man, he was born of poor parents in the most humble of circumstances, in a stall meant for animals. As God, his birth was announced by an angel, accompanied by a heavenly choir; as a man, the news of the birth was given to shepherds, humble men who were universally scorned and despised. Even from his birth, then, his nature as both fully God and fully man was highlighted.
Today, the proclamation of the Good News of the coming of Christ as our Savior, for all people everywhere, must come from us, God's children. That ministry was given to us by Jesus himself (Matthew 28:18-20), and will be assigned once more to angels only during the period of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 14:6-7). Though the Gospel applies to men and women of every economic status, it can only be received by those with a humble spirit, like the shepherds, those who recognize and acknowledge their need for salvation.
The story of the shepherds also illustrates what is necessary for the spread of the Gospel. First, they received the Good News of Christ, then they went themselves to see the Savior, then they went out the tell the story to others. Many people hear the Gospel, but of these only a relative few take the next step of getting to know the Savior it proclaims. Even fewer ever bother to go tell others what they have heard and experienced. Because the shepherds shared what they had heard, many other people heard the Good News.