The Babe Who Would Be King | Luke 2:1–21
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In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The Supreme King
The Supreme King
First we see God's Kingly Supremacy in the Christmas story. In the first lines we read a text that for us is so common at Christmas that we seldom take into account the glorious truth of God’s Supremacy over all things in these verses.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
Now you may be saying, “Pastor” Luke is merely pointing out the facts of the birth of Christ. But there is so much more going on in these pages, in these verses. The God of the universe is working in the affairs of man to set up perfectly the pieces so that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
It wasn't that God told Joseph to go to Bethlehem, which would have been easy to do, but that God moved the geopolitical realities of their world to place Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem on the day that Christ would be born.
Joseph's Lineage
Caesar's Census
Mary's Progression
All these had to line up perfectly for the prophecy of Christ being born of a virgin in Bethlehem to be fulfilled.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
This is in contrast to two other kings we see in the Christmas story. While Gaius Octavius, the nephew of Julius Caesar was proclaiming himself Caesar Augustus, literally calling himself the Exalted King, and Herod, king of the Jews was being called “Great”, the great king of the universe was shaping all of human history around a boarding house, an animal lodging, a manger, and a baby.
This baby would truly be the Caesar Augustus.
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
The Gracious King
The Gracious King
Second we see God's Grace in using the shepherds.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
The announcement begins with the introduction of shepherds, who represented the most common of Palestinian people.
Luke mentions two characteristics of shepherds: living outside in open country and taking turns in night watches. Nomadic shepherds who were separated from human communities and culture for long periods of time were inevitably subjected to suspicion and scorn.
During this time many accused them of being thieves, and because they could prey on lonely travelers, they were often suspected of practicing “the craft of robbers” (m. Qidd. 4:14).
Their prolonged absences—and ill-repute—disqualified them from being legal witnesses. A third-century rabbi, commenting on Ps 23, said, “There is no more despised occupation in the world than that of shepherds.” Along with gamblers and tax collectors, herdsmen were regularly listed among despised trades by Jewish sources.
That being said, The Mishnah, which is a group of documents that recorded oral traditions that governed the Jewish people during the time of the Pharisees, may give us a different look at these shepherds. One of its regulations states it “expressly forbids the keeping of flocks throughout the land of Israel except in the wilderness — and the only flocks otherwise kept would be those for the Temple services (Bab K.7:7; 80a).
These shepherds were in the fields surrounding Bethlehem, not out in the wilderness where regular sheep were kept. So these shepherds, though unclean ceremonially, were keeping the sacrificial lambs that would be used in the temple worship and could have been part of a priestly family.
Regardless, it is to these lowly shepherds were the ones God chose to announce the coming of the Lord to.
Another statement in the Mishnah says that the Messiah would be revealed from the Migdal Eder, which translates as “tower of the flock.” It was an actual tower that stood just outside town and within the Temple priests’ fields. It was a kind of lookout tower, you might say.
It was a priest’s job to stay in the Migdal Eder all night. So, with the tower being so tall, the shepherd priest was “watching over the flock by night” while the other shepherds were on the ground also keeping watch.
And that’s when the angel showed up with some very good news.
The God of heaven used those tasked with tending the Lambs used in the sacrifice of the temple to announce the coming of the Lamb of God who would end the temple sacrifice by becoming the Lamb of the God who takes away the sins of the world.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus was the Supreme King, but by becoming the lamb of God, the sacrificial lamb, Jesus is our gracious king, our glorious shepherd, our sacrificial lamb.
The Glorious King
The Glorious King
Finally we see God's Glory in the Baby who Came Down
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
The Glorious God of the universe displays his radiant glory to the world in a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
The angelic proclamation to the shepherds is Existential, eminent, and effacing.
It is existential in that it deals with being. The word existential has to do with existing. The angel proclaims to the shepherds.
"Today". Today is a loaded word in the gospel of Luke.
Throughout Luke, Luke uses a lot of loaded vocabulary. And he does so here too.
"Today" is the first word preached by Christ in Luke 4:21
It is also the first word of the final promise of Jesus on the cross.
Christ is the God-man, existing today with us. Jesus is the true Savior of the world come today.
This stood in sharp contrast to the world of Jesus who was looking for a savior in other places and other people.
The Romans looked for a Savior in Caesar Augustus.
"The identification of the Messiah-Lord as “savior” counteracts the claims and cult of Caesar Augustus in v. 1, who repeatedly promoted himself as “savior of the common folk” and “savior of the world.” In an official litany of accomplishments known as Res Gestae, Caesar Augustus postured as a “savior” who inaugurated a new and propitious age of peace, order, and prosperity, fulfilling the longings of humanity.46"
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Luke, ed. D. A. Carson, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2015), 76–77.
But Caesar is not the savior of the word, nor are all the saviors we see rising up to save us today. No president, prime minister or dictator can save us. No philosophy, political theory or government can save us. No only Christ can save us.
It's eminent in that Christ came to us. The word eminent means among, present. The angel proclaims, unto YOU is born. Jesus is born for us.
Jesus isn’t “there”. Jesus is here, with us.
Jesus isn’t God above us, but God with us.
Finally, Christ is the effacing king. Christ humbled himself.
The poem by W. Howard Doane sums up the coming of Christ:
He came not with his heavenly crown,
his scepter clad with power;
His coming was in feebleness,
The infant of an hour:
A humble manger cradled, first,
The virgin’s holy birth,
And lowing herds surrounded there
The Lord of heaven and earth.