The story of the shepherds in Luke 2 is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible. But why was the birth of Jesus Christ first announced to the shepherds? Why shepherds? What is the significance of the appearance of the angels to the shepherds who watched their flocks by night? Actually, the place to discover the meaning of the Christmas shepherds is Jeremiah 33. Jeremiah 33 began with God promising to tell Jeremiah "great and hidden things you have not know" (v. 3) Verses 10-16 explain what some of those great and unsearchable things are.