Apart from the Panagia and Joseph, the first to worship the divine Child were the Shepherds. An angel of the Lord made known to them that the Saviour of the world had been born. This was not a chance event, it did not mean that the particular shepherds were worthy of this revelation because they were nearest the Crypt.

According to the Fathers, this happened for many reasons; First, because of the purity of the Shepherds by reason of their solitude and hesychia. Secondly, because the Shepherds were imitators and followers of the way of life and virtues of the Patriarchs of the Old Testament. That is to say, the Shepherds were not chance characters. Thirdly, for it to be shown that Christ will be the true Shepherd of the Israelite and Gentile people. Fourthly, for it to be seen clearly that Christ chose the most simple-hearted and most capable of receiving this revelation, and not the crafty Scribes and Pharisees. All these things show the method that one can use to experience the mystery of revelation.

Christ’s incarnation is also called self-emptying (kenosis). The words of the Apostle Paul are astonishing: “who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8)

The kenosis of the Word must be taken as condescension. “He comes down to the level of his servants, an ineffable and incomprehensible condescension (St. John of Damascus). He comes down to the level of the human race taking on the form of a servant, that is to say, the flesh, and in some way belittles and diminishes His divinity, without ceasing to be God, in order to be finite (St. Gregory the Theologian). These words of St. Gregory the Theologian are characteristic: He that is full empties Himself, for He empties Himself of His glory for a short while, that I may have a share in His fullness.”