And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I announce to you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people;
The night sky over Bethlehem opens, and heaven's first word to working men is not a command but a comfort. Why does the news of a Saviour begin by calming fear, and how far does its joy reach?
Heaven's First Word
The order of the angel's words matters. He calms dread before he gives any news. One writer sees Christ's whole coming as the answer to that dread.
Has it struck the reader that the first thing said out of heaven to men after the birth of Christ was "Fear not"? Does it not suggest that His coming as a Baby was meant to remove all fear from our hearts? It was meant to remove all suspicion from us. It was meant to help us see that His attitude towards us, after our four thousand years of sin, was still friendly, loving, gracious. It is so hard for fallen man to believe anything but the lie that deceived him at the beginning. He cannot credit the living God he has sinned against with any kindly attitude towards him.
Another writer sees the same order at work in people today.
A sense of God's presence produces the true fear of God in the soul. At that very moment the gospel comes and takes the fear away. So at once the angel says, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy." Here is the gospel preached for the first time on the plains of Bethlehem.
Glory No Longer Terrifying
The glory shining around the shepherds frightened them. What happens next in the chapter shows that the fear did not return.
The shepherds are filled with fear in the presence of the glory, but the angel says to them, "Fear not." A multitude of the heavenly host then appears in their sight, but they do not fear. Instead they go into the city with joy, repeat the news, and return with praise. It is very happy for us to know that the presence of the glory need not alarm us. Nature fears, but the voice that speaks from heaven makes the soul bold. So we learn that joy and praise, not fear, suit the presence of the glory.
Announced to Shepherds
The choice of audience is itself part of the message. God passed over the great of His people.
Some poor men were doing their hard work faithfully, far from the restless activity of an ambitious and sinful world. They receive the first news of the Lord's presence on earth. The God of Israel did not look for the great among His people, but had regard for the poor of the flock.
How Far the Joy Reaches
Older versions translate the last phrase "to all people." Commentators read it instead as "all the people," meaning Israel, and the ESV renders it that way too.
The great joy of the message centred on this: He had come as Saviour. They had had the Lawgiver and the prophets, but now the Saviour had arrived, and He was so great a person as Christ the Lord. This good news was for "all the people" — not "all people." For the moment a wider circle than all Israel is not in view.
Another writer treats Israel as the starting point, not the limit.
In the end Luke does proclaim the saving grace that goes out to all men. But he begins within the strict limits of Israel. He shows God faithful to His people, and willing to carry out all His promises if they would receive Jesus. But they would not. So God was morally right to turn from the Jews who despised Him to the Gentiles.
Joy as a Christian Mark
The angel promised "great joy." One writer presses that word against our habit of gloom.
Are we not too much afraid of joy? There is much to sadden in life: our failures as believers, the state of the world, the confusion of the church, the small number of believers, the vast crowds who are indifferent. We should feel all this deeply. Still the angel's words stand and proclaim "great joy to all the people."
Summary
- Fear removed — Heaven's first word after Christ's birth is "Fear not." It answers the suspicion fallen people carry about God's attitude towards them.
- Fear replaced — The shepherds trembled at the glory. Then they went into the city with joy and came back praising. Joy, not terror, suits God's presence.
- Joy given — The news brings joy because it announces a Saviour. It arrives just when a soul first feels the true fear of God.
- Joy delivered low — It comes to working men in a field, not to rulers; God had regard for the poor of the flock.
- Joy extended — The news came first to "all the people" of Israel. Luke goes on to proclaim the saving grace that goes out to all men.