Saviour, Messiah and Lord

Shepherds. Have you ever wondered why the first people beyond the family to hear about Jesus’ birth were shepherds? It’s all part of the great reversal that Jesus brings. As Mary had said, “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” These men were out in the fields at night. Maybe it was summertime – the date of December 25 was picked later to coincide with the Roman festival of Saturnalia, when, (guess what?) the Roman festivities included a game of role reversal, and masters and slaves traded roles for one day.

There may be another meaning lurking here. In many of the languages of the ancient Near East, including the languages of the Bible, the word “shepherd” is also used to mean “king.” Jesus’ ancestor David had gone from being a shepherd to being a king.

Angels. They are always terrifying. The first angel declared the good news. The baby had been born who would be Saviour, Messiah and Lord (v 11).

• Saviour. Today, that word is used mainly in religious contexts, but it was an ordinary everyday word in the ancient Greek that Luke wrote in. Caesar Augustus had called himself Saviour.
• Messiah means “anointed.” “Messiah” is the Hebrew word, “Christ” the Greek. The Jews anointed a person with oil when they installed him in a special office, such as priest or king. The “Messiah,” as the word is used in the NT, referred to the person the Jews were looking forward to. (It’s not Jesus’ “surname.”)
• Lord. Augustus had used this term too. Your “Lord” is the one to whom you give your allegiance.

Fighting words! This is the only place in the Bible where these three terms come together. Who is Jesus to you? Is he the one you have been looking for? Is he your Saviour and Lord?

You will find him in baby clothes, lying in an animal’s feeding trough.

The shepherds had a story to tell! And Mary had something to think about.

Respond in Prayer

Jesus, I am amazed at the way you came among us. I worship you as my Saviour, who rescues me from my sinful self; my Messiah, fulfilling all the longings of the Old Testament; and my Lord, to whom I surrender my whole life. For your sake, Amen.

Annabel Robinson