Upside Down In A Field

Today I'm thinking about the shepherds and their role in the Christmas story:

Luke 2:8-17 (ESV) 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.

Why were the shepherds chosen for to receive the greatest birth announcement in human history?
Why not a king?
A high priest?
The rich?
The famous?
The influential?

In fact, this question takes on added meaning when we realize how shepherds were regarded at the time of Jesus' birth.
It was NOT cool to be a shepherd.
They were looked down on.
Bottom rung of the social ladder.
Sometimes even despised.
And yet they were chosen for a snapshot of glory.

"It's a boy, and He's the Messiah!"

Author Randy Alcorn states it well:

"What an affront to the religious leaders who were so conspicuously absent from the Divine mailing list. Even from birth, Christ moved among the lowly. It was the sinners, not the self-righteous, he came to save (Mark 2:17).
The proud religionists of Christ's day have faded into obscurity, but the shepherd figure is still honored by Christ followers worldwide".

In fact, Jesus calls Himself the "good shepherd":

John 10:11 (ESV) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

The coming of Jesus turned everything upside down.
It's still the same today.