“Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains…” Christmas songs like this—along with stories, nativity scenes, paintings, and numerous other media—have seemingly permanently engrained a certain approach to the Christmas story on our minds; so much so that we gloss over what is right in front of our eyes, and instead reading into the text what we want it to say. However, there is so much more depth to what is actually happening in the Christmas story than what is seen in the popular understanding. I will only be discussing the appearance of the angels to the shepherds.
The first facet of the angels appearing to the shepherds is its remarkable similarity with the story of the man throwing a feast in Luke 14:23, where the invited guests made excuses to not come, and eventually the master had the servant compel people in the highways and hedges to come in: the lowest of the low—this is especially intriguing since the master was most likely an extremely rich person; the ultra-rich inviting in the lowest in society. Similarly, those in the katalyma, or guest room, could have witnessed the birth of the greatest king, but instead had decided to shun their own kin—and in response, the “master” sent his servants to compel some of the lowest in society to go see the birth of the Messiah.
The phrase, “the glory of the Lord,” is an important part of understanding this passage. The Old Testament showed glory as something associated with God’s awe and power. It “combines awe and terror, and it simultaneously invites approach and distance.” This is showing that the full backing of God is on this Child, through the appearance of the angel carrying that message.
The next thing that deserves mention is that the shepherds were in fear. If the angel in question is the spokesman for some type of Heavenly Choir, as we often picture it, then there would be no reason for the shepherds to fear! I have never in my life had a choir director have to tell me to not be afraid, nor do I know of anyone who was terrified by a choir. Obviously, something in our picture is missing. The Glory of the Lord is a terrifying thing!
“And the angels said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy…unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” This phrase presents all kinds of opportunities for shedding light on Christmas, as well as the theme of the Gospel. Why? Because the Greek verb used, εὐγγελίζομαι, is frequently translated as, “I preach the gospel.” So, if the gospel is ONLY that Christ died for our sins, then how could the gospel be preached at Jesus’ birth, before He had an opportunity to substitute Himself for us? Again, something is most probably missing in our theology. However, the text provides the answer for us! A savior who is the Christ, is the message of the gospel being preached by the angel. In the shepherds’ minds, what connotation does the Christ, or Messiah, bring? The connotation was that the Messiah would be the one would establish The Kingdom— the one without end, and without borders. Israel’s long awaited King was being born that very night! As presented in Luke 2, this is the Gospel! So, what is the connotation of the term, “Lord?” Calling someone Lord was a very simple way to make everyone angry. The Caesars called themselves Lord. But in the Septuagint, the Divine Name is translated as Lord. So, when this baby is declared to be Messiah and Lord, He is most probably simultaneously being declared the King of all, as well as being divine Himself.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God…” This is the central idea in the passage that is probably most often overlooked. Whenever modern Christians read the Christmas story, they most probably envision a large choir in the sky with white robes, halos, and harps, such as we sing about in our Christmas carols. However, the imagery at play here is militaristic, not “angelic” in the proper sense of the word. The Heavenly Host is almost always associated with being the Army of God. The word used here, στρατιᾶς, is frequently translated as army. In fact, in the Septuagint, στρατιᾶ is used 28 times, and 19 of those times are referring to earthly armies; the other nine are all attached to, “heavenly,” and most refer to an army, with a few possibly referring to the stars. “This heavenly host is a vast number of angelic beings, mighty and noble, who relate to Yahweh as knights related to feudal kings: in homage, in service and in battle. They are a vast army, loyal to the purposes and desires of God. ” A new King has just been declared as such by an angel, who is then surrounded by the Military of God who are there to insure that there is no question as to the validity of the proclamation of the baby’s Messianic responsibilities.
At the end of the earthly ministry of Christ, He references to having this army at His disposal: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53) A legion is another military term. This Heavenly Host is the army that the Messiah has, if He so chooses to make use of it.
“Saying, glory to God in the highest, and upon Earth peace, among men goodwill.” This phrase is where I see the focus of the arrival of the Heavenly Army. This is the ultimate display of, “Peace through Strength.” With a background in politics, I am acquainted with the idea of peace through strength. This is usually tossed around when trying to increase defense spending by arguing that by building the most powerful army we will promote peace because no one would dare attack us, and if they did, we could quickly and efficiently respond with overwhelming force. This is the exact same thing at play in Luke 2, only magnified. Angels are many times invisible to the naked eye, they are never recorded as being killed by a human, and they are devastatingly effective at wiping out an opposing army (2 Kings 2:35). In short, it is a force that no other army can stand against. But this army isn’t here just for show; they are here to back up the proclamation of the new King of Israel, showing that He had the most powerful military backing Him, and was the one appointed by God to provide redemption for the nation. When the fiercest fighter declares that a fight is over, it is over—even if he has to throw some more punches to finish it. Similarly, when the Heavenly Army, on mission from God, declares that there is a new King, and that peace has arrived, there is peace, even if the Devil, and his actions through the nations, needs to be defeated first.
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” This illustrates the earlier discussion of using, “Lord,” for the name of God. What I find interesting is that there is no question of whether they were dreaming this, or if someone has spiked their drinks; rather, they all know that this was from God, and go to see the new King.
“And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Much like folks today, it was hard for whoever was around to believe that the army of God had appeared, and told these shepherds that this baby was the Messiah. I am sure that even if they did believe the shepherds, they were wondering, “Why didn’t He tell kings, or the richest of society, or at least some of the pillars of the community?” But God had chosen to go to the outskirts of society, and bring in those who would most probably not be considered worthy of such an honor.
So, what is the point of all this? Simple: there is a new king, who is to rule over the entire world, backed by Almighty God, and the Heavenly Army. If He is an actual King, and we mean that in a more significant way than simply using the title in our songs and prayers, then that means that the Christian is actually a citizen of a new country—The Kingdom of God. As such, his first and foremost priority is to follow Christ, and be obedient to Christ’s commands. However, the modern Christian often places allegiance to his country, or some other source, above his allegiance to his Messiah.
A good example of this misplaced allegiance is the Christmas Truce of 1914. On Christmas Day, the British and German forces stopped killing each other, celebrated the day together, and returned to their war the next day. These were obviously people who were at least had a passing knowledge of Christ so that they wanted to celebrate His birth, but the very next day they were killing each other again. Imagine how Christ would have reacted to this! He who said to bless those who curse you, and return good for evil, and yet His own followers kill each other at the command of their government! These were brothers in Christ, citizens in His nation, killing each other for an earthly nation which will pass away (Psalm 2).
Another example of misplaced allegiance is the allegiance to materialism. The Christ repeatedly told His followers to sell what they have, and give to the poor. And instead, we have turned His birth into a day of receiving. And many will be more generous at this time of the year and give to the poor, but the commands to clothe the naked and feed the hungry are not things to be taken care of once a year, but should be a life long commitment of the believer.
Keeping Christ in Christmas means nothing if you do not recognize Christmas as the birth of a true king, whose Kingdom is the entire world, and respond as such.
Footnotes:
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downer’s Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 330.
This and all other Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.
Verlyn D. Verbrugge. A Not-So-Silent Night: The Unheard Story of Christmas and Why it Matters (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2009), 69.
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 373.
Author’s own translation.
(Sorry the footnotes did not work out correctly, but they are in the order that the quotations were used.)
The first facet of the angels appearing to the shepherds is its remarkable similarity with the story of the man throwing a feast in Luke 14:23, where the invited guests made excuses to not come, and eventually the master had the servant compel people in the highways and hedges to come in: the lowest of the low—this is especially intriguing since the master was most likely an extremely rich person; the ultra-rich inviting in the lowest in society. Similarly, those in the katalyma, or guest room, could have witnessed the birth of the greatest king, but instead had decided to shun their own kin—and in response, the “master” sent his servants to compel some of the lowest in society to go see the birth of the Messiah.
The phrase, “the glory of the Lord,” is an important part of understanding this passage. The Old Testament showed glory as something associated with God’s awe and power. It “combines awe and terror, and it simultaneously invites approach and distance.” This is showing that the full backing of God is on this Child, through the appearance of the angel carrying that message.
The next thing that deserves mention is that the shepherds were in fear. If the angel in question is the spokesman for some type of Heavenly Choir, as we often picture it, then there would be no reason for the shepherds to fear! I have never in my life had a choir director have to tell me to not be afraid, nor do I know of anyone who was terrified by a choir. Obviously, something in our picture is missing. The Glory of the Lord is a terrifying thing!
“And the angels said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy…unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” This phrase presents all kinds of opportunities for shedding light on Christmas, as well as the theme of the Gospel. Why? Because the Greek verb used, εὐγγελίζομαι, is frequently translated as, “I preach the gospel.” So, if the gospel is ONLY that Christ died for our sins, then how could the gospel be preached at Jesus’ birth, before He had an opportunity to substitute Himself for us? Again, something is most probably missing in our theology. However, the text provides the answer for us! A savior who is the Christ, is the message of the gospel being preached by the angel. In the shepherds’ minds, what connotation does the Christ, or Messiah, bring? The connotation was that the Messiah would be the one would establish The Kingdom— the one without end, and without borders. Israel’s long awaited King was being born that very night! As presented in Luke 2, this is the Gospel! So, what is the connotation of the term, “Lord?” Calling someone Lord was a very simple way to make everyone angry. The Caesars called themselves Lord. But in the Septuagint, the Divine Name is translated as Lord. So, when this baby is declared to be Messiah and Lord, He is most probably simultaneously being declared the King of all, as well as being divine Himself.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God…” This is the central idea in the passage that is probably most often overlooked. Whenever modern Christians read the Christmas story, they most probably envision a large choir in the sky with white robes, halos, and harps, such as we sing about in our Christmas carols. However, the imagery at play here is militaristic, not “angelic” in the proper sense of the word. The Heavenly Host is almost always associated with being the Army of God. The word used here, στρατιᾶς, is frequently translated as army. In fact, in the Septuagint, στρατιᾶ is used 28 times, and 19 of those times are referring to earthly armies; the other nine are all attached to, “heavenly,” and most refer to an army, with a few possibly referring to the stars. “This heavenly host is a vast number of angelic beings, mighty and noble, who relate to Yahweh as knights related to feudal kings: in homage, in service and in battle. They are a vast army, loyal to the purposes and desires of God. ” A new King has just been declared as such by an angel, who is then surrounded by the Military of God who are there to insure that there is no question as to the validity of the proclamation of the baby’s Messianic responsibilities.
At the end of the earthly ministry of Christ, He references to having this army at His disposal: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53) A legion is another military term. This Heavenly Host is the army that the Messiah has, if He so chooses to make use of it.
“Saying, glory to God in the highest, and upon Earth peace, among men goodwill.” This phrase is where I see the focus of the arrival of the Heavenly Army. This is the ultimate display of, “Peace through Strength.” With a background in politics, I am acquainted with the idea of peace through strength. This is usually tossed around when trying to increase defense spending by arguing that by building the most powerful army we will promote peace because no one would dare attack us, and if they did, we could quickly and efficiently respond with overwhelming force. This is the exact same thing at play in Luke 2, only magnified. Angels are many times invisible to the naked eye, they are never recorded as being killed by a human, and they are devastatingly effective at wiping out an opposing army (2 Kings 2:35). In short, it is a force that no other army can stand against. But this army isn’t here just for show; they are here to back up the proclamation of the new King of Israel, showing that He had the most powerful military backing Him, and was the one appointed by God to provide redemption for the nation. When the fiercest fighter declares that a fight is over, it is over—even if he has to throw some more punches to finish it. Similarly, when the Heavenly Army, on mission from God, declares that there is a new King, and that peace has arrived, there is peace, even if the Devil, and his actions through the nations, needs to be defeated first.
“Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” This illustrates the earlier discussion of using, “Lord,” for the name of God. What I find interesting is that there is no question of whether they were dreaming this, or if someone has spiked their drinks; rather, they all know that this was from God, and go to see the new King.
“And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” Much like folks today, it was hard for whoever was around to believe that the army of God had appeared, and told these shepherds that this baby was the Messiah. I am sure that even if they did believe the shepherds, they were wondering, “Why didn’t He tell kings, or the richest of society, or at least some of the pillars of the community?” But God had chosen to go to the outskirts of society, and bring in those who would most probably not be considered worthy of such an honor.
So, what is the point of all this? Simple: there is a new king, who is to rule over the entire world, backed by Almighty God, and the Heavenly Army. If He is an actual King, and we mean that in a more significant way than simply using the title in our songs and prayers, then that means that the Christian is actually a citizen of a new country—The Kingdom of God. As such, his first and foremost priority is to follow Christ, and be obedient to Christ’s commands. However, the modern Christian often places allegiance to his country, or some other source, above his allegiance to his Messiah.
A good example of this misplaced allegiance is the Christmas Truce of 1914. On Christmas Day, the British and German forces stopped killing each other, celebrated the day together, and returned to their war the next day. These were obviously people who were at least had a passing knowledge of Christ so that they wanted to celebrate His birth, but the very next day they were killing each other again. Imagine how Christ would have reacted to this! He who said to bless those who curse you, and return good for evil, and yet His own followers kill each other at the command of their government! These were brothers in Christ, citizens in His nation, killing each other for an earthly nation which will pass away (Psalm 2).
Another example of misplaced allegiance is the allegiance to materialism. The Christ repeatedly told His followers to sell what they have, and give to the poor. And instead, we have turned His birth into a day of receiving. And many will be more generous at this time of the year and give to the poor, but the commands to clothe the naked and feed the hungry are not things to be taken care of once a year, but should be a life long commitment of the believer.
Keeping Christ in Christmas means nothing if you do not recognize Christmas as the birth of a true king, whose Kingdom is the entire world, and respond as such.
Footnotes:
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downer’s Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 330.
This and all other Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.
Verlyn D. Verbrugge. A Not-So-Silent Night: The Unheard Story of Christmas and Why it Matters (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2009), 69.
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 373.
Author’s own translation.
(Sorry the footnotes did not work out correctly, but they are in the order that the quotations were used.)
