Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 2:20
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
The shepherds returned – To their flocks.
Glorifying … – Giving honor to God, and celebrating his praises.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Luk 2:20
And the shepherds returned
Dignifying common life
And then they returned to their fields, to their flocks, to their ordinary life; giving thus a beautiful example of pious diligence and fidelity in their vocation.
An extraordinary privilege has been granted to them. They are not lifted up by it into pride and pretension and self-sufficiency and idleness. They are cheered by it in their common toil. This is all the gospel that some of them would hear on earth. They would die, probably, as they lived, tending their sheep, before the Good Shepherd openly appeared. In their example, they sanctify, they glorify, what we call common life. They dignify the duty, it may be the drudgery of the day. But what, after all, is common life? It is a relative phrase. Common life to these shepherds is the keeping of the sheep on those very fields where David was shepherd-boy before them, where Ruth gleaned after the reapers. Common life to the angels lies in the heavenly spheres, serving at the bidding of the King. This visit to the earth, on such an errand, is a remarkable exception to their ordinary experience. It is, if we may use the phrase, a point of high romance in their history. (Dr. Raleigh.)
This is how all true-minded, simple-hearted inquirers have returned from their Christian investigations. It is questionable whether any man has ever closed the Bible in a mood of dissatisfaction who opened it with reverent determination to know how far it was a testimony from heaven. Christian investigation is not finished until it has brought into the heart a joy altogether unprecedented. The mere letter never brings gladness. Critics and disputants have found little in the Bible but a great waste of words; but penitent and earnest inquirers have returned from its examination with hearts overflowing with a new and imperishable joy. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Shepherds glorifying God for the birth of a Saviour
We will contemplate the things for which, and the manner in which, they glorified God, and will inter mingle some practical reflections.
I. WE WILL CONSIDER THE MATTERS FOR WHICH THEY GLORIFIED AND PRAISED GOD. These were the things, which they had heard and seen.
1. They glorified God that the promised Saviour was now born. They seem to have been some of those pious people who looked for redemption in Israel.
2. They rejoiced that this Saviour was born for them. The angel says, Unto you is born this day a Saviour. Conscious of their impotence and unworthiness, they felt their need of a Saviour, and esteemed it a matter of great joy that He was come to bring salvation to them. They doubtless admired the distinguishing grace of God in visiting them first of all with the glorious tidings.
3. The shepherds rejoiced that the Saviour was horn for others, as well as themselves. I bring you good tidings, says the angel, which shall be to all people.
4. The shepherds glorified God for what they had seen, as well as what they had heard.
II. CONSIDER THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY GLORIFIED HIM.
1. They glorified God by faith in the Saviour, whom He had sent. They believed the heavenly message. By faith in the Redeemer we give glory to God.
2. They glorified God by a ready obedience. Being informed by a heavenly messenger where the Saviour lay, they came to Him with haste. They made no delay, but immediately obeyed the Divine intimation. Faith operates in a way of cheerful obedience.
3. They glorified God by confessing and spreading the Saviours name. When they had seen Him, they made known abroad what had been told them concerning the Child. They were not ashamed to own Him as the Messiah, even in His infant state. You see that true faith will prompt you to honour Christ before men.
4. They glorified God by an attendance on the means of faith. The angel who announced the Saviours birth gave them a token by which they might know Him. This shall be a sign to you. Ye shall find the babe wrapt in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And they came with haste, and found as he had told them. God gave them a particular sign for the confirmation of their faith; and He has appointed standing means to strengthen and enliven ours. Jesus Christ is exhibited to us in His Word, in His sanctuary, and at His table. Here we are to seek Him, and converse with Him, that we may increase our faith and warm our love.
5. They glorified God with the voice of praise. (J. Lathrop, D. D.)
The changed world
The day after Christs birth was a new day in the worlds history. The old era had passed, the new had begun; and only the angels knew what a revolution had been wrought by the quiet power of God. The wonder has grown with the years. Christianity has been an increasing miracle of the Lords presence on earth. That song, which a few shepherds heard, has sung itself into the thought of the world, and is the keynote and harmony of all peace and goodwill on earth.
I. THE CHRISTIAN CHANGE OF THE WORLDS HISTORY IS A FACT. The influx through Christ of a new power into the life of humanity is a known fact of experience, as certain as the battle of Gettysburg, or the dawn of day. This fact of the new power in the world, through the birth of Christ, belongs to a series of facts. The religion of the Bible presents a continued succession, and reveals an exalted order of facts. Christianity is a positive religion of historical facts from Moses to Christ, from Christ to the last Church organized and the last communion table spread.
II. THE NATURE AND REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS FACT.
1. In Christianity we breathe a different air. Midway down the Simplon Pass the traveller pauses to read upon a stone the single word Italia. At this point he passes a boundary live, and every step makes plainer how great has been the change from Switzerland to Italy. The air becomes warm and fragrant, and vines line the wayside, and below, embosomed in verdure, Lake Maggiore expands before him. As that traveller rests at evening-time, he recognizes that the entrance into a new world was marked by the word Italia upon the stone on the pass. Humanity has crossed a boundary line: up to Bethlehem, bleak and cold–down from Bethlehem, another and a happier time.
2. This new transforming power was, to the disciples, Jesus Himself. He made all things new to them.
3. Jesus has been to the world a new revelation of God. God is essentially and eternally Christlike.
4. Jesus is also a new revelation of man. Man is in Christ another man. You pass a man in the streets, and you used to feel that you did not want to know or help such a poor creature–he lived below your world, and his name was not found in your book of life. Now it is different, for you have been baptized into the name of Christ, in whom our whole common humanity exists, redeemed and capable of a great salvation. CONCLUSION: We close by asking ourselves, Am I living, by faith in the Son of God, in this changed world? Is it, in the history of my soul, the day before, or the better day after, Christmas. (Newman Smyth, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising] These simple men, having satisfactory evidence of the truth of the good tidings, and feeling a Divine influence upon their own minds, returned to the care of their flocks, glorifying God for what he had shown them, and for the blessedness which they felt. “Jesus Christ, born of a woman, laid in a stable, proclaimed and ministered to by the heavenly host, should be a subject of frequent contemplation to the pastors of his Church. After having compared the predictions of the prophets with the facts stated in the evangelic history, their own souls being hereby confirmed in these sacred truths, they will return to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for what they had seen and heard in the Gospel history, just as it had been told them in the writings of the prophets; and, preaching these mysteries with the fullest conviction of their truth, they become instruments in the hands of God of begetting the same faith in their hearers; and thus the glory of God and the happiness of his people are both promoted.” What subjects for contemplation! – what matter for praise!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
20. glorifying and praising God,c.The latter word, used of the song of the angels (Lu2:13), and in Luk 19:37Luk 24:53, leads us to supposethat theirs was a song too, probably some canticle from thePsaltermeet vehicle for the swelling emotions of their simplehearts at what “they had heard and seen.”
Lu2:21. CIRCUMCISION OFCHRIST.
Here only recorded, and even heremerely alluded to, for the sake of the name then given to the holyBabe, “JESUS,”or SAVIOUR (Mat 1:21;Act 13:23). Yet in this naming ofHim “Saviour,” in the act of circumcising Him, which was asymbolical and bloody removal of the body of sin, we have a tacitintimation that they “had need”as John said of HisBaptismrather to be circumcised by Him “with the circumcisionmade without hands, in the putting off of the body [of the sins] ofthe flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (Col2:11), and that He only “suffered it to be so, because thusit became Him to fulfil all righteousness” (Mt3:15). Still the circumcision of Christ had a profound bearing onHis own workby few rightly apprehended. For since “he that iscircumcised is a debtor to do the whole law” (Ga5:3), Jesus thus bore about with Him in His very flesh the sealof a voluntary obligation to do the whole lawby Him only possiblein the flesh since the fall. And as He was “made under the law”for no ends of His own, but only “to redeem them that wereunder the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons”(Gal 4:4; Gal 4:5),the obedience to which His circumcision pledged Him was a redeemingobediencethat of a “Saviour.” And, finally, as”Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law” by”being made a curse for us” (Ga3:13), we must regard Him, in His circumcision, as brought undera palpable pledge to be “obedient unto death, even the deathof the cross” (Php 2:8).
Lu2:22-40. PURIFICATION OF THEVIRGINPRESENTATIONOF THE BABE IN THETEMPLE-SCENETHERE WITH SIMEONAND ANNA.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the shepherds returned,…. From Bethlehem, to the fields, and to their flock there;
glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard; from Joseph and Mary:
and seen; as the babe lying in the manger:
as it was told unto them; by the angel: they glorified God on account of the birth of the Messiah; and praised him, wondering at his grace, and the high honour put upon them, that they should be acquainted with it; and that there was such an exact agreement between the things they had seen, and the angel’s account of them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
1) “And the shepherds returned,” (kai hupestrepasn hoi poimenes) “And the shepherds returned,” to the fields, to their sheep and livelihood, their occupations and their friends.
2) “Glorifying and praising God.” (diksazontes ksi ainountes ton theon) “Continually praising and glorifying God,” believing the message of the heavenly army and the vision of the Christ that they had beheld, Luk 2:16-17.
3) “For all the things that they had heard and seen,” (epi pasin hois ekousan kai eidon) “Upon the basis of all the things they had both heard and seen,” from the angel (perhaps Gabriel) Luk 1:19; Luk 1:26; Luk 2:9. And the host of accompanying colleague of angels, Luk 2:13-15. The mystery of godliness had been revealed to them that blessed night, and they just had to tell it, 1Ti 3:16; Act 4:20.
4) “As it was told unto them.” (kathos elalethe pros autos) “Just as, or in definitive harmony with, what was spoken directly to them,” from an heavenly armada of angels, of God’s informing angels, and as they had seen 1) the angels, heard their praises and message, 2) had seen the Christ-child for themselves, wrapped in the sign-clothes and lying in the sign-place (a manger), Luk 2:12; Luk 2:16.
It is likely that after the shepherds related their vision of and message from the angels, Mary shared with them her former communion with God’s angel Gabriel, about this new-born Savior, Luk 1:26-35.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
20. Glorifying and praising God This is another circumstance which is fitted to be generally useful in confirming our faith. The shepherds knew with certainty that this was a work of God. Their zeal in glorifying and praising God is an implied reproof of our indolence, or rather of our ingratitude. If the cradle of Christ (169) had such an effect upon them, as to make them rise from the stable and the manger to heaven, how much more powerful ought the death and resurrection of Christ to be in raising us to God? For Christ did not only ascend from the earth, that he might draw all things after him; but he sits at the right hand of the Father, that, during our pilgrimage in the world, we may meditate with our whole heart on the heavenly life. When Luke says, that the testimony of the angel served as a rule to the shepherds in all that they did, (170) he points out the nature of true godliness. For our faith is properly aided by the works of God, when it directs everything to this end, that the truth of God, which was revealed in his word, may be brought out with greater clearness.
(169) “ Si les petits drapeaux esquels estoit enveloppe l’infant Jesus;”— “if the little rags in which the child Jesus was wrapped.”
(170) “ Ad quam omnia exigerent.” — “ Une reigle, a laquelle ils ont rapporte tout ce qu’ils voyoyent;” — “a rule by which they related all that they saw.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
20. Glorifying and praising God This conduct on the part of the returning shepherds indicates that the supposition is true that they piously waited for the hope of Israel, the Messiah.
CHRISTMAS, the NATIVITY, the anniversary of our Saviour’s birth, has been for ages celebrated by all Christendom upon the 25th of December. The accuracy of this date is a matter of interesting inquiry.
1. Upon grounds of tradition the authority for it is very slight. The Eastern Church, within whose bosom the locality of that sacred birth is centrally included, knew nothing of the date for centuries, and really celebrated the Lord’s birth on the 6th of January, the day of the Epiphany. (See note on Luk 3:22.) The fixing of the day of Christmas was really done at Rome, and was transmitted from thence over the Eastern Church. The authority for the selection of that day was the government record of the taxing, or census of Cyrenius, said to be in the imperial archives at Rome. But the authenticity of these records is too untenable to allow any weight to the argument.
2. Probably a main argument with the ancient Church for the nativity in December was based upon the assumption that Zacharias was high priest, and that the annunciation was made to him on the great day of atonement, which was in September. For, reckoning from September, nine months would bring us to the birth of John in June; and Jesus, being six months younger than John, (in all fifteen months,) must have been born in December. But the supposition that Zacharias was high priest is now by all admitted to be baseless.
3. But, after all that has been said, the negative argument drawn from the climate is unanswered. Mr. Andrews does indeed show from Barclay and others that there are often periods about Christmas which are the loveliest in the whole year. But Mr. Barclay’s meteorological tables show the average in inches of rain-fall through seven years to be as follows: November, 2 inches; December, 14; January, 13; February, 16; March, 8; April, 1; and May, 1. Average range of the thermometer through five years, November, 67; December, 53.3; January, 49.6; February, 52.1. So that December is within a trifle of being the severest month of the year.
4 . But it must be specially noted that the strongest negative argument is not drawn from the flocks in the field. The gravelling question is this: Would the government select midwinter for a registration of all Palestine, including northern Galilee as well as southern Judea, which would compel a general journeying of the inhabitants often from nearly one end to the other? Let any one read Dr. Thomson’s account of a winter travel in Palestine, vol. i, pp. 329-332, and he will perhaps shudder to send the virgin from Nazareth to Bethlehem in December. Our own conclusion is, that the fixing the birth of Christ in December is unsustained by tradition and invalidated from Scripture.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken to them.’
And as for the shepherds, they returned to the countryside, and to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen. Such behaviour inevitably follows reception of the Good News. Compare Luk 5:26; Luk 7:16; Luk 13:13; Luk 17:15; Luk 18:43, Luk 23:47; Act 2:47; Act 4:21; Act 10:46; Act 13:48. The glad tidings were for all mankind.
Note the interesting contrasts. The hearers were filled with wonder, Mary kept it all in her heart and meditated on it, the shepherds glorified and praised God. They had no doubt about what had happened.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Luk 2:20. For all the things, &c. Besides what they had heard from the angel and seen at Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary would, no doubt, upon such an occasion, give them an account of those particulars, which the sacred historian has related above, respecting the conception of this divine Infant; and this interview must have greatly confirmed and comforted the minds of all concerned.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Ver. 20. As it was told unto them ] God, to show that he respected not persons, revealed this grand mystery to shepherds and wise men; the one poor, the other rich; the one learned, the other unlearned; the one Jews, the other Gentiles; the one near, the other far off.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
for = on. Greek. epi. App-104.
as = according as.
unto. Greek. pros. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Luk 2:20. , they heard) from Mary.-, even as) What had been said and what they saw and heard tallied together.-, it was told) by the angels.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Luk 18:43, Luk 19:37, Luk 19:38, 1Ch 29:10-12, Psa 72:17-19, Psa 106:48, Psa 107:8, Psa 107:15, Psa 107:21, Isa 29:19, Act 2:46, Act 2:47, Act 11:18
Reciprocal: Psa 13:5 – my heart Psa 22:23 – glorify Mat 2:10 – they rejoiced Luk 2:28 – and Luk 7:16 – they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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The shepherds praised God for the combination of events with the statement of the angel, thereby constituting a verifying weight of evidence. It was such a strong evidence of divine truth they could not refrain from rejoicing.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 2:20. Returned, i.e., to their flock, to their duty. Angelic revelations did not make them unfaithful shepherds. But their ordinary duty was made glad by what they had heard and seen. We hear no more of them. Van Oosterzee: They probably fell asleep, before the beginning of our Lords public ministry, with the recollection of this night in their hearts, and a frame of mind like that of the aged Simeon. Their names, unknown on earth, are written in heaven, and their experience is the best example of the first beatitude. Mat 5:3.
Lessons from the Nativity: God has in every birth His admirable work. But God to be a child, that is the miracle of miracles. The great God to be a little babe; the Ancient of Days to become an infant; the King of eternity to be two or three months old, the Almighty Jehovah to be a weak man; God immeasurably great, whom heaven and earth cannot contain, to be a babe a span long; He that rules the stars to suck a womans nipple; the founder of the heavens rocked in a cradle; the swayer of the world swathed in infant bands:it is a most incredible thing, the blessed mystery of godliness. The earth wondered, at Christs Nativity, to see a new star in heaven; but heaven might rather wonder to see a new Sun on earth.Glory and shame, the highest heavens and the lowly manger, angels and shepherds, how much in keeping with the birth of the God-man, God emptying Himself to become man! If it be poetry and not history, then the poet would be greater than the hero (Rousseau). This fact called for angels highest strains, and ever since has been stimulating the men of Gods good pleasure to voice their thanksgiving for peace on earth, in a way not discordant with that song of the future, in which angels and redeemed men shall unite to praise the Babe of Bethlehem, to sing the eternal Gloria in Excelsis.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 20
It cannot now be positively ascertained in what part of the year the birth of the Savior took place. In the absence of all certain information, however, the night before the 25th of December has been fixed upon, by a sort of common consent, and is celebrated in various ways, throughout almost all Christendom, as the anniversary of the Savior’s birth night.
Luke 2:21,22. The law, in respect to these transactions, is recorded in Leviticus 12:1-8: For an account of the original consecration of all the first-born to God’s service, see Exodus 13:1,2,14,15. Afterwards the tribe of Levi was substituted for the first-born, in the service of the sanctuary, as shown in Numbers 8:13-18, and provision was made for redeeming the first-born, Numbers 18:15,16.