vv 13-14. Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
There was a distinct pecking order in Jewish society. Priests and Pharisees were pretty high up; Tax Collectors were well down the scale, and right near the bottom were Shepherds. They weren’t paid much, they smelt, and they probably were not welcome in the synagogue. And then even lower than Shepherds came the Night Shepherds, they didn’t meet up with decent people because they slept during the day and worked unsociable hours. If you were a night shepherd you really were a nobody; you had no education, no future prospects (except to be promoted to a day shepherd) and to be frank, you didn’t count for much in society.
Except that the whole host of heaven turned out to sing for them!
The court of King Herod slept on oblivious, the Scribes and Pharisees went on dreaming of new regulations, the Inn Keeper went on serving the night drinkers, AND the Night Shepherds enjoyed the most amazing Carol Concert in the whole of history! The Royal Albert Hall has never had anything to compare. How God turns earth’s values upside down!
These cold, poorly paid, outdoor workers got to hear of the Saviour’s birth before the religious elite and the high and mighty in Jerusalem society. I can’t explain why God does things that way; many clever writers have tried to, but I do know that God will not allow the clever to boast that ‘They know all about it’ when in reality it is God who reveals truth to the simple and humble in spirit. Better to be a smelly night shepherd who has encountered God than a University Professor of Theology who has done no more than read all the right books!
Perhaps it’s time to reflect on why we go to Church. Is it to gain knowledge through ‘teaching’ or is it an opportunity to be still and acknowledge the presence of God as we experience and reflect on Him at work in our lives?
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