Happy Epiphany Eve!
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, January 5, 2026 (Donate)
Today is the eleventh day of Christmas! It is also known at Angels
and Shepherds Day. Since Epiphany is the following day and is the capstone
of the Twelve Days of Christmas, this is usually more well known as Epiphany
Eve.
Nevertheless, it is a time to think more deeply about angels
and shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth.
Angels
An angel initially announced Him to the shepherds; then
others affirmed it. God says in Luke 2:8-14 NKJV:
Now there were in the same country
shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them,
“Do not be afraid, for behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. “For there is born to you this day in the city
of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be the sign to
you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And 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, goodwill toward men!”
So, the angelic appearance was to bring good tidings.
However, the shepherds were initially in great fear. This makes sense.
In the Old Testament, when an angel appeared they were
usually there for one of two purposes, enact judgment or deliver a message. So,
their fear was rightfully justified. Their minds were put at ease when
the angel informed them, they were passing a message of good tidings.
Shepherds
We learn more about the shepherds that night in Scripture. They quickly went to see this sign. God says in Luke 2:15-20, NKJV:
So it was, when the angels had gone
away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another,
“Let us now go to Bethlehem and
see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
And they came with haste and found
Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him,
they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
And all those who heard it
marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept
all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard
and seen, as it was told them.
They immediately went to see the Child! They went with haste—they
were in a hurry and rushing. They were clearly excited to see this sight.
These men likely saw many children after they were born. But
this was different. What made this different was that angels appeared and gave
an announcement about Him. He really was special and they made sure everyone
they talked to knew about it. For those taking notice, there should also a unique star available to mark the spot. Though, we do not know if it was perceived by the shepherds.
It wouldn’t surprise me is there was a crowd of people at the
manger scene at this point. Remember, that Mary and Joseph may have only known
a few people at this point, but local shepherds likely knew everyone in town. They made sure the everyone around knew that
this child was special—with an angelic announcement.
But here is something else the shepherds did that few people
discuss in much detail. When they returned, they were glorifying God and
praising God. They rightly recognized and gave glory to God for this. I
wonder if they ever did ascertain that the very Child they saw was God in the flesh.
Imagine the devastation of these shepherds over the massacre
at Bethlehem. Of course, all the death in Bethlehem and the region surrounding
it was bad enough (they probably lost relatives in that event). But these shepherds,
who were glorifying and praising God for this special child, now likely thought
that the Child was among the slain.
Mary and Joseph didn’t return to Bethlehem after their
flight to Egypt but instead turned and settled in Nazareth.
There is so much more about the angels and shepherds that
could be discussed. I hope this taste was a blessing to you. Happy Angels
and Shepherds Day (and Epiphany Eve)!
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
