Carey's Bible Study Notes
home |
life of christ |
birth of jesus
life of christ: luke 2.1-20
the birth of jesus
introduction
Before we look at the birth of Jesus, we need to make sure that we do not fall into any misconceptions about the true nature of Jesus� birth. On the surface, when a person reads Matthew and Luke, it appears that Jesus came into existence only 2000 years ago. Before 2000 years ago, Jesus did not exist; however, 2000 years ago the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and produced in her the Son of God. If it were not for the Gospel of John, we would probably believe this about Jesus; however, the Fourth Gospel clues us in on the true nature of Jesus� birth. According to John, Jesus did not come into existence just 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. According to John, Jesus has always existed: "In the beginning was the Word" (the Word in this instance being Jesus, John 1:14). The word translated was and its tense (the imperfect tense) imply continuous existence. In other words, Jesus always was. In Bethlehem, we simply see Jesus, God the Son, becoming something He had never been before, man. The story of Bethlehem technically is not the birth of God the Son but rather the incarnation of God the Son. The word "incarnation" literally ; means "the process of becoming in the flesh"; in other words, Jesus experienced something He had never experienced before, being in the flesh. The birth of Jesus is nothing less than the coming of God into our world.
the birth of jesus (2.1-7)
Luke informs us that the birth of Jesus occurred in the days of the census which Caesar Augustus decreed for the entire Roman empire. According to Luke this census took place while Quirinius was governor over Syria. Apparently the census was for the purpose of enrolling people for the taxation which was to follow afterwards. The decree dictated that each person return to the original home of a person�s ancestors. Since Joseph was descended from David, he was required to return to David�s home city, the city of Bethlehem. Accompanying him was his betrothed Mary who was on the verge of delivering her baby. When they arrived in Bethlehem, they could not find regular lodging either in an inn or in a friend�s guest room. The population of Bethlehem had probably swelled with all the people coming home for the census. Mary and Joseph were able to find either a stable or cave which housed livestock. The baby Jesus is born and then placed in a manger.
Several observations need to be made here. First, many NT scholars have ridiculed Luke about what they claim to be an error in vs. 1-2. They claim that Caesar Augustus never made such a decree while Quirinius was governor of Syria. They cite the Jewish historian Josephus who claims that Quirinius was the Roman legate over Syria in 6 AD and not 4 BC when Jesus was actually born. Several things need to be noted here. Many who make such claims show how arrogant they really are. They immediately prefer Josephus� writings to Luke�s. How can they be so sure that Luke is wrong and Josephus is right? The fact that they always choose Josephus over Luke reveals their bias. Moreover, it seems every time NT and OT scholars make such boastful claims that God then allows archeologists to uncover some document which supports the Bible. For example, for the longest NT scholars laughed at the NT�s claim that Pontius Pilate tried Jesus because outside the NT they could not find one shred of evidence that Pilate even existed. Surely the NT was fabricating evidence. Then all of a sudden, archeologists discover a tablet in Caesarea which claims that Pontius Pilate not only existed but that he existed at the very time the Gospels claim he existed, during the reign of Tiberias Caesar. Moreover, the text does not say that Quirinius was legate over Syria but rather governor, an important distinction. Legate was a specific office, while governor simply means he had some official capacity in the Roman government in the area of Syria.
Second and most important though is that implication of the historical data in this passage. According to Luke, what brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the birth of their son, David�s Son, was the census Augustus decreed in distant Rome. Augustus decreed a census so that he could organize his empire and begin to collect taxes. He had a political agenda in mind when issuing this decree; however, God used this decree it make sure that His Son would be born in the very city of His earthly ancestor David. By having Jesus born in Bethlehem, God was attesting to the fact that His Son was also David�s Son, the one who would assume the throne of His father David and reign forever and ever.
God has been speaking to me through this passage. In the early 1980�s conservative evangelical Christians got politically involved to a degree they had not been involved since the Civil War. Since we live in the world and are called to be light in the world, we need to be politically involved; however, many of us may have crossed the line. Whereas I have strong feelings about what is going on in our nation right now, I don�t need to be obsessed with it. Being obsessed with it probably means that I think too much hinges on who is in office in our nation. I remember in 1993 after Bill Clinton became President and a lot of conservative evangelicals were depressed that Dawson McAlister said, "George Bush can�t bring us revival, and Bill Clinton can�t keep it from happening." That�s true. Whereas I believe it is important who our leaders are, it is not critical. God says that the nations are as a drop in the bucket and that the heart of the king is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord, turning it wherever He wishes. Our present passage informs us that God can use anybody, even pagan Caesar Augustus to accomplish His will. What we as Christians need to make sure we are doing is discovering God�s will and praying it into existence. Then who knows? He may even use you and me to accomplish His perfect will in our own individual lives and in the life of our country.
Well, the census brings Joseph to Bethlehem, the home city of his ancestor David. Mary accompanies him as his betrothed. Although Mary and Joseph by this time have already had a marriage ceremony, technically Mary is still Joseph�s betrothed because they have not sexually consummated their marriage (Matt. 1:25). If they have not had a marriage ceremony, Mary is probably accompanying Joseph in order to avoid all the gossip swirling around her in Bethlehem.
After their arrival�immediately or even a few months later, Mary gives birth to Jesus, wraps Him in swaddling clothes, and lays Him in a manger. The swaddling clothes were strips of cloth which people used to bind their babies in order to help their bones grow properly. The manger was a feeding trough, probably 18" by 3 ft. made of stone or possibly wood.
the worship of the shepherds (2.8-20)
While this was transpiring in Bethlehem, some shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks in the fields on the outskirts of Bethlehem. While they were caring for the sheep, an angel appears and tells them to fear not since he is bringing to them news of a great joy. For their sakes a baby has just been born in Bethlehem, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. They are to go into Bethlehem and find the baby in order to worship Him. The way they will be able to identify the baby is that he will be lying in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. After the angel imparts this message, a host of angels appear and begin to praise God: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will." After the angels depart into heaven, the shepherds decide to proceed to Bethlehem where they find the baby just like the angel had predicted. After they leave the baby with His mother, they go throughout Bethlehem sharing with others the good news of Jesus� birth. Luke closes this account with the remark that Mary pondered or treasured all these things in her heart.
Again, several elements stick out in this account of Jesus� birth. First, note that the shepherds were the first to receive the news of Jesus� birth. Many times when we approach this story, we think of it in idyllic terms as if this is a lovely setting. We think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and David as the shepherd boy who kept his own flocks probably in these very fields. During the first century though, people did not think of shepherds in such terms. People considered shepherds as the dregs of society. In fact, they had such a bad reputation of being thieves and robbers that the rabbis refused to allow them to testify in court. When God sends the angels to appear to these shepherds at first, He is communicating to us that He has sent Jesus not to the proud and mighty of the world but to the humble. Jesus is not born in the capital of the world at that time, Rome. He is born in the backwaters of the empire, a tiny country important only because it completed the link of nations around the Mediterranean Sea.
In just a few moments we are going to hear the angels give "glory" to God for what He has done with the coming of Jesus. By the word "glory," the Bible means a revelation of who God really is. Well what does this story tell us about God? It tells us that He is the Mighty One who reaches down to the down and out. Luke emphasizes this theme throughout the Third Gospel. The shepherd does not remain with the 99 sheep who are doing well but rather goes after the 1 lost sheep who has gone astray. The lady looks high and low for the lost coin. The father rushes out to welcome home the prodigal son. When I see Christians who are strong or rich or intelligent or noted in society reaching down to the weak, poor, not so intelligent or nobodies in society, I see the glory of God. I see exactly what God Himself is doing. When I see a group of highly competent Christian ladies on Sunday night teaching ESL to some helpless people in our community, I see Jesus. When I see these big athletes being kind to little children, I see Jesus. Kowtowing to the rich, intelligent, etc. is so repugnant to those who are close to God because it contradicts the very nature and character of God.
The second element in this story is the emphasis on the good news the results from the birth of the baby. Too many times Christians treat Christianity as a dour religion. Some of the unhappiest and meanest people on the face of this earth are some Christians who act such a way in the name of God. This passage informs us though that the essence of Christianity is good news. Jesus did not come to bring us God�s wrath; He came to save us from God�s wrath. Jesus did not come to zero in on a select few and choose the rest to suffer eternal damnation. Karl Barth, the great Swiss theologian, said such a view would be both good news and bad news�neutral news and not good news! Rather, Christianity is good news because the God of great love has sent His Son to reconcile us to Himself.
The result of this good news should be joy. The passage emphasizes this by (1) telling the shepherds not to fear, a complete opposite of joy, (2) characterizing the good news as being that of joy, and (3) recording the singing of the angels in heaven. The passage indicates that it was not just a select few angels who sang at Jesus� birth but that all of heaven�s angels joined in the chorus giving glory to God in the highest. None of the angels wanted to miss out on what was going on in Bethlehem. God becoming man! Who in heaven would have ever thought such a thing would occur? It is not by chance that Christmas is the happiest season of the year. The music is joyous; people feast and banquet more at Christmas than at any other time of the year. This is only appropriate because of the joyous event of the birth of the Savior.
This joy was not to be short-lived. Throughout His ministry, Jesus and His disciples led a lifestyle of joy and feasting. This contrasted so sharply with the lifestyle of John the Baptist and his disciples that the Pharisees criticized Jesus, labeling Him almost a drunkard. Jesus responded that people should rejoice as long as the bridegroom was with them. Whenever the bridegroom departs, the feasting should cease. Now that Christ the bridegroom has come to live in us permanently though, the joyous banqueting should never cease. This feasting is not frivolous but rather results from the deep understanding that our future is safe and secure because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our sins are forgiven, and as a result we will reign forever with Christ.
Third, the angel informs the shepherds that they will be able to identify the child because he will be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Bethlehem was such a small village that it would not have been the site of many births that evening. Moreover, the fact that the baby would be lying in a cattle trough rather than in a bed beside His mother was another sure sign that this baby was the Christ the angel was speaking about. Once more, these elements point to the humility of the Son of God. Jesus not only becomes a Man; He lies in a cattle-feeding trough right after He is born. Whatever else God is, He is humble; He also expects His followers to be humble.
Fourth, the contents of the angelic song are illuminating. The angels give glory to God and claim that this act is bringing peace to men of good will. The first part of the hymn focuses on God the Father. Although as Christians we are to focus on the Son, we always need to remember that standing behind the Son is always the Father. Christ did not come of His own initiative but only in response to the Father�s will. In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter quite clearly points out that everything Jesus did was in response to the Father�s will; as a result, our response is always nothing less than our response to God the Father Himself. Our attitude towards Christ reflects nothing else than our own attitude towards God. Those well-meaning Christians who claim that Christians and other religions worship the same God are totally gutting the primary teaching of Christianity, Jesus has been sent from the Father and our response to Jesus constitutes nothing less than our response to the Father. According to Christianity, you can�t have one without the other.
The second part of the hymn focuses on what this event means for mankind, peace to men of good will. By peace, the angels are claiming that the result of God�s sending Jesus to the earth to become Man should be peace between God and man, and between man and man. Christ by becoming a Man will die on the cross for all mankind to remove the hostility between God and the human race. Moreover, when people accept this peace with the Father that Jesus only brings, He unites those people by incorporating them into Himself. I am no longer an independent person but rather a part of the body of Christ along with millions of other believers. To attack another believer is nothing less than attacking myself. If a person cuts himself, we lock that person up and throw away the key. Unfortunately, we probably need to do the same to a lot of Christians who are continually lacerating themselves by attacking other Christians.
NT scholars have zeroed in on the meaning of "good will." Although the KJV interprets it as "peace and good will to men," the Greek form of the word and sentence implies that this peace is for men of good will, that is, for men who have good will towards the Father. Christ came to die for and save all people. This death and salvation though positively affect only those who respond favorably to what He has done, those who have good will towards God. God wants to save all mankind; however, the terrible reality of people saying "No" to God means that not every person will experience this peace.
Next, note that the shepherds were watching the sheep in the fields surrounding Bethlehem. Those who have been to Bethlehem realize how close these fields are to Jerusalem. We can be pretty sure in claiming that the sheep these shepherds were keeping were most likely being raised for the sacrifices in the Temple. It is probably no coincidence that the idea of Jesus being the Lamb of God sacrificed for mankind is being alluded to in this scene.
Finally, many of us wondered at times where we got our information from about Jesus. In Luke 2:20, Luke writes that Mary treasured all these things in her heart. That statement is claiming it knows what Mary was thinking. The only person who would know what Mary was thinking was Mary herself. This leads us to believe that Mary herself was the source of all the information in Luke 1-2.