The Importance of the Shepherd

The most important part of the Christmas story is the Shepherd.  What? That probably surprised you. Let us start with a little foundation first and then see if you don’t agree when finished.  There is a reason that the shepherds were the first to be told of the birth of the Christ Child.  A Shepherd’s sole mission was to safe guard the sheep. If a new lamb was born, everything revolved around that little lamb until it was on its feet. Everything stopped the night the Lamb of God was born.

The Shepherds had taken care of their flocks since the dawn of creation.  Genesis 4:4, Abel brought unto the Lord the “firstlings of his flock” for an offering.  Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were nomadic.  They lived off of the animal herds they controlled.  This continued until the children of Jacob went to Egypt.  In Genesis 46, because they were shepherds they lived in the land of Goshen.

The raising and shepherding of livestock continued when they left Egypt and settled in Canaan.  Two tribes (Rueben and Gad) had so much livestock they wanted to remain on the opposite side Jordan for the grazing (Numbers 32). During the forty years in the desert they had been given laws by God.  These laws instituted the priestly line of the Levities and the atonement for sin with the sacrifice of a lamb. These practices continued up and through the establishment of kings in Israel.  David as the youngest had to protect the flocks while his brothers went to war.  His son Solomon dedicated the Temple with 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep being sacrificed. 1 Kings 8:63

Lambs would continue to be the focal point of Temple worship and sacrifice.  The logistics that were in place for daily sacrifice are beyond the scope of this document. Without the quantity and quality of lambs being raised, the daily sacrifice would have come to a stand still. With that many sacrifices the shepherd had a huge responsibility in the daily life of the Jew at the time of the birth of Jesus. 

The prophets and Jesus himself often referred to Israel as “sheep” or “flock”.

Isaiah 40:11 -  He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Jeremiah 31:10 -  Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

Ezekiel 34:5 -  And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.

Ezekiel 34:12 -  As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are

scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Matthew 26:31 -  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

Then we come to the Chief Shepherd.  In the larger herds the Chief Shepherd was in charge.  At the time of the sacrificial offerings in the temple; the Chief Shepherd was a man of extreme importance.  In the tenth chapter of John; Jesus called himself the “good shepherd”.

Paul not only calls Jesus the “Shepherd” in 1 Peter 2:25 but he goes on in 1 Peter 5:4 to state:

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd.  Now let’s head back to the scene at the birth of Christ.  When the shepherds were worshipping the baby, they knew they had not only been the first to be told, they knew there was a new King born that was also the CHIEF SHEPHERD and the only spotless lamb on the planet!

That is why THE Shepherd is important.