At the time of Jesus’ birth, the religious scholars and teachers were people who had devoted themselves to strictly observing Jewish law. (Not only that, they turned the the 613 requirements of the Law into more than 5,000 religious requirements which held the anyone else attempting to worship God in practical bondage).
They held the ultimate position of power in the temple, which was the center of the entire Jewish faith, thanks to their collaboration with occupying Romans. Yet neither these elite members of the religious establishment nor the occupying Romans who propped them up were the ones who were visited by the angels that announced Christ’s birth.
Instead, the angels appear to a bunch of shepherds. In 1st century Jewish culture, shepherds were considered to be among the lowest people in their society. In a recent sermon, a friend of mine aptly compared them to today's migrant farm workers.
In addition, they were made to feel like religious outcasts because they couldn't observe the purity rituals (most of which were invented by the teachers of the law) while working in the fields. Despite living under the label of "unclean under the religious law," they were the ones chosen to come and worship.
As a contrast, it's interesting that those who considered themselves wise and upright in following the religious law weren't the ones to worship the newborn Messiah. These were people who knew all of the Jewish texts that told of his coming by heart. And still, they missed out on where the Kingdom of God was literally being born. Is our religious establishment (ourselves included) much different today?
The divine invitation to the shepherds to be a part the story of Christ’s birth is yet another example of how the Kingdom of God subverts our hierarchies, unjust societal constructs, and class stratifications. It is a reimagined world where those who are neglected by those in control are included and welcomed, where the first are last, and where the poor, the sick, and the foreigner are cared for.
How scandalous!
It is a message that can be both comforting and troubling. In areas where we feel like we are among those who are excluded (or where we advocate for those who are excluded), it can be comforting to remember that the story of Jesus’ birth is an object lesson in the subversive grace of the Kingdom of God.
In areas of our life where we feel quite proud of our status, our achievements or our privileged position of power, it can be troubling to realize that we might very well be fooling ourselves. If we are pursuing the "wisdom" of a society that preaches power, greed, control and self-focus as virtues, could we also be missing out on where the redemptive grace and restorative love of the Kingdom of God is being born all around us?
