Luke 2:1-20
Key verse – Luke 2:11-12
We have studied how God began His work to bring the Savior to Israel by first sending His angel Gabriel to Zechariah while he was burning incense in the Holy Place of the temple. God’s message to Zechariah was that He would send John as the Messiah’s forerunner. In the sixth month of Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth’s, pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel again to Mary to deliver the message of His Son’s birth to a virgin mother by the Holy Spirit’s power. Soon after receiving this message, Mary visited Elizabeth and there her pregnancy with the Son of God was confirmed, and both women were filled with joy for the Son of God. This was followed by John’s birth, and, at his birth, Zechariah’s muteness was lifted, and he gave praise to the Lord, concerning His great work of salvation. All of these events happened during the reign of King Herod, the Great, about 4 BC, the forty-ninth week from the time Daniel’s prophecy was given following his encounter with the same angel, Gabriel, providing the exact time of the Anointed One’s coming.
A. In the days of Caesar Augustus, the Emperor of the fourth Kingdom (1)
At the beginning of Luke’s narration of Jesus’ birth, he cited the time of Emperor Caesar Augustus’ reign; there was an inevitable link between Caesar and Jesus because of the emperor’s decree that a census be taken. Luke’s implication here was that the time of Jesus’ birth was tied to Caesar’s rule, and that connection was explicitly revealed by the emperor’s exercise of his authority in issuing a decree to take a census of the entire Roman world. To properly understand the context in which Luke placed Jesus’ birth, it is good to note that, while John’s birth was tied to the time of King Herod, Jesus’ birth was tied to the Emperor of the Roman Empire. By doing this, he indicated that the sphere of John’s birth (life) was Israel and her history, and was aimed at God’s purpose for Israel’s restoration; conversely, the sphere of Jesus’ birth and his work was not just for Israel’s benefit, but extended to the whole world. In this way, Jesus’ birth must be seen and understood within God’s perspective for the world. What did Luke mean by pinpointing Jesus’ birth to within the time and rule of Caesar Augustus? In order to find the answer, we will look closer at Caesar Augustus and his empire.
Octavius became one of the triumvirate, who were set up to rule the Roman Republic in 43 B.C., after Julius Caesar’s assassination. He gained sole control of the reins of power in 27 B.C. The Roman senate bestowed on him the title Augustus as indicative of his supreme position over the entire Roman world, and he became the first Emperor of the Roman Empire. In order to view Jesus’ birth from the perspective of world history, we need to consider God’s prophecy about His kingdom from within the context of world history. A biblical view of world history can be found in the book of Daniel (especially Ch. 2). At the peak of the Babylonian Empire, God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a dream about a huge human statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. This statue represented the kingdoms/kings of the world. In his interpretation of that dream, Daniel said that there would be four succeeding kingdoms, beginning from Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and ending with the fourth kingdom. At the time of last kingdom, a stone cut by God would hit the feet of the statue and reduce it to rubble, signifying the destruction of all of the world’s kingdoms. Then this stone would grow until it filled the earth, establishing the largest of the world’s kingdoms. Daniel concluded his explanation in this way:
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces… The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:44-45).
It is understood and believed that the fourth and last kingdom represented in this statue was the Roman Empire. The power of this kingdom gained momentum as the first emperor Augustus came to be honored as Caesar Augustus by the senate. His sole authority was fully revealed as he issued a decree to conduct a census of the entire Roman world. This marked the coming of the time of the last worldly kingdom, as foretold in Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 2). The last kingdom’s arrival meant was also the time of the coming of the King of God’s kingdom. According to this prophecy, a stone cut out of a rock would come during the time of this kingdom, strike the statue, and destroy it thoroughly by this kingdom’s end.
At the beginning of Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ birth, he mentioned that it was the time of the Emperor Augustus, which indicates a few things; first, Jesus’ birth was mandated or necessitated as the final kingdom was fully established by Emperor Augustus, since according to the biblical perspective (God’s perspective as given to Daniel), God’s Kingdom would be established during this kingdom’s duration. Second, there was a clear comparison between the power of the worldly kingdoms, the final and mighty kingdom, and the coming kingdom of God, depicting how it was insignificant and powerless in the world’s eyes. In this comparison, it became clear that the Messiah’s coming came under the authority and power of the fourth earthly kingdom, which was explicitly revealed, especially through Caesar’s decree for a census (Ephesians 6:12). Finally, Luke forces us to see that everything surrounding Jesus’ birth must be understood from within the context of the world’s history and its kingdoms. As we will note, Jesus’ birth was the beginning of the struggle between the worldly kingdom and God’s kingdom. [We are reminded that Luke put the time of John’s birth under King Herod’s reign (Luke 1:5-80), so his birth must also be seen from the perspective of Israel’s overall history].
B. Jesus was born under Caesar Augustus’ authority (2-7)
Luke specified the time of the Roman census as occurring while Quirinius (c. 51BC-AD21) was the Governor of Syria. His life in Rome began in 12 B.C., and he became an advisor to Caesar’s grandson, Gaius, in A.D. 1 and his stepson, Tiberius (Wikipedia). Out of this strong relationship with Augustus, in AD 6, he received a position as legate (governor) of Syria, to which the Roman Province of Iudaea (Latin=Judea) had been added for the purpose of the census. The province of Iudaea included Decapolis, Phoenicia, Perea, Idumea, Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Gaulantis, and Naratea. Though the exact time of this census is in question, one thing is clear: there was a strong relationship between Augustus and Quirinius. Quirinius received orders from Augustus and was to report directly to him. This census was ordered by Caesar Augustus, to whom Quirinius reported directly, not to the Senate. In other words, the first emperor of the Roman Empire, in his sole discretion and purpose, ordered a census to be taken at a particular time and place, i.e. the land of Israel, and that census brought an outcome that resulted in the astounding fulfillment of God’s prophecy.
In order to obey the census decree, Joseph and Mary walked about ninety miles, from their home in Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the town of David, in Judea. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and Mary gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guestroom available in the inn. A manger is a trough used to feed horses or cattle; it was for animals, not for human beings. However, Jesus was put in a manger, because there was no room in the inn for them, implying that Mary and Joseph were with the animals. These were such humble and mean conditions, lowered to the rank of an animal. No one recognized the importance of Jesus’ birth, and no one was willing to offer an act of kindness or love for this poor couple and their newborn baby. The perinatal period is the most vulnerable time for a mother and baby, during which they need protection from the cold, all unsanitary conditions, good nutrition, and care; however, there was no families, relatives, or friends who could provide them with such needs, because of Augustus’ decree. This couple had no choice but to bear these inhospitable conditions.
In this way, the Son of God’s birth was very humble and discreet. The world was totally unaware of or blind to his birth. There was nothing impressive either about the parents, the baby, or their surroundings. Even though to other people, Jesus’ birth was very inconspicuous, and Caesar’s mighty power resulted in great stress on Mary and Joseph, God’s prophecy, which was given to Micah 5:2, was fulfilled. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the town of David. This not only indicated God Almighty’s supremacy in fulfilling His prophecy, but also marked His first victory over the power of the world’s kingdom, indicating the King Jesus’ forthcoming victory over the world in the last days.
C. God reveals the Son’s glory (8-14)
While the world was totally unaware of or blind to the birth of the Son of God, God sent an angel to a group of shepherds who were living out in a field. When the angel came, the Lord’s glory shone around them; it seemed like they were encircled by His glory and they were arrested and terrified by it. To them, it was all too obvious that this was from God. Angels appeared many times throughout the Old Testament, but there wasn’t any occasion when the Lord’s glory shone down on such an unimportant group of people. In this sense, this was a remarkable and very unique event. In order to inform the shepherds of the Messiah’s birth, God sent His angel in the fullness of His glory to proclaim this news to them. It was His willful choice and decision to reveal this message to them. This shows a great shift in how God would accomplish His salvation work among men. First, it was His willful revelation of His glory to the ones whom He chose as worthy of His blessing. Second, His choice was not of those with wisdom, knowledge, and power, but rather those who were humble and helpless. Third, He conveyed His blessing through the revelation of His Son, the Savior. In this way, a new age has come when God will direct everyone to the knowledge of His Son, Jesus, in whom resides the knowledge of salvation (Luke 1:76-77). What did God reveal about His Son?
“But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11).
This angel fully revealed the Savior’s birth and its significance for the world. The Savior was also the Messiah and the Lord. It is noteworthy that Luke used all three of the designations together (this is the only place in the New Testament where the three titles are used together). He is a Savior, in the sense that all are under the power of sin and death and are facing God’s judgment, and he would rescue all from that judgment. He would be also the Messiah (the Anointed). This could simply be another term for a Savior, but the word is impregnated with the meaning that, as the Anointed, this Savior had an intimate connection with God, both in power and spirit. Third, he is the Lord, which means that he is the Son of God, having equal authority and power with Him. Even one of these three ‘titles’ would be enough to represent the fullness of Jesus’ identity, and yet, in order for no one to fail in acknowledging him with the full honor and glory that he deserves, Luke used all three of these. In other words, if one thinks of Jesus as being just one of these, and fails to acknowledge the other two aspects of his character, then, more than likely, he or she will fail to honor him fully. This is particularly likely, because Jesus possessed no beauty or glory when he came as a baby in a manger. No one is worthier than him among all human beings, not even one of all major or minor religious founders throughout history, was more worthy of such honor and glory as Jesus is. How would the shepherds recognize this Savior, Messiah, and Lord?
“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12).
The angel did not give the shepherds the name of the baby’s parents or his location. Instead, he gave them a sign, which served only as a marker to finding the real thing; in order to find the Savior, they must use the sign to find who he was. There was a particular feature that made this baby distinct from other babies of the time. What was this baby’s distinguishing feature? The sign of the Savior was a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. The baby’s situation was so distinct, because he was in such mean and humble conditions. He had nothing except cloths, not even clothes or a blanket; he was placed, not in a room, but in a manger, ranked with the animals. How could a baby be considered to be the Savior, the Messiah, and the Lord? There was a remarkable difference between the situation that Jesus was born under and what he was worthy to receive. It is hard to fathom that he was a baby lying in a manger. This sounds like a case of child neglect or desertion, yet the situation served as a sign pointing to the promised Messiah. This was totally opposite to the honor and glory that he (or his titles) deserved.
To human eyes, if anyone came with such great honor, authority, and power, then he should be dressed, talk, behave, be served, and honored as such in all aspects of his life. On the other hand, there was no sign of such glory, honor, and power in this baby, and it was hard for anyone to see these traits in him as he was.
- God meant that a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger embodied something that would lead His people to recognize the Messiah’s full glory, honor, and authority in a way that we might not otherwise perceive.
- This is a direct rebuke of how we understand and see honor, glory, and power; at the same time, God is asking us to change our way of seeking these attributes and find how the humble and mean state of the baby Jesus reflects the power, authority, and glory of the Savior, Messiah, and Lord.
What is something that led to the Messiah’s full glory, honor, and authority? He came as a baby, out of his utter trust in God the Father. He entrusted his entire being into God’s hands, having no glory and honor provided by man. From the depths of this was his utter trust in the Lord Almighty and the comfort and peace drawn from this trust enabled Jesus to entrust all of his being into his Father’s hands. Simply put, he had nothing but his trust in God as his father. His life was laid bare, for God was with him and was his strength and the source of all truth and power for his life. In this respect, to all of us, who look for something great, a baby in a manger was an unlikely figure of such power and authority in our eyes. What might blind us from seeing Jesus for who he is? It might be our pride or self-righteousness, but I would like to label it as a variation of elitism.
If elitism’s strength and power is grounded in the abundance of what they have or have achieved, and if we have all made an effort to be elite, or at least to join the rank of the elites, then that elitism blinds us to the true source of power or glory that was present in the baby Jesus.
Our minds are well-tuned to elitism--whether it might be spiritual, intellectual, or social. When I was about to finish my residency training and was looking ahead to pursuing a full medical practice, I decided not to buy any better car than a Volks Wagen. In my mind was a rejection of all elitism as I was about to enter the elite society of ‘Doctors’. So I bought a VolksWagen Quantum, but, as time went on, I could not resist that elitism of doctors, thinking that I was worthy of something better than a VolksWagen,, which is social elitism. There is also spiritual elitism, an extreme example of which is the Pharisees in the Scriptures. Even now, many boast of their spiritual, intellectual, and social elite status. In some sense, we are all driven to be a part of the elite group, whether it is spiritual, social, or intellectual, and we desire to be a part of whatever group that has power, glory, and honor.
God is revealing to us that the true elite in His eyes is what we see in Jesus, who was wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. He is the source of all power, all authority, and all glory; while the sign of the Savior sounded too strange to accept, these shepherds saw something else that was equally amazing:
“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:13-14).
The angel’s message ended with the appearance of heavenly hosts praising God. Scripture does not say how many hosts appeared. In your mind, how many were there praising? Just give me a number that comes to your mind. Then, let’s stop and think; what if a great company was tens of thousands, or millions, or even billions?! Their praises were very impressive and awesome. I have heard the Hallelujah Chorus many times. The largest group I have heard sing it was about a few hundred, yet it was so amazing and even overwhelming in power. It looked and sounded like the whole heaven was filled with such praise. No one would mistake that this was from heaven and from God; it was all too clear to doubt that God was with this host and that the Savior’s birth , as the Messiah and the Lord, was an amazing event in both heaven and earth. In other words, Jesus’ birth should not be ignored or overlooked. What was the content of the angels’ praise for the baby Jesus?
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14).
This praise’s full significance was enormous, since so many heavenly hosts gave glory to the Lord as Jesus was born in a stable and was laid in a manger. In order to determine its full significance, I looked for occasions in Scripture when this many heavenly hosts gave praise to the Lord. I found three such instances; one is here in Luke 2, at Jesus’ birth. The next one was in Revelation 5; in heaven, all of the heavenly hosts were looking for one who was worthy to open the scroll, which contained God’s judgment on Satan and his associates through three series of seven proclaimed wraths. No one in heaven or on earth was worthy to open the scroll, and the entire heaven was in great distress because God could not deliver His judgment on evil, unless someone worthy was found to open the scroll. Once the Lamb of God was found to be the only one who was worthy, the heavens burst with praise. The last occasion of praise is recorded in Revelation 19, when God’s enemy was totally destroyed, resulting in three praises, one from the multitude for salvation, the next from twenty-four elders to praise God, and the last one by a great multitude (19:6).
It is amazing that all of these three praises of ‘glory’ (doxa), or hallelujah, are associated with what Jesus did; the first one was for his coming down as a little baby, the next for when the time came to open the scroll to finalize Satan’s judgment, and finally, when the judgment was finished and the Lamb’s wedding with his bride was ready to commence.
In this way, at Jesus’ birth, at his death as the sacrificial lamb, and finally, for the Lamb’s wedding feast, the whole heavenly host gave glory to the Lord; this was God’s utmost plan to save the whole human race, which would also bring glory to Himself and peace on the earth. For this reason, the multitude of heavenly hosts shouted as Jesus came as a baby in order to initiate God’s plan:
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14).
Though the world was cool and oblivious to Jesus’ birth, the whole heavens were filled with joy. God chose the shepherds and gave them this good news, so that they might partake in the joy.
How could they receive and possess this joy?
D. Believe God’s word, seek the sign, and find the baby, lying in a manger (15-20)
God delivered a clear message to these shepherds. In their minds, there was no trace of doubt about this message, for it was all too obvious that it had come from God.
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” (Luke 2:15-16).
The shepherds left the fields immediately and went to the town of Bethlehem. There, they looked for the baby about whom the angels had told them. They went and found the baby; they did not see anything remarkable about this baby or his surroundings. Nevertheless, in their minds, one thing remained that could not be forgotten, even though this baby came under such humble and unremarkable circumstances; he was the Savior, the Messiah, and the Lord. When they saw the baby, it was hard for them to imagine that this helpless baby was the promised Messiah, yet God’s message was unambiguously clear; this baby was the Savior. The baby lying in a manger was a sign directing them toward faith in the Son of God.
The baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger had nothing of his own and was vulnerable to all harms. In this vulnerability, his life was under God’s protection and purpose. Jesus entrusted his life in God’s hand. This is the true picture of our humanity in God’s eyes. If anyone thinks otherwise, then he or she truly lives in total darkness and is unable to see the light, i.e. God’s love. More often than not, the baby lying in a manger is viewed as the true meaning of humility before God; this has some grain of truth, but this is also the sign of utter trust in God’s love and protection when facing His fierce enemies. Jesus was ready to give his life, even from the beginning, fully entrusting his life into the hands of God Almighty.
We are not to live by relying on the protection that we get from the world or in our own power, but we must dare to make ourselves invulnerable to all of the world’s evils and harms by trusting God our Father as our Lord.
So, the sign was given to instruct us to live by faith in the Lord and to teach us to dare to entrust our lives to God’s hands. Jesus began his life in this trust and lived and died on the cross, all because he had entrusted his life to His Father’s hands; he didn’t rely on all of the power, authority, and glory that made him the Savior, Messiah, and Lord, but rather in the trust he had placed in the Lord, which enabled him to entrust his life to God, even in the midst of all the harms he faced from this world. This was the beginning of his fight against all of the unbelief and evils of this world, and this continued until he was crucified on the cross. In reality, our coming before the Lord is like the baby lying in the manger. When we see ourselves in the baby Jesus, we can better entrust our lives to God’s hand; we can also attain to the kind of faith that pleases God. This Christmas, I pray that, despite the world’s power, like that of Emperor Augustus, we all will rejoice in this baby Jesus and dare to entrust our lives in God’s hand by joining with His Son in faith.
Merry Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment