It’s hard to read in your Bible very far without encountering shepherds. We find them everywhere in Scripture in the books of history, the psalms, the prophecies, the parables, and even in the birth narrative of Messiah. Shepherding is one of the oldest professions in the Bible. While Adam was a gardener and an overseer, his son Abel was a shepherd. Genesis 4:2 says, “Abel was a keeper of sheep.” Many of our Biblical heroes were shepherds (both men and women); individuals like Abraham, Jacob, Rebecca, Rachel, Moses, David, Amos, and even Jesus identified Himself as a shepherd.
I know that many people in our modern culture and with our advanced metropolitan lifestyles haven’t a clue what it means to be a shepherd in the Middle East. Sometimes we miss the imagery that is discussed in the Word of God that would be familiar territory for those in the original audience. Context, they say, is everything. When Jesus preached using shepherd illustrations, the local people all over Galilee and Judea knew exactly what He was speaking about.
A day in the life of a shepherd was a strenuous one protecting the flock from predators, leading them to new pastures for green grass and still waters, along with constantly counting them to make sure none wandered off or were stolen by sneaky thieves. Shepherds looked forward to nights when things might become a bit relaxing. Sometimes, the shepherds would mix their flocks in with other shepherds, and they would split the night watch to tend to all the sheep. It wasn’t a problem separating out the sheep in the morning as the sheep know their own shepherd’s voice.
And it was to these people that the message of Jesus being born in Bethlehem came. What a night for them! They were to witness the birth of the Lamb of God and would be the first to spread the news that Messiah was finally here.
Please join us this Sunday as we take a closer look at Christmas through the eyes of shepherds.
John
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