Commentary on Luke 2:8-20

The beautiful, decorative nativity scenes we find in many homes around Christmastime don’t fully convey the shocking and even radical nature of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Beneath the scene of shepherds, animals, wise men, and the holy family lie challenging questions about power, true peace, and the nature of God’s care for humanity. While familiarity makes this story a challenge for preachers looking to offer a fresh perspective, it is well worth unpacking the nuances and layers of this passage to help readers see and understand it with fresh eyes.

This text follows directly after the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:7) in Bethlehem—shepherds will be the first to hear this news. They are tending to their flocks in a nearby field, where they have settled overnight. Theirs is lowly and challenging work, herding their sheep and goats from place to place for food and water, all the while protecting their animals from potential predators. It is not easy or clean work either: These shepherds are “living in the fields,” exposed to the elements, and probably sleeping among their animals to stay warm at night.

Moreover, sheep need a lot of supervision and are easily lost—they are not the brightest. It is important work, nevertheless: Sheep and goats are two of the most important domestic animals in Israel, useful for their meat and wool, as well as for sacrificial offerings.

Shepherds and Bethlehem evoke the rich history of David, the shepherd who became a king. “Shepherd” is an important image throughout Scripture, at times describing God’s care and concern for humanity (Psalm 23). The image is also used to criticize wealthy, elite rulers who, in contrast to God, fail to care for and serve their people (Ezekiel 34). Jesus, of course, will also describe himself as the good shepherd in the Gospel of John (John 10:1–21).

Luke has already set this scene in the context of Roman imperial history: These events are happening under the reign of Caesar Augustus (2:1). An angel appears to the shepherds and announces “good news” of a Savior’s birth in Bethlehem (verses 10–11). This echoes Roman imperial language: Augustus’s birth was celebrated as “good news”—gospel!—for the world, and he was hailed as “savior.”

The parallel sets up an important and intriguing contrast in this passage between the emperor and Jesus, and between imperial ways and God’s ways. One appears in grandeur; the other appears as a newborn baby in a feeding trough. One wields might and control through violence. The other will begin a nonviolent movement of love.

In addition to the title “Savior,” this newborn babe is proclaimed as “Messiah” (Greek: christos) and “Lord” (kurios). Both are loaded titles. “Messiah,” of course, refers to Israel’s long-expected king. The word kurios is used often in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, to render the tetragrammaton, the sacred name of God. At the same time, Caesar is often referred to as kurios—Lord—as well.¹ Taken as a whole, this announcement to the shepherds makes rather bold claims as to the identity of Jesus.

Suddenly, a multitude of angels appear, praising and glorifying God and invoking peace on earth (verses 13–14). The word “peace” summons imperial propaganda—Pax Romana—which claimed that Caesar Augustus had inaugurated a golden age of peace and abundance throughout the world. These imperial claims obscured a difficult truth: Roman rule was established and maintained through violence and oppression. If Rome brought peace, it was surely a bloody peace.

Once the angels return to heaven, the shepherds go to visit Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. Perhaps surprisingly, the moment is sparsely narrated. In fact, there are curious gaps throughout this story that may be worth noting for listeners.

For example, how many shepherds should we imagine? The passage offers little indication. What do the shepherds do with their flocks after they hear the good news—do they leave them behind in the fields, or do sheep and goats come to the manger too? Once the shepherds find Jesus, do they worship him? The text doesn’t say. Asking these questions might allow hearers to imagine this scene in fresh ways.

This passage also raises important questions worthy of theological reflection. Luke’s setting for this scene (verse 1) reminds first-century readers that they live in the shadow of Roman occupation. Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem at the demand of Caesar, for the purpose of taxation. They are oppressed peoples. Roman taxes, of course, are nothing like taxes in a modern democracy. Rather than using tax revenue to build schools and provide social security, imperial taxes were used to fund the lavish lifestyles of the elite, to pay soldiers in their armies (to maintain control), and to build roads in order to efficiently move those armies around.

At the same time, this passage underlines the Lukan emphasis on God’s attention to the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized (see especially Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46–55). Angels announce Jesus’s birth to poor shepherds, not to the Roman elite. The Savior of the world is not the most powerful and wealthiest man in the empire, but rather a lowly babe in a manger.

It is hard to overstate the radical and shocking reversal that takes place in these familiar Christmas scenes. Why in the world would God’s messenger announce this birth to shepherds? And yet, in the context of the Gospel of Luke, of course the angel would announce Jesus’s birth to shepherds! This is simply part of the scandal of the Christmas story.

Luke’s story of these shepherds’ narrative creates a great deal of tension between the gospel of Jesus Christ and the “gospel” of Rome. Whereas Rome displays power through violence, domination, and control, God enters into human history in subtler, gentler ways. And God appears to those we might least expect. Preachers might wonder aloud with congregations: Who are the shepherds today? Who are those who live their lives on the margins of society? And how might God surprise readers today by showing up in the lives of those we deem least likely?

Notes

1. It is possible to overstate this connection—kurios is also a common means of addressing someone in authority, akin to “sir.”

PRAYER OF THE DAY

God of proclamation, you sent shepherds to Mary to proclaim the good news that her child is God’s son. Send us into the world to proclaim the good news of your love to all who will hear. We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

HYMNS

O come, all ye faithful ELW 283, H82 83, UMH 234, NCH 135
O little town of Bethlehem ELW 279, H82 78, 79, UMH 230, NCH 133
Angels from the realms of glory ELW 280

CHORAL

Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, John Rutter