How Were Shepherds Viewed at the Time of Jesus' Birth?

December 9, 2021 One of the first occupations in the Bible was a shepherd, held by Abel (Genesis 4:1-8). In the ancient days of the Old Testament, working as a shepherd was a respectable career. The social status of a shepherds declined when Israel ceased living as nomads and became more accustomed to farming. For a short time, King David's rise to power raised the shepherd status, but it didn't take long for shepherds to lose social acceptability once again. Some earned their poor reputation by making senseless choices of lawlessness, but many were only victims of a harsh stereotype. Randy Alcorn says, "In general, they were considered second-class and untrustworthy." Jeremias, the prophet who authored the book of Jeremiah, documented that shepherds were deprived of all civil rights. They could not fulfill judicial offices or be admitted in court as witnesses. However, the temple still needed them, ironically. Pharisees needed shepherds to raise spotless lambs for sacrificial sin offerings. The Mishnah are documents that recorded Jewish oral traditions--like laws, they governed the Israelites during the time of the Pharisees. One of its regulations states, "it forbids the keeping of flocks throughout the land of Israel except in the wilderness, "... only flocks otherwise kept would be those for temple services." (Bab K.7:7; 80a). So, the shepherds we read about it Luke 2, were actually fulfilling temple duties. They were not quite second-class or untrustworthy. They were shepherds appointed by the temple for the temple. The only ones who could carry out temple duties were these shepherd-priests. They served in the fields on the outskirts of Bethlehem at a place called Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2). This is where the sacrificial lambs for the Passover Festival and Feast were cared for (Exodus 12:1-30). God changed everything that night. When Gabriel appeared, he had an update about the law of Moses to deliver to these shepherd priests. Aside from Mary and Joseph, these men were the first eye-witness admirers and worshipers of God incarnate (Luke 2:15-18). They were the first to gaze upon the baby who would one day wash them clean and erase the need to raise sacrificial sheep offerings anymore.

Interesting that God is called a high priest (Hebrews 5:1-10), shepherd (Psalm 23:1), and the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29).

Why do we often call church leaders "Pastor" or "Shepherd"? Consider how Shepherds were different from Pharisees. What can we learn about God's plan for Pastors by carefully studying the Shepherd's role?

Let's pray for our church leaders today. They have a heavy responsibility and need prayer to protect them from the harm our enemy intends. I pray we never follow a human leader more intently than we follow Jesus. Have a beautiful day, my friend!

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