he story of Jesus’birth is well known. Three kings from different lands understood His birth would take place from studying the stars and written prophecies about him. At the time of His birth King Herod was governor of Israel on the Romans’ behalf. When the kings entered Israel they explained the reasons for their visit as a matter of courtesy, and Herod had his own scholars search the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament in order to learn where the Messiah would be born. Satan used this man to try and destroy the one who God told him in Eden would “crush his head”. Herod ordered his soldiers to kill every male child in Bethlehem up to two years old; he was trying to make sure that the Messiah would never grow up to replace him. Like most Jews at this time, he falsely believed that the promised Messiah would be a warrior king like David. By the time Herod’s soldiers arrived, Jesus and His family had left for Egypt, having been warned by God to leave immediately.
But the three kings were not the first visitors that Jesus had, in fact, the kings were the uninvited guests. The story of Jesus’ birth indicates to us something very important about the character of God. The baby Jesus had two groups of guests, one invited and the other not. The invited group were shepherds and the other uninvited group was of course the three kings. Some scholars say that they represent the entire social structure and classes from the bottom to the top, and in one sense this may well be true, however, there is a far more important point to understand here. God could have chosen any family to be born into. Jesus, the King of kings, may have been born into the most
wealthy, powerful and influential Roman family, in a palace, surrounded by servants and living in luxury. However, God chose a middle class family. Joseph was a carpenter, an honest occupation. By no means an occupation of high social order, but then again, not one which was despised either. But those who
were invited to be the first witnesses of the greatest event in human history were considered - in human terms - to be the lowest of the low.
Shepherds were despised. They smelled like sheep, they seldom bathed, they slept in the open, they were very poor, uneducated, and simple people. They were usually accused of stealing property because they were nomadic. A dishonest shepherd could steal your clothes off the line and leave the same night with his sheep. It was to these people that the Lord sent the angel to invite to see Jesus in the stable. Why shepherds? Why not some middle of the road people, neither rich nor poor? And why not arrange a room in the inn? Wouldn’t it have been better if Jesus had been born in a simple hotel, say about 2-3 star accommodation, an average place? And why not invite middle class people? Say, for example, the baker and his wife, perhaps even the mayor of Bethlehem and a few shop owners? Why these shepherds?
I am thinking as a human being using human ideas. My culture, my traditions, the TV, radio, movies, fashions, education, and upbringing all tell me that success is about possessions, about status, nice clothes, money, etc. All of these are human standards and ideals and incidentally, they are opposite to God’s standards. Some people believe that the Lord chose to be born into a poor environment because this was the lowest denominator. They think that if He had chosen a middle class family then anyone lower would be left out, so He went to the lowest to include everyone. This again is using human standards of importance. In order to understand God’s standards it is necessary to take human standards and completely invert them, turn them upside down. This will then give you an accurate picture. God chose the highest ideal in His eyes, and the lowest in human terms.
For God, the greatest ideals are servanthood and humility. God chose to be associated with the poor in His birth. I believe the main reason for this is that poverty is associated with humility, and humility is the highest ideal with God. God hates pride and He actively opposes the proud (James 4:6). Wealth and arrogance are often, but not always, associated. Most certainly the poor can be proud; however, usually those who are poor cannot afford to be arrogant, as they must rely upon others for their existence. The rich need no one. Jesus’ entire life expresses the two qualities of servant-hood and humility. For most people, humility must come before they are ready to offer themselves to serve others. Those who are rich tend to serve in order to become wealthier, and the concept of humility remains only a concept that is seldom genuine humility. Jesus was never a materially rich person, as some who love wealth are trying to teach; indeed He never had anything good to say about money.
Jesus never bragged about being a king. On the contrary, He referred to Himself in association with the lowest socioeconomic group, the shepherds. He called Himself the ‘good Shepherd’, the one who was ready and willing to die for His sheep. Psalm 23 gives a beautiful picture of God as a shepherd, leading His sheep throughout their lives. Those who give their lives into the control of Jesus Christ are called sheep, one of the Bible’s names for Christians. Perhaps this is because sheep are simple and humble creatures that must rely upon their shepherd for their existence.
The world and its concepts of ‘might is right’ despises such ideals as humility. Humility equals weakness and poverty powerlessness. God’s ideals invert these human concepts which have their roots in human autonomy and ego. Jesus declared that unless people come to God like children in an attitude of humility, they will never see the kingdom of heaven. The autonomous human spirit is an enemy of God. It manifests itself in vanity and egoism, in pride and self-worship. Left unchanged it will face a righteous and holy God who actively opposes its elevation of self; left unchanged it will be ultimately tormented and destroyed forever.
Both shepherds and kings came and knelt before Jesus. Both saw a sight which had never been seen before; the Creator of the world clothed in a human bodyandlayinginthefoodtroughofacow.Theyrecognised Him as the King of kings and they worshipped Him as such. The baby in the feeding trough was both Shepherd and King. The Good Shepherd and the King of Kings. The Kings came to find the King and found a King who was a Shepherd, the Shepherds came to findababyMessiah,andfoundthesame.JesusChrist is King and Shepherd for all humanity, rich and poor, but all must come in humility.