JOY TO THE WORLD (Luke 2:1-20)
INTRODUCTION:
We have been doing a chronological study of the history of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. Each week we have lit a candle with a word associated with it for the advent season. That time of hopeful waiting, knowing God’s peace that is ours because of the incarnation, the incarnation was brought about by God’s great love for us and in the advent and incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ we should find the greatest of all joy knowing that He came to offer us forgiveness for sin and to restore our relationship with God bringing us peace. The first week the candle was hope and that referred to the hope of God’s promise to send a Deliverer, a Savior, the promised Messiah and with that same hope we look for the second advent of Jesus Christ. Next, we lit the candle of peace which was seen in the faith of Mary and her willing surrender to God to have His will done in her life, the peace she possessed is the same peace we have when we are justified by faith. Last week, our candle was love and we spoke of Joseph’s love for Mary, but more importantly God’s love for mankind in seeing that the prophecies concerning the Messiah’s lineage were fulfilled through the virgin birth, and because of God’s love for us we have the hope and peace of knowing that Jesus Christ will come again. This morning we will continue our chronological study and the candle we lit this morning is the candle of joy. We sing of joy at Christmas, the joy generated in our hearts because the Lord has come, God has appeared in human flesh so that we might have peace with God believing that God came in human flesh to die for us, to take our punishment for sin so that our sins are forgiven, and we can stand before God in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and be accepted by God. I cannot think of anything that should give us greater joy then the good news of Jesus Christ. Before turning to our Scripture let’s pray and ask God to speak to us this morning from His Word.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Luke 2. Our chronological study began in Luke 1 for the first two weeks, then last week we were in Matthew 1. This morning we come back to Luke chapter 2. Luke 2:1-20 is our passage of Scripture this morning, please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Luke 2:1-20,
“Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 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, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 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. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 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; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’ 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.’ So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.” (Luke 2:1–20, NASB95)[1]
PRELUDE TO JOY (Luke 2:1-5)
The prophet Micah proclaimed the birthplace of the Messiah. He wrote in Micah 5:2, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2, NASB95)[2] Since this Son that Mary was going to give birth to was to be heir to the throne of His ancestor David as we learned last week it was fitting that He should be born in the town where David had been born. The problem was that Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee in the northern part of Israel, at least a three- or four-day journey from Bethlehem which was in the southern part of Israel, 5 miles south of Jerusalem. Not a trip that a poor carpenter and his pregnant wife would take unnecessarily. But God’s Word must be fulfilled in every aspect otherwise doubt would be cast on the truthfulness of God’s Word. Luke begins this chapter by giving us an idea of the time period by telling us who the rulers of the day were. He records that it was during the reign of Caesar Augustus whose 57-year reign began in 44 B.C. and ended in 14 A.D., this gives us a 57-year period in which Jesus could have been born. But Luke narrows it down for us even more by giving us the name of the governor of Syria, Quirinius. It is known for a fact that he was governor for two years, 6-7 A.D., but it is also possible that he had an earlier governorship between 4-2 B.C. which would place the birth of Jesus between 4-2 B.C. since it says it was the first census while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Acts 5:37 speaks of another census that took place and it is confirmed by the Jewish historian Josephus that it was conducted in 6 A.D. Thus, the one recorded here was the first during his governorship and the second at the second term of his governorship. It was not the intention of Caesar Augustus to fulfill prophecy, but he did when he called for a census of the Roman Empire. This census was for the purpose of taxation and each person had to return to the place where their inheritance of land was located to be registered for the census. Since Joseph and Mary were descendants of David their land was in or around Bethlehem. Luke tells us that this trip was made out of necessity so that they would comply with the decree from Rome. It would not have been an easy trip, three or four days of walking for a woman nearing the end of her pregnancy. But we are told that they made the trip. Note that Luke says that Mary was engaged to Joseph, or a better translation would be the betrothed wife of Joseph because they have not yet consummated their marriage because as we learned last week in Matthew that Joseph had taken Mary home as his wife, but had no sexual relations with her until after she had given birth to God’s Son. Bethlehem was not a large town, and it may have taken Joseph and Mary longer to reach the town than others because of Mary’s pregnancy, they may have traveled slower and may have needed to stop more often to rest. But at last, they arrived in Bethlehem.
INTRODUCTION OF JOY (Luke 2:6-7)
As we consider the birth of Jesus Christ it must be noted that we do not have a lot of information on the actual birth. Last week in Matthew 1 there was one verse concerning Jesus’ birth which states that Joseph kept Mary a virgin until she gave birth to a Son, and he called His name Jesus. Here in Luke, we have only two verses dedicated to His birth, and it would do us good to revisit these two verses to clear up some misconceptions that are made in the modern retelling of the birth of Christ. First, the Bible certainly teaches that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but it does not teach that they arrived in Bethlehem just in time for Mary to deliver. In fact, if Mary were in the final stages of her pregnancy, it is doubtful that the two would have attempted such a difficult journey. Verse six of our passage seems to convey that they were in Bethlehem for a while before Jesus was born by stating, “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.” (Luke 2:6, NASB95)[3] That is the first misconception that Mary had the baby as soon as they arrived in Bethlehem. Second, the Bible makes no mention of an innkeeper who told them that the inn was full for the night. The reasons we imagine this scenario is because the translators of most English versions have chosen the word “inn” to translate the Greek word kataluma which gives modern readers the wrong impression. Jesus used this same Greek word in Luke 22:11 to refer to a “guest room” that they would use for the Last Supper, now known as the Upper Room where Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion. That may not be enough to convince you, but you must also take into consideration that the Greek language has a word for hotel or inn. Jesus used it in Luke 10:34 in the parable of the Good Samaritan who took the beaten man to the “inn” and paid the “innkeeper” to care for the man.
Luke would have been quite familiar with the proper term for inn, so why didn’t he use it in the account of the birth of Jesus? The most likely answer is that Mary and Joseph did not try to stay at an inn. Luke states that there was no room for them in the kataluma, which would be better translated “guest room.” It is most likely that those traveling to Bethlehem for the census were staying with relatives that still lived in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary would have stayed with relatives in Bethlehem, but because of all the people the house would have been crowded and the space in the guest room was already used up. Joseph and Mary would have had to stay in the lower level of the house. It is hard to believe that pregnant Mary would have been turned away from a relative’s home in a society that greatly values family ties.
Archaeologists have excavated first century homes from the Judean country, they have discovered that the upper level served as a guest chamber while the lower level served as the living and dining areas. Often times the farm animals would be brought in at night to protect them from cold and theft. That may sound strange to you since we would not dream of bringing cattle into our house at night, but still today in countries like Germany and Austria the stable and the house are often different parts of the same building. This is where the manger comes into play, Mary likely gave birth to Jesus in the lower level of a crowded house, in which some animals had been brought in for the night. She then wrapped Jesus up in cloths and laid Him in the feeding trough. Luke describes it this way for us, “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 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 guest room.” (Luke 2:7, NASB95)[4] Born in the city of His ancestor David and placed in a feeding trough was the Creator of the universe. We should never become so focused on the details of this account that we miss the most important point. We celebrate Christmas to remember Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, Who became a descendant of Adam so that He could ultimately go to the cross and die in our place. Now the descendants of Adam can be saved from an eternity of separation from their Creator. God gave His Son to this world, which is the greatest gift that could ever be given. Truly this was the introduction of joy into a world of despair. Let us celebrate with joy this ultimate truth of the incarnation and tell the world about God’s amazing love.
PROCLAMATION OF JOY (Luke 2:8-16)
While Joseph and Mary rejoiced over the birth of God’s son, God the Father also wanted to share the joy of His Son’s birth. The first to hear about the birth of God’s Son were some shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem that were watching over the flock and protecting the sheep from thieves and predators. I find it interesting that God chose shepherds as the first recipients of this good news of great joy. Instead of choosing religious or political figures, He chose shepherds, those who provided the animals needed for the sacrifices, but because of their life outdoors and their work with animals they were also social outcasts. They most often were ceremonially unclean living outside and working with animals. They were certainly on the lower end of the social ladder. I think in choosing them God shows His grace, no one is excluded from coming to God through His Son Jesus Christ. If God had given this announcement to religious or political figures, would they have taken time to go and worship the Child? God knew who would most benefit from this announcement.
Again, the announcement comes through an angel. We are not told who the angel is, but I would not be surprised if it were Gabriel again. This time we are told that when the angel of the Lord stood before them that the glory of the Lord shone around them, this angel lit up the dark night with the glory of God and these rough and tough shepherds were very afraid. The angel assures the shepherds that they have nothing to fear, instead he has come with good news of great joy that is for all the people. This good news of great joy was not just for the shepherds, was not just for the people of Bethlehem, not just for the people of Israel, God’s announcement is for all the people. This good news of great joy is that the Savior has been born, the One God had promised to send to crush Satan’s head, the One God had promised to redeem Israel, the One God had promised to save us from our sins. God in human form has been born in the city of David, in Bethlehem. God’s promise has come true, it has been fulfilled in your day and you can go and see Him. Then the angel tells them where He can be found, wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. And if the night were not already lit up enough by this one angel who shone with the glory of God suddenly the night sky was filled with a host of heavenly angels and they were praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:14, NASB95)[5] The angels gave glory to God for this new beginning in which man can have his sins forgiven and be made acceptable to God. This new beginning would bring peace on those who placed their faith in God’s Son, the Savior, those with whom God is pleased. God was restoring peace to the earth between Himself and man through His Son who would be the final sacrifice for sin. The shepherds were the first to hear of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The first to hear about the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Then we are told the angels left them.
The shepherds’ reaction to this good news of great joy is belief that God’s Word is true, they left their sheep and went into Bethlehem to see this Child that God had told them about. The Scripture says, “So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.” (Luke 2:16, NASB95)[6] This word translated found in Greek means “to find after a careful search. I do not know if they went door to door searching for this child, but they knew what they were looking for, a baby swaddled and lying in a manger. They found Him and they worshipped Him.
POSTLUDE TO JOY (Luke 2:17-20)
The joy upon seeing the Savior, God’s Son in the flesh could not be contained by these shepherds and as they left the place where the baby was found, they told everyone they saw in Bethlehem what they had seen and heard and though the people were amazed and wondered at this story of angels in the night and the Savior being born in Bethlehem we do not read that even one went to visit Him. Life continued on for the people of Bethlehem, but the lives of those shepherds were changed forever, and they returned to their flock praising and glorifying God for all they had seen and heard just as it had been told them. They had an encounter with God that night and had seen Him in the flesh and believed that the words of the angel were true that this indeed was the Savior of the world.
Our Scripture says, “But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19, NASB95)[7] The announcement to her by the angel Gabriel, the birth of John, the love and acceptance of Joseph, the birth of Jesus, the account of the shepherds nighttime visit by angels and them coming and finding the baby and worshipping Him, Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart, seeing how God had taken care of all the details and her heart must have swelled with joy that God’s will had been done in her life just as the angel had said.
CONCLUSION:
As we close this morning, we must understand that the birth of Jesus Christ is a historical fact that fulfilled prophecy and was attested to by shepherds that clearly identify Jesus as the Messiah, the promised One of God, the Savior of the world. The historicity of this event can never be refuted. Just as the virgin birth is not an option to be considered, Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethlehem is also not an option to be considered; but both His virgin birth and His birth in Bethlehem are truths to be believed. We saw last week the importance of the virgin birth. This week we must understand the importance of His birth in Bethlehem. If even one of the prophecies about the first advent of Jesus Christ went unfulfilled then the truth of God’s Word would have to be questioned, but every prophecy made concerning His first advent was fulfilled. Because God was faithful and true to fulfill all the prophecies, we can know without doubt that the promises made concerning His second advent will be fulfilled as well.
With this in mind, how should we respond? Our response to this good news of great joy should be the same response that we saw in the shepherds and in Mary a response of joyful praise from hearts filled with joy that God the Savior came to save us from our sins and to give us peace with God through our faith in Him and His death, burial, and resurrection for us. Why do we celebrate Christmas, as a remembrance of God taking on human flesh to die for sinful mankind and make it possible for man to be made acceptable to God again, and in hopeful anticipation of His second advent.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (Emphasis Mine.)
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.