Luke 02(01–20)

Introduction

We’re studying Luke chapters 1 and 2 this Christmas and his account of the events surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus. And we’ve seen that there are two announcements and two births and two consecrations.

The two announcements are the angel’s announcement to Zechariah that his wife will give birth to a son who should be called John; and the same angel announced to Mary that she will conceive a child by the Holy Spirit and give birth to a son who will be holy and great and who will rule as king and who will be known as the Son of God. And the two births are the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of the Lord Jesus. After John’s birth, his father praised God. And after the Lord’s birth, the angels and shepherds praised God. And the two consecrations took place when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple and then when they brought him to the temple when he was 12 years old.

We’ve already studied the two announcements and the John’s birth. Today we come to the Saviour’s birth.

Summary

And Luke tells us that in those days the Roman Emperor Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And so, everyone had to go to their hometown to be registered. This did not happen all at once, but it’s likely that the people were given a year to travel to register in their hometown. And Luke tells us that Joseph left Nazareth, where he lived, to go to Bethlehem, because he belonged to the house and line of David. And Mary, who was pledged to marry him, went with him. And Luke makes clear that Mary was pregnant at that time. So, just as the angel said, she had conceived a child by the Holy Spirit. And while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for the baby to be born. And so, she gave birth to a son, just as the angel said she would. And she wrapped him in cloths, which was normal in those days, and laid her baby in a manger, which was not normal in those days. People did not normally place their newborn baby in a feeding trough for animals. And so, Luke explains that there was no room for them in the inn. The word translated ‘inn’ should perhaps be ‘guest room’. Apparently it was common for homes in those days to have a guest room. And part of the house was also used as a stable for the animals. So, people and animals tended to sleep under the same roof. Since Joseph was from Bethlehem, he presumably hoped to stay with relatives. But since their guest room was already being used, he and Mary were invited to stay in the part of the house where the animals were kept.

Luke then directs our attention away from Bethlehem to the shepherds, who were out in the fields nearby, where they were minding their sheep. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them like a bright, blinding light. And so, the shepherds were terrified. More literally, Luke says they were filled with great fear. However, the angel had not come to fill them with great fear, but to give them good news of great joy.

What was this good news of great joy which was not only for them, but for all the people? It was the news that the Saviour had been born. And the angel adds that the Saviour is Christ the Lord. The title ‘Christ’ refers to God’s Anointed King. God promised his Old Testament people that he would send them a new and better king from the line of David to save them from their enemies and to rule over them with justice and righteousness and peace. And here’s the angel announcing to these shepherds that the new king has come. The words ‘Saviour’ and ‘Lord’ are significant, because in Luke 1 both words were used to refer to the God of Israel. So, Mary referred to God as her Saviour in verse 47 of chapter 1; and God has been called Lord several times already. And here’s the angel saying that the baby who has been born is both Saviour and Lord. In other words, Mary’s little baby is God. He’s God the Son who has now come to earth as one of us and to be our King.

And the angel gave the shepherds a sign so that they would know the baby when they see him. And the sign is that they will find him, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

And that’s when a heavenly host of angels appeared in the sky and they began to praise God, saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.’ The word ‘host’ is really a military term. It can be translated ‘army’. So, an army of angels appeared in the sky. But this army of angels came with a message of peace.

And after the angels went back to heaven, the shepherds decided to go and see this thing that has happened. They travelled to Bethlehem, and found Mary and Joseph, and the child, lying in the manger. And when they saw him, they told those who were there what the angel had told them. And all who heard it were amazed at what they heard, while Mary treasured these things in her heart. That is to say, she stored up everything she had heard and seen so that she could think about these things in the hope that one day all the pieces will fall into place and she’ll understand all that has happened and its significance.

And the shepherds returned to the fields and to their sheep, praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as they had been told.

Two Kings

So, that’s the passage. But I want to go back to verse 1 and the reference to Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor at that time. I mentioned a couple of Sundays ago that one of the themes in Luke’s gospel is the reversal of fortune. The high and mighty, the proud and arrogant, the rich and powerful are humbled because of Christ, whereas the lowly and weak and lifted up.

And in those days, there was no-one higher or mightier than the Emperor. Augustus’s name was originally Gaius Octavius and he had been adopted by Julius Caesar who made him his heir so that he succeeded Julius as Emperor. After bringing a civil war to an end, the Roman Senate honoured him with the title ‘Augustus’ which means ‘majestic’. And, being Emperor, he lived in the lap of luxury.

And so, what a contrast there is between Caesar Augustus and Mary’s baby, who was God’s Anointed King. Instead of living in the lap of luxury, he started his life in a manger. His parents were nobodies and poor. And whereas Augustus was surrounded by all kinds of servants, the only ones who surrounded the baby Jesus at his birth were shepherds, who were despised by most people in those days. Yes, an army of angels proclaimed Christ’s birth, but not many people on the earth honoured him.

And so, what a contrast there is between the great and mighty Caesar Augustus and Jesus Christ, Mary’s child. And yet, Caesar Augustus is now no more. And the once mighty Roman Empire is long gone. The Roman Empire is only something we study in history books now, whereas Jesus Christ now sits enthroned in heaven, where he rules over all things in heaven and on earth, and his kingdom is growing throughout the world through the reading and preaching of his word and as men and women and boys and girls trust in him as their King and Saviour.

In Daniel 2 we read of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Nebuchadnezzar was another mighty king, who is now no more. And in his dream he saw a great statue made up of different kinds of metal and clay. And then a rock struck the statue so that the statue broke into pieces and the wind blew the pieces away. But the rock that struck it grew and grew and grew until it became a huge mountain that filled the earth. Nebuchadnezzar did not understand the dream, and neither did any of his advisors. But God enabled Daniel to interpret the dream and he explained that the statue represented the nations of the world which are all coming to nothing. None of them will last. All of them will fall. And the rock represented another kingdom. It represented God’s kingdom. And God’s kingdom will grow and grow and grow until it fills the earth. And it will last forever.

And Mary’s child, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the King of God’s kingdom. And though his kingdom started off as something small and insignificant — though it started off in a manger in Bethlehem — it is growing throughout the world and it will continue to grow until Christ comes again to make all things new and he will reign over the new heavens and earth and his people will reign with him.

And since this is true, God tells us in Psalm 2 to kiss the Son. In other words, pay homage to his Son who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Instead of resisting him, yield your life to him and serve and obey him all the days of your life, because he is the Great King, whose kingdom will never end; and he promises eternal life to all who believe in him and who submit to him as their King.

Peace

And let me mention one other thing about Augustus. He was famous for bringing peace to the known world. In one inscription, which was written to honour him, he is called the saviour of the whole human race, because, it said, land and sea now have peace; and cities flourish; and there’s an abundance of good things; and the people are filled with happy hopes for the future and with delight at the present.

Another inscription decreed that his birthday would mark the beginning of the year; and it signified the beginning of everything, because his birth has restored the shape of everything that was failing… and has given a new look to the Universe. And the inscription went on to refer to Augustus as a saviour for the people who has made wars cease and who has created order everywhere; and his birthday was the beginning of glad tidings for the world.

And so, they praised Augustus, their saviour, because his birth brought glad tidings of peace to men on earth.

And that’s what we all want, isn’t it? We want peace. We want a peaceful life so that our happiness is not disturbed by troubles and trials and sorrow and sadness and bitterness and envy and hatred.

And perhaps Augustus was able to give peace to his people. But Augustus has gone and his kingdom has gone. And the peace he brought was only temporary and it did not last, because the Romans were overthrown. And whatever benefits any earthly kingdom brings can only be temporary, because every earthly kingdom is temporary. And, of course, the kind of peace which someone like Augustus offers is only ever superficial. They can make the circumstances of our life better, so that we’re richer and more comfortable. But even people who have all that they want and who live in the lap of luxury are unhappy; and they fall out with the people around them; and their conscience disturbs them, because of all that they have done wrong. They know, deep down inside, that their life is not right. And so, they have no peace of mind.

On the other hand, the birth of the Lord Jesus really was the beginning of something new, because his birth means we can have peace with God. We can have peace with God, because the reason God the Son came to earth as one of us was so that he could die on the cross, taking the blame for all that we have done wrong and paying for our sins with his life. And in this way, he made peace for us with God. For those who believe, God is no longer the judge who is going to condemn us, but he has become our Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us and who arranges all things for our good. And death is no longer the punishment for our sins, but it’s the doorway into our Father’s presence, where we will enjoy perfect peace forever.

And so, Christ came into the world to give us peace with God. And since he has paid for all our sins with his life, then he gives us peace of conscience, because we know that, for the sake of Christ, we have been forgiven by God. Our guilty conscience which once accused us has been silenced because of Christ.

And the Lord Jesus Christ also gives us his Spirit to renew us inwardly and to enable us to love the people around us so that instead of fighting with one another, we’re able to live in peace with one another.

And then, when Christ comes again, he will make us perfect. And he will bring us into the new heavens and earth, where we’ll live in perfect peace and unity. And so, we’ll be happy forever in the presence of our God. And since Christ’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, then the peace and happiness we’ll enjoy in his presence will never ever end.

And so, we can join with the angels in the highest to glorify God, who gives peace on earth to those on whom his favour rests. So, this peace is not something we deserve. It’s not something we can earn. But it’s something which God graciously and freely gives to his people and which we receive through faith in his Son.