Page 1 The Christmas Shepherd Luke 2: 1-14 Dr. Richard J. Alberta Cornerstone Evangelical Presbyterian Church December 24, 2017 Text: Luke 2:1-14 (NIV) 1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." I am holding a stuffed lamb. It is cute. And soft. Even pretty. Smells fine and feels cuddly. But isn t it interesting how much we fool ourselves with toys such as this one? Sheep are really not like this. Here is what I mean. Back in September, Donna and I took our son Brian and his wife Stephanie with their little guy Miles to the Domino Farms petting zoo. It was his first birthday although Miles had very little idea why we were there but it was fun sort of. Walking around in the mud and checking out the animals. I confess I was bored but I was amused watching Miles looking about. And I was slightly amused...at the sheep. Now I don t want to be cruel or off-putting but standing there by the sheep for a little while was actually not much fun. Why not? Because sheep are not clean like this stuffed lamb. They are not nearly so soft and cuddly, and they smell funny. Bad actually. They don t show much personality. They hardly ever make eye contact and they don t care how much they bump each other. Throw down some food and watch them act out their natures. Fairly dumb and obnoxious. Get in between them and you will get bumped and jostled. Sheep seem to me to be altogether unappealing and not exactly desirable as pets or companions. Therefore, I will admit, I wonder why anyone would want to be a shepherd. But Christmas, if we ponder it all about shepherding all about sheep and the Good Shepherd Jesus the Christmas Shepherd. Let s consider that today. First, let us pray.
Page 2 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them Think of it. The most important news that has ever been announced in the history of the creation was not announced by an Angel of the Lord to Caesar or to the local Governor to Herod or to the ruling council. Rather, it was announced to unknown shepherds out in the fields. Why? Was it not because shepherds are very special to God!? Think of it Jesus came as the Good Shepherd! And is it possible that we tend at Christmas to focus on Mary and Joseph and Zechariah and Elizabeth and the Wise Men but overlook the deeper meaning that Christmas is all about the Good Shepherd coming for his flock? And that the Christ sent the angel first to a group of unknown shepherds. And we do not know one single name of one single shepherd! The elites regarded shepherds as unclean and unimportant and unwelcome. Was this not the perfect illustration of how the Good Shepherd the Christmas Shepherd would be rejected? Let s consider shepherds and sheep. They were like Jesus. Again: And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them Shepherds lived with brutal inconvenience. Like people camping out for weeks at a time. They were nearby but unwelcome in much of the village because they were considered soiled. The same as Jesus! Remember when his critics repeatedly mocked him and said he could not have such authority because he was an untrained and uncertified nobody! And they said Jesus did not keep the laws! Well the shepherds could not keep many of the laws in ancient Israel and they were regarded as second-class citizens. Perhaps appreciated but simply men doing a dirty job and paid by the owner of the flocks to do so. And they lived among their sheep! So, did Jesus! Remember what the Gospel of John tells us? John 1:14 (NIV) 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Here this word dwelling is from the Greek text. It is the word ske-nas from which we get skene. The word skene is still used in places to mean a temporary dwelling or literally a hut. In a more elaborate sense, it can even mean tabernacle. Remember that strange event when Jesus was transfigured, and Moses and Elijah appeared by him and Peter got so excited that he cried out Lord! I can set up three shelters for us! Same word! Skene. A temporary dwelling! In other words, the shepherds set up shelters or tents or modest dwellings to live by the sheep. And why was that? Because sheep can get frightened if they sense their shepherd is not nearby.
Page 3 A lot of years ago, when I was an Associate Pastor in New York, I did some youth work with the high school kids. One time, we took about ten of them on a camping trip to the lower Adirondacks and we brought with us about a dozen kids who lived down in the city. Some of the city kids had literally never been out in the woods. It was amusing because they were mostly tough city guys twelve or thirteen years old, but they were a little scared of the forest without street lights and traffic! Someone had told them there were bears everywhere, and things like that. We had to re-assure them that we would be camping right nearby. That our tents would be right next to their tents. Promise! The Good Shepherd pitched his tent right by the sheep. Again And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. I have read that shepherds take turns at night. They do not all sleep at the same time. Jesus, the Good Shepherd. the Christmas Shepherd. is that way. He was and is the embodiment of Psalm 121. It reads: Psalm 121:4 (NIV) 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Here we have the Hebrew word Shamare which means to watch over or to keep. That s what shepherds do. And we need to note something very sweet. In the ancient world and in some places today the birth of a new baby was celebrated immediately by singing with a kind of neighborhood choir. The important citizens of the village stood close by and the singing began almost like an impromptu worship service. But Joseph and Mary had no neighbors nearby. But...look again at how the angel honored the shepherds by providing a Heavenly Choir: 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." Next. We read that the shepherds were so excited, they went to see the child. Shepherds would not have left the sheep unattended. They put them in the care of other shepherds or they took turns visiting Bethlehem at some distance. In any case, the shepherds went to see the lamb of God who himself would be the shepherd. Oh, what a great debt we have to both sheep and shepherds! Now...to the words of the Christmas Shepherd himself the Lord Jesus Christ! In John Chapter Ten, we read first about how one can tell a real shepherd from a robber: John 10:1-2 (NIV) 1 I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.
Page 4 Jesus speaks of the sheep pen or sheep fold. That was typically a natural area with rocks and geography such that sheep could be boundaried and enclosed with only a small opening thru which they could walk. The chief shepherd would sleep by lying across that small area so a predator would have to literally climb over him. That is Jesus guarding his sheep. He comes in thru the opening that was sometimes big enough to actually have a gate. Now, Jesus illustrates his Lordship in leading his sheep. If he has left another shepherd in charge, he returns and calls to his own. We read: 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. He calls his own sheep by name! It s been said that the greatest gift you can give another person is their name. Remember what happened when Mary came to the empty tomb of Jesus and she saw him, but she thought he was the gardener? We read: John 20:15-16 (NIV) 15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). She knows his voice; he calls her by her name! A good shepherd knows each sheep by name. As I finish my ministry of 26 years at Cornerstone I confess to personal frustration of not always knowing names. In fact, there are times when I think even this church is simply much too big. How can we shepherd people when there are so many that the only time we get to know them is if they have a crisis or even a celebration? But back to this verse for a moment: 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Jesus also called himself the gate. In saying that, he was making it clear that he was and is the only way to the Father. No other gate is available. This is the great offense of the Gospel today. It is fashionable to speak of inclusiveness. Everyone is included. But that is not true when it comes to salvation. Jesus said: Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) 13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. In saying this, Jesus was no doubt referring to the wide-open spaces where sheep could go out and wander but they would be attacked by the wolves and bandits carried away or killed. That is why the true church is actually a sheepfold where the sheep can find safety and shelter. It is true that we must reach out, but we must also follow the shepherd closely.
Page 5 Anyway, the Christmas Shepherd Jesus knows each lamb by name and he guards the gate or he leaves someone guarding it and he comes thru when he is ready. And he knows his own sheep! We read: 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. Now this raises a question. What does it mean to recognize a voice? How do we know a voice unless we have spent time hearing it and becoming accustomed to it? I can only tell you that for me that means time spent in the Gospels especially. In my own life, the Gospel of John has taught me most dramatically to recognize the Christmas Shepherd s voice. Dr. Roger Nicole used to say that John was the man who knew Jesus best! So often I can hear the words of Jesus clearly almost as if I was literally hearing his voice. But that requires reading and re-reading the passages. Do you want your life transformed by the Christmas Shepherd in the year 2018? Then read the Gospel of John twelve times once a month next year. Not everyone is given to Christ by the Father. That is why we read: 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them. This is a frightening passage. Many people hear the words of Jesus and simply do not grasp them or receive them. What it literally says is They did not know what he was telling them. They did not know what he meant because they did not know him! Here is the Christmas message that we should truly celebrate. Jesus said: 14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-- 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. Here is what Jesus just said that we must consider unhurriedly: he expects us to have the same relationship with him that he has with the Heavenly Father. This is sometimes called A Knowledge of the Holy. Jesus wants you and me not to just be Christians saved by faith who yes have received eternal life. Jesus wants us to enter an intimacy with him that eclipses any other relationship we can contemplate. Good shepherds want closeness to the sheep who follow them. He did not lay down his life just so you could go to Heaven. He laid down his life and defeated death thru his Resurrection, so you could follow him and stay by him and live life with him thru the Holy Spirit inside of you. But sheep wander away. They get busy. I ve watched as many of God's people at times I wonder if most of God s people are far too distracted with the cares of the world to really make Jesus first. They don t have time for the Word of God or prayer or the many classes we offer but they have time for their favorite hobby or activity as if Christianity is all about the eternal later instead of the eternal right now! The Christmas Shepherd wants you close to him.
Page 6 I had a surprising experience some time back here in our church. A woman whom I have known for years was raised in the Christian faith. Steeped in the Gospel since she was a toddler. A workhorse in the church. A leader and a servant and a fine woman. But she told me she was really only saved a few years ago when she did one of our reading programs and spent time in the Word of God. Her heart was only converted when she had that personal experience with the Christmas Shepherd and that only happened as she came to really know his voice. Let s go back to the text we read earlier. Here is the question: why did God send an angel of the Lord and then a Heavenly Choir to speak first to the shepherds? Because the Messiah the Christ is a shepherd and he loves shepherds and they perfectly illustrated what HE was all about! Living in the fields and unable to keep all the little regulations so they were not really welcomed in the town rejected and dirty because they spent all their time with sheep! Jesus loved them because they laid down their lives to tend to the sheep! Thus, we read: 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Think about something. Shepherds were paid for tending to the flock. But they did not have to love the sheep. They only had to protect them. Ultimately, when they returned the sheep at the end of the season, the owner paid them based on how many were brought back healthy and fattened up and ready for sale. Then the owner was pleased. But what was Jesus paid? What was Jesus paid to protect the flock? He was paid with the Father s love. The Father asked one thing of Jesus. To protect His flock. Being a shepherd was the favorite illustration Jesus used about himself. Let me close with a story. A true story. As Christians, we tend to overlook the holidays of our Jewish friends. But every year at about Christmastime, the Jews celebrate Hanukkah or as it is sometimes called The Feast of Dedication or Lights. Here s what that is about. A couple of centuries before the birth of Jesus, the ancient near East was ruled by a crazy Seleucid King who called himself Antiochus Epiphanes the Fourth. Epiphanes meant God Manifest One so we can only imagine the challenge of getting along with someone who called himself that. One day, A Roman General stopped Mr. Epiphanes the Fourth in the desert and drew a line in the sand and dared him to cross it. Well Epiphanes the Fourth looked around and saw Roman troops ten times the size of his army and he bowed and went in the other direction. Anyone who called himself Epiphanes might be quite humiliated at such an event and he was. So, on the way home Antiochus went thru Jerusalem and sacked the city and sacrificed a pig on the altar of the Temple. That act so outraged a family called the Maccabees that they raised an army and miracle of miracles they chased Antiochus and his soldiers half way back to his castle. And the Jews had peace for eighty years. So, they re-dedicated the Temple and Hanukkah celebrates that great event.
Page 7 In Jesus time, the Hanukkah Celebration brought up the idea of the Messiah who was to come. It began on December 18, A.D. 32. Now.it was at that same time that Jesus was questioned! He had just finished saying he was the Good Shepherd during the Hanukkah Celebration. We read: John 10:22-30 (NIV) 22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." You see they are thinking of the Maccabee warriors who had chased out Antiochus Epiphanes the Fourth and they want to know if Jesus might be that coming Messiah with a great army who will chase out the Romans. But he, Jesus, just does not look the part. They want a lion not a lamb! They want a soldier not a shepherd. So, they keep asking him as if they are expecting a different answer Are you the Christ? Tell us plainly! We read: 25 Jesus answered, I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. There is was the Doctrine of Divine Election. You do not believe because you are not my sheep! Then the Good shepherd the Christmas Shepherd goes on to say: 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one." The Christmas Shepherd is not a warrior who conquers armies but the one who conquers the power of sin. The one who saves his sheep not from the violence of the world but from the violence and penalty of sin. Those sheep are rarely cuddly and they smell funny and they rarely look his way. But he loves them, and no one will get them out of his hand. And because he knows they are not very smart, he won t even let them jump! He is the Good Shepherd the Christmas Shepherd! Pray with me please.