"The Supporting Cast of Christmas"
Steve W. Reeves
stevereevesoutlines.blogspot.com
INTRODUCTION
A. Do
you ever find yourself confused about Christmas?
1. Some people view it as the holiest day
of the year although the Bible makes no
reference to the day, month or year
when Jesus was born.
2. The birth of the “Prince of Peace” is celebrated
by the rush, hurry and stress of the
holiday season.
3. The great spiritual significance of the
event is interwoven with stories, scenes and
traditions that have little if anything
to do with the birth of Christ.
4. The humble, poor circumstances of
Christ’s coming are a far cry from “Black
Friday”, “Cyber Monday” and the massive
mountain of materialism attached to the
modern landscape of the season. What a
paradox!
5. Is it any wonder that Charlie Brown, the
famous character in the “Peanuts” comic
strips, was so confused about the real
meaning of Christmas?
B.
Have you ever considered what the birth of Jesus meant to the people who
comprised the supporting cast at the time
of His birth?
1. There was Caesar Augustus who had
imposed a census and a tax. There was an
inn keeper who could make no room for
the birth of a baby other than the stable.
There were shepherds watching over
their flocks, an angelic chorus praising God
and, in coming days, Maji from the East.
2. I’ve always wondered about these people I refer to as “The
Supporting Cast of
Christmas.”
3. Over the next three weeks I want us to
take a closer look at some of them. All of
these supporting cast members provide
significant testimony as to who Jesus is.
4. We begin by noticing the most humble of
them all – the shepherds in the field
watching their flocks at night.
I. THE SHEPHERDS
A. Each of the four Gospels begins in a
different way. This may seem strange to us
since all of them are about the life of
Jesus.
1. The Gospels are much more than a
biographical account of Jesus’ life. Each
was written to a different audience
to present the life of Christ in a relevant and
understandable manner.
2. This helps us understand why the
four Gospels present the birth of Christ in very
different ways.
a. Matthew, written to a Jewish
audience, provides a lengthy genealogy to
demonstrate the royal linage of
Jesus as a descendent of David. He says
nothing about the actual birth
of Jesus and picks up with the story with the
coming of the Magi in Matthew
2:1.
b. Mark, written to a Roman
audience, says nothing about the genealogy of
Jesus and nothing about his birth. He begins
with the ministry of John the
Baptist and the baptism of
Jesus.
c. Luke, a physician, was keenly
interested in the birth of Jesus and provides
us with the most lengthy,
detailed account of the Nativity.
d. John, writing much later, begins
with the “Word” becoming flesh (John 1:14).
B. It is Luke who introduces us to the
shepherds with a simple statement in Luke 2:8,
“In the same region there were some
shepherds staying out in the fields and
keeping watch over their flock at
night.”
1. Are you a “Royal Watcher?” Whenever
a new baby is born into the British royal
family there is great pomp and
ceremony. The announcement is posted at the
gates of Buckingham palace, the
Queen is notified and in this day of instant
communication a “Tweet” is sent.
2. The first significant thing about
the announcement of Jesus’ birth is the ones to
whom it was delivered.
a. Shepherds were often social
outcasts. They were not allowed to worship in
the temple, their testimony was
not admissible in court and they were often
assigned responsibility of
burying the dead.
b. They were not glamorous, they
had no great wealth or power. There was
absolutely nothing significant
about them. They smelled like sheep. They
were dirty. They were not
considered “respectable folk.”
C. What does God’s selection of shepherds
as the first to receive the announcement
of Jesus’ birth say to us?
1. It was a precursor to the ministry
of Jesus Himself. In Mark 2:15-17 when
Jesus ate with sinners and tax
gatherers, He responded to the mumbling
Pharisees by saying, “It is not
those who are well who need a physician but
those who are sick. I did not come
to call the righteous but sinners to
repentance.
2. The announcement of the Savior’s
birth was not made to people of great
wealth, power or social standing.
It was made to the poor, humble shepherds
tending their flocks.
a. Some scholars have suggested
that these shepherds were tending sheep that
would later be sacrificed at
the altar of the temple in Jerusalem.
b. Whether or not this is so, it is
still significant that the announcement of the one
who would be known as the “lamb
of God” (1 Peter 1:18-19) and the one who
would be the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11), was
made to shepherds.
D. Shepherds were a common fixture
throughout the Bible, being mentioned more
than 500 times. Here in Luke 2 they are
given the high honor of receiving the news
of the Savior’s birth.
II.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
A. According to Luke’s account in verses
9-12, “And an angel of the
Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and
they were terribly frightened. 10 And so the angel said to them, “Do
not be afraid;
for behold, I bring you good news of
great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for
today in the city of David there has
been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will
find a baby wrapped in cloths and
lying in a manger.”
B. Most of us remember announcements that
have had a major impact upon our
lives.
1. Seventy-nine years ago tomorrow on
Sunday, December 7, 1941, Americans
listening to their radios heard the
announcement that Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, had
been bombed by Japan thrusting the
United States into World War II.
2. On Friday afternoon, November 23,
1963 afternoon soap operas like “The World
Turns” were interrupted by an
announcement that President John F. Kennedy
ha been shot in Dallas. This was
later followed by an announcement that he had
died.
3. Fortunately, not all announcements
are sad. We rejoice to receive the
announcement of a graduation from
school, an upcoming wedding, the birth of a
child or a wedding anniversary.
4. In all of history, however, there
had never been an announcement of the
magnitude as the one made by the
angels to the shepherds on that night over
2000 years ago.
C. What type of announcement was this?
1. It was a perplexing announcement.
a. An angel of the Lord suddenly
appeared and the glory of the Lord surrounded
them. Luke notes that they were
“terribly afraid.”
b. Throughout the Bible when angels
appear, people are often startled. The
encounter with spiritual beings
and the glory of the Lord is a frightening thing.
Do you recall Isaiah’s response
in Isaiah 6 when he saw the Lord in the
temple? “Woe is me for I am a
man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).
2. It was a promised announcement.
a. Beginning with Genesis 3:15,
after the first sin, God began to reveal His plan
to crush Satan.
b. In Isaiah 7:14 the prophet said,
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a
sign: Behold, the virgin will
conceive and give birth to a son, and she will
name Him Immanuel.”
c. Earlier in Luke 1:31, the angel
told Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and
give birth to a son, and you
shall name Him Jesus.”
d. The Old Testament prophet Micah prophesied,
“But as for you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, To little to be among the
clans of Judah, From you One will come
forth for Me to be ruler in
Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity”
(Micah 5:7).
3. It was a praising announcement.
a. The angel said, “I bring you
good news of great joy.” This was what the lowly,
downtrodden people of Israel
needed. It is what we need. It is what every
generation needs. This is the
Gospel or “good news!”
b. Immediately the heavenly hosts
began singing, “Glory to God in the Highest
and on earth, peace and good
will to men.”
b. In 1863, our nation wearily
observed Christmas under the bleak shadows of
the Civil War. On that day
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow identified with the
despair so many Americans felt.
His wife had recently died when her dress
caught fire. Henry had tried to
extinguish the flames himself but despite his
valent effort she died the following morning on July 10,
1861. His son,
Charles, who had joined the 1st
Massachusetts Artillery when he was 17
years old, had been severely
wounded in battle. Fifty-seven year old Henry
was discouraged and depressed.
His feelings are recorded in a familiar poem
published with the title,
“Christmas Bells.”
I
heard the bells on Christmas Day, their old, familiar carols play,
and mild and sweet, the words repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head; “There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For
hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to
men!”
And then the bells pealed loud and deep. "God is not dead, nor ddoth He sleep. The wrontg will fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to m en.
III. THE RESPONSE
A. In verses 15-18 of Luke 2 we find the
shepherd’s response. “When the angels had
departed from them into heaven, the
shepherds began saying
to one another,
“Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then,
and see this thing that has happened, which
the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And
they came in a hurry and found their way
to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He
lay in the manger. 17 When they had
seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them
about this
Child. 18 And
all who heard it were amazed about the things which were told them
by the shepherds.”
B. It is important to notice the three-fold
response of the shepherds.
1. They sought.
a. They did not sit around talking
about these things.
b. Immediately they left in search
of the Savior. Hearing the good news
does
not save you. Obeying it does.
2. They found.
a. Bethlehem was crowded. It took
effort but they finally found the couple who
had come from Nazareth
expecting a child and they found the child just as it
had been revealed to them.
b. Do we recognize how blessed we
are to have found the Savior?
3. They told.
a. These shepherds became the first
evangelists.
b. What had happened to them was so
great they could not possibly keep it to
themselves.
CONCLUSION:
A.
During the Christmas holidays you will likely hear someone say, “Jesus Is the reason
for the season.” Whether we recognize it or
not, Jesus is the reason for every
season and the celebration and appreciation
for His birth – the incarnation – the
Word becoming flesh is something we should
observe each day of the year.
B. Do
you know what the shepherds knew? Will you respond with the same sense of
urgency and diligence with which they
responded? We invite you to come to Christ
today.
