Christ’s birth is a beautiful story of God’s grace, generosity, and humility. He was born in humble circumstances to a young girl without money or status. She was an ordinary girl many people could relate to. Angels, however, come straight from heaven in majesty and power. We cannot relate to them, yet angels are significant to our understanding of Christmas.
The Angels Validated Christ’s Significance
An angel declared a prophetic message to the shepherds: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12).
This message was backed up by previous prophecy as well as a present fact, which the shepherds would confirm shortly after their angelic encounter.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
This was the Old Testament prophecy, which foretold that the King of Kings would be born, not arrive straight from heaven the way this angel had done. The shepherds “went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger” (Luke 2:16).
When they arrived, these men shared what they had heard from the angels. The shepherds’ part in what we now call “Christmas” is an example of how the Bible validates itself and expects believers to seek evidence from the text. It should stand up to rigorous scrutiny, and it does.
The Message Was Joyful
Angels “frequently delivered God’s messages,” writes Wayne Grudem and this one was a celebratory message: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (v. 10). The single angel was soon accompanied by a host of angels, all of them praising God.
Why does the angel say, “Fear not?” Because, first of all, a message from God could be a warning. It could mean judgment was coming. One Bible scholar points out that “a destroying angel — a heavenly messenger who brought destruction — was […] sent by God to judge the Israelites because of David’s sin.”
Angels were sent to “carry out some of God’s judgments, bringing a plague upon Israel,” for example (Grudem). In other words, it was not a foregone conclusion that this heavenly person would bring good news.
Secondly, an angel would have been surrounded by the kind of light which glowed on Moses’ face. The people of Israel could not look directly at Moses after he received the Ten Commandments from the Lord.
In the Book of Luke, “The glory of the Lord shone around” the shepherds (v. 9). No wonder the shepherds were “filled with great fear” (v. 9).
The first words this angel spoke were words of comfort, like a transition, breaking God’s silence in a world weary of its own sin and fearful that God had abandoned them.
Heaven had spoken, at last, bringing good news. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah knew that God’s silence was over, but not the rest of Israel.
The Angel’s Appearance Heralded Peace from God
The angel came close to the shepherds signaling the fact that God is personal and concerned for the poorest people.
Translations differ on just how close they came: the ESV, NIV, and NLT say that the angel “appeared to them” (v. 9); the Berean, NASB, and CSB use the phrase “stood before them” or “stood by them.”
In the original Greek, the verb was ephistémi, meaning “to set upon, set up, to stand upon, be present.” In any case, God came close to the lowest people through his formidable messengers.
The poor were indeed blessed to become messengers of good news in their own right. One commentary highlights the fact that the angel “stood upon the earth at their side, and did not float above them in the heavens, as he is usually pictured. His standing upon the earth shows a fuller fellowship and sympathy with men.”
Again, the Greek verb translated here as “stood” might actually mean “to set upon,” but even this implies that the angel descended from above and did not merely hover.
Fellowship with God is a restored relationship with him through Christ, closeness with the Father. Peace (eiréné) is not merely the end of war; peace is “quietness, rest” and also “wholeness, i.e., when all essential parts are joined together; [...] (God's gift of wholeness).”
With the promise of peace through his Son (v. 14), there also came a hope of restoration and unity with the Father. By sending his messenger to stand in their midst, declaring that he had indeed come down to be with them in the flesh, he made that promise tangible.
The Angels Modeled Proper Praise
If any human being is grand, beautiful, well-structured, and elegant, an angel is exponentially more so. The heavenly host were creatures of light, and, as the shepherds’ reaction demonstrates, they were fearfully majestic.
Wayne Grudem remarks that “angels are called ‘mighty ones who do his word’” (Psalm 103:20). Matthew 28:3 says the appearance of the angel at Christ’s empty tomb was “like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.”
Yet, the angels who came to announce Christ’s birth served God with joy, not pride. “Angels show us what perfect obedience looks like [...]. Angels also model worship” (Grudem).
“Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:13-14). They generously, humbly, and happily shared the good news with lowly shepherds.
Angels humbled themselves before God, who came in the form of a helpless baby: what does this teach anyone who thinks worship is for the weak? Luke 2:13 suggests that, in fact, thousands of angels worshiped the infant Jesus.
They continue to worship Christ today. Luke 2:13 variously refers to a “host” or a “multitude” of angels who worshiped Immanuel, translations of the Greek word pléthos meaning “a great number.”
We have no idea how many angels appeared to declare God’s glory, but the scene was powerful, memorable, and motivating. The shepherds took their flocks to the side of Jesus’ manger and told the news of what they saw.
They had to go and worship; the angels set an example these men could not refuse to follow, and one which Christians are urged to hear in today’s busy world, so far removed from the actual scene.
The angels have not stopped singing praises to Jesus, and neither should we. “Day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8).
The Angelic Message Today
How are we meant to share the Good News of salvation through Christ? God’s message is for everyone, but the ignored, and the marginalized are easily overlooked, and sometimes they hide from rejection, revulsion, and abuse.
The poor are unused to conversation, to kindness, to being “first.” Angels brought their message to “the least” (Matthew 25:40), and it was a joy-filled message.
Christians are not angelic, powerful, formidable emissaries of heaven, yet believers are still commanded to follow the angels’ example. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
For further reading:
What Is the Significance of Ministering Angels in the Bible?
The Significance of Angelic Echoes and the Nativity
What Does the Bible Say about the Angel Gabriel?
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