LUKE 2 ANALYSED
This is day 2 and we are right in the center of the chapter that will define every other chapter that comes after. This is Luke 2 and this is the BIRTH of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And in talking about the birth of Jesus, the Luke gospel gave us details that the other gospels didn't. Actually, it was only Luke that gives historical and detailed events of his birth.
Neither Mark nor John deal with the births or the childhood days of either John the Baptist or Jesus but begin with the commencement of John’s public ministry. Matthew tells us about the visitation of the angel to Joseph, prior to the birth of Jesus, which caused him to marry Mary, rather than to put her away privately, as he had originally intended. He also informs us about the visit of the magi, of Herod’s attempt to kill the baby, and of the flight of the holy family to Egypt until after Herod’s death. Matthew does not, however, tell us anything about the birth of our Lord, per se. Only Luke describes the events of our Lord’s birth as it happened. Hence we discovered that Luke 2 can be divided into three parts.
Luke chapter 2 has three major sections. Verses 1-20 depict the birth of Jesus and the worship and witness of the shepherds. Verses 21-40 feature an account of the presentation of Jesus at Jerusalem, and the inspired testimony of Simeon and Anna. The third and final section of the chapter describes an incident that took place in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old, at which time He remained in the Temple, His “Father’s house,” busy with His Father’s business (Luke 2:41-52).
In summary the first part talks about the INTRODUCTION of the savior to the world, the second part talks about the DEDICATION of the savior in the temple and the third part deals with the INTEGRATION of the savior to the world as he was found in the temple among doctors of the law and professors, listening and answering questions from them.
Our text, Luke 2, verses 1-20( I urge you to read this again) also has three divisions. Verses 1-7 explain the occasion for Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, and especially for the circumstances accompanying His birth, namely His being wrapped in strips of cloth and being placed in a cattle feeding trough. Verses 8-14 describe the angelic visitation of the shepherds as the occasion for the visit of the shepherds at the birth sight. Verses 15-20 report the shepherd’s visitation and their testimony after having seen the Savior.
In summary, the first seven verses talked about the OCCASION OF HIS BIRTH, the next seven verses talk about the VISITATIONS of the heavenly host, while the rest of the verses talked about the DECLARATION of the shepherd as regard the savior.
For the purpose of brevity(i already fear that this blog post is too long), I will dwell on the first seven verses which describe the conditions, the settings and the occasion in which our savior was born and it did provide some insight. But first, let's read Luke.
Luke 2:1-7
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn"
There are few things to note from here and which are crucial to us in understanding Christ.
Unlike other gods that suddenly appear in the pages of history with a certain "once upon a time" theme, Jesus been fully human and God at the same time didn't just appear from nowhere. His birth through spiritual yet still has historical roots that can be traced. Unlike the appearance of these other “gods” of false religions, whose appearances are always couched in “once upon a time” terms, the coming of the Christ was a real event in real-time. Christ was born when the Roman empire ruled and reign over the world and Luke took effort to mention on under whose reign Christ was born. Therefore our faith in Christ has a historical validity that can be proved! This is a spiritual birth with historical roots under a certain political power! Christmas is not fiction, it's the reality of God's love made manifest to men through the birth of God's son at a certain time in history, a history that was recorded, documented and validated! So like Paul we are not following cunningly devised fables of men! We know who we believe! Hallelujah! The reality of Christ birth has it's proved in history
Secondly, a decree was made. A political decree at that and the implication of this decree was that Joseph and his fiancee Mary have to travel back to.their place of birth. Thus, Luke informs us that Joseph and Mary made their way to Bethlehem, which would have been at least a three-day journey of more than 60 miles. Nazareth was located in Galilee, to the north of Judea. As Luke informs us, the journey to Bethlehem was “upward” (“And Joseph also went up from Galilee,” 2:4) because Bethlehem was in the hills, just six miles south of Jerusalem, 100 feet higher, at an altitude of 2,704 feet. The journey was not an easy one, especially for a pregnant woman, nor was the occasion a happy one, for the census was undoubtedly a prelude to a tax and Mary and her husband would be far removed from friends and family. if the baby were to arrive while they were in Bethlehem.
But there is a significance to Joseph and Mary moving to Bethlehem. The Bible tells us in Matthew 2:4-6
"And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come to a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel"
Bethlehem was the birthplace of destiny for the savior! What does this tell us? God had to use political decrees to bring to pass his plan and purpose on the earth for the birth of the savior. The intended place for the birth of destiny was in Bethlehem, but here was Joseph and Mary still far away in Galilee. God could have appeared to Joseph and tell him to go to Bethlehem? Yes, he could, but he didn't do that. Rather He promulgated decrees, he changed the political landscape all for the purpose of moving an unknown couple back to their place of birth! How do you interpret this? Before you do note that obeying this decree was like a 'suffering' of sort for Joseph and Mary. Look at the distance they had to cover to get to Bethlehem! On the surface this was not a decree that alleviates the suffering of the people, it seems to add to.
There are instructions to follow not because they are convenient but because they are commanded! And they are not just spiritual instructions, sometimes they are political injunctions. But behind the scene, it is God calling the shots in order to position us for our unique manifestations! In other words, God can wield political power in the fulfillment of his divine agenda on the earth! Who knows what 'grievous' decrees that have been made in the past for our advancement but which doesn't look so from the beginning but which we have refused to obey and thereby miss out on God's plan and agenda for our lives!
This is why Paul enjoin us in Romans 13 to respect and obey all political powers for every power that be is ordained of God. And it may be every decree and injunction that they give may be one way or the other advancing God's cause on the earth! How do we know? Well, we may not always know but we can always obey!
In the final analysis, the decree of Caesar was divinely intended to cause one couple to make a long difficult journey from their home town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place of their birth, Bethlehem in Judea.
This brought suffering, no doubt, but finally, we learn that God’s purposes are often achieved through suffering and that God’s purposes in our suffering are often not immediately apparent. All of the suffering, inconvenience, and discomfort that was occasioned by the decree of Caesar was not immediately recognized as the sovereign hand of a loving God, who was bringing about His purposes, in a way that was for the good of those who suffered. Let us learn from Mary and Joseph that those seemingly “secular” sufferings of life are most often instruments in the hand of God, which time or eternity will make clear to us.
You can read full blog post here at UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: A Look Through The Book of Luke - Luke 2
This is day 2 and we are right in the center of the chapter that will define every other chapter that comes after. This is Luke 2 and this is the BIRTH of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And in talking about the birth of Jesus, the Luke gospel gave us details that the other gospels didn't. Actually, it was only Luke that gives historical and detailed events of his birth.
Neither Mark nor John deal with the births or the childhood days of either John the Baptist or Jesus but begin with the commencement of John’s public ministry. Matthew tells us about the visitation of the angel to Joseph, prior to the birth of Jesus, which caused him to marry Mary, rather than to put her away privately, as he had originally intended. He also informs us about the visit of the magi, of Herod’s attempt to kill the baby, and of the flight of the holy family to Egypt until after Herod’s death. Matthew does not, however, tell us anything about the birth of our Lord, per se. Only Luke describes the events of our Lord’s birth as it happened. Hence we discovered that Luke 2 can be divided into three parts.
Luke chapter 2 has three major sections. Verses 1-20 depict the birth of Jesus and the worship and witness of the shepherds. Verses 21-40 feature an account of the presentation of Jesus at Jerusalem, and the inspired testimony of Simeon and Anna. The third and final section of the chapter describes an incident that took place in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old, at which time He remained in the Temple, His “Father’s house,” busy with His Father’s business (Luke 2:41-52).
In summary the first part talks about the INTRODUCTION of the savior to the world, the second part talks about the DEDICATION of the savior in the temple and the third part deals with the INTEGRATION of the savior to the world as he was found in the temple among doctors of the law and professors, listening and answering questions from them.
Our text, Luke 2, verses 1-20( I urge you to read this again) also has three divisions. Verses 1-7 explain the occasion for Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, and especially for the circumstances accompanying His birth, namely His being wrapped in strips of cloth and being placed in a cattle feeding trough. Verses 8-14 describe the angelic visitation of the shepherds as the occasion for the visit of the shepherds at the birth sight. Verses 15-20 report the shepherd’s visitation and their testimony after having seen the Savior.
In summary, the first seven verses talked about the OCCASION OF HIS BIRTH, the next seven verses talk about the VISITATIONS of the heavenly host, while the rest of the verses talked about the DECLARATION of the shepherd as regard the savior.
For the purpose of brevity(i already fear that this blog post is too long), I will dwell on the first seven verses which describe the conditions, the settings and the occasion in which our savior was born and it did provide some insight. But first, let's read Luke.
Luke 2:1-7
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn"There are few things to note from here and which are crucial to us in understanding Christ.
Unlike other gods that suddenly appear in the pages of history with a certain "once upon a time" theme, Jesus been fully human and God at the same time didn't just appear from nowhere. His birth through spiritual yet still has historical roots that can be traced. Unlike the appearance of these other “gods” of false religions, whose appearances are always couched in “once upon a time” terms, the coming of the Christ was a real event in real-time. Christ was born when the Roman empire ruled and reign over the world and Luke took effort to mention on under whose reign Christ was born. Therefore our faith in Christ has a historical validity that can be proved! This is a spiritual birth with historical roots under a certain political power! Christmas is not fiction, it's the reality of God's love made manifest to men through the birth of God's son at a certain time in history, a history that was recorded, documented and validated! So like Paul we are not following cunningly devised fables of men! We know who we believe! Hallelujah! The reality of Christ birth has it's proved in history
Secondly, a decree was made. A political decree at that and the implication of this decree was that Joseph and his fiancee Mary have to travel back to.their place of birth. Thus, Luke informs us that Joseph and Mary made their way to Bethlehem, which would have been at least a three-day journey of more than 60 miles. Nazareth was located in Galilee, to the north of Judea. As Luke informs us, the journey to Bethlehem was “upward” (“And Joseph also went up from Galilee,” 2:4) because Bethlehem was in the hills, just six miles south of Jerusalem, 100 feet higher, at an altitude of 2,704 feet. The journey was not an easy one, especially for a pregnant woman, nor was the occasion a happy one, for the census was undoubtedly a prelude to a tax and Mary and her husband would be far removed from friends and family. if the baby were to arrive while they were in Bethlehem.
But there is a significance to Joseph and Mary moving to Bethlehem. The Bible tells us in Matthew 2:4-6
"And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come to a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel"
Bethlehem was the birthplace of destiny for the savior! What does this tell us? God had to use political decrees to bring to pass his plan and purpose on the earth for the birth of the savior. The intended place for the birth of destiny was in Bethlehem, but here was Joseph and Mary still far away in Galilee. God could have appeared to Joseph and tell him to go to Bethlehem? Yes, he could, but he didn't do that. Rather He promulgated decrees, he changed the political landscape all for the purpose of moving an unknown couple back to their place of birth! How do you interpret this? Before you do note that obeying this decree was like a 'suffering' of sort for Joseph and Mary. Look at the distance they had to cover to get to Bethlehem! On the surface this was not a decree that alleviates the suffering of the people, it seems to add to.
There are instructions to follow not because they are convenient but because they are commanded! And they are not just spiritual instructions, sometimes they are political injunctions. But behind the scene, it is God calling the shots in order to position us for our unique manifestations! In other words, God can wield political power in the fulfillment of his divine agenda on the earth! Who knows what 'grievous' decrees that have been made in the past for our advancement but which doesn't look so from the beginning but which we have refused to obey and thereby miss out on God's plan and agenda for our lives!
This is why Paul enjoin us in Romans 13 to respect and obey all political powers for every power that be is ordained of God. And it may be every decree and injunction that they give may be one way or the other advancing God's cause on the earth! How do we know? Well, we may not always know but we can always obey!
In the final analysis, the decree of Caesar was divinely intended to cause one couple to make a long difficult journey from their home town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place of their birth, Bethlehem in Judea.
This brought suffering, no doubt, but finally, we learn that God’s purposes are often achieved through suffering and that God’s purposes in our suffering are often not immediately apparent. All of the suffering, inconvenience, and discomfort that was occasioned by the decree of Caesar was not immediately recognized as the sovereign hand of a loving God, who was bringing about His purposes, in a way that was for the good of those who suffered. Let us learn from Mary and Joseph that those seemingly “secular” sufferings of life are most often instruments in the hand of God, which time or eternity will make clear to us.
You can read full blog post here at UNDERSTANDING CHRIST: A Look Through The Book of Luke - Luke 2
