SSL 3 - Luke 2:1-19 - PROCLAIMED
BACKGROUND: Luke chapter 2 has three major sections: vv. 1-20 depict the birth of Jesus, and the worship and witness of the shepherds; vv. 21-40 feature an account of the presentation of Jesus at Jerusalem, and the inspired testimony of Simeon and Anna; and the third and final section, vv. 41-52 describe an incident which took place in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old, at which time He remained in the Temple, His "Father's house," busy with His Father's business (Luke 2:41-52). Our text for today, Luke1: 1-19, also has three divisions: vv. 1-7 explain the occasion for Jesus' birth in Bethlehem, and especially for the circumstances accompanying His birth, namely His being wrapped in strips of cloth and being placed in a cattle feeding trough; vv. 8-14 describe the angelic visitation of the shepherds as the occasion for the visit of the shepherds at the birth sight; and vv. 15-19 report the shepherd's visitation and their testimony after having seen the Savior.
Read Luke 1:1-3 - IN THOSE DAYS
1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
v. 1: "Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth" - Notice that just as he did in Chapter 1, Luke places these events in their historical context. While Matthew places the birth of Jesus against the background of Herod, Luke broadens the context by placing it against the backdrop of the Roman Empire. The contrast this sets up between two kings-Caesar Augustus and Jesus Christ-could hardly be greater. One lives in lavish splendor at his palace in Rome while the other is born in a stable located in a minor colony. What's ironic is that most people remember Augustus today only because of his brief mention in Luke's gospel (even a majority of non-believers are somewhat familiar with the Christmas story).
vv. 2-3: "This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city." - The chief purpose of the census was to identify everyone so they could be required to pay taxes to the Empire. However, Luke's purpose was to show why they went to Bethlehem, the city of David, as prophesied in Micah 5:2. External historical records of this census tell us that it occurred in 4 B.C. The day the church celebrates Jesus' birthday, December 25th, is really an arbitrary date decreed by the Roman emperor Constantine in 336 A.D. Other biblical and historical data suggest that Jesus was actually conceived by God in late-December of 4 B.C. and born in late-September or early-October of the following year.
Read Luke 2:4-5 - JOSEPH ALSO WENT UP OUT OF NAZARETH INTO JUDEA
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
vv. 4-5: Joseph was required to register in Bethlehem because he belonged to the lineage of David. From Nazareth, this was a journey of about 35 miles by the shortest route (through Samaria), and whether on foot or by donkey, the trip would have taken several days and have been extremely hard on a women in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Because the Romans levied a poll tax on women above the age of 12, Mary, also of the house of David, was probably required to register for the tax. Taxes were customarily levied at this time of year because it was just after the harvest and subjects (they weren't "citizens") most likely had the money to pay them. Mary's "engagement," as we know from the account in Matthew 1:18-25 was, under Jewish betrothal law, a binding marriage contract.
LUKE 2:6-7 - WHILE THEY WERE THERE
6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
v. 6: "While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth." On its face, secular political factors seem to have dictated Jesus' place of birth but in truth, it was carefully orchestrated by God's sovereign control of history. When God speaks through a prophet as he did in Micah 5:2, it becomes a historical certainty.
v. 7: "And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" - Luke's account of the birth itself is decidedly brief. The use of the term "firstborn" (Gk. prototokon) suggests that she had more children later and indeed, the gospels (Mark 6:3; Matthew 13:55-56) identify four brothers (James, Joses, Jude, and Simon) and these verses also allude to more than one unnamed sisters. In Mary's culture, the firstborn had special rights of inheritance and held a leadership position in the family. The "cloths" were separate strips of fabric customarily wrapped around the arms, legs and body of a newborn infant (the fall temperatures in that region are cool at night but not real cold). Luke emphasizes the importance of the "manger" by mentioning it three times (vv. 4, 12, and 16) because it was a sign that would confirm the angels' pronouncement (2:12). The "inn," which also translates to "guest house," would have been a room above the manger/stable area where the animals were housed. Because of his ancestral heritage, Joseph probably expected to find decent lodging in Bethlehem, but he arrived to find everything booked-up, so Mary gives birth in the place normally reserved for animals. Thus, Luke places Jesus' birth in the midst of those whom He will serve-the poor, the marginal, and the vulnerable. So He begin life in a borrowed feed trough and later in life, will warn a prospective disciple that He has no place to lay his head (9:58).
LUKE 2:8-9 - THERE WERE SHEPHERDS IN THE SAME COUNTRY
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.
v. 8: "In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night" - If there's a verse that truly speaks to the spirit of Christmas, this is it: God's choosing of shepherds to receive word of the incarnation of Jesus as Savior is as remarkable as His choosing Israel as His people, or David as His anointed king, or Mary as the mother of Jesus, or simply a baby in a manger as the Messiah. We can also note the contrast between Matthew's Magi (Matthew 2:1-12) and Luke's shepherds. Shepherd's were at the bottom of the Hebrew social register, outcasts that you wouldn't ordinarily choose as your neighbors or sons-in-law. Bible commentators have noted that the Temple authorities kept flocks of sheep near Bethlehem that were designated for sacrifices in the Temple. Then, from this perspective, these shepherds were to be the first people who would bear witness to the "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).
v. 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" - This represents the third "annunciation" by angels: the first to Zacharias (1:5-20) and the second to Mary (1:26-38) and in each, the recipients responded by praising God. The term "glory," as used here, represents the bright light that surrounds the presence of God Himself, and Christ shares God's glory, which is revealed here at His birth and seen by Peter, James, and John at the Mount of Transfiguration (9:28-36). Jesus will later speak of returning "with power and great glory" (21:27). Being "frightened" is the normal human reaction to the power of God represented by an angel.
LUKE 2:10-14 - I BRING YOU GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY
10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will 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 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."
v. 10: "But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people" - The words "Do not be afraid" are the same the angel said to comfort Zacharias and Mary. The statement, "good news of great joy which will be for all the people" is momentous because here, at the opening of the gospel, it announces that Jesus will be for all people, not just the Jews.
v. 11: "for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" - That Jesus was born "today in the city of David" signifies fulfillment of Scripture (Micah 5:2). The title "Savior" indicates that the people are in need of salvation. While Jesus came expressly to save them from their sins (1:77; 5:20; 7:47), most Jews would see this in nationalistic terms as being saved from Roman rule. Moreover, He was not only the Savior of Israel but of the enitre world. The title "Christ" (Gk. Christos) means "anointed one" or Messiah (= prophet + priest + king). The title "Lord" (Heb. Adonai) means master of everything. All of these titles add up to fact that this Messiah who has been born as a baby is also the Lord God Himself in the form of human flesh.
v. 12: "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" - This is the "sign" Luke referred to earlier in v. 7, a baby lying in a "manger." Given this circumstance, it would have been an impossibility for them to make a mistake about His identity.
vv. 13-14: "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." - The "multitude" would have comprised thousands of angels. Can you even imagine it? The "peace on earth" proclaimed by the angels did not mean the end of human hostilities on earth but the peace of salvation-peace with God Himself-that one receives through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
LUKE 2:15-16 - LET'S GO TO BETHLEHEM NOW AND SEE THIS THING
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, 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 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
v. 15: "When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, 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'" - Any of them might have said, "No, wait, I need to find somebody to watch these sheep" or "I might get into trouble if I walk off the Job," but instead, like the fishermen who left their boats or the tax collector who left his booth, they follow the call. They weren't content to praise God with their lips but praised Him with their feet-going and doing.
v. 16: "So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger" - Notice that the shepherds obey the angel's command with haste and without any hesitation. Ironically, they acted in a situation where a more sophisticated person might hesitate. They might ask question like, "what am I getting myself into?" or "I need to consider all the risks involved with this." Uncomplicated people like shepherds find it easier to obey. They are used to following orders. What does that say to us? To be better servants? To serve God without hesitation?
LUKE 2:17-19 - ALL WHO HEARD IT WONDERED
17 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. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
v. 17: "When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child" - "They" are the shepherds of the previous verses. The statement they "made known" was the Savior of all people-the Messiah-had been born and they had seen him. That would make them the first preachers of the Gospel. And like them, once we have been privileged to experience God's presence (by accepting Christ as our Savior), we are duty bound to share that experience with others-to spread the Word, to proclaim the gospel.
v. 18: "And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds" - After the shepherds found the child and shared their experience with Mary and Joseph, they apparently retraced their steps through the town of Bethlehem, bringing all the people up to date on what they had heard and seen. Luke tells us that "all who heard it wondered." Why do you suppose that God chose these shepherds, people who were social outcasts, to bear witness to the birth of His Son? Because God has always chosen the "weak and foolish" things of the world (1 Corinthians 1:27) to confound the wisdom of the wise and because, ultimately, it's not the messenger that matters but the message. If Jesus came to bring salvation and deliverance to the poor, the oppressed, and the despised of this world, why not announce it through those who are despised and rejected?
v. 19: "But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart" - Mary (and Joseph, too) had to have been greatly amazed by the shepherds' arrival and by their report of the angelic announcement and choir. While all who heard this report "wondered" (v. 18), Mary in a very special way, "treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." In modern terms, we'd say her data base of information continued to grow in size and she was constantly processing all the meanings and implications of it. It may be that it was the arrival of the shepherds which finally brought all the inconvenience and unpleasant circumstances of the birth of Jesus into its true spiritual light. What had once appeared to be only a series of unfortunate events is now revealed to be the hand of God working through history to accomplish His sovereign will.
APPLICATION-Luke's Gospel makes four main points:
1. First and foremost, Luke's gospel confirms the sovereignty of God in history. Luke is an astute historian who described how God controlled what appeared to be a series of purely random secular events in the world in order to orchestrate all the circumstances pertaining to the birth of Jesus.
2. Luke's narrative of the nativity reminds us of the principle of proportion. Luke's gospel is the only one of four that record's the detail of Jesus' birth, while all four describe His death in great detail. Why is that? If you read all four of the gospel accounts, the birth of Jesus received very little coverage in comparison to the time and space-whole chapters--devoted to Christ's last week, arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. The short answer is simply that His death is far more important than His birth: The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is what saves us, not his birth and childhood. He was born to do this-to take on human flesh so He could die on the cross of Calvary as a once and for all atonement for the sins of the world.
3. Luke's gospel shows that God's purposes in our sufferings are not often apparent. The decree of Caesar Augustus that required Joseph and his pregnant wife, Mary, to pack up and travel to Bethlehem in order to register and pay taxes hit them at the worst possible time. And when they arrived, they couldn't find a decent place to stay. This had to have been a highly stressful for both of them and for Mary especially, a very painful experience. Yet, they arrived at exactly the right place at exactly the right time, so that Mary afterward "treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart." She was blessed for her obedience.
