Could the Shepherds Who Visited Jesus Have Been Women?
The Shepherds and Angels
“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.” Luke 2:8-20 (NLT)
Female Shepherds?
About this same time a year ago, I saw an Instagram post on shepherds from Dave Adamson. Dave is a favorite of mine, often giving Hebrew and biblical background and insight in his devotions (go give him a follow—he’s amazing!). This post (below) offered a paradigm shift for me and for the way I could potentially look at the nativity and the shepherds. In this case, what stood out to me the most initially was that I never thought of the shepherds potentially being women.
“Christmas is a time when we many of us break out nativity scenes of adorable baby Jesus laying on golden straw, surrounded by Mary and Joseph, some cute sheep and lambs, and a few friendly shepherds. We do this because while we instinctively know that Jesus’ first century birth was not clean or sanitary by modern standards, we want it to look as inviting as possible. But when we do this, we also risk inadvertently sanitizing the Good News of the story. Let me explain.
On a trip to the Holy Land, I had the chance to meet a shepherd herding her sheep. Yes, I said “her”, because in the Middle East, shepherds are culturally most often the young girls of the family—unless there are no daughters, in which case it falls to the youngest son (like David). As I approached the flock—and especially the lamb in this image—the smell was overpowering, even from a distance. In the first century, this smell marked a shepherd as an outcast. Author Alexander Shaia says; “To smell like sheep was the mark of shame. When you smell of sheep, everyone knew you were to be avoided.” But God chose to announce the birth of His son to these smelly, outcast shepherds, and even sent angels to invite them to see Jesus!
THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS—that Jesus left the comfort of heaven to welcome the outcast, and the shamed. He came to be a shepherd—to be surrounded by his sheep, to carry us on his shoulders. He came into our mess to smell like sheep.
Are you feeling outcast today? Do you carry shame and guilt? Is your life a mess? Then the Christmas story is for you!”[1]
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” — John 10:11
Could the shepherds who visited Jesus have been women?
For the first time, I considered this question. I never imagined that the shepherds could have possibly been women. I guess I’ve seen too many nativity scenes of male shepherds, fallen prey to stereotypes, and/or showed my ignorance of culture to have contemplated the idea. The possibility of it floored me! At that moment, I too felt embraced and included at the manger scene (like Lisa Nichols Hickman mentioned in her beautiful article).
There are so many amazing insights into this possibility. First, as Dave mentioned, the shepherds would have probably been considered messy, undesirable outcasts. The fact that God first introduced himself to the outcasts is both humbling and inviting. No matter our story, no matter how messy, God wants to meet us, to know us, and to be a part of our lives. We don’t have to be clean, prestigious, or important.
Secondly, we know from history and from geographical culture that women were often marginalized and disregarded. However, this is not so with God. Women, like men, are also created in God’s image.
“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 (NLT)
All throughout scripture (especially in Jesus’ interactions in the New Testament) we can see that God regards women highly and included them in his ministry. Many women followed and traveled with Jesus, and he taught them in addition to men. Jesus valued and trusted women and incorporated them in his mission, first appearing to women after his resurrection. See a few examples: Luke 8:1-3, Luke 10:38-42, John 4:7-26, John 4:39-42, Matthew 27:55-56, Mark 15:40-41, Matthew 28:9-10, John 20:17-18.
Jesus always included the marginalized and overlooked, those deemed by the current culture as less important or less worthy. This is good news for us today too…men AND WOMEN alike!
Other shepherdesses in scripture…
Rachel
“Jacob was still talking with them when Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she was a shepherd.” Genesis 29:9 NLT
Jethro’s daughters (including Moses’ wife, Zipporah)
“Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks. When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, “Why are you back so soon today?” “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.” “Then where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.” Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife.” Exodus 2:16-21 (NLT)
The young Shulamite woman in Song of Solomon
“If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.” Song of Solomon 1:8 (NIV)
So were there shepherdesses at the manger? …Who knows for sure?
Now, I have no clue as to whether or not there were female shepherds (shepherdesses) at Jesus’ birth. However, I do know now that there may have been a possibility. The original text does not specifically identify the gender of the shepherds.
Counter consideration or claim…
While it is evident that there were shepherdesses in Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth, many scholars and theologians believe that these shepherds referenced in Luke 2 were no ordinary shepherds, and thus could not have been women. Due to the shepherds’ proximity to Bethlehem (Migdal Eder), they were believed to be Levitical shepherds who were trained and tasked with the responsibility of tending and guarding the flocks destined as sacrifices in the temple of Jerusalem. *Read more at this post I’ve written here: These Were No Ordinary Shepherds
Therefore, some conclude that these particular shepherds mentioned in Luke 2 would have most likely been men due to the requirements for being a Levitical shepherd.
An intentional introduction
Regardless, whether marginalized, overlooked women or messy, undesirable men, God chose to introduce Jesus to them first and not at all by accident. This was a purposeful decision, in part so that you and I might relate and feel welcome in the presence of a king, THE king…the King above all kings.
“For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” 1 Timothy 6:15 (NLT)
“and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.” Revelation 1:5 (NLT)
“Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.” Revelation 17:14 (NLT)
“On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.” Revelation 19:16 (NLT)
The King of all kings welcomes us and invites us ALL in, at Christmas and always.
Take Some Practical Steps to Relate to the Shepherds at Jesus’ Birth:
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First, know that the gift of Jesus was for you.
Regardless of your gender, class, socioeconomic status, education, power, or worthiness, Jesus Christ came for ALL people. You too, can feel included in the manger scene. I think God meant for it to be an occasion where any and all could feel embraced and not out of place.
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Secondly, do as the shepherds did, and go see for yourself. Become a seeker of Jesus.
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Lastly, also do as shepherds did and tell others about your experience with Jesus.
“After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” Luke 2:17 (NLT)
Have you ever considered that there may have been shepherdesses at the manger? How do you relate to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!
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- Adamson, Dave. “Instagram Post December 17, 2017.” Instagram, 17 Dec. 2017, www.instagram.com/p/BcuJlIXA6mC/. ↑
The overall idea seems both completely logical, and in keeping with Jesus ministry. First to the women. First to the low. First to the discarded.
I think it was God’s way of making sure the rich and powerful “wise men” were not given first audience with Mary and Jesus.
*edited
I began to ponder this question when our church was using a video series by entitled That the World May Know and discovered that even today, shepherds in Israel are more often women. As you point out, throughout scripture, God uses those society least expects to carry out His plan of salvation, and Jesus elevates the marginalized. Thank you for this article; I thought I was the only one considering this question.
You’re very welcome, Angela. I do love that our God likes to surprise us and sometimes do things in ways we never could have imagined. 🙂 It definitely keeps me on my toes as I’m always learn and growing.
That’s what brought me here: this very question. The priest who is teaching our RCIA class mentioned that the three wise men represented all types of people, which made me say, “Well, not woman”. Then I remembered the shepards. I remembered reading somewhere that shepard’s we’re quite often female. I said, ” the women were represented by the shepards”. Of course that statement was mocked so I went looking for more answers. The Bible only mentions “Shepards” with no mention of gender so we may never know for sure. The possibility exists for me though and I’m contented with that. If it was really that important, it would have been included in scripture.