Introduction
The text under study highlights Luke’s objective that Jesus is not for the locality of Jerusalem alone; for it revealed that the shepherds proclaimed Jesus’ birth – even abroad, as stated by the King James Bible. The Gospel of Luke is an attestation to our faith in Jesus today, because, various people are found in contemporary Christianity. Like Luke presented it in his Gospel, currently the Christian faith is now for people from all walks of life regardless of their status or hierarchy.
A Brief Background to Luke’s Gospel
In the time of the writing of the Gospel, Caesar Augustus (grandnephew of Julius Caesar) was the Emperor, and he ruled from 41 AD to 54 AD. Augustus was a very powerful Emperor revered by his subjects to the extent that they called him the “saviour”, adopted his birthday – September 23 as the New Year’s first day, although he rejected all these adulations. Roman emperors were totalitarians and very powerful; they often lived in affluence, and Augustus was not an exception.
When Augustus died, the people denied his death claiming that gods do not die; hence they comforted themselves that their “saviour” was still with them by erecting a statue in his honour. It was in this setting that Luke penned his Gospel to contrast the view of the people of a wealthy Augustus (an alleged saviour) with the birth of Jesus Christ, born in a feeding trough to a poor family.
The Aftermath of the Shepherd’s Encounter with the Angels
It is safe to say that despite the prominence given to the rich and the affluent in the Greco-Roman world, God chose to share the good news first with the poor who were trustworthy enough to tell the news as it is. This action, of course is the emphasis of Luke’s message in his Gospel; that God is near to everyone both the rich and the poor.
After the angels departed to heaven, the shepherds urged one another to go and confirm the “ῥῆμα” (rhēma) – the word they received by going to Bethlehem without delay. Verse sixteen explains how the shepherds “hurried off” with excitement and determination to where the baby was in Bethlehem in a cattle feeding trough called a manger.
In verse seventeen, having seen everything, the shepherds spread the rhēma they had received in verse fifteen. “Seeing everything” in this verse carries the sense of staring at “ἰδόντες” (idontes). In other words, the shepherds had a permanent experience of the physical appearance of the baby. According to Strong’s Dictionary of the Bible, rhēma is an utterance.
By implication, rhēma is a matter or topic. Unlike logos (λογος) which is the expression of a thought or a discourse, rhēma is an utterance which is said or spoken. In other words, logos are the message while rhēma is the communication of the message. For example, for today’s Christian, the entire Bible is the logos while a verse of the Bible that a believer uses in the time of, for example, a need is rhēma.
The rhēma (being spread) is about the child: the focus of the revelation received”. And, the effect of the word the shepherd spread was so effective on the hearers that they were visibly marvelled in verse eighteen.
The Implications
1. Theologically, the passage portrays God as one who fulfils His plan through unusual means. This unusual means challenged existing cultures and political powers and rendered them insignificant. It is the poor and the socially marginalised who first heard the news of the advent of the Saviour – Jesus Christ; this group of people – the shepherds were also the first to proclaim Jesus’ birth while God ignored persons with status and advantage (High Priests, Pharisees and others) were ignored by God. Among the “rich” people of the world, Christians have been chosen to be God’s children. This choice is a privilege for and a responsibility of Christians to dominate the world for God with the gospel.
2. The steps taken by the shepherds are vital for today’s Christians in many ways. First, Christians need to confirm the word of God by personally experiencing it. Then, they must spread the word only (and nothing else) if their efforts will yield any fruit among the unbelievers. When believers in Christ proclaim the gospel, the gospel has a way of amazing people by itself. It is possible that because supposed Christians have not heard the rhēma and have not seen the rhēma, that is why the effects of evangelism are not that felt in the society. The word of God is life; as Jesus said, “The rhēma I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life”
Conclusion
Luke’s narrative centres on God; and the attention of the message that Luke had for his audience is built around God’s revelation for the world (verse 15). The shepherds gave a response to this message and it had effects on the hearers. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we must be concerned about what people are amazed at; is it the decorations, our dressings or the gospel of Christ?
(Picture courtesy of Advocate Art)
The World Restorers Ministries 