Joy To The World The Lord Has Come - Luke 2:1-20
INTRODUCTION:
We have spent the first three Sundays of this month in the book of Isaiah, examining two prophecies he made concerning the advent of Jesus Christ, and I say advent because we found especially last Sunday that Isaiah does not separate Christ’s coming into two advents, but sees it all as one event. The age of grace and the formation of the church was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets. We did learn that when the Lord Jesus Christ came the first time He came as each of us enter our world, He was born as a baby, the miraculous parts of His birth were that He was born of a virgin and thus He was fully human, but at the same time He was given by God and He was fully God. We call this the incarnation, God taking on human flesh, becoming a man so that He might be our substitute, that He might die in our place, paying the price required for our sin.
As promised this morning we will be in the New Testament and the theme of my message this morning is 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. I cannot think of anything that should give us greater joy than the Good News of Jesus Christ. As we look anew this morning at the event of the birth of Jesus Christ I asked you to be prepared to walk away this morning with a fuller understanding of what took place more than 2000 years ago and rejoice in Jesus Christ our Savior. Let’s pray and then get into God’s Word.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Luke 2:1-20, our passage of Scripture for this morning. Please stand if you are able for the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
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)
In our Scripture reading this morning from Micah 5 the prophet proclaimed that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David. Since this Son that Mary was going to give birth to was heir to the throne of His ancestor David it was fitting that He should be born in the town where David had been born. Gabriel had told Mary that the Lord God would give her Son, Jesus the throne of His father David forever. Jesus Christ is the rightful heir to the throne of David and this is why He should be born in the city of David, Bethlehem.
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 to Bethlehem, which was in the southern part of Israel, 5 miles south of Jerusalem. Not a trip a poor carpenter and his pregnant wife would take unnecessarily.
But God’s Word spoken through the prophet must be fulfilled in every way or 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 were the rulers of the day. He begins by telling us that it was during the reign of Caesar Augustus whose 57-year reign began in 44 B.C. and ended in A.D. 14. This gives us a 57-year period in which Jesus could be born. But Luke narrows it down for us more by giving us the name of the Roman governor of Syria, Quirinius. It is known for a fact that he was governor of Syria for two years, A.D. 6-7, but it is very possible that he had an earlier governorship between 4-2 B.C. which would place the birth of Jesus Christ between 4-2 B.C. since it says it was the first census while Quirinius was governor of Syria. We know of a second census that took place as recorded in Acts 5:37 and confirmed by the Jewish historian Josephus that it was conducted in A.D. 6. Thus, the one recorded in Luke 2 is the first one during his governorship and the second recorded in Acts is during his second term as governor of Syria.
It was not the intention of Caesar Augustus to fulfill prophecy, but he did when he called for a census of the Roman Empire. God providentially moved Caesar at this time to call for a census, this was a numbering of the inhabitants of the empire that was later used for taxation and each Israelite 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 inheritance was in or around Bethlehem. Luke tells us the trip was made from necessity so that they would comply with the decree from Rome.
It would not be an easy trip, three or four days of walking for a woman very pregnant. But Luke tells us that they make the trip. Notice that Luke says that Mary was engaged to Joseph, or a better translation would be the betrothed wife of Joseph because they had not yet consummated the marriage. Matthew 1:24-25 says, “And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24–25, NASB95)[2] Bethlehem was not a large town and it may have taken Joseph and Mary longer to reach the town because of Mary’s pregnancy. They may have traveled slower and stopped more often to let Mary rest. But at last they arrived in Bethlehem.
PRESENTATION OF JOY (Luke 2:6-7)
As we consider the birth of Jesus Christ we must recognize that we do not have a lot of information on the actual birth. In Matthew 1 we have only one verse about the birth which I just read to you a moment ago that states that Joseph kept Mary a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and that Joseph called His name Jesus. Here in Luke we have only two verses dedicated to His birth, and it would do us well to look closely at these two verses and clear up some misconceptions that are often made in the re-telling of the birth of Christ. These misconceptions are brought on by our reading these verses with a western mindset instead of looking at these verses through a middle-eastern mindset.
First, the Bible clearly 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 was in the final days of her pregnancy it is doubtful that the two would have attempted such a difficult journey. Verse 6 in our passage seems to convey that they were in Bethlehem for a while before Jesus was born, listen to the words carefully, “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 her baby as soon as they arrived in Bethlehem.
Second, the Bible makes no mention of an innkeeper who told them the inn was full for the night. The reason we imagine this scenario is because the translators of most of our English versions have chosen the word “inn” to translate the Greek word kataluma giving our western minds the wrong impression. Jesus used this same Greek word in Luke 22:11 to refer to a “guest room” that would be used for the Last Supper, now known as the “Upper room” where Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion. It should also be noted that the Greek language has another word for hotel or inn. Jesus used it in Luke 10:34-35 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.” In the Middle East, family heritage and hospitality were very highly valued. Joseph probably had relatives living in Bethlehem that would have been highly offended if he did not seek shelter in their homes, but because of all the relatives in Bethlehem for the census, the house would have been crowded and the space in the guest room filled up. Joseph and Mary had to stay in the lower level of the house. It is hard to believe that Joseph and his pregnant wife would have been turned away from a relative’s home in a society that greatly valued family ties.
Archaeologists have excavated first century homes from the Judean hill country, they were often in caves or built on caves, and many homes had levels or terraces. They often had an upper room that served as a guest room and a raised area in the lower level where the family lived and ate their meals and slept. The lowest level of the home is where the animals would be brought in at night, perhaps four feet lower than the family room. This may seem strange to us as we would not dream of bringing cattle into our house, but it protected them from the weather, theft, and helped heat the house. They would be led out in the morning and the area where they had spent the night would be cleaned. Feeding troughs were either built into the floor of the family area where the cattle could eat or built into the walls, this is where the manger comes into play, Mary gave birth to Jesus in the lower level, the family level of a crowded house, she swaddled the baby and laid Him in a feeding trough, which was like a natural cradle. Luke says it this way, “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 2:6–7, 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, became a descendant of Adam’s race so that He could ultimately go to the cross and die in our place, paying the penalty for our sin. 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 the birth of Jesus Christ was the presentation of joy into a world of despair. Let us celebrate with joy the ultimate truth of the incarnation and tell the world of 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 the news were some shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, watching their flock, protecting their sheep from thieves and predators. God chose shepherds as the first recipients of this Good News of great joy. Instead of religious or political figures, He chose shepherds. Being close to Jerusalem, their sheep may have provided for the sacrifices at the temple. Because of their life outdoors and their work with animals, they were certainly on the lower end of the social ladder. In choosing shepherds God shows His grace excludes no one from coming to God through Jesus Christ. God knew who would believe His announcement and benefit most by it.
God uses an angel to bring His announcement of great joy. The Scripture says an angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. Suddenly their dark night was lit up by God’s glory and these rough and tough shepherds who would fight wild beasts from attacking their sheep were terrified. But immediately the angel assures them that they do not need to be afraid, they have nothing to fear, the angel has brought an announcement of good news of great joy for all the people. This good news was not just for the shepherds, it was not just for the people of Bethlehem, it was not just for the Israelites, God’s announcement is for all the people.
The Good News is the Savior has been born, the One that God had promised would crush Satan’s head, the One God had promised would redeem Israel, the One God had promised to save us from our sins. God in human form had been born in the city of David, in Bethlehem. God’s promise had come true, it had been fulfilled in the day of these shepherds and they can go and see Him. The baby will be swaddled and lying in a manger.
As if the night sky was not already lit by the glory of God displayed by this one angel, suddenly a host of heavenly angels fill the sky 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 to 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 sin of the world. The first to hear of the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Then 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. Luke writes, “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] The word translated “found” in Greek means “to find after a careful search.” I do not know if they went door to door searching for the Child, but they knew they were looking for a baby swaddled and laying in a manger. They found Him and worshipped Him.
POSTLUDE TO JOY (Luke 2:17-20)
The joy of seeing the Savior, God’s Son in the flesh could not be contained by these shepherds as they left the house where they had found the baby. They told everyone they saw in Bethlehem what they had seen and heard, and Luke says the people who heard it wondered at these things. Shepherds are down-to-earth people, not prone to make up wild stories, but the re-telling of the events of the night, the angels, the Savior being born in Bethlehem just seemed to fantastic to those they told. We do not read of any other visitors coming to see the baby. Of course, there was the family and relatives where Joseph and Mary were staying that knew about this baby.
Life continued on for the people in Bethlehem, but the lives of these shepherds were changed forever. Luke says they returned to their flock praising and glorifying God for all they had seen and heard just as the angel had 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.
Luke 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 Baptist, the love and acceptance of Joseph, the birth of Jesus, the account of the shepherds nighttime visit by angels and their 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 every detail 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 an 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 not an option to be considered; both His virgin birth and His birth in Bethlehem are truths to be believed. Both the virgin birth and Jesus Christ being born in Bethlehem must be believed because if even one of the prophecies of 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 to the letter. Because God was faithful and true to fulfill His 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 the Good News of great joy should be the same response as the shepherds and of 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 the Lord Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead for us.
Why do we celebrate Christmas? As a remembrance of God taking on human flesh and blood to die for sinful mankind and make it possible for man relationship with God to be restored through faith in Jesus Christ. We must share this Good News of great joy with those around us.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, 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 [Brackets 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