Finding Hope With the Shepherds: A Christmas Story of Promise - Encouragement for Today - December 03, 2025

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December 3, 2025

Finding Hope With the Shepherds: A Christmas Story of Promise
RABBI JASON SOBEL

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“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! For behold, I proclaim Good News to you, which will be great joy to all the people. A Savior is born to you today in the city of David, who is Messiah the Lord. And the sign to you is this: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.’” Luke 2:10-12 (TLV)

Christmas is the perfect time to pause and really think about the shepherds in the Nativity story. I mean, have you ever wondered why God chose them to be the first to hear about Jesus' birth? They weren’t religious leaders or powerful politicians. They were guys out in the fields doing what many considered a lowly job.

But here’s what absolutely amazes me: These weren’t just any shepherds. According to Jewish tradition, the shepherds near Bethlehem were raising lambs specifically for temple sacrifice in Jerusalem. These were Levitical shepherds — men from priestly families whose job was to ensure the Passover lambs remained perfect and without blemish for worship in God's house.

When the angels appeared to them that night, announcing the birth of a Savior “wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12), these shepherds would have immediately understood something we often miss. They knew exactly what to look for because this scene was familiar to them.

You see, when lambs were born in those fields, the shepherds would wrap them in strips of cloth to protect them from getting cut on rocky cave floors. They'd place the sheep in mangers to keep them safe. The swaddling cloth wasn’t just for warmth but also to prevent any blemishes that would disqualify the lambs from being acceptable sacrifices.

So when these shepherds found baby Jesus wrapped in similar cloth and lying in a manger, they would have recognized the profound symbolism. Here was the Lamb of God, born in the same manner as the sacrificial lambs they tended. This wasn’t coincidence; this was God’s story unfolding exactly as He planned.

And there’s even more hope woven in: The swaddling cloth Jesus was wrapped in likely came from old priestly garments, the same fabric used to make wicks for the temple menorah. Jesus was not only identified as the Lamb of God but also the Light of the World from His very first moments on earth.

I find such comfort in knowing that God chose ordinary people doing their everyday work to be the first witnesses of His greatest gift. These shepherds weren't perfect, and neither are we. But God saw them as worthy to receive and share the Good News.

The hope we find in the shepherds’ story is this: God meets us right where we are, in our ordinary moments, with His extraordinary love. Just as He chose shepherds tending their flocks, He chooses us in whatever field we find ourselves working. He has a covenant of friendship with us, sealed by the sacrifice of His Son, the Lamb who became our great High Priest.

Lord, thank You for choosing ordinary people like the shepherds — and like me — to be part of Your amazing story. Help me recognize You in my everyday moments, just as those shepherds recognized You long ago. Fill my heart with the same joy and wonder they experienced when they first laid eyes on You. Give me the courage to share the Good News with others who need to know they matter to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

John 1:29, “The next day, John sees Yeshua coming to him and says, ’Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (TLV).

John 10:14-15, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep” (TLV).

How does understanding that the shepherds were raising temple lambs change your perspective on why God chose them to receive the announcement of Jesus’ birth?

In what ordinary moments of your life have you experienced God's extraordinary presence breaking through, and how can the shepherds' response of going to find Jesus inspire your own response to God's invitations? Share your thoughts in the comments.

© 2025 by Rabbi Jason Sobel. All rights reserved.

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