Christ Our Peace

December 18th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Luke 2:8-14 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

From Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the scene shifts to the open fields near the city where shepherds were tending their flocks that night. An unnamed angel of God (Gabriel?), glory surrounding him, appeared to these shepherds and announced the birth of the Christ-child. Of note is the fact that God first announced the gospel to these lowly outcasts of society, not the religious elite. The angel did not appear in the Temple in Jerusalem to tell the religious leaders or the scribes; rather, he went to modest shepherds. Though shepherding was an honest business and a necessary one in Israel, shepherds, like modern garbage men, were not revered. Moreover, because of the ways the Pharisees twisted the law of God to suit themselves, shepherds were considered ceremonially unclean, working outside with clean and unclean animals.

As always, when an angel appears, since its appearance is apparently very frightening, he reassures witnesses to fear not. The angel brought “good news,” which in its verb form means to preach good news; as a noun, however, it is the word from which “gospel” derives. Therefore, in the midst of good news, the shepherds were to “fear not.” Observe here that the good news was for “all the people,” for the Jews believed that God only loved them, in spite of the fact that the OT teaches that Gentiles are also loved and called by God (Hos. 2:23; cf. Acts 15:1-29; 18:10). It was offensive to Jews to hear that God loved Gentiles. Certainly the good news was for the Jew first (Rom. 1:16), but it is ultimately for all, as the angel explained to the shepherds.

In v. 11 the angel told the shepherds that the “Savior” had been born in Bethlehem “who is Christ the Lord.” Of course His name is Jesus (Matt. 1:21), but His titles are Immanuel (“God with us”), Christ (aka, Messiah; Anointed One), and Lord—used for God Himself. Here the angel is clearly speaking of Jesus’ divinity, a Savior—one who delivers. Jesus’ role as the Savior is the essence of the gospel, for Jesus was born to save sinners from the power and penalty of their sin. Hence, Mary’s Child is not simply an infant coming into the world in humility but God in flesh who will bear the sins of the many and be raised in glory and given the authority as Lord and Christ—titles that also appear in Paul’s writings concerning Jesus (cf. Phil. 3:20).

The shepherds were then instructed to go into Bethlehem to search for the Child. The sure sign they would recognize would be the swaddling cloths on a baby lying in a manger. But before they could scurry away, they witnessed an entire host of angels praising God! This was no doubt already occurring in the heavens, but God opened their eyes that night to witness the “multitude of the heavenly host” (cf. 2 Kings 6:17) praising God—from one end of the heavens to the other. Saying, “Glory to God in the highest,” they were referring to the highest heavens (cf. 19:38), as in “Glory to God who sits enthroned in the heavens.” The angels also said, “and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Although the KJV says, “and goodwill toward men,” this is inaccurate. The “peace” is a reference to the fullness of blessing that Jesus Christ brings to His elect. It is essentially speaking of salvation (cf. Acts 10:36), a peace that rests upon those whom God has chosen in Christ for salvation (cf. Eph. 1:3-14).