Common Shepherds?

Have you ever wondered why when Jesus was born that angels appeared to shepherds out in the fields of Bethlehem and announced to them that the birth had taken place? Why didn’t the angels announce it to the thousands of people in Jerusalem that was just a few miles away and where the Temple stood populated with Levitical priests, the High Priest being among them? 

Well, and to be sure, it wasn’t a random act. It wasn’t just an incidental happening. It was a planned, calculated, and deliberate demonstration to show not only who the newborn Jesus was, but to also show what he was – the Lamb of God! And who better to reveal a lamb to but a shepherd? Ah, but there is a bit more to this lamb/shepherd-thing.

First off, have you ever wondered where all the thousands of “perfect” male lambs came from that were annually sacrificed in the temple? To start, two male lambs were sacrificed each and every day, one in the morning at 9:00 am and another at 3:00 pm (modern day reckoning.) That alone is 730 “perfect” male lambs each year. But a great number of perfect lambs would also be needed to meet the demand of thousands of personal, individual sacrifices during the year, and that on top of the thousands that would be sacrificed during Passover itself. Just where did all those “perfect” male lambs come from; and how and when were they determined to be perfect as it was a strictly followed Torah requirement for such? And of course, how and where were they produced and procured? Simply put, it happened in Bethlehem.

By the time of the 1st century A.D. Temple worship and animal sacrifice had become an industry for Jerusalem – it was big business and required logistical support. Thousands of pilgrims and worshipers needed services while visiting the temple to worship and make sacrifices. And they would need a reliable source of “perfect” male lambs. 

As most pilgrims would be traveling extended distances taking days or even weeks to reach Jerusalem, it was impractical, and perhaps even foolish, to attempt to bring along one’s own perfect Lamb as such might not be perfect by the time one reached Jerusalem. It was actually a necessity to procure a perfect Lamb just before presenting it to the Levitical priest for examination of purity and approval for sacrifice. And thus, many influential temple officials had a ready market to capitalize on selling lambs and such in the temple complex. (And, incidentally, this was a serious bone of contention between Jesus and the temple authorities. Think cleansing of the temple – twice!) 

So, and due to its near location to Jerusalem, Bethlehem became the birthing and supply center for thousands of temple bound perfect male lambs. And who was to determine, or certify, the purity of these sacrificial lambs? Well, it had to be a Levite or a Levitical priest. Or, at the very least a person trained to know exactly what constituted a perfect Lamb.

It is believed by some that the Shepherds to whom the angels announced the good news of Jesus’ birth were Levitical, priestly Shepherds or at the very least Shepherds employed by the temple authorities and knowledgeable in the identification and care of qualified sacrificial lambs. According to a Jewish believer (a person today we might identify as a Messianic Jew) a one Alfred Edersheim in his book the Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, that is exactly what was taking place in Bethlehem — and on a fairly large scale.

Edersheim, as well as many after him, postulated that the shepherds that received the announcement of Christ’s birth were, in fact, special shepherds watching over special sheep, sheep groomed and cared to produce a special offspring — young male lambs suitable for temple sacrifice. The way these special sheep were treated and cared for at birth was quite similar to how the shepherds found Jesus. Being sheltered in an animal birthing place, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and placed in a protective vessel – a manger – was exactly how these unique shepherds would care for the unique lambs in their charge. The condition in which the shepherds found Jesus was to them the very sign that he was God’s special Lamb! For, according to Edershiem, that was exactly how the shepherds handled their charges — newborn, perfect , male lambs.

There are actually many more writers that have much more to reveal about this matter of the shepherds being more than just common shepherds caring for common sheep – such writers as Tim Buck: See here. Or the unnamed writer of this article: See here. Or this one: See here.

Of course not all take stock in this untraditional view of the shepherds or the birth of Jesus. As an example, consider this contrary article: See here 

No, not everyone (maybe not even most) see a miraculous work in the nature of the shepherds that night, shepherds who were most likely practiced in the recognition of a perfect Lamb, being sent to “verify” the announcement of the miraculous birth of God’s perfect Lamb. 

Well, to me that is an amazing revelation indeed. And, moreover, the more I delve into the Word of God, and with the deliberate effort to empty my head of the traditions and teachings I was exposed to by well meaning but slightly misinformed people over many years, the more the Scriptures make sense to me.

Our Lord tells us to search his Word, to be disciples of solid understanding. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

(Please note that Paul said ALL scripture is inspired by God. Does Paul mean all that is written is inspired by God or just all of the Holy Scriptures. The former can go a long way in clarifying the latter at times.)

And Isaiah wrote, “Whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from milk, those taken from the breast?For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” (Isaiah 28:9-10) 

So, letting Scripture interpret and define Scripture, itself, and that through the Holy Spirit, will produce amazing results, indeed. (And as noted, supplemental commentary can frequently help flesh things out as well.) However, and it is sure, one must seek out the precepts of Scripture by looking into the Scriptures. And in doing so, biblical knowledge will grow “here a little, there a little” until the big picture clearly comes into view.

And sometimes, just sometimes, common is just not so common, but special, very special indeed. And that, perhaps, just like some common 1st century shepherds may have been a bit more uncommon than first believed.

Mark Johnson/UMC Lay Servant/Dec. 24, 2022