The shepherds are an important, well-known, and well-loved part of the Christmas story. 

But who were they? 

Most commonly, they are considered to be a lowly, humble group – one that was perhaps given a wide berth, as their ability to keep clean whilst working with animals outdoors may have been limited! They are often thought of as poor, rough and illiterate, and, as they were the first to know of Jesus’ birth, it is an indication that He came first for the poor and lowly. 

There is speculation that the group may well have included women and children – we know for sure that younger sons were employed as shepherds in older biblical times, from the stories of King David as a lad.

Priestly shepherds

Even more curious, however, is another line of thought. Have you ever wondered how the shepherds knew which house or stable to make for, with such limited signs as a baby in swaddling cloths lying in a manger? One thought is that these were not everyday shepherds, but were in fact priestly shepherds, caring for the lambs that would be used in the Passover sacrifices, and other offerings. They may have actually been priests – or at least employed by them. 

Have you ever wondered how the shepherds knew which house or stable to make for, with such limited signs as a baby in swaddling cloths lying in a manger?

The reason for this idea comes from a line in the Mishnah, the large collection of rabbinical Jewish teachings, which indicated that any sheep kept in the area surrounding Jerusalem, up to a tower called Migdal Eder, which was right by Bethlehem, and only 5 miles from Jerusalem and the Temple – those lambs were deemed to be holy and consecrated and could only be used for sacrifices in the Temple.¹

Tower of the Flock

Migdal Eder is translated as Tower of the Flock, and was a tower used to watch over a large area of grazing sheep, quite possibly with stalls for the ewes to give birth in. And it is mentioned twice in the Bible – once concerning the burial place of Rachel, the much-loved wife of Jacob, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin.

 And the other time it is mentioned is by the prophet Micah, as part of a wider and very well-known messianic prophecy, pointing to the coming king, which says: “And you, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.” (Micah 4:8). 

Only a few verses later is the more well known verse that points to Bethlehem itself as the birthplace of the Messiah: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2)

Based on that prophecy in Micah, prominent Jewish writers concluded in later Jewish writings that from all of the places in Israel, it would be the Migdal Eder, the tower of the flock, at Bethlehem where the arrival of the Messiah would be declared first.

Where to go?

It’s curious that the shepherds seem to have known where to go in Bethlehem. Is this ancient prophecy and the traditional rabbinical understanding of it the reason why the shepherds know where to look? Were they already well versed in the scriptures, and the teachings around these messianic prophecies in Micah? Did they in fact even hurry straight to the Migdal Eder itself, where Mary and Joseph may have found refuge as she went into labour, to find where Mary had laid her baby in the manger?

This can’t be known for certain, and would be impossible to prove. However, if true, it points even more clearly to the ‘lamb of God’, the one who would lay down his life for the world – the one born to be a sacrifice to redeem us from sin and death, just as the lambs around Bethlehem may have been born to be destined as Temple sacrifices for sin, and as peace offerings.

What did they see and hear?

I do like a bit of theory and speculation – it’s interesting and potentially helpful. But the real value in studying scripture has to be about how it can affect our own walk with God. So let’s look in more depth at what we do know for sure.

First of all, those shepherds saw an angel – and most definitely not one who could be mistaken for a human being. He was surrounded, as were the shepherds, by the glory of God! The shepherds were told by this angel of the good news of great joy. This was no little thing, just a picture to go on religious Christmas cards – this was an announcement of a great turning point in history – the one moment on which all history pivots. This was no mere announcement that would affect just a few people, but one that would impact the whole world.

Here in these few lines, we have so much of our theology about Jesus – God and yet man, born as king, yet placed in a manger, Saviour of the world, the prophesied Messiah.

In a few short words, just four sentences in my translation (NIV), the angel indicates the crucial points about Jesus, the newborn baby:

• First, that it is good news! Good news for all people – this was not just for the select few.
  
• Next, that the baby was born in the Town of David – this is to point towards his kingship – his link with the greatest of Israel and Judah’s kings, the one from whom the lineage of the kings of Judah came. He was to be the Saviour. He was the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one longed for down the ages.
  
• And the angel also referred to him as Lord – another word used frequently for God. Yet this was God who was a newborn baby – God who was made human.
  
• The shepherds were then given a sign, indicating how they would find the baby, who would later be named Jesus. A messiah who was to be found wrapped and lying in a manger – not a tiny prince in a smart cot, surrounded by attendants, but placed in an available receptacle by the couple who found it so difficult to find suitable accommodation.
  

Here in these few lines, we have so much of our theology about Jesus – God and yet man, born as king, yet placed in a manger, Saviour of the world, the prophesied Messiah. This is a Huge announcement, with so much detail, given to these shepherds out in the fields at night.

Army of angels

Then, marvel upon marvel, the shepherds saw an enormous crowd of angels appear. It is the only time in the whole bible that we see this many at once – the word used in the NIV is a great company of the heavenly host – an army of angels! Frequently in the Bible, individual angels appeared to people. Elijah and his servant Gehazi actually see an army of angel chariots in 2 Kings, which served to protect them from the Arameans. But Gehazi needed his spiritual eyes opened to see what was happening in the heavenlies – this vision wasn’t visible to all eyes.

Here, however, all the shepherds saw the heavenly army. It’s like, for a moment in time, that the veil between heaven and earth was torn open, as shepherds could see with their own physical eyes, not spiritual ones, the realities of the rejoicing in heaven.

Hymn of praise

This moment is so dramatic, that heaven bursts into the earth, with a climactic hymn of praise to the God who has made himself man, to redeem humankind; yet in such a humble way, to a young woman far from home, who has no inn or guest room in which to give birth. In that brief moment, the realities of heaven and earth combine, as heaven breaks through with an explosion of joy into what must have been, up until then, a mundane, normal working night for these shepherds.

This moment is so dramatic, that heaven bursts into the earth, with a climactic hymn of praise to the God who has made himself man, to redeem humankind.

“Glory to God in the highest”, the angels sing – this is extravagant praise of God, and is a celebration of the work that God was just beginning, one which is eventually to culminate in peace on earth. A peace that we can experience, in part, through Jesus’ presence in our lives, and the tremendous impact of the gospel on society, though its complete fulfilment is clearly yet to come.

The shepherds see and hear so much – the glory of God, the astounding message of the arrival of the Messiah King, God and Saviour on earth, the heavenly praise of an army of angels. Then they hurry off to see the baby. To see this promised saviour, in the flesh, in person.

The shepherds, apart from Mary and Joseph, were probably the first people to see and meet Jesus, when still a babe in arms. They are witnesses to a momentous event. What a night for them!

How did they respond?

Initially, of course, they were terrified! Not, of course, at meeting Jesus himself, but when the angel appeared to announce the good news. It’s a common theme throughout the bible, that the first words that angels have to say is “Do not be afraid!”. I’d be surprised if the shepherds weren’t still overawed – even if their initial terror subsided following the angel’s first word.

Yet, they clearly listened carefully, because they were able to remember the words they were told, act on them, and report them. The moment that the angels left them, they spoke together, then hurried to meet Jesus. There is a real sense of eagerness as they went in haste to see the newborn baby. So, they listened, and they obeyed, swiftly.

We’re not, however, told much about how they were or what they did when they found Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We can only speculate. Did they bow to worship; did they take gifts and offer them, perhaps a lamb? Did they gaze in silent awe, or did they speak words of joy, wonder, or even repentance or sorrow to the little baby.

Clearly they must have told Mary about the angel’s words, and the chorus of the heavenly host. But what we do know is that when they left them, they spread the word about their experiences – they shared their knowledge of the baby, born as Israel’s saviour. And then they praised and glorified God for all that they had seen and heard.

Exuding with joy

What can we learn from the shepherds? The one thing that really stood out to me was this: this story of the shepherds exudes with joy. Much of the Christmas story is tinged with darkness and sorrow – Joseph’s initial rejection of his fiancée Mary, and her ‘disgrace’; the Roman occupation overshadowing the whole story; Herod’s threat and his murder of the babies in Bethlehem; the flight to Egypt; and Simeon’s prophecy of sorrow for Mary.

Yet this story bursts into the nighttime darkness of the shepherds – and transforms it!

Yet this story bursts into the nighttime darkness of the shepherds – and transforms it! The joy of the angel announcing the news; the joy of the heavenly host, glorifying God; the excited response of the shepherds, rushing to see Jesus; their exuberance in their sharing with so many in the neighbourhood all that had happened to them; and their joy as they glorified and praised God.

He is here!

The shepherds were just minding their own business, getting on with their work – probably lambing, as they were out at night. Yet, in the darkness, and in their mundane drudgery, heaven broke into their world.

It can be so easy to get bogged down in life, whether the busyness, or the griefs, or the plans that need to be made, the challenges, the troubles in this world. And these things are real, just as were the challenges in Israel in the first century – if not much more so. As the apostle Paul said of himself and the other apostles, in 2 Corinthians 6:10, they were sorrowful, yet also rejoicing – in faith, the two often come together.

Yet, even now, in amongst everything that we have going on, our own challenges, doubts, griefs, anxiety, darkness, and just plain busyness, Jesus is here right now. Not as a baby in a manger, but living in our hearts. Because, through His Holy Spirit, we can know him, we can meet him, we can speak to him, we can know his love. He can change us, make us new – and he gives us hope and peace. We can trust in him, abide in him, rest in him, listen to him, and he can fill us with his love. That is why, even through everything, we can have joy. 

And we too, like the shepherds, can praise and glorify God, for all that he has done. For what he has done in our own lives, and what he has done for the whole world – as he has brought us salvation. And, like the shepherds, we can share that joy with all that we meet.
For we, too, have been given good news of great joy for all people.

Notes

1. “An animal that was found between Jerusalem and Migdal Eder, or a similar distance in any direction, the males are [considered] burnt offerings. The females are [considered] peace offerings. Rabbi Yehuda says, those which are fitting as a Pesach offering are [considered] Pesach offerings if it is thirty days before the festival.” Mishnah, Shekalim 7:4.