Series: The Message of Christmas
Sermon: The Message of the Angels
The shepherds, although had great personal honor ascribe to them during in the Old and New Testament (Jesus is also the great shepherd), were considered unclean and unholy under the Jewish Talmudic law. They were known for their RELIGIOUS problems. They were considered unclean. The rabbis w...ho produced the Talmudic literature often regarded shepherds as dishonest and prone to violating Jewish law. They were also known for their RELATIONSHIP problems. Due to their job they were always on the move. They had very little interactions with people except among themselves and many were lonely. They were also considered to be brash and abrasive in their conduct and speech. Others would find that difficult to get along with. Those kind of people are usually the ones we would avoid. The shepherds during that culture also had a REPUTATION problem. They were treated with contempt and always accused of stealing. They were considered dishonest and they were never allowed to testify in court. In the Talmud it is written that shepherds were not allowed in the courts to be witnesses. Abba Guria stated: One should not teach his son to become a donkey-driver, camel-driver, wagon-driver, sailor, shepherd, or storekeeper, for their profession is the profession of thieves. Despite all this, the first group of people to receive the message of Christmas were shepherds. God considered them important enough to receive the message of Christmas. If they were important enough to receive the message of Christmas from the angels, then we must realize the importance of the message of Christmas for everyone, even those who in the fallacy of our own thinking, we deem unworthy. The message of Christmas, a message we must have in our own hearts is for everyone and we must be willing to share it.
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