Shepherds – Really?
Shepherds, aren’t they so cute. Little boys wearing their bathrobes scooting off to the manger to see the Baby Jesus. No Christmas play is quite complete without them. But, do they actually represent the shepherds of old? Not really.
If you look into the social status of shepherds in the first century you will find they were on the same rung as the tax collectors! Now, everyone knows how much we love it when the “IRS man cometh.” 
Can you recall the hateful things said of tax collectors in the Gospels? Well, shepherds were thought of just as malevolently as the tax collectors.
Shepherds were thought of as dirty, filthy, lonely, uncouth people. They were classed as lying, cheating, and conniving. In fact, in a court of law a shepherd could not testify because everyone just assumed he would lie! Their job was important to the ongoing of the society, but, no one wanted to be one.
Oh how different from the status of shepherds was throughout the Old Testament. Names such as Abraham, Moses and even David evoke wonderful mental pictures. David’s experience as a shepherd prepared him for one of his greatest challenges; battling Goliath. And, King David’s most endearing Psalm came from his experience as well. Psalm 23 is David’s way of pointing out that just as he shepherded his sheep, so the Lord shepherds his people.
Yet, all of that good will changed by the time we reach a bunch of shepherds on a hillside on that first Christmas night. While these lonely, dejected shepherds prepared for another long night, with the fire flickering and the stars twinkling, the sky lit up like noonday. The black darkness of their secluded spot became bright. Then, on top of seeing an unbelievable sight, they heard a voice! Was it an illusion? Was it a dream? Whatever it was couldn’t be real, or could it?
The words they heard were, “Fear not.” Don’t be afraid, are you kidding me? But, then they heard the words the world was longing to hear, the words the Jewish people had been looking forward to for centuries, the Messiah is born. But, this message wasn’t delivered to the “powers that be” in the capitol city of Jerusalem. No, it was deliverd to a bunch of looney, dirty, neglected, and rejected shepherds. Crazy, huh? But, then, God does so many things that are “out of the ordinary.”
But, then, who would feel more “at home” in a barn? Smelly shepherds or squeaky-clean Scribes? I think you know that answer. You see, God really does know what He is doing. And, you and I can trust Him for our lives as well. Let’s thank Him for showing us that we normal people are welcome to come to worship. Be sure to do that during this Christmas season.
