If you knew that the King of Kings, the Savior of the world had just arrived on earth, who would be the first people you would tell? I don’t know about you, but I would think that the royalty and nobility of the world should be the first to know. The people in power should be informed that the King had just arrived because they would have the most capacity for giving Him a grand welcome. Or maybe I would have told the priests or religious leaders of the day. Certainly, they should know how to greet the promised Messiah.
The first people that God chose to tell about Christ’s birth is quite instructive. Luke 2:8 says, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.” Since we are so familiar with the story, we do not even blink while reading that the shepherds were the first to hear about Christ’s birth. However, shepherds were on the exact opposite end of the spectrum from royalty and nobility. They did not hold privileged positions of leadership like the priests or Levites did. They were hired hands that worked with the dumbest creatures on God’s green earth. They were dirty, smelly, and ill-kempt, low-class workers with no clout. And yet God chose to tell them first. Why would God do that? As the story unfolds, two reasons become apparent.
The first reason is found in the angel’s message to the shepherds. In Luke 2:10, that angel says to them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” God wanted to impress on our minds that Christ’s birth was for everyone. The gospel is for everyone! As if this weren’t enough to make an impression on the shepherds a whole host of angels joined the first and declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men.” There it is again—peace and good will toward men. The gospel wasn’t just for some men. It was for men like the shepherds. The only people that the gospel excludes are those too proud to receive it. The gospel is for anyone who is humble enough to admit that he is a lost sinner in need of a Savior. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus also emphasized the universality and exclusivity of the gospel. In Luke 5:32, Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” God chose to tell the shepherds about Christ’s birth first because they were the least likely people to be inflated with their own importance and worthiness to hear such a message. The shepherds represent the sinners, the humble, the lost, the “least among us”—the prime candidates for the gospel! If we are honest, we should see ourselves in the shepherds.
Another reason that God may have told the shepherds first is found in the shepherds’ response to Christ’s birth. The shepherds “came with haste” to see the Christ child and then they went out with joy, making known to others what God had made known to them! (Luke 2:16-18) This shows that, as He has since the beginning of time, God chooses the foolish things of this world to bring about His purposes. I Corinthians 1:26-27 says, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” God chose the meek Jacob over the mighty Esau. He chose the stammering Moses over his charismatic brother Aaron to confront Pharaoh. He chose the foreigner Ruth to be in the line of Christ. He chose the shepherd boy David over his soldier brothers. And he chose the shepherds of Bethlehem to be the first witnesses of Christ’s birth. Before John the Baptist had made his first fiery sermon, these shepherds had awakened all their neighbors in Bethlehem to tell them the good news of Jesus Christ. The shepherds show us that those the world would discard are the ones God delights to use.
If you feel that God’s calling on your life is too much for you, then join the club. Moses felt that it was too much for Him, too. And that is why God used him. That is why God chose the shepherds. That is why God has chosen you! II Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” Whether it is a glittering angel in the heavens or a grimy shepherd on the hillside, it is not the messenger that is significant but the message. It doesn’t matter what gifts, abilities, or beauty we may think we have on the outside; we have the treasure of the gospel on the inside. Like the shepherds, we should be grateful that God would see fit to use us. Luke 2:20 says, “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” Like they did, we need not feel sorry for ourselves because we are inadequate, but grateful to God because He has chosen to use us.
When it comes to our service for God, we must remember that it is not about what we have to offer. We have nothing to offer God. After all, anything good that we are or that we have came from God in the first place. The story of the shepherds reminds us that the sufficiency, whether of the gospel to save or of the witness to share, is in God Himself (II Corinthians 3:5). The fact that we need a Savior should be enough to remind us that we are insufficient in every possible way. But just to drive the point home, God let the shepherds be the first to know and the first tell about the Savior’s birth.
This Christmas, may we be like the shepherds—enthralled with the knowledge of the gospel and the privilege of sharing it with others. May we spend this season praising and glorifying God for the miracle of Christ’s birth and our partnership with God in telling others about it. The message of Christmas is for all of us and any of us can be messengers of Christmas.