Sheep on a Hillside

One of my greatest pleasures of living in the country and raising sheep is watching the sheep out in the pasture. Sheep are funny creatures. They like to be with the crowd and follow a leader. If one sheep isn't paying attention and suddenly finds itself alone, it hurries to catch up with the group. They spread out over an area to eat grass and settle in for a good meal as long as the rest of the flock is near by.

In ancient times owning a flock of sheep was a sign of great wealth but after that they must have realized how stupid sheep really are and in Jesus' day they were owned by 'lowly' shepherds. Shepherds were plain and ordinary folk who wandered with the sheep, moving them from pasture to greener pasture. They must have roamed the hillsides for days trying to find the best feeding areas before returning home, tired and dirty. The sheep and shepherds would rest at night under the stars, watching for predators.

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about" (Luke 2:8-15 NIV).

It was the shepherds who traveled and saw baby Jesus, the Lamb of God, just as the angels had told them and they quickly spread the news to others 'glorifying and praising God' for all they had experienced. They were humbled to be chosen to hear all that the angels had told them.