Good News for Bad Boys
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. (Luke 2:8)
Approximately a thousand years before the birth of Jesus, a shepherd boy roamed the hills outside of Bethlehem, tending his father’s sheep. He was the youngest of eight brothers, and his low family status earned him the least desirable job - caring for unruly, obstinate, and frankly, stupid sheep. Click on the link above for a good laugh and an illustration of what sheep tending is like.
For centuries, shepherding was a noble profession among Jews. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all shepherds. But as Israel settled in the Promised Land and became a more agrarian community, the status of shepherds declined.
By the time of the birth of Christ, shepherds were considered second-class citizens. They were looked down upon and considered untrustworthy. They were banned from serving as witnesses in a court of law because their testimony was considered unreliable. To buy wool or milk from a shepherd was forbidden because it was assumed it was stolen property.
How appropriate that the announcement of the savior for all people came first to these “bad boys” in the fields.
In my book, “The Scandalous Life of Jesus Christ,” which is scheduled for release in Fall 2023, I describe the most despised shepherd in Israel’s history, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah tells us he was “despised, and we held in in low esteem. (Isaiah 53:3, NIV)
But the life of Jesus, from birth to death, demonstrates that “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (I Corinthians 1:28-29)
In Christ,
Dan
‘Tis the season to rejoice in God’s grace.
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
You can listen to my weekly messages at Embrace Church, High Point.