![]() They were often considered to be thieves, dishonest and untrustworthy, and were under a rabbinic ban because they also were considered ceremonially unclean. People considered shepherds heathen, did not allow them to serve as court witnesses, and refused to give them charity. Society and rabbinic Jews despised shepherding and looked at shepherds with disdain, just as the Egyptians did in Joseph’s day (cf. Some scholars speculate the sheep these particular shepherds watched were reserved for Temple sacrifices, but the text does not indicate the sheep’s use or destination.įind out more about shepherds’ social status and their importance in Jesus’ birth in Sketches of Jewish Social Life by Alfred Edersheim. They lived outside, protecting the flocks from wild animals and poachers. Though the Bible does not date this event, shepherds in Bethlehem guarded their sheep in the fields day and night from March to November. The Gospel writer Luke wrote, “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Lk. But they must have been even more surprised God asked them to announce the birth to lowly shepherds (cf. The angels must have been amazed beyond words when they witnessed the Creator of the universe being born as a baby (cf. God bypassed the priests, scribes, and men of wealth and stature to announce Jesus the Messiah’s birth to common shepherds. In the first century, however, it was unthinkable to send birth announcements to the poor and to those who held lower-class occupations, like shepherds, because such people were often considered outcasts in society.īut God does things differently than man. Parents share the news first with family, then with close friends, and later with the community. The King is born! And who receives the birth announcement? Not the people you might think.īirth announcements are exciting. ![]()
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