Luke 2:9, commentary and pictures

At night on the hills around Bethlehem shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks and talking of the promised Saviour when an angel came to them and the brightness of God's presence shone around them. The sudden radiance terrified them in their human weakness, so one leading angel first showed himself to quiet their fear and give them time to grow accustomed to the light before the greater glory of the host was seen, for the angels veiled a glory mortals could not fully behold. God sent the first news of the Redeemer's birth not to proud priests and rulers in Jerusalem, who looked for a temporal king and felt no need, but to humble shepherds who longed for Him and heeded the light they had. Though He was born in poverty with His divinity veiled in humanity, heaven honored His coming by this announcement, proclaiming His arrival to accomplish redemption and bring peace and everlasting life through His death. The shining light was the sign of God's presence with men, showing that heaven is near to those in common work and that angels still attend and guard humble workers who follow God's direction.

Night Watch Setting

It was night, and shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks on the hills and plains around Bethlehem, in the very fields where David had led his flock. They were guarding their flocks by night when the angel came upon them.

As they watched they were talking together about the promised Saviour, longing for the Messiah, and praying for the coming of the King to David's throne. They were speaking of the promised Saviour and praying for the King to come to David's throne when the glory shone around them.

This night watch is the setting for the first announcement of the Messiah's birth. It places the shepherds' encounter with the angels in the story of Jesus' birth, when angels heralded the Saviour's birth to shepherds watching near Bethlehem.

Angel Glory and Fear

The angel of the Lord came upon the shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them with divine radiance, suddenly lighting the plain and illuminating the heavens. That sudden heavenly brightness alarmed and terrified them, and they were sore afraid because the divine radiance was overwhelming to human weakness. It was the setting for the first announcement of the Messiah's birth, revealing the heavenly importance of the news.

The shepherds did not at first see the multitude of angels, though the brightness of the host illuminated and glorified the entire scene. One leading angel first revealed himself to quiet their fear, and with tender regard for human weakness gave them time to become accustomed to the radiance before the greater glory and full light and joy of the host was revealed. His light and presence first calmed them and prepared them to bear the greater glory, and then he calmed their fear with the announcement of the Saviour's birth.

The announcing angels were enshrouded in pure white clouds and veiled their glory, since they were not permitted to display their own glory fully to human eyes. For those willing to receive the heavenly Guest the angel messengers veiled their glory while the heavenly chorus rang over the hills of Bethlehem with praise to the newborn King. The light shining around the shepherds was a sign of God's presence, as light had been throughout His dealings with His people, and Christ Himself was the divine light revealed to the world when the angels brought the message of redemption.

Chosen Humble Hearers

God made the first announcement of the Redeemer's birth not to the powerful or honored but to humble shepherds keeping watch by night, good men of a humble and despised class. Their lowly station shows that the news of the Redeemer was not reserved for greatness, and the glory shining round them became the setting for heaven's first proclamation of the Messiah's birth.

The message was sent to a few who longed to behold Him, who watched their flocks while longing for the Messiah, who had heeded the light they had received, and who joyfully received the testimony. It was not sent to Jerusalem's indifferent religious leaders, who were unprepared to welcome the Redeemer. The heavens were suddenly lighted with a brightness that alarmed the shepherds, flooding the plain and glorifying the entire scene, and while they were terrified they did not at first discern the myriads of angels congregated in the heavens until the leading angel revealed himself and quieted their fears.

Angels did the work of heralding the Messiah because none among men were ready to do it. The priests should have taught the people to look for the Saviour, but they themselves did not know of His coming, so God sent angels to tell the shepherds that Christ was born and where they might find Him. The tidings were not given to priests, rulers, learned Jews, and prominent people because they were too proud to welcome the Messiah as a helpless child. They knew the Saviour was soon to come yet expected a mighty temporal king who would make them rich and great, they professed to expound prophecy but had lost its true sense and had no heart to receive it, they had separated themselves from God by wicked works and felt no need for greater piety, and they were not looking for Him or prepared to receive Him. His divine glory was veiled by His humanity, angels announced His coming with joy in heaven, yet the proud and learned leaders did not recognize Him and the great men of earth knew nothing of the birth while heaven welcomed the news.

God comes to people directly in the way He can best reach them, so He revealed Christ to the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem in a different way than He revealed Christ to the Magi. The humble shepherds believed Him, received Him, and worshiped Him, going to worship Him and announcing His birth, which marked the fulfillment of prophecies about the Messiah's coming. The heavenly message is thus received by those humble enough to recognize their need, while the great and influential were left in darkness and those who expected a temporal ruler failed to recognize Him and continued unteachable, self-righteous, and self-sufficient.

Honor to Humble Birth

Jesus was born without worldly grandeur, as an infant of poor parentage whose heavenly glory and divinity were veiled and clothed by the humility of His humanity and earthly setting, with majesty and lowliness combined, yet God honored His advent through the heavenly announcement and the angels' worship. The angels were not permitted to display their own glory fully to human eyes, and for those willing to receive the heavenly Guest the angel messengers veiled their glory while the heavenly chorus rang over the hills of Bethlehem with hosannas to the newborn King. The contrast stands between Christ's veiled glory in His humble first coming and the heavenly glory surrounding the announcement of His birth.

Angels from heaven informed the shepherds of Jesus' birth with light and the glory of God accompanying their testimony, and in this way the humble birth was honored. Angels came to the plains of Bethlehem proclaiming the arrival of the world's Redeemer, and the heavenly host filled the plains with praise for His glory. Their testimony heralded the Son of God's arrival to accomplish redemption and, through His death, bring peace, happiness, and everlasting life for humanity. Their song was a sign from heaven witnessing to Christ's mission.

The news brought joy in heaven and was welcomed there, though the great men and great people of earth knew nothing of the birth and remained unaware. In entering a lowly human life and sharing its needs, Jesus showed God's deep sympathy with the humblest and lowliest so that every part of human life could be set apart for service to God. The announcement accompanied God's care for the infant Jesus and was part of God honoring Joseph and Mary in an especial manner by entrusting the Saviour to their responsible charge, directing Joseph's course to protect and preserve the infant Saviour's life. As at Bethlehem, God can work through His ministers, shedding His light and glory when people give Him room to work.

Opposition and Rejection

The shining of divine glory around the shepherds on the plain and the angel's announcement of Christ's birth alarmed Satan, for he saw in the newborn Saviour a rival who would challenge his power and kingdom. He recognized that coming as a threat to his own authority and therefore set himself to plan the destruction of the Prince of life.

The report of the angels' visit to the shepherds was carried to Jerusalem and became known there, yet the rabbis dismissed it with contempt as unworthy of notice. Pride and envy shut the door against the light, because to give credit to the shepherds and the wise men would have disproved their own claim to be the exponents of God's truth.

They would not stoop to be instructed by those they called heathen, holding it impossible that God would communicate with ignorant shepherds and uncircumcised Gentiles rather than with themselves. They would not go to Bethlehem to see whether these things were so, and they led the people to regard interest in Jesus as fanatical excitement.

That contempt for the shepherds' testimony was the beginning of the rejection of Christ by the priests and rabbis, as pride and stubbornness hardened into settled hatred. While God was opening the door to the Gentiles, the Jewish leaders were closing the door to themselves. The very ones who ought to have been first to welcome Jesus did not discern Him because He did not come as the temporal prince their ambitious hopes desired, but came as an infant of days of poor parentage with divinity clothed in humanity, majesty and lowliness combined. The humble shepherds believed Him, received Him, and worshiped Him, while those who looked for a temporal ruler failed to recognize Him and continued unteachable, self-righteous, and self-sufficient in their false path.

Heavenly Signs and Prophecy

The appearing of the angel host to shepherds keeping their flocks on the hills of Bethlehem was a sign and wonder in the heavens given at the advent of Christ, in which all heaven recognized His coming to earth. Their announcement of His birth to that humble group, telling them where to find Him and met with joy and worship, marked the fulfillment of prophecies about the Messiah's coming. While the shepherds guarded their flocks by night, the glory of the angelic host suddenly lit the plain and terrified them, for they did not at first see the multitude of angels or discern the myriads congregated in the heavens and did not know the reason for the display. The brightness and glory from the heavenly host illuminated and glorified the entire plain and flooded it, brilliantly illuminating the heavens when the host heralded Christ's advent, and the leading angel of the throng then revealed himself to quiet their fear with the announcement of the Saviour's birth, followed by a multitude praising God.

After the angels returned to heaven a bright, unusual luminous star appeared and lingered in the sky as a sign of Christ's advent and coming. That light later seen by the wise men as a star was a distant company and cluster of shining, flaming angels enshrouded in light that illuminated the heavens and lit the hills of Bethlehem on the night Jesus was born. The wise men of the East saw that heavenly illumination from afar but were not privileged to hear the angels' proclamation to the shepherds. They beheld the glory around the angel host in the sky as a strange light, and though they did not know it was angels its appearance impressed them as a sign of special importance and led them to seek the newborn Prince, and when this light faded away what looked like a new star appeared in the heavens.

That glory attending the first advent guarantees that His second coming will not be wanting in glory but will come to triumph.

Angelic Ministry Today

The messenger who came upon the shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem with shining glory was a mighty heavenly messenger, the Captain of the Lord's host. He is the same angel who descended from heaven to Christ's tomb at the resurrection with countenance like lightning and raiment white as snow, parting the darkness before him. There he rolled away the stone as a pebble and called the Son of God to come forth.

His appearing to shepherds watching their flocks at night shows that heaven is near to people in ordinary work and that humanity is an object of Heaven's care. Heavenly messengers still attend those who go about their work at God's command and who follow God's direction. The same kind of angelic presence that visited the shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem stands beside humble workers for God in their daily work. There the angels listen to their words and observe how they work, to see whether they can be trusted with greater responsibilities and can safely be given greater responsibility. When workers trust constantly in God, the angels guard their work from declining or being turned in a direction that endangers God's cause.

The angels who announced Christ's birth were enshrouded in clouds while the Lord's glory shone round about the shepherds until they became greatly afraid. The pure white clouds recalled that birth scene and gave assurance of angelic guardianship and of seeing God's salvation. The same kind of pure, beautiful white clouds still enshroud the angels as they watch over and guard those who shall be heirs of salvation. In that watchcare they protect from temporal evil and press back the powers of darkness, giving assurance of God's watchcare, peace, comfort, and salvation.