The Birth of Christ
After the birth of John described in the first chapter, it was soon time for Mary to deliver her baby. While it would have been awesome in the minds of everyone if that could have happened at home in Nazareth, that wouldn't have fulfilled prophecy. Although there could have been numerous reasons for Joseph to travel to Bethlehem for work, none of them would have been a reason to drag his very pregnant fiancée along with him.
And for reasons that were clear to God, if not us, Bethlehem was the place Christ was to be born. He could have tweaked prophecy, if He'd wanted to match where they lived. But that would have led to Herod killing a different set of babies in order to kill Jesus. It would have probably had Herod looking closely at their hometown after that if they chose not to flee as the angel would command, if they came back too soon on their own.
At any rate such was not to be and Luke 2:1-7 records the method God used to bring them to Bethlehem for the birth. Caesar Augustus made a proclamation that the entire Roman empire would be taxed, and for that a census was to be performed. This required everyone to return to their own hometown.
Give some thought about what an impact such an order would do to us today if a leader told everyone who was living in a part of the old Roman Empire to return to their hometown. The Roman Empire covered around 1.9 million square miles at its peak although this was a bit later than in Joseph and Mary's time when it was a bit over 1 million square miles. It would eventually stretch north into England, was bounded by the Atlantic in the west, brushed up near Germany, and stretched into the coastline of Africa and deeper into the Middle East. It extended east through Greece and Turkey almost wrapping around the Black Sea, pushing east from there to the Caspian Sea, and probably a few more places I've forgotten. It had around 60 to 70 million people with the lower number being a bit high for the time of Joseph and Mary.
It would be a good time to be a hotel keeper (if you were still in your hometown) but wouldn't be great for people who had to travel. It was the same for Joseph and Mary. They were compelled to travel, at just about the worst possible time for Mary. If you have any doubts as to why there were many who wanted Rome gone, put yourself in Joseph and Mary's place and multiply that by at least hundreds of thousands of other people who would have had to travel. The desire in the people's minds for a deliverer was real and fresh.
At any rate, during their time at Bethlehem, which could have been extended a bit beyond what they had planned if she knew her time was near, Christ was born. They had to stay in a spot for animals since the inns were full due to Caesar Augustus' order, and also perhaps due to the cost of lodging. It's likely any inns that were there were charging a premium for places to stay, not unlike what inns do today if there's a special event occurring where you live.
Think of what it was like for Jesus. He went from being the Word (so called by John) who was instrumental in the creation of everything [John 1:1-5] to being deprived of His previous power as part of the trinity, being born as a 100% human in all respects baby and being laid in a manger as the inn was full.
There are things you don't usually think about. As Jesus grew and began His ministry, do you think the inn keepers were mortified that they hadn't found space for His parents both before and after His birth or even before then when the shepherds arrived? Or had they completely forgotten about Him after Herod's execution of all children two years old and under in and around Bethlehem. What a great advertising opportunity they could have capitalized on, if only they hadn't dumped Joseph and Mary into the stables. "Jesus slept here first!" Well, not quite, but if you go out to those stinky stables...
How do we treat Jesus in our lives today? Do we welcome Him in as Savior and Lord, or just Savior, or maybe not even that very often... If He is our Savior, do we rebuild our own lives to be something He would be proud of, or do we leave Him out in the stinky stables? Are we ashamed of Him or do we honor Him with our lives and words and deeds? I'm afraid that all too often, we leave Him in the stables. I pray that we will all do better this year.
The Shepherds
Luke 2:8-20 records the story of the shepherds who were among the first to know of the baby Jesus birth and that it was special. I realize that the people at the inn and Bethlehem were probably the first, but considering Mary was keeping everything the shepherds would tell them in her heart, it seems that Mary and Joseph were probably not telling many people who they believed Jesus to be right away. Humility is generally a good thing.
The Angelic Announcement
Meanwhile, on a nearby hill, shepherds were watching their flocks during the night. I know that Paul says to be kind to strangers because we might be entertaining angels and be unaware of it [Hebrews 13:2]. But there was no doubt about what these unsuspecting shepherds experienced.
When the angel of the Lord showed up, the glory of the Lord was on display all around them. It was likely bright and colorful and completely destroyed their night vision. They were terrified, not just of the lights but of the angel standing suddenly right before them. If that happened to you, would your thoughts be "I'm going to get a revelation from God" or would they be "The death angel has finally come for me."
These men were shepherds. Some of the Bible's greatest kings started out as shepherds. But by Jesus day, shepherds were low on the social rungs of life. Their job meant they frequently didn't follow the religious rituals required, many might not pay much attention to boundary lines when grazing, and they didn't have much religious training.Dealing with dead animals (whether wild or domestic) meant they were frequently unclean. All in all, not the cream of the crop.
And yet, even though many others may have known of the birth, the Bible makes a particular note that God chose to announce the birth of Christ to them first. It is probably no surprise that Jesus was known as the great shepherd and that He used allusions to the sheep industry of the day often in parables. From the start of God's work through Jesus, however, He made it clear that He had come for everyone and not just the religious elite of the day.
The angel told them not to be afraid and announced both the birth of Christ and where to find Him and what to look for there. The angel declared the lineage, the city of David. He declared the babe would be the Savior which even the shepherds probably were aware was someone who was due to appear. And finally, the angel declares the babe to be Christ the Lord, giving no doubt as to who He was and would be. When that announcement was complete and entire heavenly host appeared giving glory to God in the highest and wishing peace and good will to mankind because Jesus had come.
The Visit to Bethlehem
After the angels left, the shepherds didn't doubt what they had seen. They decided to immediately depart for Bethlehem and seek out this new baby that had triggered and angelic visit in the middle of nowhere. Help us all to have that same simple faith about the word of God.
It isn't stated whether they all went or drew straws to see who would guard the flocks while most went. But there wasn't any debate about what they saw or what the angel said. How would you react if an angel came and made a pronouncement over you? Would you drop everything and take off to do what was asked?
Perhaps one of the reasons that God picked the shepherds was that He knew they wouldn't delay in going to greet Jesus. They weren't burdened down with family, or if they were, the family was used to them being gone for long stretches. And I suspect that even with all that Joseph and Mary had experienced themselves directly or indirectly through God, they were needing a bit of a pep talk. Any new mom or dad is wondering what in the world will I do now. And although hopefully all parents love their children, Jesus was the only one born to be the Savior of the world. Just a bit of pressure there.
The First Evangelists
But the shepherds came with haste and found things just like the angel had told them. When the had confirmation, they went and spread the good news everywhere. And everyone who heard them wondered whether the shepherds were telling the truth or if they had taken something to give them hallucinations. Like I said, shepherds weren't thought of very highly.
Mary pondered what they told her in her heart. Yes, she knew what the angel had told her. But now she maybe had a glimmer that God wasn't just going to abandon her to her disgrace. He had sent angels to talk about the birth of her child! That had to lift her spirits.
After some time, the shepherds returned, still talking about what the angels had told them and what they had seen. We generally think of some of the disciples as being the first evangelists. And it is true, that they were the first to be able to relate the truth of how to accept Christ as Savior, His death and resurrection. But these humble shepherds were the first to spread word of the birth of the Savior and that's pretty special.
Circumcision and Presentation to God
Luke 2:21-24 records that Joseph and Mary did what was expected of any new parent of a first son. They obeyed the ceremonial laws of the time. Jesus didn't get an exception because of who He was. He had to have the law fulfilled for Him the same as any other child. After eight days, He was circumcised as a Jewish child, and after the days of purification of Mary, they went to offer the required sacrifice for a first son at the temple in Jerusalem. Their sacrifice of two young pigeons indicates they were both poor.
Simeon
Luke 2:25-35 records a special meeting while they were doing the required temple sacrifices. Simeon is declared to be just and devout and was living in Jerusalem. He had a visitation of the Holy Spirit and had the revelation that he wouldn't die until he saw the Lord's Christ. His age when He got this revelation isn't stated, so he may have been waiting for a short time or a long time. We don't know.
He was led to the temple at the same time that Joseph and Mary were there. When he saw them, he lifted up Jesus and uttered both thanks and a prophecy about their future. His thanks included praise to God that he had seen Jesus who he prophesied would be the salvation to the world - the Gentiles along with the Jews.
For all the people looking for a Messiah, most were looking for their own Savior and someone to overthrow the Romans. But Simeon was prophesying that Jesus would be a light not just to the Jews but the Gentiles as well. He finished the prophecy warning Mary that Jesus would cause turmoil in Israel and her own soul would be pierced by His life.
If Mary and Joseph had spent the months of the pregnancy reading up on prophecy about the Messiah, they might have had some knowledge of the pain that was to come. Regardless, the foreshadowing of both blessing and sadness in the life of the son Mary bore was there from the first.
Anna
Luke 2:36-38 briefly records the story of Anna who was a prophetess. Since there hadn't been any words from the Lord n a long time (perhaps several hundred years), I'm not sure what being a prophetess entailed.
But when Anna, a widow who served the Lord with fasting and prayers in the temple saw Jesus. she likewise gave thanks to the Lord. She then spoke to everyone present, prophesying about the redemption that was coming from Israel. She is described as being of great age. It isn't clear whether she was 84 years old, or had been a widow for 84 years. If the later, she would truly have been of great age. But if she was 84 or 106 or so, she was still about the father's business. Sometimes I think I'll have to live to be 106 to get the commentary finished. But I hope that whatever I am doing when my time comes or when the rapture happens, that I will be about My Father's business. It's all any of us can hope.
But after these prophesies, there shouldn't have been any doubt in any part of the temple about the fact that the Messiah had come. Perhaps the chief priests and Pharisee's were out that day. Both of these encounters probably strengthened the faith in God on the part of Joseph and Mary. They had now had many confirmations of what each had been told by angels about Jesus.
Return to Nazareth
Luke 2:39 records that when the time of purification and dedication were completed, they went back to their own city of Nazareth. Some believe that Joseph and Mary moved to Bethlehem or took all their things with them when the left for the taxation. But it is clear from this verse that they returned to Nazareth originally, before fleeing to Egypt at the warning of an angel later. That Christ was born in Bethlehem, the house of David, is clear. But His early years were in Nazareth.
Jesus at Twelve Years of Age
Luke 2:40-52 records just a tiny glimpse of Jesus during His early years before He started His ministry. There has been much speculation about what His early life was like, but little is known before He started His ministry. One exception is recorded here. Note that his age at the time is listed as twelve. It wasn't until the age of thirteen (and a day) after a young man's bar mitzvah that you became an "adult" charged with keeping the law. Your presence would then be counted as a member to make a quorum at Jewish prayer meeting. So at twelve, there would be no expectations on Jesus, other than following His parents instructions.
They went to Jerusalem for a feast and after it was done returned back to their home. Jesus, however, stayed behind and mom and dad didn't notice. After a day, they realized He wasn't with them or their relatives and headed back to Jerusalem to try to find Him. It's one scary thing to misplace a child. It happens to most parents at one time or another. None of us love our children any less than any other parent loves their children, but if you knew your child was also going to be the world's savior, the panic might be just a little bit more special. After all, they were probably aware that Satan would be against Jesus completing His mission.
After a day's travel back and a day's searching they found Jesus in the temple sitting among the doctors of the law and discussing the ins and outs of what the Torah said. He was asking them intelligent questions and giving intelligent answers when they asked something of Him. And to be clear, these doctors of the law were astonished at the knowledge and wisdom He was showing them.
When dad and mom showed up, His mom blew up and asked Jesus in no uncertain terms what He was thinking and let Him know they had been worried about Him. And His reply that He didn't understand why they were looking for Him because He had His Father's business to attend to really didn't go over very well I'll bet.
]The chapter closes with the comment that they all returned to Nazareth and Jesus continued to grow in wisdom and stature, finding favor with God and man. Mary continued pondering all that she had learned. It's one thing to hear that your child is going to do something magnificent. It's another to watch Him doing it. I suspect that although Joseph and Mary had done their best, along with the local teachers, to instruct Jesus in the Torah, it was a shock to see Jesus debating with the elite teachers of the land and seeing their jaws drop open at His answers.