God Chooses Shepherds to Show His Love and Grace

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8, ESV

Have you ever seen a flock of sheep or a shepherd? Shepherding is a tough job. It’s not only dirty; it can be dangerous! As we look at this section of scripture, I think there are several important truths to understand about the good news of Christ’s birth coming first to the shepherds. To understand these truths, we must first understand the shepherds mentioned in today’s verses. Shepherds in that day often worked at night, in remote places, and on rented land grazing the livestock. Most shepherds were hired by local business owners. Pay was cheap. Work was hard. Hours were long. Shepherds served as a security patrol for the owners. They often worked late, in the rain and cold.

Shepherds didn’t need much of an education; only a brave and honest commitment to keep watch was necessary. Unfortunately shepherds didn’t have a good reputation. Many, not having much money, would steal from nearby land owners. The grazing fields were often in remote villages or on hillsides. A shepherd would have many hours in the night. It was easy to steal a sheep and blame it on a wolf attack. Some shepherds would have stolen from other nearby farms as well. Most communities looked down on shepherds as dirty and suspicious. So why does God choose to come to these unlikely, untrustworthy shepherds to share the news about Jesus birth?

Questions for reflection and discussion
1. Why do you think God would come to these unlikely, undeserving, and untrustworthy people to share about the good news of Jesus’ birth first?
2. We are kind of like the shepherds, undeserving of God’s grace and spiritually unclean, yet God comes to us and offers us good news and cleanses us from sin. Now, what do you think God wants you to know about His love?

Prayer
Lord, thank You for coming to me. While I was untrustworthy, You loved me enough to have a relationship with me and forgive me of my sins. Through Christ You offer me help and the promise of life everlasting. In Jesus' name, amen.