The birth of Jesus is one of the most well-known Bible passages often read throughout the Nativity season. It is known even to those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.
This passage is a significant and well-told story and is found hidden within the birth story found in Luke.
Also found are many significant moments, usually connected to the Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled in Jesus.
What Is the Context of Luke 2:11?
There we read the words: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you.” Verse 8 of the same chapter reveals the context of these words, telling us that following Jesus’ birth, there were shepherds out in the fields nearby who were watching their flocks, and an angel of the Lord appeared to them.
These were the words spoken by the angel as they informed shepherds of the birth of Jesus. The shepherds in biblical times were not seen in any way as important, and in fact, they were outsiders. The reason for this is that they were deemed unclean due to their jobs.
This incredible message about a new king’s birth is something the shepherds would have heard in the grapevine, in the market, or from passing people traveling through the country.
They would not have been deemed worthy enough to go and worship in the Temple, let alone receive a visit from angelic beings and be told of the birth of a savior.
This is a profound moment where God opens the door to the shepherds and, in essence, declares that they were welcome too. Being deemed clean was not a prerequisite for being welcome.
These shepherds were awaiting the Messiah along with the rest of the Jewish people and had been for a very long time.
At this moment, they were busy in the fields watching their sheep, getting on with their lives. They likely had no expectation that the Messiah would come after 400 years of silence from God.
This is one of my favorite parts of the shepherd story. I love that even though they were busy with the ordinary and seemingly mundane side of life, God bursts in unmissable.
Friends, the same is true of us. God does not only speak in the seemingly Holy moments, in churches or chapels, in house groups or prayer meetings, but also in those moments where you have a child hanging off your hip, when you’re at work and caught up, when you meet a new person, when you’re reading your Bible hoping to hear from him, when you’re cooking or showering.
God shows up in those places also and blesses us with a word from Himself, more than that, and He blesses us with himself. What an incredible gift! The presence of God.
In this passage, we see many things revealed to us, but the most significant of all to me is the message the angels shared, a Savior had been born. Not just any king, or son, not just any man, but the long-awaited Messiah, originally prophesied way back in Genesis 3.
The Lord and Savior who would redeem humanity. This incredible person had been born in a manger not far from these shepherds and their sheep.
We know without a shadow of a doubt that we are unable to save ourselves from our sin. Proof of that is found in the Old Testament; every ancestral father who came before Jesus fell short of God’s plans.
But Jesus the Messiah was finally born. It would be His role on earth to show us how to live and to leave an example for us to follow. Unlike most gifts we get at Christmas, wrapped in paper and a bow, Jesus was a gift to all humanity wrapped in swaddling cloth.
Jesus would give us a route to be saved and to live in relationship with God the father. The beginning of the story starts in Genesis but continues in a manger.
This was a pivotal moment in the story, and what a story it is. Thirty years later, He would die a cruel death, taking on the sins of humanity and rise again on the third day defeating.
Satan. This Savior, our soul’s rescuer, had been born, and the angels rejoiced.
What Was the Significance of This Message?
This message was one of a kind. It was an important message. One that held hope, challenge, life, and meaning. It was a vital moment in the Jewish calendar.
The second thing I find so beautiful here is that when this announcement is made, these shepherds leave their sheep, and they go to worship this Messiah. It is of deep importance to them to go and bow down before Him.
They don't say, "Look, angels, we’re a bit busy here, this is our livestock and it's important to us," but rather they pack up and they follow until they find this little baby wrapped in cloth snuggled in by his young mother.
Friend, is there something you are so caught up with that you are not spending time worshipping Jesus?
Do you need to set down whatever your hand is busy with and go and sit at Jesus’ feet and remind yourself that He is Lord and Savior? If you do need that, I hope you'll intentionally carve that time.
Another significant reason for this detail of Jesus being born in the city of David is that in Micah, chapter 5, it is prophesied that out of Bethlehem, a ruler of all of Israel would be born.
This seemingly small detail comes to completion in the story found in Luke as the angels declare that Jesus was born in the city of David. Not one single word, friend, spoken by God, ever goes unfinished.
He is a man of His word and can be fully trusted even right down to this detail of where Jesus would be born and who He would be mattered. In the same manner, there is not one single word God will speak over you that He will not see to its fullness and completion.
You can trust God to ensure His words and His plans come to pass. Philippians 1:6 says, "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."
What Does This Mean?
So, this Christmas time, as we rejoice with angels and shepherds, Jesus not only came and lived, died, and rose again, but He will also return and take us home to glory with Him.
If you don't know Jesus, may I urge you this Christmas to look a little closer at Scripture and see Jesus, the one who loves you, who laid down his life for you, and consider accepting Him as your Savior and worshipping Him like the shepherds.
For further reading:
What Do We Know about the Shepherds at Jesus’ Birth?
What Does it Mean ‘For unto Us a Child Is Born’?
What Was the Significance of the Angels at Christmas?
Why Did an Angel Speak to Joseph about Mary and Jesus?
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