“PRAISE JESUS OUR SAVIOR.” LUKE 2: 8-20.
LUKE 2: 8-9, 10-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, 19-20.
PLEASE TURN NOW TO LUKE 2: 1 (TEACHER READ Luke 2: 1-7)
PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 8-9.
The good news of Jesus’ birth was first announced to Jewish shepherds. Actually, we don’t know the date of Jesus’ birth. The celebration of a specific date for the birth of Jesus came after N.T. times. Several dates were tried, but Dec. 25th was chose because it was a traditional time to recognize the beginning of winter. Matt. 2 indicates that King Herod, who died in 4. B.C., was still alive when Jesus was born. Thus Jesus likely was born about the year 6 B.C.
The appearance of the angel to the shepherds took place in the same country or region as the events of Luke 2: 4-7. That is, the shepherds were tending their flocks in the area near Bethlehem. Luke 2:1-7 explains how Joseph and Mary, who lived in Nazareth of Galilee, happened to be in Bethlehem of Judea when the child was born. God had used the Roman emperor’s registration decree to bring them there.
In vs. 9 the angel of the Lord suddenly came upon or stood before the shepherds. Earlier, the angel Gabriel had announced to Zechariahs the birth of John the Baptist and announced to Mary the birth of Jesus. At first Gabriel was called “an angel of the Lord,” but later gave his name as Gabriel.
We are not told whether the angel in Luke 2:10 was Gabriel or another angel. We sometimes think that visible sightings of angels were common throughout the Bible, but visible appearances were reserved for times of special crisis or revelation. The birth of Jesus was such a time.
When the angel appeared, the glory of the Lord shone round about them. The word “shone” indicates that one characteristic of this was bright light. The appearance of this shining glory signified the presence of God. The shepherds responded as most people would. It was the same reaction as that of Zechariah and Mary when the angel appeared to them. Their first reaction was to be sore afraid, or terribly frightened.
PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 10-12.
This good news of great joy was for all the people, not just the Jews. The message of Jesus is for those “from every tribe and language and people and nation, according to Rev. 5: 9”
Unbelievers today often associate Christianity with condemnation. They hesitate to enter into a religious discussion for fear they will not like where it leads. On occasion, Christians do present the gospel as a word of condemnation. The fact that the world is lost and needs a Savior is sometimes allowed to obscure the positive nature of the gospel.
The message of Jesus is good news. Hearers have no reason to fear, no reason to shy away from the gospel. Yet the fear of those who do not know the nature of the gospel is understandable. The messenger must clearly explain, “I have good news for you.”
This good news should generate great joy. Gabriel promised that Zechariah would find “joy and delight” in the birth of his son, “John the Baptist,” and that many others would rejoice as well.”
The same would occur at Jesus’ birth for an even greater reason. This joy for all the people came first to the Jews but also to the Gentiles. Sadly, some received with indifference the news intended as a source of Joy. Some even heard it as a threat. Hearing of the birth from the wise men, Herod responded in Matt 2: 16-18 with violence. Jesus ministry caused many in Israel to reject Him. Yet the negative reaction of some does not change the nature of the good news for all. Jesus’ birth remains God’s gift to humanity, a source of joy, an event that should lead to praise.
As amazing as it may seem, there are still millions of people in the world today who have never heard the good news. Many of these people have no Bibles, no preachers, no Christian neighbors, and no churches in their villages or towns. People in various parts of the planet are a11 kept in darkness by hostile governments and cultures and live in fear daily. Like the angel who appeared to the shepherds, we are responsible for sharing the message of Jesus with all people in all places, even with those who live in hostile and dangerous places. Only Jesus can dispel fear from the hearts of those who trust Him for salvation.
The good news the angel gave the shepherds in vs. 11 was about the birth of a child in Bethlehem, the city of David. Bethlehem, which means “house of bread,” was located about five miles southwest of Jerusalem and was King David’s home and the place where he was anointed to be the King.
Seven centuries before Jesus’ birth, a minor prophet named Micah made a major announcement about the Messiah. Micah foretold in Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in the humble Judean village of Bethlehem. Jesus fulfilled this and many other specific prophecies concerning the Messiah. Who is this child? He is the Son of God in human form, who had entered the stream of human history.
The angel used three titles to refer to Jesus, each of which accentuates the significance of the baby born in Bethlehem. First, Jesus is Savior. Jesus’ entry into the world was a divine rescue mission to reconcile sinful humanity to a loving God. He alone was born with all the of the qualifications to “save His people from their sins.” All other alleged saviors were sinners like the rest of us. Christ alone is the sinless, virgin-born Savior whose birth specifically fulfilled he words of the prophets. He has no legitimate competitors and absolutely no successors.
Dr. Joseph Parker, of London, preaching on that text once said: ‘Unto you is born this day…a Savior.’ The world did not want an adviser. The world had advised itself almost into hell. The world did not ask for a speculator. Everything that man could do had been done, and men sat in the darkness of their own wisdom. The world did not want a reformer, a man who could change his outward and transient relations, an engineer that would continually devote his time (for appropriate remuneration) to the readjustment of the wheels and the pulleys and the various mechanical forces of society. The world wanted a Savior. “Savior” is a pathetic name. It is not an official title; it is not an image you could robe in scarlet, and bow down before on account of its majesty and haughtiness; “Savior” is an angel with tears in his eyes; arms mighty as the lightings of God, but a heart all tenderness. “Savior” is a complex word. It has in it all human nature, all divine nature, all the past of history, all the possibility of prophecy, all the mystery of apocalypse; the tenderness out vying the love of women, the majesty humbling the haughtiness of kings.”
The second title used by the angel to refer to Jesus was “Jesus is the Christ---a term that is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew term “messiah,” which means “anointed.” Christ served as a title for Jesus and later came to be used as a person name for Him. The child born in Bethlehem was the Messiah---the one for whom all Israel had been waiting.
Third, Jesus is Lord----a title signifying His deity. This is the title Luke used most often for Jesus. The words “Jesus is Lord” would later form the earliest Christian confession of faith. By the end of the first century, the blood of countless martyrs would be spilled because of their refusal to abandon the confession “Jesus is Lord” under great pressure to say, “Caesar is Lord.”
In vs. 12 the angel gave the shepherds a sign so they could unmistakably identify Jesus. They would find the baby wrapped snugly in cloth. Wrapping a baby I strips of cloth was the customary way to care for a newborn. Doing so kept the baby warm, comfortable, and secure. When Jesus was born, Mary cared for Him by wrapping Him in strips of cloth. Therefore, it would not have been unusual to see a baby wrapped in cloth. However, the angel told the shepherds that they would find the newborn baby lying in a manger---something quite out of the ordinary. A manger was a feeding trough for animals. Mary had given birth to Jesus in a stable and placed her newborn baby in a manger. Jesus might not have been the only baby in Bethlehem wrapped in cloth, but most likely He was the only baby lying in a manger.
PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 13-14.
The world largely failed to notice Jesus’ birth; not so in heaven. The angel who first appeared to the shepherds was suddenly joined by a multitude of the heavenly host. The word host is a military term that refers to a band of soldiers. The heavenly host refers to an army or band of angels. Jesus’ birth caused this gathering of angels to join together in praising God.
Like the angels, we should praise God for sending Jesus, for allowing us to receive the gospel of salvation and peace, and for allowing us to participate in the proclamation of that gospel. The gospel is a message for all people.
Every one of the 6.2 billion people on the planet deserves the opportunity to hear and respond to the message of Jesus. Today, over 2,l00 people groups are still waiting for the opportunity to hear the gospel. We can support efforts to take the gospel to the millions still waiting to hear the good news first announced to the shepherds by giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.
In vs. 14 the heavenly hosts expressed praise to God through a brief and memorable doxology. The angels ascribed Glory to God, who dwells in the highest heaven, for sending His Son into the world. Paul later expressed his gratitude to God for sending Jesus, God’s “indescribable gift” in 2 Cor. 9:15. He also wrote of Jesus in Eph. 2:14 (He is our peace).
Jesus’ death on the cross for us made peace between sinful people and holy God possible. He was the peace offering that satisfied God’s wrath against sin, so God could forgive us in His love and grace. God sent Jesus into the world to bring peace to all who accept His salvation through Christ. Only those who trust in Christ alone for salvation can know peace with God.
Gratitude expressed in praise is the appropriate response of the beneficiaries of His peace. When we trust Him and turn all things over to Him, He gives us a peace that “surpasses every thought.” God has given us peace with Him, peace with other believers and an inner peace that the world cannot understand, nor take away.
PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 15-16.
The shepherds had three privileges: They were the first outside group to hear the announcement of the birth of Jesus. They were the first outsiders to see Jesus. They were the first human beings to tell other people of the birth of Jesus.
After the angel went back to heaven, the shepherds had to make a decision. Someone could have said, “Can we really believe what we think we saw and heard? Why would God tell this to a bunch of shepherds? Let’s take a while and thing this thing through to be sure it was real.”
Instead they decided to go and see what the angels told them. They didn’t delay but came with haste. Someone has called this the first Christian rush.
After the angels left, the shepherds went right away into Bethlehem, where they sought, and found, the child of whom the angels spoke. They found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. The account seems to indicate that the shepherds saw the angels and Jesus the same night. Sometimes the wise men are depicted as coming at the same time or shortly after the shepherds, but Matthew 1 has them coming later. When the wise men found Jesus he was in a house. As far as we know, the shepherds were the only outsiders to see Jesus on the day of His birth.
PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 17-18.
The shepherds could not keep the news to themselves---They made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. That is, they told the people of Bethlehem what the angel had said concerning the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord. The words of the angel and the praise of the heavenly host was burned into their minds and hearts, especially after seeing Jesus for themselves. They felt such joy hat they told others.
We, like the shepherds, must talk to others about Jesus. We must share with others about what He came to do and how wonderful He is and how He has the power to change lives. The good news about Jesus is meant to be shared. The greatest tragedy is to withhold the good news about Jesus. (And how did people respond to these shepherds and their message?)
PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 19-20.
The Bible doesn’t tell us whether the townspeople went to see for themselves. Mary’s response was quite different from that of the shepherds. While the shepherds enthusiastically talked to others about what they had seen and heard, Mary was quiet. She was treasuring up all these things in her heart. The words treasuring up meant, “reflecting deeply or mulling over.” Mary pondered or meditated on the words of the shepherds concerning her newborn child. The shepherds’ words must have caused her to think back to Gabriel’s words, the things Joseph had experienced, and all that had transpired in the preceding months and days. Her response reminds us that we must set aside moments for personal and private reflection on who the Lord is and what He has done in our lives.
What an unforgettable night it had been for the shepherds. After finding the baby and telling others what they had been told about this child, these men returned to their flocks in the fields nearby. However, they returned to the fields outside of Bethlehem as different individuals than they had been before.
The shepherds glorified and praised God for what they had seen and heard from the angels and had verified with their own eyes. Everything was just as they had been told.
The shepherds returned to their flocks never to be heard from again, yet never to be forgotten for the special role they played in the Christmas drama.
We can be certain that these ordinary men never forgot the amazing events of that night and told the story of Jesus’ birth again and again. Why don’t we pause for a few moments now and quietly praise God for His salvation, His peace, and for Jesus’ birth?
NEXT WEEK WE WILL NOT BE HAVING SUNDAY SCHOOL SO PLEASE TURN TO John 4: 1-45 and read of the Encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman and the result of that encounter.
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