Title: Tax collectors, sinners and shepherds
Date: December 10, 2008
Text: Luke 2:8-20
Introduction
- (from Charlie Brown's Christmas)
- Charlie Brown: Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?
- Linus: “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is about. Lights Please!
- Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
- And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
- Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
- For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, 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, goodwill toward men!"
- That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown!”
- Let's continue with the story
- Luke 2:15-20
- My question this morning, is why did God announce Jesus’ birth to a group of shepherds?
God loves tax collectors
- I know that tax collectors are not the same as shepherds, they are probably at opposite ends of the social structure
- But bear with me – we will get to the shepherds
- Luke 19:1-10
- Zacchaeus was a tax collector, an IRS agent
- He was someone who operated not on behalf of the Jewish government, but on behalf of the enemy, the Romans
- For this reason he was not well-liked
- On top of that, he was also someone who extorted more than was needed to pay the taxes, so he would skim off a portion for himself.
- On top of that again, he would also take a rake-off from those tax collectors working under him
- So Zacchaeus had a good thing going for himself, which made him a hated individual
- Zacchaeus is a little guy, so when he hears Jesus is coming into town he climbs a tree to see him - As Jesus is entering Jericho, he makes a bee-line for Zacchaeus’ tree and tells him he knows him by name, and that he will be having dinner with him that night
- This act of grace alone, totally changes Zacchaeus’ life
- He publicly announces that he is going to make amends to all his victims, and he is now a changed man
- People don’t understand Jesus associating with their enemy, but Jesus tells them: “the Son of man came to seek and to save what is lost”
God loves sinners
- Luke 5:27-32
- The calling of Levi the tax collector
- Levi was another tax collector, and this is a similar story
- Jesus invites Levi to follow him and become a disciple
- Levi then goes and throws a party for all his friends, most of whom were tax collectors and other sinners
- Once again, people criticize Jesus for associating with these people who were their enemies, and sinners, who were ceremonially unclean
- Much of this accusation came from the religious rulers, who figured they were OK, didn’t need Jesus
- Jesus’ response was: “It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance”
God loves shepherds
- And now we get to the shepherds
- Shepherds are unclean
- Shepherds smell like sheep, they are around them all the time
- They may slip in their doo-doo, they pick up diseased animals and carry them around
- They are not clean people, they would not be allowed into the temple without all kinds of ceremonial cleansings
- These shepherds are humble, they live out with the sheep
- Maybe they drink in order to stay warm at night
- But God loves these shepherds
- H much rather associates with people who need him and welcome him, than all kinds of people who feel they have it all together
- God chooses to reveal the birth of his son to these lowly shepherds
- This relates to the tax collectors and sinners in that they too are not the socially acceptable
- They too are people who need help
So whom does God care about?
- God doesn’t reveal himself to the righteous types who seem to have it all together
- 1 Cor 1:26-31
- When God calls us to accept his Son, he does not seek the wise and successful of this world
- God works through the lowly of this world
- They have been humbled
- They know they need God
- The righteous don’t see that they need a Savior
- We do
- God says in Isa 57:15 – “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones”
- When we are humble and know we haven’t got all the answers – that is when God can work in us and through us
- That is why God loves us
- We are people who need a Savior
- God cares about us
- If we have not yet accepted Jesus into our lives and we want to do so, why don’t we do so right now?
- Let’s pray
