The Shepherds at Bethlehem
[The Saviour of the World] [Volume I] [Book I]
[Poem XII] Poem XIII [Poem XIV]
Shepherds at Bethlehem.
(The Gospel History, Section 10)
And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you; Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.
And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. And when they saw it they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them.
The Shepherds at Bethlehem
(The Saviour of the World, Vol I Book I Poem XIII)
Now there were shepherds in the field that night,
To watch their flocks; the stillness seemed to them
Portentous, every star an omen: awed
By the silence, they held solemn talk;
Talk of Messias, and the whispered hope
Afloat among the hill-folk—how one John,
A prophet of the Highest, had been born,
And he should go before Messias; how, here,
In Bethlehem, should Christ come; so spake the seer,
And all men knew that here was David’s city.
“And shall He, also, be a Shepherd King,
Who knows His folk by face, as we our sheep,
And calls each by his name; who shelter finds,
And pasture, for His flock, and leads them forth?
Ah, might we live to see the promised day!
But who are we? Our place is far apart
From any pomp of kings!”
And as they spake,
Behold, a sudden glory filled the night;
An angel stood beside them; said, “Fear not,
Good tidings of great joy I bring to you—
To you and to all people; this day is born
To you in David’s city, Christ the Lord!”
The shepherds held their peace, nor yet could speak
For joy and consternation; so answered them
The seraph, knowing their thought: “and this the sign
Which shall confirm to you these mighty News—
In swaddling clothes, and in a manger laid,
A Babe shall ye find.”—Whereat a multitude
Of the heavenly host now saw they with that one,
And these all sang together, praising God:—
“Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth
Peace and goodwill to men who bear goodwill!”
And, chanting still that chorus, they went up.
Prostrate upon the ground the shepherds lay,
Trembling with joy and fear: then, “Come,” said they,
“Let us go even now to Bethlehem
And see the thing the Lord God hath made known—
That He should send great News to such as we!”
They came with haste, and found the Infant lying
In a manger, as was told them; and with Him
Mary and Joseph; and worshipping, they fell
Before that mystery—Messias, born
A Babe in this poor place, with none to welcome,—
Save only the Sons of God shouting for joy!
Humble before, humbled they went away;
And told their tale to all who cared to hear;—
“The Christ, in sooth, is come—in such poor state
As might the child of beggar at the gate;
But seraph spake with us, and glory shone,
And multitude of angels joined in song!”
The people marvelled at the shepherds’ tidings;
Some talked and soon forgot, and some remembered;
But Mary kept these sayings in her heart,
Compared with other times an angel came,
And pondered day by day these mysteries.
The shepherds returned—even as the angels went—
Praising their God for all the wondrous things
Had been vouchsafed to them to see and hear.
St. Luke ii. 8-20.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | RSS
Commentary by J. R. Dummelow
Lk 2:8–20. Announcement to the shepherds, who visit the Holy Family. As Jesus was born in a stable, so His birth was first announced to peasants, in token that the gospel was meant for the poor and ignorant, as well as for the rich and learned.
Lk 2:8. Shepherds] David himself had been a shepherd at Bethlehem (1 S 16:11). The flocks at Bethlehem were destined for the Temple sacrifices, and the shepherds who kept them occupied a higher social position than other shepherds, who were considered outcasts by the scribes because of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances. There was a Jewish tradition that the birth of the Messiah would be proclaimed from the ‘Migdol Eder,’ ‘the tower of the flock,’ which lay near Bethlehem on the road to Jerusalem (Edersheim).
Lk 2:10. To all the people] (of Israel). There is here no express mention of the Gentiles. 11. A Saviour] The spiritual sense is certainly prominent here—‘a Saviour from sin and death.’ This title of Jesus is rare in the Gospels, being found only here and in Jn 4:42; several times in Titus and 2 Peter.
Christ the Lord] RM ‘Anointed Lord.’
Lk 2:12. is the sign] The unusual sight of an infant in a manger would be a sign that the angel had spoken the truth.
Lk 2:14. The ‘Gloria in excelsis’ (Glory . . in the highest), in which the hosts of heaven praised God for His wondrous love to mankind shown in the Incarnation, was expanded into a morning hymn as early as the 2nd cent., and has been sung in the Communion service of the Western Church for many ages. Taking the old reading of the AV, the hymn, which consists of two lines, may be thus paraphrased: (1) The angels are praising God in highest heaven for Christ’s Nativity. (2) On earth men enjoy peace with God, and peace and goodwill with one another. But the reading of the RV (‘men of good pleasure’) is preferable, and the meaning is, (1) The angels are praising God in highest heaven for Christ’s Nativity. (2) There is peace on earth (peace with God and peace with one another) among men to whom God shows His favour by this wondrous birth.
The hymn goes beyond the words of the angel, in declaring that God’s favour in Christ is extended to all mankind.
Lk 2:19. Mary’s was a quiet and reflective nature: cp. v. 51. These two vv. suggest that it was from her the information contained in these chapters was derived.