Star of Wonder: 5-Days of Advent to Illuminate the People, Places, and Purpose of the First ChristmasSample

Though shepherds provided a useful and necessary service, they were on the bottom rung of the social ladder. According to the Law, a person became ritually unclean if he touched a dead person or animal, ate a forbidden food, had a discharge of bodily fluids, or had leprosy. To be made ritually clean, they had to wait a certain number of days, bathe in a mikveh, and make a sacrificial offering.

Shepherds and tanners were almost always unclean because they were in frequent contact with dead or sick animals. They were forbidden to enter the Temple in a state of ritual uncleanness, and no one could touch them without becoming unclean themselves. So extreme was the prejudice against shepherds that they were considered liars and not allowed to bear witness in a court of law.

But when Jesus was born, our merciful God sent holy messengers, not to kings or priests, but to shepherds. He didn’t consider their wealth, social position, or physical appearance. He didn’t care that they had grime under their fingernails and smelled of beasts. He looked out at those fields, saw the lowliest of the low, and sent heralds to invite them to meet the newborn king before anyone else.

The first angel might have crossed a field and walked up to them, or he might have materialized out of the night air. He might have even passed for human, yet the glory surrounding him assured the shepherds this was no ordinary visitor. Then the real excitement began:

And suddenly a multitude of heavenly armies appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth shalom to men of good will.”

Luke 2:13–14

The shepherds probably went from terrified to apoplectic, but they didn’t move until the angels had departed “into the heavens.” When the shepherds finally found their voices, they said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which Adonai has made known to us!” (Luke 2:15).

God gives everyone a voice . . . and a choice. Ask the Lord to show you how you can use both to honor Him this Christmas.