When John Wesley Work Jr. took the African American spiritual Go Tell It and transformed it into the Christmas song we know today as Go Tell It On The Mountain, he propagated a powerful message, that the good news of Jesus Christ is something we can’t keep to ourselves. Join Dr. Marty Baker in Luke chapter 2 and join us as we kick off the Christmas season with a message of hope, joy, and good news for all of the world to hear!
Christmas carols. Who doesn’t love them? Who doesn’t have fond memories of them? Really, what is Christmas without the carols? Singing them sets the tone for the season by telling you the purpose of Christ’s miraculous birth 2,000 years ago.
Studying them is even better. From a deeper analysis of them, we sometimes unearth the jaw-dropping stories that inspired them. We also appreciate and are motivated by the rich biblical theology built purposefully into each of them.
So, in light of these truths, I invite you to a third study of “Christ in the Carols.” This series will deepen your understanding of our Lord’s mission; it will challenge you to fulfill the truths embedded in the lyrics, and, if you are not a Christ-follower, it will leave you with a life-changing decision. Will you bow and worship the Babe of Bethlehem, or will you bolt, again, into your unbelief?
Our series will begin with the well-known carol “Go Tell It On The Mountain.” I’m sure you know it well. But do you know how it originated? I didn’t until I did some background research. What did I find? A story none of us should forget.
John Wesley Work II, a Nashville native and son of a church choir director, earned Master’s degrees in Latin and Greek from Fisk University and desired to teach these languages at the university level. His heart, however, was tethered to the rich soulful music of his formerly enslaved people. So, he poured his passion into leading the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a well-known group that sang national concerts starting in 1871. He led the famous and courageous singers from 1889 through 1904.
One of the songs the Fisk Jubilee Singers sang at their concerts was “Go, Tell It.” Originally, slaves sang this moving and challenging tune on the plantations where they lived and worked. Because it was only known from slaves singing it and not from any printed music, the song’s lyrics morphed and changed over the years. It was not until John Work came along that the lyrics and tune we know today were written down and published so all could enjoy the song.
What a gifted, forward-thinking, devoutly spiritual man. He took this old song, combined it with other African American plantation songs, and placed them all in a book called New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fish Jubilee Singers. This way, future generations could remember, through song, where the hope and peace came from in the hearts of slaves. Though physical slaves, they who knew the Lord of the music were not spiritual slaves but were freemen before God. That message was worth challenging Christ-followers to tell those who did not see the power of His gospel. Hence the title “Go, Tell It.” Tell what? Tell anyone and everyone, especially this Christmas season, about the reason for the birth of Jesus Christ.
All three verses of this quick-moving song, coupled with the memorable chorus, drive this truth and challenge home. How it does this is in a most unusual fashion. It starts each of the three verses first with the chorus. This way, the central theme of the carol is driven home, leaving believers with their marching orders at Christmas.
Stanza 1
Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
While shepherds kept their watching
O’er silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a Holy light
Stanza 2
Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
The shepherds feared and trembled
When, lo! Above the Earth
Rang out the angel chorus
That hailed our Savior’s birth
Stanza 3
Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
Down in a lowly manger
Our humble Christ was born
And brought us all salvation
That blessed Christmas morn
The carol concludes by repeating its central message…
Go, tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain
That Jesus Christ is born
That Jesus Christ is born
You cannot sing this old, memorable tune and not realize that if you’ve got the gospel message, you must give it. Do you? Will you?
Why should you go and tell the message of Christ’s birth on the mountaintops and hills so everyone can hear it? By drawing its lyrics from the appearance of the mighty, glorious angel to the shepherds, as recorded in Luke 2:8-20, we quickly discover the answers to the question.
Why Should You Go & Tell The Message Of Christ’s Birth?
When read in light of Luke 2:8-20, all three verses give us two main reasons (or answers) why we should consider Christmas as a time, not of accumulation but communication. What should we be talking about when given the opportunity? Two things.
There Is A Sacrifice
The first verse of the carol introduces us to Jesus as the sacrifice for the sins of sinful mankind. It does this by acquainting us with the shepherds. Luke’s historical narrative drops them into the story with this statement:
8 And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. (Lk. 2)
The “same region” is the area surrounding Bethlehem where, according to verses 1 through 7, Joseph and Mary enjoyed and celebrated the birth of their first child, Jesus. Since these particular shepherds were from this specific region, we must conclude that they were not, as I have taught before, ordinary shepherds . . . but shepherds of sacrificial sheep. Alfred Edersheim identifies them when he writes:
That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief, that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, ‘the tower of the flock.’ This Migdal Eder was not the watch-tower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheep-ground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishnah leads to the conclusion, that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices,2 and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. The latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. The same Mishnic passage also leads us to infer, that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover—that is, in the month of February, when in Palestine the average rainfall is nearly greatest. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the year round. Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak.[1]
Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, which means the “House of Bread” in Hebrew, was no coincidence but was carefully orchestrated and timed perfectly by the Holy Father. Jesus would be the Bread of Life to repentant sinners, as He would later teach (John 6:35), but He would accomplish this spiritual feat by becoming the perfect and final sacrifice for sin.
An angel of eye-blinding brilliance suddenly broke into our limited dimension from his multi-dimensions to begin the educational moment for this unique group of men:
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Lk. 2)
The earth-shattering news involved the birth of the long-awaited Christ, the Messiah, who would be man’s Savior. Of course, how He would accomplish this lofty feat related directly to these shepherds of sacrificial sheep. For years, they had faithfully raised sheep to offer as burnt offerings for man’s sin (Lev. 1), and for Passover lambs.
Now, with the birth of Jesus, all of this would change forever. No longer would people need a sacrificial sheep to cover their sins as they confessed their sins on its head and split its blood near the sacred altar. No longer would people need to have the blood of the Passover lamb applied annually to their lives so their sin was covered before the holy eyes of God. No longer would a relationship with God, who is holy, be maintained by offering perpetual mediatorial sacrifices. With Christ’s arrival as the God-man, final salvation for sinners had arrived because He would become the final sacrifice because He was without sin. This is something to go and tell.
Years after Dr. Luke wrote his gospel, the unknown writer of Hebrews, who was obviously schooled in the teaching of the Old Testament because of his rich and specific familiarity with it, wrote these insightful words about Christ’s redemptive work:
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9)
His argument is from the lesser to the greater. Since sacrificial animals prescribed by God (Lev. 1-7) did cover people’s sins temporarily, how much more excellent the work of Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for He would provide eternal coverage for sinners so they have an eternal relationship with the Holy Trinity. Again, if you have this message, how can you not go and tell it?
What do people need to know? They are born sinners (Rom. 5:12-21) and are under God’s temporal and eternal wrath (Rom. 2:1-5). The only way out of their eternal predicament is to come to God through His prescribed mediator, Jesus. And He is the mediator because only He was qualified to pay the penalty for being born as sinful beings. Simple traffic tickets for speeding cannot be forgiven without a prescribed payment. How much more is the infraction of being a sinner because we are all born as sons and daughters of Adam (Rom. 5:12-21)? As Dr. Erwin Lutzer correctly argued in his book Ten Lies About God,
“A sacrifice must be equal to the offense committed. Because our sin is against an infinite God, we need a sacrifice of infinite value. It follows that only God can supply the sacrifice that he Himself demands. That is the meaning of the gospel: God met His own requirements for us.”[2]
God set our potential salvation in motion that first Christmas with the birth of His only Son, Jesus. The question now is straightforward: Is Jesus your sacrifice? If so, then you are saved. If not, then you are still in your sin. But you don’t need to stay in your sin. I’m here today to tell you from the mountaintops that Jesus was born to go to the cross for you so that you would have the opportunity to find forgiveness and a special place in His family. What more excellent gift could you receive this Christmas? What more extraordinary gift could you give to family and friends who don’t know Him yet?
Let’s review because so much is at stake. Why should you go out and share the message of Christ’s birth with folks who cross your life path this season? First, because you, as a saint, know from the story of the angel’s announcement to the humble shepherds that there is only one perfect and holy sacrifice for sinners that deals appropriately with their sin, and that sacrifice is Jesus.
A second reason you should go and tell the essence of this shepherd’s story to people in your life is apparent from the ensuing verses of the old carol. These following two verses teach us that . . .
There Is A Savior
Whereas in the last point we focused on the fact that these particular shepherds pointed to Jesus as the perfect and final sacrifice for sinners, with verses 10 through 14, we need to highlight Jesus as the Savior for sinners.
10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared 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 men with whom He is pleased.” (Lk. 2)
Wouldn’t you have loved to have seen this setting?
The night started quite normal. A starry evening. Perhaps a light, cool wind blowing over the low-lying hills. Something warm to drink. There was some laughter as the men talked around a warm fire. Bleating sheep in the background.
Then suddenly, an angel bathed in glorious light blinded them as his pulsating presence cut through the darkness. As they stood there trembling in their tunics, wondering what was going on, the angelic being spoke in their mother tongue and announced the location of the arrival of the Messiah. They couldn’t believe it. He spoke to them of all people. Really, it was only logical because the true Shepherd of the sheep was born, and He would also be the sacrificial lamb, as we have just discussed.
Standing there dumbfounded, they were left with another event that stunned them even more. Millions of brilliant angels suddenly came into view chanting in unison: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is please.” Interesting. They had a divine message, and they shared it. They set the pace for how the shepherds and all Christ-followers should respond to the Christmas story. You share it with others who desperately need to know it.
Why did the angels sing about peace? They sang about peace on earth because the One who could bring peace between God and man had just been born a few miles away in the sleepy little hamlet called Bethlehem. What was His name? Jesus Christ. Who would He be? He would become the Savior, securing peace between sinful man and a holy God.
Paul, who came to bow at the feet of the Savior on the road to Damascus to persecute and cancel Jews who had dared to believe in Jesus, later in his life wrote these memorable, enlightening words:
1 Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, (Rom. 5).
Underscore the cause/effect relationship here. When you place your faith, as Paul did, in the person and redemptive work of Jesus, you have what? “Peace with God.” And, please, pay strict attention to the preposition “through.” It tells you, more precisely, how you have peace with God. It comes “by means of” your faith relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Question: Do you have this inner spiritual peace, or is your life in utter inner turmoil? Are you banking your eternal peace with God on the work of His Son, or are you fatefully hanging onto your moral works as if they will garner points with God? Today is the day to wake up. Peace with God only comes when you come to Him through a faith statement concerning the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus.
Is that narrow? Yes. Is it exclusive? Yes. Is it the truth? Yes. I give it to you because I, like all believers, am under divine mandate to go and tell the gospel story on every mountain and hilltop until He calls us home (Matt. 28:19-20). Jesus came to become not just the Savior but potentially your Savior. Why not bow in faith before Him today? It will prove to be the wisest decision you have ever made.
Armed with this spiritual information, the shepherds went right out and communicated it to anyone and everyone.
15 And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. (Lk. 2)
They got it, so they gave it. What will you do this Christmas?
Why should you do it? You should give it because so many are deceived into thinking there is nothing wrong with mankind. They are deluded into thinking that you can create peace on Earth if you can change and control your environment. Good luck with that.
In my home state of California, wealthy tech billionaires propose building a utopian city northwest of San Francisco on farmland just south of Travis Air Force Base on Highway 12 that runs east and west. What’s the name of the proposed city? California Forever. Why do these folks believe such a city is needed? They can’t stand what has happened to the other cities in California, like San Francisco. Poverty is everywhere. Crime is off the hook. Corruption is evident at all levels of pretty much most facets of life. Because of all the discarded used needles, you have to watch where you walk. Carjackings are an everyday affair. Car burglaries happen all the time in broad daylight, with all kinds of people walking around to witness the crimes.
So, the answer of the tech billionaires is to build a carefully controlled and designed city. They even go so far as to say the city they are planning [won’t] have the issues you’ve had in the past.” Why? Because it’s all about how you build and plan the community.
Right. Currently, these folks are negotiating to do something never accomplished by mankind, and they are convinced that they, of all people, will finally be able to create a utopian environment.
I don’t know about you, but I think someone needs to send them this sermon. The problem with the new city won’t be with its design and wonderful amenities. It will be with the heart of the humans who will move there. Someone needs to tell all of these folks they need the proper Sacrifice and Savior in order to have peace with God. When they secure peace with God, they can learn to be at peace with others and live lawful, moral, and respectable lives.
You might smile at this story and be convinced that California is the land of fruits and nuts. But they aren’t really. They are just people, like many who live on this side of the country, who are wrapped up in a false worldview they think will answer their life’s questions and bring peace to their lives. What they all really need is to hear from a believer who is not afraid to . . . Go Tell It On The Mountain. Tell what? That THE Sacrifice and THE Savior was born to save them from sin and give them a life they never dreamed possible in the here and now, and in the hereafter.
So, if you’ve got it, will you give it this Christmas?
[1] Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, vol. 1 (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1896), 186–187.
[2] Erwin Lutzer, Ten Lies About God (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 35.
