The Book of Luke: The Birth of Christ (Luke 2:1-20)
Luke 2:1-4
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
I want you to notice that the Bible teaches that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. His family was not living in Bethlehem when he was young though. The Bible speaks of “Jesus of Nazareth”. He was raised in Nazareth. If you’re familiar with the Old Testament, you know that the 12 tribes were divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Nazareth is in Galilee in the Northern Kingdom. Much of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ as an adult takes place in the Northern Kingdom. However, Bethlehem is a small town right outside Jerusalem in the Southern Kingdom. We are told that the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem is about 90 to 95 miles. In our modern society today, traveling that is not a problem. Many do that as they tour the Holy Land. However, in these days that is quite a trip. It is a sacrifice. We are told that the average person could travel 20 miles a day. However, the Bible tells us that the story was a little different for Joseph and Mary.
Luke 2:4 “4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)”. They had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Notice verse 5. “5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.”. Again, the average person could travel around 20 miles a day normally. However, Mary was great with child so this will make the journey take more time and be more difficult.
I’m telling you all of this to build up to the first lesson in this sermon. The Christmas story starts with a Holy Disruption. We see this divine disruption from God. We have Mary ready to give birth soon. We are going to read about the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the time when a woman would be in what we would call “nesting mode”. There is this time right before the birth of a child where there is an instinct of a woman to prepare for the birth of this child. She is going to want everything clean and the house ready for her first child. What we’re told is that instead of spending her time preparing a nursery or picking out decorations or curtains or baby clothes, God designed this holy disruption.
Luke 2:1 “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.”. There was not only a taxing but also a census counted as they had to return to the city of their birth. Luke 2:4 “4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)”. At a very inconvenient time in their life, they had to go back to Bethlehem for this taxing. This is going to be a 90-mile trip while Mary was late in pregnancy. This is a divine disruption that interrupts the lives of Joseph and Mary. Why did God have to get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem?
This prophecy in Micah was given 700 years before the birth of Christ. Micah 5:2 “2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This shows the deity of Jesus. It says he is from everlasting. The Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem but the problem is that Joseph and Mary are in Nazareth. He had to bring them down to Bethlehem to fulfill his purpose.
What is the lesson that we can learn from this story and application? God is able and God is willing to disrupt our lives in order to accomplish his will. When God’s will comes face to face with our will, when God’s agenda comes face to face with our agenda, when God’s plan comes face to face with our plan, God is able and is willing to interrupt your plans and thoughts to perform his will. We know that Joseph is a carpenter. I’m sure he spent the last 9 months building a crib and getting other things ready. Now they get the news that Caesar has made this taxing decree and they will have to get up and make this journey to Bethlehem. I’m here to tell you that sometimes God will allow these divine disruptions in our lives in order to fulfill his will. We see this theme all throughout the Bible.
One great example of this is Joseph in the Old Testament. As a 17-year-old kid, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. He is bought by a man named Potiphar. However, Potiphar’s wife ends up trying to seduce Joseph. Joseph has integrity and refuses to commit that sin. He is thrown in prison even though he has done nothing wrong. Then God allows him to interpret a few dreams in prison but even after all of this, he is forgotten. When Joseph finally gets out of prison, he is no longer a teenager. He is a man in his 30s. God definitely brought some disruption into the life of Joseph. Joseph could have gotten angry or upset or asked why. Joseph has a good attitude about the situation. Genesis 50:20 “20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”. God had a plan and a will and a desire and it required the disruption of Joseph’s life. God had a plan for Jesus and it required the disruption of the lives of Joseph and Mary.
Another example is Job. Job’s life was very much disrupted. He was a rich man, a godly man, a good father. He prayed for his children and had a good relationship with them. He loses all of his money and health and all of his children die. His wife turns on him. His friends turn on him. All of that is done as a result of God’s plan. God’s plan for Job was to show through Job how a person is to go through trials. Job 23:10 “10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”. Throughout the book of Job, Job talks about the confusion he is in. He doesn’t understand why God is allowing this. He isn’t sure of God’s plan or why God is allowing this. He did know though that God was aware of the direction of Job. We can take comfort in knowing that God is in control.
Romans 8:28 “28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”. When we don’t know why God is allowing something or what God is doing, we know that all things work together for good. What we see here in this Christmas story is a holy disruption. God is able and willing to disrupt our lives. Of course we don’t like this. We don’t want God to disrupt our lives. We want our plans to come to pass. Our proper response to God ought to be “we know that all things work together for good”.
Just yesterday my wife and I were thinking and praying about some things. I told her that something I have to tell myself is that I’m not God. I don’t get to make the decisions that God makes. Maybe I wouldn’t make the same decisions. We know though that God is good. God has a plan and God has a purpose.
Firstly we saw a holy disruption. Secondly, we see a humbled deity. Deity means God. When Jesus came down to this Earth, we had a humbled deity. Now it would have been enough humility for the Creator of the Universe, the Almighty to come down to the greatest throne on Earth. That would have been humbling enough humility. However, God uses the Christmas story to show us how humble he was. Luke 2:6 “6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”.
As part of the Christmas story, we have often romanticized these things. Often times people have nativity scenes regarding this event. When the Bible says he was laid in a manger though that is a word meaning a feeding trough. It is something used by cows and animals like that. Because there was no room in the inn, Mary and Joseph are sleeping where the animals stay. This is not what they were planning. It highlights the amount of humility it took for Jesus the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords to be born around animals in a feeding trough. It teaches us that he was a humbled deity even to the point of death.
Philippians 2:5 “5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”. Jesus did not make it a point to say how special or powerful he was. He made himself of no reputation. “8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”.
2nd Corinthians 8:9 “9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”. Jesus humbled himself and was born amongst animals. Not only do wee see this holy disruption but we see a humble deity.
Let me just take a minute to talk about this question that someone asked me recently. I thought it was a very good question so I want to take some time to talk about it. We obviously believe in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. At the virgin birth of Jesus, the second member of the Godhead did not become a person. He was already a person. The Bible says in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. A lot of people have this misconception that the 2nd member of Godhead was merely words that came out of the mouth of God. However, notice that the Word was with God and the Word was God. Verse 2 “2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”. The Word was a person. The 2nd member of the Godhead is a person. In Revelation 19 he is called the Word of God but he is riding a horse. When the Bible says “Let us make man in our image”, he is obviously speaking to someone.
I bring this up because when we see these verses where it says the Word was made flesh, it makes people confused into thinking that he became a person at the Virgin Birth. The word became a human being. The 2nd person of the Godhead did not come into existence like cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. The Bible does not say that the Word became a person. It says God was manifest in the flesh. The miracle is that the Son of Man came to this Earth being also the Son of God. God became man without ceasing to be God.
John 1:14 “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”. 1st Timothy 3:16 “16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”. The emphasis is on Jesus becoming flesh.
Luke 2:7 “7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”. How sad that the son of God came to this Earth and there was no room in the inn. In today’s world, there is still no room for Jesus in people’s hearts.
Luke 2:8 “8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”.
I want you to notice thirdly that we see a heavenly declaration. At this birth time, the angel comes with this message. 3 different positions or titles are mentioned. Luke 2:11 “11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” #1 – The Saviour. Why is he the Saviour? Because he came to save us from our sins. Religion teaches us that we can be saved by our good works or the confessional booth or speak in tongues or some other method. The question I often ask people is this. “If I could be saved by going to Church or getting baptized or going to a confessional booth then why did Jesus come?”. What’s the point of a Saviour if I can save myself. The truth is that I’m a sinner and I can’t save myself. No matter how much good you do, it’s not good enough. You have to be sinless but only Jesus is without sin. It’s not Jesus plus anything else. It is only Jesus.
Luke 2:11 “11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”. It also says “Christ”. Christ means “Messiah”. He was the one that was prophesied to come to this Earth. Then it also says “Lord”. This means he is the boss. He is the King. Jesus is Lord whether you like it or not. Philippians 2:9-10 “9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”. Did you know there is coming a day when every person will confess Jesus as Lord. Even the unsaved are going to get down on their knees and confess Jesus as Lord and beg for mercy. You can either believe on him now or you will one day admit it when it is too late. We see this heavenly declaration. He is the Saviour and the Christ and the Lord.
Luke 2:12 “12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”. There is also this heavenly host making this heavenly declaration. The fact that Jesus was laying in a manger was a sign for the heavenly host to praise God. When you see peace and good will toward men, that is always connected to Jesus in the Bible. You will never have peace without the Lord Jesus Christ.
We see a holy disruption, a humbled deity, a heavenly declaration and then we see a humiliating delegation. Verse 8 “8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”. It’s interesting to me because if we were to write this story ourselves, this is not how it would go. We wouldn’t go to blue collar workers but to kings and rich men and those in authority. Eventually the 3 wise men visited but this was not until 2 years later. If you actually study the scriptures, it was a few years later before they showed up. The recipients of the story of the birth of Christ were these lowly shepherds. That is not who we would have gone to but who God goes to. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and the Lamb of God so it makes sense that he would let the shepherds know. It was a humiliating delegation as opposed to the rich and powerful.
I wonder if the reason why Jesus came to the shepherds is because of their response. Verse 15 “15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”. It says “let us now”. They immediately go. They don’t wait. God knew that the shepherds would not waste any time.
Verse 16 “16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”. They didn’t come slowly but with haste. They came with urgency. I often tell young people to have a sense of urgency. Here the shepherds came with haste when God made it known to them. Let me ask you a question. When God makes something known to you, how quickly do you act on it? When God has made something known to you, do you respond with haste or do you take your time?
I’m reminded of the story of Abraham. Abraham has this miraculous child but then God tells him that he wants him to sacrifice his son. Abraham rises up early in the morning to obey. The recipients were shepherds but they responded with haste. I believe God chose the shepherds because of their response. We should have the same response when God makes something known to us.
Lastly, let us look at the report of these shepherds. Luke 2:17 “17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”. The proper response to receiving something is to then give it back to others. These shepherds showed themselves to be soulwinners. I’m here to tell you that we need to remember to tell others about Jesus while we are celebrating his birth during the Christmas season.
Notice verse 18 “18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”. There is this emphasis with Mary that she is a thinking girl. This phrase is used about her in other places. Luke 2:20 “20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”.
I want to encourage you this Christmas season to take some time and ponder these things in your heart. Sometimes God might allow a holy disruption in your life. Mary didn’t get bitter about it but pondered these things in her heart. When the baby was born, she pondered these things in her heart. When the shepherds showed up, she pondered these things in her heart. Let us make sure this Christmas season that we are praising God even if we don’t fully understand certain things that are happening.
Let’s pray.