Luke 2 - What the Shepherds Saw

The shepherds didn’t just see a baby in a manger when they found Jesus. They saw a baby treated the same way some lambs were treated at birth.
But why was Jesus treated as a lamb? 

The Story of Jesus Birth
Joseph and Mary journeyed from Nazareth to Bethlehem, over 70 miles of rough roads through hilly country, because Joseph had to register for the census at his birth place. Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Bethlehem is 5 miles south of Jerusalem, in the hill country on the edge of a desert. It was here that Samuel anointed David to be king over 1,000 years before this. 

This night, shepherds still watched sheep in these fields. 
It was dark now, the time of danger. The shepherds on watch became even more alert, their eyes constantly moving over the sheep and the area around them. Every shadow, every movement, every sound could mean a wolf, a jackal, or worse, a bear or a lion. 

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared in radiant splendor before them, lighting up the field with the blazing glory of God, and the shepherds were terrified! But the angel reassured them, saying, “Don’t be afraid, for I have come to bring you good news, the most joyous news the world has ever heard! And it is for everyone everywhere! For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is the Lord Yahweh, the Messiah.  You will recognize him by this miraculous sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in the feeding trough!” 
Then all at once in the night sky, a vast number of glorious angels appeared, the very armies of heaven! And they all praised God, singing:
“Glory to God in the highest realms of heaven!
For there is peace and a good hope given to the sons of men.”
Luke 2:9-14 TPT

Then the angels were gone. 

On the outskirts of Bethlehem was Migdal Eder (“the watchtower of the flock.”) where the flocks that produced the Passover lambs are kept. One lamb was needed for each family for Passover, the annual celebration of God delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt. 

These lambs had to be perfect, without blemish (a blemish symbolized sin).

The Passion Translation explains in a note to Luke 2:12. 
The shepherds that night were possibly near Bethlehem at Migdal Eder, “the [watch] tower of the flock.” …. It was at the lower floor of the watchtower (Migdal Eder) that the birthing of the Passover lambs would take place. Selected ewes that were about to give birth would be brought there. After the birth of the lambs, the priestly shepherds would wrap the lambs in cloth and lay them in a manger lined with soft hay to prevent them from hurting themselves, for Passover lambs must be unblemished with no bruise or broken bone.”

It is possible the shepherds who prepared the lambs for Passover (at Migdal Edar) were the ones to whom the angel revealed that Jesus, the Savior, had been born. But even other local shepherds would know about the process the sacrificial lambs went through when they were born. 

Baby Jesus was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger (a feeding trough). That’s exactly how newborn sacrificial lambs for Passover were treated.
But who among them could guess that, 33 years later, on the eve of Passover, Jesus would be crucified. Jesus died at 3 pm, the exact time when the Passover lambs were being sacrificed, fulfilling the scriptures.

Isiaiah prophesied about the Messiah:
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Isaiah 53:7 NLT

Later John the Baptist when he first saw Jesus said “Look the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.

Jesus was unblemished (sin free). He freely gave his life as a sacrifice, the once for all time sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world, past, present, and future. Jesus is called the “Lamb of God” 33 times in scripture.