Luke 2:8-20 - The Shepherd’s Response

The Season of Advent

I love Christmas music. I was just asking the team if we could bring those songs into heavy rotation as we head into Christmas, and they were gracious enough to do it. Thank you, Ethan. I realized as I was singing—by the way, I’m Brad, if we haven’t met yet—I realized it’s been a while since we’ve been together here at midweek. Last week, Thanksgiving messed up our schedule, Mike taught before that, and then we were in Israel walking the land together. It’s just good to be back hanging out with you.

We are currently in the season of Advent. We’re doing a five-week series focusing on this tradition. Now, some of you grew up in traditions where Advent was a very big deal, and you might be panicking right now, thinking we’re punting on our mission and bringing back rigid, empty traditions. No, not at all. But I do want to celebrate Advent in a way that is in keeping with the Scriptures while reconnecting to some of these ancient traditions that we’ve moved away from.

The term “Advent” comes from a Latin word meaning “the coming.” It’s a translation of the Greek word parousia, which is used in the Greek text to refer to both the first and second coming of Christ. Last week, we talked about hopeful expectation through the Magi. We looked at how they not only knew what signs to look for, but when they saw them, they responded.

Advent was solidified in the early fourth century. Constantine became the Roman emperor and issued the Edict of Milan, which removed the official persecution of Christians. Suddenly, Christians started looking around and asking, “If there’s no threat of being killed for being a Christian, who are we and what do we stand for?” This is when many of the early creeds were formed as they tried to put structure to their theology.

We want to hold to what the Scriptures teach and ask: might there be something in these old traditions that we could rekindle while still holding to our core beliefs of faith alone, grace alone, and Christ alone?

Is Team Jesus the Right Team?

Last week we looked at the Magi. This week, I want to talk about the shepherds. They might be my favorite guys in the birth narrative. I want to do a bit of a long introduction to set the stage for a short comment on Luke chapter two. Before we get there, I want to talk about the uniqueness of our Christ.

Are any of you NFL fans? Who’s your team? I hear Raiders—it’s a tough year for you, though you did get that field goal win against the Cowboys. Any Cowboys fans? There we go. Steelers? Tough year there, too. Niners? Tampa Bay?

In August, everyone is buying their jerseys. Everyone is wondering, “Is this our year?” By December, those hopes are either being realized or dashed on the rocks. You’re wondering, “Do I have the winning team? Is my team going to go all the way?”

When it comes to the things of God, for years, people have been wondering the same thing. Is “Team Jesus” the right team? There are a lot of other teams out there. You’ve got a Buddha team and a Confucius team. You’ve got a Hindu team and a Muslim team. You’ve got all kinds of cults that spin out of Christianity. How do we know, as orthodox believers, that we have the right team?

Thankfully, we have the Word of God to give us clues. If you look at the birth narrative of Jesus in Matthew chapter two, you see Old Testament prophecies fulfilled perfectly in the person of Jesus.

Matthew 2:6 (NASB)

‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’’

Matthew 2:15 (NASB)

He remained there until the death of Herod. [This was] to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.’

Matthew 2:18 (NASB)

‘A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.’

Those are three very different prophecies—born in Bethlehem, coming out of Egypt, and the slaughter of the babies—each fulfilled perfectly. When you start to stack these up, it gets fascinating. Biblical prophecy isn’t like a fortune cookie. It’s not a vague “you will have success tomorrow.” It is incredibly specific.

The Mathematical Impossibility of Chance

If you take just the family tree of Jesus, the Scriptures tell us he will be from the line of Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, and specifically Judah. Later, in 2 Samuel, we find out he must be from the line of David.

Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB)

Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’

2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NASB)

’When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. ’He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ’I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took [it] away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ‘Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.’‘’

If you take just eight of these prophecies and ask: what is the mathematical probability that one man in the history of the world accidentally fulfills them? I’m not great at math, but the number is one in 10 to the 17th power. That’s a ginormous number, so I need a word picture.

It would be the same mathematical probability as taking the entire state of Texas and filling it two feet deep with silver dollars. You take one silver dollar, mark it with an X, and mix them all up. Then you blindfold a man, let him walk as far as he wants across the state, and he has one shot to reach down and grab the marked coin. That is the probability of one man accidentally fulfilling just eight prophecies.

It’s absurd. And yet, Jesus didn’t just fulfill eight. Conservatively, there are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament fulfilled perfectly by Jesus. One scholar goes as high as 574. Regardless of the number, there is no way humanly possible for any man to fulfill them all—but all things are possible with God.

Calling the Shot: The Specificity of Prophecy

These prophecies are not general; they are specific. Take Daniel chapter nine, for example. Daniel says that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, there will be 483 years—which is 173,880 days on the Jewish calendar—until the Messiah is “cut off.”

Daniel 9:25-26 (NASB)

’So you are to know and discern [that] from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince [there will be] seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. ’Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end [will come] with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

Sir Robert Anderson did the math on this. If you start the clock at the decree found in Nehemiah chapter two, which took place in April, and count out 173,880 days, you land exactly on the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, presenting himself as King. And what happened right after that? He was killed, just as Daniel said.

Nehemiah 2:1 (NASB)

And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine [was] before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

You can’t make up that kind of specificity. In the Old Testament, the test of a prophet wasn’t a “D for degree.” You didn’t get to be 60% right. You had to be 100% right, or the punishment was death. God was not playing around.

This is why the early church was so confident. In Acts, Peter stands up and says that Jesus was delivered over by the “predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God.”

Acts 2:22-23 (NASB)

’Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know– this [Man], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put [Him] to death.

Let’s look at a few more. Isaiah said the Messiah would be born of a virgin.

Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)

’Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

Psalm 78 said he would speak in parables.

Psalms 78:1-2 (NASB)

A Maskil of Asaph. Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,

Isaiah said that despite his teaching, people would have hardened hearts.

Isaiah 6:9-10 (NASB)

He said, ’Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ ‘Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.’

Zechariah said he would come riding on a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9 (NASB)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout [in triumph], O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Some people argue that Jesus was just a smart guy who read the Hebrew text and strategically manipulated events to fake being the Messiah. That’s an interesting argument, but how did he manipulate the place of his own birth? Or the events of his execution?

Zechariah said he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver.

Zechariah 11:12 (NASB)

I said to them, ‘If it is good in your sight, give [me] my wages; but if not, never mind!’ So they weighed out thirty [shekels] of silver as my wages.

Psalm 22 said they would gamble for his clothes.

Psalms 22:18 (NASB)

They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots.

Psalm 34 and Exodus 12 said none of his bones would be broken. When the soldiers came to Jesus on the cross, he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs like they did for the thieves.

Psalms 34:20 (NASB)

He keeps all his bones, Not one of them is broken.

Exodus 12:46 (NASB)

’It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.

Isaiah 53 said he would be pierced, crushed, and killed beyond recognition.

Isaiah 53:5 (NASB)

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being [fell] upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Jesus fulfilled every single one.

The Preexistent Christ and the Hero of the Story

This tells us two things. First, Jesus is preexistent. I didn’t grow up in church, so I used to think God was just trying different things to win over rebellious people, and when nothing worked, he said, “I have an idea! I’ll try incarnating!”

But that’s not the biblical picture. John tells us that all things came into being through Jesus.

John 1:3 (NASB)

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Colossians tells us that by Him all things were created and in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:16-17 (NASB)

For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

This means when Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created,” the cross was already the plan. There was no Plan B. God wasn’t digging deep into the playbook because he was desperate. The plan of redemption was set before the foundation of the world.

Ephesians 1:4-5 (NASB)

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

God just waited for the right time. He’s never in a hurry. He played the long game, watching mankind stumble and fail, waiting patiently until finally, the star appeared over Bethlehem.

Galatians 4:4 (NASB)

But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

The second thing this means is that Jesus is the hero of the story. Every story in your Bible whispers his name. Joshua is a shadow of Jesus. Moses is a shadow of Jesus. The high priest is a shadow of Jesus.

There are “types”—Old Testament shadows of New Testament realities. The bronze serpent lifted in the wilderness was a type of Christ. The manna was a shadow of the Bread of Life. The rock that gave water in the desert was Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:4 (NASB)

and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

Jesus told us this himself. He told the religious leaders, “You search the Scriptures because you think in them you have eternal life, but it’s them that speak of me.”

John 5:39 (NASB)

’You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;

He’s like the “Waldo” in a Where’s Waldo book. He’s in every picture; you just have to find him. After his resurrection, on the road to Emmaus, Jesus literally taught an Old Testament survey class to two disciples, explaining how the whole Bible was about him.

Luke 24:27 (NASB)

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

The Shepherds’ Response

So, with all that in mind—the uniqueness, the math, the prophecy, the preexistence—how should we respond? Turn with me to Luke chapter two.

Luke 2:8-14 (NASB)

In the same region there were [some] shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ’Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ‘This [will be] a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’

Just envision what it would have been like for those shepherds. You’ve never seen a light show in your life—maybe an oil lamp at best—and suddenly it’s like Disney in the middle of a field.

Shepherding was a lowly occupation. It was the job you gave to the person you wanted to keep out of the city. Yet, the angel goes to the lowly. Do you feel like a shepherd tonight, or do you feel like a “wise person”? I feel like a shepherd. Sometimes we wonder, “Who am I? Why would he come to me?”

But the Gospel is for everybody, not just the elite. These shepherds didn’t have gold or frankincense to offer. They didn’t offer anything except the most important gift: their response.

Luke 2:15-18 (NASB)

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds [began] saying to one another, ‘Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

They came in a hurry. They didn’t lollygag. They saw the child, and then they went back glorifying and praising God.

Luke 2:20 (NASB)

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

A Heart of Anticipation

If we are not careful, the things of the Gospel and the things of Christmas become “yeah, yeah, yeah.” We’ve got the nativity scene, we’ve got the three gifts, we’ve got the donkey. If that’s all Christmas is to you, your Christ is too boring.

Your Christ is not the Christ of the Bible. The wonder, the awe, and the profound mind-blow is the recognition that he chose us before the world was created and redeemed us while we were still “shepherds.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said: “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”

Friends, we have two choices this season. We can go through the motions—get the pumpkin spice latte, light the candle, hurry to wrap the gifts—or we can enter into a season of anticipation. We can lift up the uniqueness of our Christ and say, “Whom we are worshiping is worthy of every moment of glory and awe we can muster.”

Sometimes, all you need is the space to slow down. The Savior of the world came to seek and save the lost. That is Advent. He loves you so much that he came for you, so that by faith in him, you might have abundant life. Those shepherds were never the same after that night. That’s what an encounter with the real Jesus does.

Let’s pray.

Father, I thank you for the beauty of Christ. To see the pages of history unfold and see you calling the shot, literally to the day—God, we thank you for the uniqueness of our Christ. As we lean into this Advent season, I pray we would slow down to admire and worship Jesus. If we need to get honest about some things, let this be a time of confession and repentance, but also of great joy. We exalt the uniqueness of our Christ tonight. Amen.