As we’ve been making our journey back in time in our Christmas Story Revisited series, it appears that our current Christmas Day has been moving closer and closer at a ridiculously accelerated pace. Taking a fresh look at the traditional narrative has been exciting, but with every segment, we’ve discovered that there are more fascinating details to be explored than we can possibly include. Perhaps at some point later, we’ll have an opportunity to come back and fill in some of the blanks. 

But meanwhile, as we return our review of the Christmas story, we encounter another example of a unique device God often uses in His storytelling. He has a penchant for including unannounced drop-in visits from totally unexpected characters that play a profoundly significant role in developing the message the story is designed to tell. We’ve already seen angels drop in to visit Zechariah and then Mary and Joseph. Today we’ll see more supernatural action as angels are sent to drop in on a group of shepherds. Then those same shepherds will be dropping in on Mary and Joseph. There are more visits to come later, but for now, we have some new cast members to meet.

Shepherds – An Initial Introduction ~
Aside from the Holy family itself, few characters are more recognizable in our traditional rendition of the birth of Jesus than the shepherds. While this internationally famous group finds itself represented in virtually every Christmas pageant the world over, we aren’t given a lot of information about them. Luke brings them on stage (Luke 2:8-14) with about the briefest introduction you could imagine. All he tells us is this:

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. (Luke 2:8 NKJV)

The sketchy information tends to bring up questions, and those questions give rise to other questions like, 

• • Why involve shepherds? 
  • What kinds of shepherds were they? 
  • What fields were they residing in? And, 
  • Why were they out there at night? 

The answers to these questions have much to reveal, and some will challenge our traditional views of how and when the Christmas story unfolded. But to begin with, why would God involve shepherds at all?

Shepherds – A Divinely Favored Group ~
For reasons known only to Him, God has consistently looked on shepherds and their work favorably. Maybe it’s the helplessness and dependency of sheep, or possibly the protection and nurturing attention that shepherds provide for them. Whatever His motivation, God chose to refer to Himself in that role repeatedly (for example, Psalm 23:1; Psalm 80:1; Isaiah 40:11).  In any case, shepherds were important enough to God to send a host of angels to drop in on them at work and deliver an incredible announcement.

The only things, other than their occupation, that we do know about these shepherds are that they were in the fields with their flock – and it was night. That doesn’t seem to tell us much, but if we look at the geography, customs, culture, and weather patterns, it tells us a lot more. To begin with, the only places in and around Bethlehem referred to as fields were the cultivated grain fields. Bethlehem’s name means house of bread, and the town was known for its production of wheat and barley. The soil in the hill country around Bethlehem was, and still is, very hard and rocky. Clearing an area and making it suitable for cultivation and growing a crop was a lengthy, back-breaking process. Once cleared of rocks and prepared for growing, those fields were used year after year and were distinctive from the other landscape around Bethlehem. 

So we know that the shepherds weren’t just out roaming around the countryside. They were camping out with their flocks in the fields, which brings up another issue. These were almost certainly “village shepherds” who had homes and families in nearby Bethlehem. When and why would they have been staying out there all night? The seasonal weather patterns and the local agricultural practices offer some compelling clues. 

Shepherds in the Fields? Where? Why? ~
There were, and still are, two basic seasons in that region, the rainy season and the dry season. Nearly all of the annual rainfall comes between November and March and their agricultural production is governed by that pattern. The barley crop was grown in the spring and early summer, and the wheat was grown in the fall. Obviously, sheep would not be allowed in the fields with crops actively growing. That leaves two periods of time when the fields were idle. One was during the winter rains and the other between the spring harvest and the fall planting.

While the fields would be idle during the winter rains, there would be nothing for sheep to graze on. Given the recurrent rains and temperatures in the 30s at night, camping out with the flocks in December would make no sense. But from roughly late June to October, no crops would be growing, and there would be stubble left over from the barley harvest. The sheep could graze on the stubble and as an added benefit, leave fertilizer to enrich the soil. The warm weather and condition of the fields at that time would make it ideal for shepherds to stay with their flocks during those months. 

Those realities do challenge the traditional date for Jesus’ birth, and that may be disturbing for many, but the important thing is not when Jesus came into this world, but how, why, and for whom. Whatever the date, the truth is that a group of village shepherds found themselves face to face with an angel sent from God with an astounding announcement.

Angels Arrive – A Divine Intrusion ~
Again, we aren’t given a lot of details in Luke’s report about the angelic intrusion (Luke 2:9-15). We’re only told that a lone angel appeared to the shepherds and that his arrival was accompanied by an unnatural light. Understandably, the scene nearly threw the shepherds into a collective panic attack, but the angel reassured them that this visit was a good thing. Then he proceeded to deliver news they could never have imagined about an event that would extend far beyond them. At that point, the scene expanded and a multitude of the heavenly host joined them, and they all began to offer praise and glory to God. The next thing we’re told is that they all left and returned to Heaven. And like us, the shepherds were no doubt thinking, “Now what?” 

The shepherds weren’t explicitly told to go look for this incredible child, but adding that directive wasn’t necessary. The urgent need to find Him was wrapped in the news of who He was, why He came, and what He brought with Him. So, once the angels were gone, the shepherds felt compelled to go back to Bethlehem and do an unexpected drop-in visit of their own. The time of day, or night, didn’t matter. They had a baby to find and some incredible news to share that wouldn’t wait. Granted, Bethlehem was a small town, but it was likely to still be dark when they got there and most of the people would have been settled in for the night. Finding the right house could involve some unwelcome disruptions, but they had a mission to fulfill and life-changing news to share that was worth a little inconvenience. And therein lies a lesson for us here and now…

Angelic Visit Aftermath? A Divine Appointment ~
The world we live in is quite different from the one those angels dropped in on that night. We’d have a hard time relating to the lives those shepherds lived, but we followers of Jesus today do have something in common with them. At some point, a divinely-appointed messenger dropped in on us as well. We heard news about a Savior who came into the world to bring life, joy, and peace to us, and that news changed our lives. But just as it was for those shepherds, the message was more than just words to be heard. It was news to be used. The news delivered to those shepherds affected their whole purpose for living. Receiving it transformed them into divinely-appointed messengers themselves and sent them on a mission to drop in on others and deliver the same life-changing announcement. 

We aren’t shepherds, but our occupation is irrelevant. We may not have seen angels, but we heard about a Savior being born because God sent a messenger to deliver it. That leaves us with the same question the shepherds had. “Now what?” What do we do with the news that the most wonderful gift the world ever received has come? Do we just put up a tree, hang up some lights, and sing a song or two? OR  … Could it be that it was the Father’s intent that the news would transform us into divinely-appointed messengers ourselves? 

What better way could we celebrate Jesus’ coming than by brightening someone’s dark and lonely world with the news He wants us to share? The Savior has come, and the deliverance He offered and the joy and peace that came with it so long ago are also for us now – and that includes them! 

As we close today’s visit to 1st Century Bethlehem, if reviewing this amazing story through the insightful context of their cultural and historical lenses has prompted questions, provided insights, or brought comments to mind, please share them with us in our comments section. We’d love to hear them and explore them with you.  And …, if you’re finding these visits helpful, they may be helpful to others, as well, so please consider sharing this series with them.

🎄  M E R R Y   C H R I S T M A S   2 0 2 4 !!  🎄 

What a gift God has given. What a story we have to tell! And there’s more to come…

Next week we’ll wrap up our series with a couple more unexpected visits, one of which nobody writes songs about. Until then, from Diane and me at Gallagher’s Pen, may Christmas surround you with loving company, defiant joy, and the peace that comes with Jesus’ presence. 

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to Tweet & Share from the pull quotes below. Each quote links directly back to this article through Twitter.

• • We followers of Jesus today have something in common w/the shepherds. At some point, a divinely-appointed messenger dropped in on us too. We heard news about a Savior who came into the world to bring life, joy, and peace to us, and that news changed our lives. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • The news delivered to the shepherds affected their whole purpose for living. Receiving it transformed them into divinely-appointed messengers themselves and sent them on a mission to drop in on others and deliver the same life-changing announcement. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • What do we do with news that the most wonderful gift the world ever received has come? Do we just put up a tree, hang up some lights, and sing a song? OR  … Was it the Father’s intent that the news would transform us into divinely-appointed messengers ourselves? @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  

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