Why Did God Announce the Birth of the Messiah to Shepherds, One of the Lowest Social Classes?
If you were planning the birth announcement of the Son of God, you might send it to kings. You might light up the palaces of Jerusalem. You might whisper into the halls of Rome or thunder across the marble courts of Caesar himself. But on the night Jesus was born, heaven turned its spotlight toward a field outside Bethlehem where a handful of men huddled around a fire, smelling of sheep and dust and long nights.
The very first people to hear the news of the Messiah were shepherds. Not elites. Not priests. Not scholars. Shepherds.
So here is the question.
Why did God announce the birth of the Messiah to shepherds, one of the lowest and least respected groups in Jewish society
The short answer is simple and astonishing. God chose shepherds because they fit the pattern of His heart and His plan. They were overlooked by society, yet beloved by God. And by speaking to them first, God was making a declaration about the kind of kingdom Jesus came to bring.
And the more closely you look at the story, the more beautiful and intentional this moment becomes.
Let us take a closer look at why shepherds, of all people, were the first to hear the song of heaven.
In the first century, shepherds were not admired. They lived on the margins of the community, sometimes literally outside the walls. Rabbinic writings describe them as unreliable witnesses whose testimony was often dismissed in legal settings. Their work kept them far from ceremonial purity. Many looked on them with suspicion. They were necessary, but rarely honored. They lived beneath notice.
Yet God noticed.
And this was not the first time. Scripture has a long history of God choosing shepherds for sacred work. Abraham kept flocks. Jacob tended sheep. Moses met God while shepherding in the wilderness. David learned the shape of kingship while protecting lambs. Ezekiel describes God Himself as Israel’s shepherd who rescues the flock neglected by corrupt leaders (Ezekiel 34). Shepherds stand in the long line of people God lifts from obscurity to purpose. They represent humility, faithfulness, and a life lived far from the applause of crowds.
Your Christmas teaching notes point out that Jesus is born in David’s city, the city of a shepherd king, and that the symbolism of God revealing Himself first to lowly men fits the heart of the incarnation itself (Reighley, 2018b). Jesus does not rise from society’s top. He steps into its depths.
There is also something profoundly fitting about shepherds receiving the news of a child who would one day be called the Good Shepherd. While the world slept, heaven whispered to men who already knew what it meant to guard, guide, and lay down their lives for a flock. They understood the rhythm of watching through the night, the steady vigilance, the tenderness required to protect the vulnerable. When the angel said, A Savior is born to you, they understood the weight of that word in a way the powerful never could.
Luke tells us that the glory of the Lord shone around them and that they were terrified. Glory does that. It breaks into darkness with a light that feels too large for the world. But the angel speaks peace. Fear not. The message is not judgment. It is joy. It is news for all people. And the first people to hear it are men society had forgotten.
This was not an accident. This was a pattern. This was the kingdom of God arriving upside down, or perhaps right side up.
The message itself reinforces this. Today a Savior is born for you. Not simply for Israel. Not simply for the righteous. For you. For men who live far from temple courts and polished religion. The announcement is personal, intimate, and gracious. It tells us something about God. He moves toward the humble. He draws near to the lowly. He delights to reveal His glory to those who have nothing to offer but open hearts and quiet awe.
And there is one more detail your Christmas notes highlight. Bethlehem’s fields were likely filled with sheep destined for temple sacrifice (Reighley, 2018c). The shepherds who guarded those lambs were the first to meet the Lamb of God. The symbolism is breathtaking. The men who kept watch over sacrifices would witness the birth of the One who would fulfill them.
Why shepherds
Because the gospel is for the lowly. Because grace reaches the forgotten. Because God delights to start His greatest works in places no one thinks to look. Because Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Because the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit. Because heaven does not evaluate worth the way the world does.
And because the best way to announce a humble Savior is to begin with humble people.
This matters for us because it means no one is too small for God to notice. No one is too far for God to reach. No one is too ordinary for God to call. If the first recipients of the birth announcement were shepherds on the night shift, then the invitation of God is wide enough for every heart that feels unseen, unworthy, or unimportant.
The birth of Christ is not for the proud. It is not for the polished. It is for all who know their need and look for hope. The shepherds remind us that God moves toward the margins with joy.
So walk it out this way. Remember that the God who sought shepherds seeks you. Let humility become a doorway for grace. And when you hear the good news of Jesus, do what they did. Rise with joy. Run toward Him. And tell the world what you have seen.
It seems heaven is still quite comfortable showing up in fields where no one expects it.
References
Heiser, M. S. (2015). The unseen realm: Recovering the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Lexham Press.
Reighley, C. (2018b). The theology of Christmas [Teaching notes]. RHCC Bible Study.
Reighley, C. (2018c). The prophecy of Christmas [Teaching notes]. RHCC Bible Study.
Walton, J. H. (2006). Ancient Near Eastern thought and the Old Testament. Baker Academic.
