The Bible Says
Luke 2:15-20 Meaning

There are no apparent parallel gospel accounts of Luke 2:15-20.

In Luke 2:15-20, the shepherds hurry to find the baby lying in a manger just as they were told. They tell others what was revealed to them, and return glorifying God while Mary reflects on these events happily in her heart.

Luke continues his account of the group of shepherds near Bethlehem. In the previous section, a glorious angel suddenly visited them by night and told them that the Messiah had been born in the city of David (Luke 2:9-11). The angel gave them a sign so they could find the Messiah: “you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). Then a multitude of angels appeared and began to praise God (Luke 2:13-14).

Now Luke narrates the shepherds’ response:

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us” (v 15).

The pronoun-us-refers to the shepherds.

The expression when the angels had gone away from them into heaven indicates that the angels were no longer visible to the shepherds.

The reason the angels were no longer visible is because they had gone away from the shepherds and into heaven. This could mean that the angels simply disappeared from the universe of this world and specifically the night skies over Bethlehem as they went into the realm and/or dimension of heaven. Or it could mean that the angels moved away from the shepherds and gradually relocated further and further away from the shepherds until they were out of sight and completely gone. Luke also could be describing both a physical moving away and a realm shift from earth into heaven.

In any event, once the angels were gone, the shepherds who had just heard the angel’s good news about the Messiah’s birth and witnessed the hosts’ praise (Luke 2:8-14), began talking to one another. They were probably speaking to one another with tremendous excitement, given the amazing things they had just witnessed and the good news they had just heard.

It seems that the shepherds were all saying the same thing to each other once the angels had gone. And what they began saying to one another was this:

“Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

They all wanted to immediately go straight to Bethlehem and see what the angel had told them about. Perhaps the shepherds left their flock in the field to go find the baby Messiah.

Normally, shepherds would not abandon their flock-it went against their professional honor. But the angelic visitation, the appearance of the Lord’s glory, and the announcement that the Christ had been born easily overrode the shepherd’s code.

It is also possible that the shepherds brought their flock to the place where Jesus was born. He was, after all, born in a place where sheep were kept. It could be that the shepherds simply “parked” their sheep in nearby caves or just outside. In any event, the shepherds wisely determined to follow God’s lead and celebrate the joyful occasion, rather than miss this once-in-an-eternity moment.

The phrase-this thing that has happened-refers to the birth of the Messiah.

Luke may be suggesting two additional ideas with the matter-of-fact language of this phrase. These two ideas are the shepherds’ immediate faith and the historical certainty of the Messiah’s birth.

The shepherds’ description of this thing that has happened reveals their faith. They believed the angel’s message that was given to them as they were surrounded by “the glory of the Lord” (Luke 2:9).

The immediacy and completeness of the lowly shepherds’ faith was similar to Mary’s faith when Gabriel announced that she would bear the Messiah as a virgin (Luke 1:38). The shepherds’ faith contrasted the doubt of Zacharias, the priest, when Gabriel told him that his elderly wife would bear a son (Luke 1:18-20). This might foreshadow what later transpired, that Jesus was received by many in Israel who were lowly but rejected by Israel’s leaders.

The second aspect highlighted by the expression this thing that has happened is the factual nature of the actual event-the birth of Christ. Luke, as a historian (Luke 1:1-4), uses language to emphasize how the shepherds viewed the angelic message not as a possibility or vision, but as a real, historical event that happened “today, in the city of David” (Luke 1:11).

The angel’s message described a real event-one of the most significant events in the history of the world. The “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10) which the angel told the shepherds was:

“For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
(Luke 2:11)

The shepherds correctly understood that “the city of David” referred to Bethlehem. And that this thing that has happened was that the Messiah had just been born there-“today” (Luke 2:11).

Their statement reveals how the shepherds recognized that the angels had come from God to tell them this good news.

Even though it was the angels who delivered the good news (the Greek term for “angel” literally means “messenger”), the shepherds knew that it was the Lord who sent the angels to deliver the good news to them. Therefore, it was the Lord who had made known to us (the shepherds) about the Messiah’s birth.

After the shepherds said to one another that they should go and see what the angel had told them about the Messiah’s birth-they did exactly that.

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger (v 16).

Luke writes that they came in a hurry. This expression could indicate one or more of the following three things:

• It could mean that the shepherds did not delay or meander their way to find the baby Messiah in Bethlehem-they went straight for the city to see for themselves.

• It could mean that the shepherds hasted to see what the Lord had made known to them.

• This expression could also indicate that the shepherds were able to find the baby quickly and it did not take them long to get to Him.

That they came in a hurry could also mean all three of these things at the same time.

The angel had also given the shepherds signs to lead them to the baby Messiah:

“you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
(Luke 2:12b)

The sign was actually two signs:

1. the baby would be wrapped in strips of cloth-not a blanket or baby gown.
2. the baby would be “lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12).

A manger was a feeding trough for livestock. There were, and are still, caves in the vicinity of Bethlehem, possibly enclosed by stacked rock walls. These are used until today as “barns” for the animals. It is likely that the shepherds immediately knew where they would find Jesus, because they knew all the locations of the “barns” in Bethlehem.

The shepherds, by their profession, would know where to find a manger near or in Bethlehem. They knew the location of any caves where a manger would be. The shepherds knew where the Messianic baby could be found.

Because of the angel’s sign (Luke 2:12), the shepherds were able to find their way to Mary and Joseph in a hurry. When they got to the place where He was, they also found the baby as He lay in the manger-just as the angel said they would (Luke 2:12).

When they found the baby lying in a manger, the shepherds were able to know that they had found the Christ, whom the prophets had long foretold, and whom the people had eagerly awaited, and whom the angels just announced to them.

The reason the baby was “lying in a manager” (Luke 2:12) was because there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn-“the kataluma”-the small public guest room for town visitors (Luke 2:7). The likely reason Mary and Joseph were turned away from the inn (“kataluma”) was because Mary was in labor, and it would not have been appropriate to do so in a room with other strangers who were trying to rest. The alternative was a place with a manger-probably a cave or other crude shelter for livestock.

The baby Messiah was wrapped in strips of cloth, which indicated the poverty of his parents and possibly foreshadowed His burial, as corpses were also wrapped in strips of cloth when laid to rest.

Mary and Jospeh were the Christ/Messiah’s mother and adoptive father.

Mary was the mother of the Messiah. She had given birth to her son earlier that day (Luke 2:7, 2:11). She was a virgin (Matthew 1:25, Luke 1:27, 34). Mary conceived Jesus, the Messiah when the Holy Spirit overshadowed her (Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:35).

Joseph was engaged to Mary (Luke 1:27). Jospeh was not the Messianic baby’s biological father. Mary’s firstborn son (Jesus) had no earthly father.

This baby was both the Christ-the Messiah-sent to redeem Israel (and the world), and He was the Son of God.

This baby was fully God with an eternal and divine nature (John 1:1). As God, this baby had always existed as the Son of God. But the Son of God was conceived and born as a human (Luke 1:30-35, John 1:14). Thus, the Son of God became fully human as the baby Jesus. Jesus received His human nature from His mother-Mary. And Jesus had eternally existed as God.

Paradoxically, Jesus is both fully God and He is fully human. Neither of His two natures overwhelm or diminish the completeness of the other.

When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds (vv 17-18).

After the shepherds had found Mary and Jospeh and when they had seen the baby lying in the manger, they gave an explanation for why they had come to the place where Mary had her baby and/or had come in such a hurry.

The Bible gives no reason to suggest that Mary and Joseph were expecting visitors.

The shepherds’ sudden presence likely surprised and may have even startled or alarmed Mary and Joseph. When Mary and Joseph first saw that the men were shepherds, they may have jumped to the conclusion that the shepherds were coming to use the manger and that they would have to take their baby someplace else for their family to rest.

But the shepherds did not come to feed their flock or use the manger. They came to worship Mary’s baby who was the Christ. The shepherds explained everything and made known the statement which had been told them by the angel about this Child.

The statement which had been told to the shepherds was the angel’s statement about the Child’s birth and identity (Luke 2:11) and the sign by which to find Him (Luke 2:12)

The context indicates that the shepherds told Mary and Joseph not only about the statement informing them that the Messiah was born, but that they also explained it was an angel who told them this statement-and that it was told to them as “the glory of the Lord shown all around them” (Luke 2:9)

Luke points out how all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds (v 18).

Everyone who heard the shepherds’ account were amazed. They wondered at the things which they had been told.

The things which they had been told by the shepherds and wondered at included:

• The angel’s sudden appearance standing before them;
  (Luke 2:9a)

• The shekinah glory of the Lord shining all around them;
  (Luke 2:9b)

• The shepherds’ fear;
  (Luke 2:9c)

• The angel’s assurance and good news for the people that the Christ had been born;
  (Luke 2:10-11)

• The sign by which the shepherds could find this newborn Child;
  (Luke 2:12)

• The heavenly host and their praise of God and proclamation of hope for those who please Him;
  (Luke 2:13-14)

• What the shepherds saw when they found Mary and Joseph-their baby was lying in the manger just as the angel described to them;
  (Luke 2:16-17)

The expression-all who heard it-meant all who heard these things which the shepherds told them.

The plural-all-suggests that the shepherds shared their message widely, and that there was a group of people who listened to what they had to say. These people became the first human audience to hear the good news of Jesus’s birth as told by eyewitnesses.

All who heard it likely means one of two groups of people (and possibly both).

The expression-All who heard it-could refer to:

• All who were present at the manger when the shepherds visited the night of Jesus’s birth, and all whom the shepherds encountered in and around Bethlehem that night.

• All those who heard the shepherds’ account during the days, weeks, and months after Jesus’s birth.

If Luke is describing the night of Jesus’s birth, then all who heard it would include Mary and Joseph and anyone else who might have been around-possibly the local population or any unnamed kindly visitors who came to check on or tend to the needs of the new mother and Child. It would also include everyone else the shepherds encountered after they left Mary and Joseph on their way back to their flock and field.

Presumably some of those whom the shepherds encountered also came to see Mary’s baby, the Messiah on account of the shepherds’ testimony. Others may not have. Bethlehem was a small village, so it could be that the entire population heard about the night’s events.

If Luke is describing the extended time-period after Jesus’s birth, then all who heard it would include anyone and everyone whom the shepherds told over the coming days and months and the word of mouth beyond that. We know the shepherds continued to testify of the Messiah’s birth and the angelic announcement because Luke also writes: The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them (v 20).

Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) and Anna (Luke 2:36-38) may have been two people whom the shepherds told about the Messiah’s birth and who wondered at the things which they had heard.

Luke could mean both the night of and season following Jesus’s birth by all who heard the shepherds’ account.

The shepherds were the first human evangelists of the Messiah. They heeded the angel’s statement that the good news was “for all the people” (Luke 2:10b). And according to Luke, the shepherds got busy telling people what they had seen. Even though they might have spread the news far and wide, it would likely have spread only among a comparatively small group since Bethlehem was a rural village and shepherds tend to dwell in areas of sparse population.

It went against expectations that shepherds would be the first human witnesses of the gospel because the Jewish religious tradition (“the Mishnah”) at that time prohibited shepherds from giving testimony in a court of law (Mishnah. Rosh Hashanah 1.9).

That God choose lowly shepherds to His messengers is an example of how the last shall be first (Matthew 20:16). And those who heard the message became the first human audience to hear the good news of Jesus’s birth as told by eyewitnesses.

Luke reports how all those who heard the message wondered at what the shepherds had to say.

The Greek word that is translated as wondered in this verse is a form of θαυμάζω (G2296-pronounced: “thau-maz-ō”). This term denotes astonishment, amazement, or marveling. It does not necessarily indicate belief or understanding, but it does suggest a sense of being struck by the message. The object of their amazement was the things which were told them by the shepherds”-which included the angelic announcement that the baby lying in a manger was the promised Messiah, the Savior, and the Lord (Luke 2:11-12). The shepherds’ message was extraordinary, and it rightly caused people to marvel.

Luke does not say whether those who heard the shepherds believed their message. He simply notes their emotional response of wonder. This kind of reaction-astonishment without immediate commitment-was a common response throughout Jesus’s ministry. For example, people marveled at Jesus’s teachings and miracles (Luke 4:22, 8:25), yet not all who marveled believed or followed Him.

Wonder can be the first step toward faith, but it is not the same as faith. Faith means trust. Wondering at what God may be doing is not the same thing as trusting or acting upon what He has said or done. It takes faith to receive eternal life (John 3:14-16), faith to believe Jesus is the answer to the poisonous venom of sin that leads to death.

This faith, the faith to look upon Jesus, hoping to be delivered, is faith to receive the free gift of eternal life. It also takes faith to please God, which is the means by which we receive the Prize and reward which is the experience and inheritance of eternal life. As Hebrews 11:6 states, in order to please God we must believe a) that He is who He says He is, and b) that His rewards for those who diligently seek Him are worth the effort.

Luke may be subtly preparing the reader to recognize that hearing the message of Christ requires more than amazement-it demands a response of trust and obedience.

Nevertheless, the shepherds' testimony clearly had an impact. It caused a stir. These humble messengers had become the first human heralds of the Incarnation, and their account introduced the people of Bethlehem to the idea that the long-awaited Messiah had finally come-born in their midst in the most unexpected of circumstances. The shepherds’ faith-filled proclamation planted the seeds of amazement, which, in some, may later have grown into faith.

This reaction of wonder anticipates a similar response from two devout individuals who would encounter Jesus about a week later when Mary and Joseph brought Him to the temple in Jerusalem in obedience to the Law of Moses.

On that day, the old man named Simeon, upon seeing the baby, blessed God and declared: “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32).

Then, an elderly prophetess named Anna began “giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

Whether Simeon and Anna were among all those who heard the shepherds’ accounts, they both affirmed what the shepherds proclaimed: that this Child was the long-awaited Savior and the fulfillment of God’s promises. Their witness adds confirmation and continuity to the shepherds’ message, and it further reveals how God used ordinary and faithful people to announce the arrival of the Messiah.

After describing the response of all who heard the shepherds, Luke reveals what Jesus’s mother was thinking as all these things took place:

But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart (v 19).

Luke begins with the conjunction-But-to indicate a shift in writing perspective. His narrative shifts from the general response of wonder by all who heard to

Mary’s response, which was deeply personal and reflective.

Luke writes that Mary treasured all these things, suggesting that she recognized the significance of what was happening and preserved it carefully in her memory. The word treasured implies that she guarded or kept these things close. Mary intentionally gathered her thoughts and stored her memories about the ordeal of her son’s birth in Bethlehem during a census, the angelic announcement, the shepherds’ visit, and the sense of amazement surrounding all these things.

The Greek word that is translated as pondering is “sumballousa”. It literally means “bringing together” or “comparing.” Mary was mentally assembling the pieces-putting the various signs, prophecies, and testimonies into relationship with one another in order to understand the bigger picture of who her Child was and what God was doing in the history of Israel through her life. This quiet act of meditation suggests a spiritual depth and a proactive faith.

In this context, her heart refers to a place of reflection-part of her inner soul, not a feeling of emotion.

Mary was not a passive observer of these events. And perhaps more than any other person (besides her Son), she was a participant in all these things. Mary was actively seeking to understand God’s purposes through them.

The details of Jesus’s conception (Luke 1:26-38) and birth (Luke 2:1-25) provides strong internal evidence that Mary herself-or someone very close to Mary-was likely Luke’s source for the detailed events recorded in chapters 1 and 2. The private nature of Mary’s thoughts-her treasuring and pondering in her heart-could only be known through intimate firsthand knowledge or divine revelation.

Luke began his gospel account by stating that he investigated everything carefully from the beginning and compiled his account using eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2-3) so that his readers “may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4).

Luke’s primary audience appears to have been Greek-speaking Christians and were likely among the churches of the Greek cities he and Paul visited together. Scripture indicates that Luke himself was a Greek Gentile, as Luke is mentioned as a co-worker in Colossians 4:14. In Colossians 4:11, Paul mentions a number of people who are “the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision” and that list does not include Luke.

Also, Greeks highly valued  historical accuracy and orderly narratives. It was the Greeks who invented and developed the science of history. Luke’s inclusion of such personal and reflective details from Mary’s perspective shows his care in gathering true eyewitness testimony as historical details that confirm the reliability of Jesus’s life and identity.

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them (v 20).

As mentioned above, the shepherds enthusiastically began to share the good news of great joy that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem to everyone they spoke to. Since they were shepherds, that likely was a small circle.

When they left the place where Jesus had been born and went back to their flock and fields, they were glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. These shepherds were likely shepherds who tended flocks of sheep that would be used in temple sacrifice, since Jerusalem was only about five miles away. In their rejoicing, the shepherds would be welcoming the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

The shepherds were actively marveling, worshipping God, and proclaiming the good news which they had first been told and had now seen with their eyes. The shepherds may have been singing songs, quoting pieces of scripture and all the Messianic prophecies they could recall. They may have been trying to fit the Messianic psalms and prophecies into the wonderful things they had just witnessed, and were marveling at what God was about to accomplish in Israel as they were glorifying and praising Him.

In one evening, the shepherds’ lives and their perspective had changed. Before that night, they were longing, waiting on the Messiah. Then an angel appeared and told them that the Christ had been born that very day, and they went and saw the Child with their own eyes. Now as the shepherds went back to their flock and fields, they were joyfully glorifying and praising God with all their heart.

Thus the first recipients of the gospel message had become the first human messengers themselves. And in so doing, the shepherds were, perhaps unknowingly, setting the example for how the life-transforming message of the Gospel would be told, believed, and retold again and again.

At the end of His first advent, after His resurrection and just prior to departing, Jesus commissioned all believers to share the good news and make disciples, teaching all who believed to obey His commands (Matthew 28:18-20). It is now the privilege and opportunity for each believer to be like these shepherds, and tell the good news as they go through life.

The Greek word translated “Go” in the phrase “Go therefore and make disciples” has a participle mood and might be better translated, “As you are going.” Just as the shepherds praised God and told the good news as they continued as shepherds, so is each believer exhorted to share by living out and sharing Jesus’s commandments. Each believer has the honor to live as these shepherds and testify to the glory of God through their lives.