5. The Good Shepherd
There is, in my mind, a second reason why the shepherds were present at the Savior's birth. In John 10:11, Christ refers to himself as "the good shepherd", and this is one of many titles that we use in reference to the Messiah. It is interesting, with this in mind, that an angel was sent to summon not kings, princes, or lords (despite the fact that each one of these titles is used to describe Christ), but shepherds. He chose to have the humblest of people present at this sacred occasion. People whose lives centered around watching over and caring for a flock that was incapable of protecting itself. From the very beginning, Christ associated himself with this symbol, making it known that he, like the shepherds, would watch over and care for all man kind, the flock which his Heavenly Father had placed under his protection.
Although we tend to think of our Nativity scenes as only complete when the three Wise Men stand by and worship the holy child, it is likely that they did not arrive for sometime after the Savior's birth. Possibly as much as a year or two later. But the shepherds came that very night. I think there is significance in the fact that the shepherds were the first to worship the Christ. Although he will someday come again to this Earth in "power and great glory" (Luke 21:27), and will rule as "Lord of lords" and "King of kings" (Revelation 17:14), he spent his earthly ministry as a carpenter and a teacher, and had not "where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). In this life, he chose to be a shepherd, and not a king. By having the angel summon simple shepherds to the bedside of the baby Jesus, the Lord was indicating the sacredness of his role as our good shepherd.
There is, in my mind, a second reason why the shepherds were present at the Savior's birth. In John 10:11, Christ refers to himself as "the good shepherd", and this is one of many titles that we use in reference to the Messiah. It is interesting, with this in mind, that an angel was sent to summon not kings, princes, or lords (despite the fact that each one of these titles is used to describe Christ), but shepherds. He chose to have the humblest of people present at this sacred occasion. People whose lives centered around watching over and caring for a flock that was incapable of protecting itself. From the very beginning, Christ associated himself with this symbol, making it known that he, like the shepherds, would watch over and care for all man kind, the flock which his Heavenly Father had placed under his protection.
Although we tend to think of our Nativity scenes as only complete when the three Wise Men stand by and worship the holy child, it is likely that they did not arrive for sometime after the Savior's birth. Possibly as much as a year or two later. But the shepherds came that very night. I think there is significance in the fact that the shepherds were the first to worship the Christ. Although he will someday come again to this Earth in "power and great glory" (Luke 21:27), and will rule as "Lord of lords" and "King of kings" (Revelation 17:14), he spent his earthly ministry as a carpenter and a teacher, and had not "where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). In this life, he chose to be a shepherd, and not a king. By having the angel summon simple shepherds to the bedside of the baby Jesus, the Lord was indicating the sacredness of his role as our good shepherd.
6. The Lamb of God
There is one last thing I would like to mention about the significance of the shepherds in the Christmas story. Another name by which Christ is known is "the Lamb of God." This is, for me at least, one of the most powerful images of the Savior. In the book of Moses, Adam was commanded to sacrifice a lamb--the firstborn of the flock, one without blemish--in similitude of the Only Begotten of the Father (Moses 5:5-7). This tradition was passed down through the Law of Moses, and continued until the after the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The lamb represented Christ, who sacrificed himself willingly so that each of us could be forgiven of our sins and transgressions, and could overcome the pains, afflictions, and unfairness of this world. "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth" (Acts 8:32).
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. From the moment of his birth, he was destined to fulfill this role. Christ himself declared it to Pilot, saying, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth" (John 18:37).
There is one last thing I would like to mention about the significance of the shepherds in the Christmas story. Another name by which Christ is known is "the Lamb of God." This is, for me at least, one of the most powerful images of the Savior. In the book of Moses, Adam was commanded to sacrifice a lamb--the firstborn of the flock, one without blemish--in similitude of the Only Begotten of the Father (Moses 5:5-7). This tradition was passed down through the Law of Moses, and continued until the after the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The lamb represented Christ, who sacrificed himself willingly so that each of us could be forgiven of our sins and transgressions, and could overcome the pains, afflictions, and unfairness of this world. "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth" (Acts 8:32).
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. From the moment of his birth, he was destined to fulfill this role. Christ himself declared it to Pilot, saying, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth" (John 18:37).
I recently read a blog post that presented a possible reason why the shepherds attended the birth of Christ, and knew where to look for the infant lying in a manger. The theory is that the shepherds were at Migdal Edar, the place where sheep were breed to be sacrificed on the temple alters, which is just outside of Bethlehem. At Migdal Edar there was a special stable kept for the birthing of temple lambs. According to this theory, Christ was born in this very stable, and the shepherds did not need to go in search of him because he lay in the manger from which they fed their own sacred sheep. I very much enjoyed this theory. What more appropriate place for the birth of the Savior of the world--the Lamb of God--than in the stable in which sacrificial lambs were born? I highly recommend checking out the blog; it is well worth a read!