"But you, Oh Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are the
least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler,
Who will shepherd My people Israel." (Mt 2:6)
The celebration of the birth of Christ is something that we always
look forward to. It is a time when the church comes together to
commemorate the glorious occasion. Sometimes though, we overlook
a lot of the symbolism because of the great hope that takes place.
We lose the true meaning of the occasion. It has actually begun
to be just a time to get together and to celebrate. But there
is more to this than the celebration. There were three important
and notable happenings that were centered with the Nativity. They
deal with the Angel of the Lord appearing to Zechariah, the Virgin
Mary, and the Shepherds. Why did the Angel of the appear to them?
Is there any symbolism in reference tot he shepherds? There are
so many different things that could have happened that would have
altered the way things are now. How is it that the Shepherd of
the world, came to be born in a manger, in swaddling clothing?
Who did the Angel of the Lord appear to, and why?
Before the birth of Christ there was separation between God and
His people on earth. As a Shepherd oversees his Sheep, so is the
same reference to God. He sent His Only-begotten Son to be a shepherd
for us the lost sheep. Not only was He sent as a Shepherd to us,
but He was also sent as a Mediator to Him the Father. When it
came close to the Birth of Christ, God began to send his angels
to the earth. They appeared as messengers and Ambassadors, to
prepare the way of Christ. This began early on before the time
of Christ.
For example, the first mentioning of an appearance of an angel
was when the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. In this
appearance, the Archangel Gabriel told Zechariah that his wife,
despite her old age, shall bear a son. "For he will be great
in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong
drink, He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from
his mother's womb" (Lk 1:15).
The second appearance was the great visit of the Archangel Gabriel
to the Virgin Mary, announcing to her "that she has found
favor in the sight of God, and that she will bear a son, and His
Name will be Jesus. He will be great, and shall be called the
Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne
of His father David" (Lk 1:31-32).
The belief of the Apostolic Churches of the East and the West
was that the third great appearance was also by the Archangel
Gabriel. As we know, this appearance was to the Shepherds, proclaiming
them the good tidings, "for there is born to you this day
in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this
will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddled
clothes, lying in a manger" (Lk 2:11-12). In this appearance
contrary to the previous two, the Archangel Gabriel was accompanied
by a host of Angels, chanting in one voice saying, "Glory
to God in the Highest, peace on earth, and good will towards man"
(Lk 2:14).
The Lamb and the Shepherd
Many people would wonder why the Angel of the Lord would appear
to shepherds. The shepherds, in societal standing, were considered
the lowest. Jesus came in humbleness, not in glory like most kings
do. If Christ had come to the world with great glory and power,
then we would have not accepted Him. He was coming to shepherd
the world, and shepherds had been in the fields tending their
flocks around Bethlehem for nearly four thousand years.
Secondly, King David had cared for his flocks. Jesus was the
descendent of the lineage of King David. He was coming as the
next shepherd, to tend to the people, not like his forefather
David, who tended his father's flock of sheep. (WWSB Commentary
on the Birth of Christ).
There were some similarities in all of these appearances. For
example, In Luke 1:12, it says "...and fear fell upon him,"
in Luke 1:29, it says "...she was troubled at his saying...,"
and finally in Luke 2:9, it says, "...and they were greatly
afraid." In these three appearances, Zechariah, the Virgin
Mary,a and the shepherds were initially afraid and troubled. But
their fear was turned to gladness when they knew the great things
to come. These appearances present something very powerful from
God. It shows that his glorious angels appeared to all, the High
Priest, the Holy Virgin, and to the shepherds. By doing this God,
treats us as equals, in reference to showing us His Heavenly Glory.
Again, why did God choose shepherds for His message? The shepherds
were tending their lambs, and Jesus; the lamb of God was born
to take away the sins of the whole world. Being born in a manger
signifies that He is the Lamb of God. Now, that the True Lamb
was born, there is no need anymore for animal sacrifices, since
He is the Lamb and the Shepherd.
Shepherds, also by their nature, are nomadic. They travel from
one area to another, in search of pastures for their sheep. In
doing this, they pass by many towns and communities. This was
a very good opportunity to spread the message to others by evangelizing
the birth of Jesus, the Savior.
The Perfect Example
There is no better example to give about the Lord, our Shepherd,
and we, the sheep, than in the Gospel according to St. John. In
Chapter 10, St. John starts out by talking about how the Shepherd
knows his sheep, and his sheep know their shepherd. "To him
the doorkeepers opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls
out his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings
out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him,
because they know his voice" (Jn 10:3-4). We are the sheep,
and Christ is the Shepherd. He calls on us, and we hear Him because
we know His voice. We go to Him because we seek rest and comfort
in Him. As King David wrote in Psalm 23:1-2, "The Lord is
my shepherd, I shall not want,...He leads me beside the still
waters."
This is something that we probably do not realize as youth. There
is that hesitation to go to God for help with our problems. Instead
of talking about things that trouble us with a father of confession,
we talk to our friends. It's true that friends support you, but
they can't advise you. Their support is only temporary comfort
for us, but they, like us, have many struggles themselves. In
contrast, Christ as the Good Shepherd give His life for us. God
tries to save us, but due to our intentions, we sometimes disregard
Him.
In the same chapter of St. John's gospel verse 12, it says, "But
a hireling, [he who is] not the shepherd, one who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees;
and the Wolf catches the sheep and scatters the," This is
exactly what happens in our daily lives. Some people that we seek
help from are like the hirelings. They lead us the sheep, and
when the wolf comes, they flee from our side, and we are left
to stand on our own. But if we stand with God, and listen when
He calls us, then we would fear nothing.
Our troubles would be resolved through His grace and wisdom,
not the 'wisdom' of our friends. Christ does not only look after
us, His sheep, but for all. As it say in Matthew 15:24, "I
was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
If Christ did not want us as His sheep, He would not had said,
"Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest" (Mt 11:28).
