Christmas, As We Know It!

December 16, 2024

Christmas, As We Know It!

Luke 2:1-7

Dave Bruskas

Big Book Idea

God with us.

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when^{1

2:2
Or This was the registration before} Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^{2

2:5
That is, one legally pledged to be married} who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.^{3

2:7
Or guest room}

Footnotes

[1] 2:2 Or This was the registration before
[2] 2:5 That is, one legally pledged to be married
[3] 2:7 Or guest room

Introduction to Luke

Timeline

Author, Date, and Recipients

Luke was a physician (Col. 4:14) and a travel companion of the apostle Paul. He wrote this Gospel and its sequel, the book of Acts. The earliest possible date of Luke–Acts is immediately after the events that Luke recorded in Acts 28, which would have been c. A.D. 62. Both Luke and Acts are addressed to “Theophilus” (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1), about whom nothing more is known. Luke’s broader audience consisted primarily of Gentile Christians like Theophilus who had already “been taught” (Luke 1:4) about Jesus.

Theme

The gospel is for all, Jews and Gentiles alike, since Jesus is the promised one of God as prophesied in the OT and as seen in God’s saving activity in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The Christian traditions Luke’s readers have received are true; by believing in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, they will receive the promised Holy Spirit whom he gives to all who follow him.

Purpose

Luke probably had several goals in writing: (1) to assure his readers of the truth of what they had been taught; (2) to help them understand how Israel’s rejection of Jesus and the Gentiles’ entrance into the kingdom of God are part of God’s plan; (3) to clarify that Jesus did not teach that his bodily return would come immediately but that there would be a period between his resurrection and his return; and (4) to emphasize that they need not fear any mere earthly power such as Rome.

Key Themes

God’s sovereign rule over history (13:33; 22:22, 42).
The arrival and actual presence (though not yet the completion) of the kingdom of God (11:2; 17:20–21; 21:34–36).
The coming and presence of the Holy Spirit for Jesus and his followers (1:15–17, 35; 2:25–27; 3:16, 22; 4:1, 18; 24:49).
The great reversal taking place in the world, in which the first are becoming last and the last are becoming first, the proud are being brought low and the humble are being exalted (1:48; 6:20–26; 13:30; 14:11).
Believers are to live a life of prayer and practice good stewardship with their possessions (6:12; 9:28–29; 11:1–4; 12:33–34; 18:1; 22:40).
The danger of riches (6:20–26; 8:14; 12:13–21; 16:10–13, 19–31).

Outline

The Prologue (1:1–4)
The Infancy Narrative (1:5–2:52)
Preparation for the Ministry of Jesus (3:1–4:15)
The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee (4:16–9:50)
The Journey to Jerusalem (9:51–19:27)
The Ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem (19:28–21:38)
The Suffering and Death of Jesus (22:1–23:56)
The Resurrection of Jesus (24:1–53)

The Setting of Luke

The events in the book of Luke take place almost entirely within the vicinity of Palestine, an area extending roughly from Caesarea Philippi in the north to Beersheba in the south. During this time it was ruled by the Roman Empire. The opening chapters describe events surrounding Jesus’ birth in Judea, where Herod had been appointed king by the Romans. The closing chapters end with Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension during the rule of Pontius Pilate and the tetrarchs Antipas and Philip.

The Global Message of Luke

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). With these closing words to Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and a man deeply despised by his fellow Jews, Jesus states the message of Luke to the global church today. Christ did not come for the clean and the religious, the upright and the educated—he came for those who know themselves to be lost. Throughout Luke we see Jesus welcoming outsiders into the blessings of grace, while those who appear to be insiders are shut out.

This is great hope to those around the world today who feel themselves to be outsiders. It is also a reminder to those who are taking the gospel to the nations that it is generally the socially and culturally marginalized who will be most readily drawn to the gospel. Above all, Luke’s Gospel is a call to everyone around the world, whatever our social or moral status, to abandon our futile methods of self-salvation and leave all to follow Christ, the great Friend of sinners (Luke 7:34; 9:57–62; 18:9–14).

Luke and Redemptive History

At the beginning of history, two people ate food offered to them by Satan, their eyes were opened, and the whole human race was plunged into sin and death (Gen. 3:6–7). At the climax of history, two people ate food offered to them by Christ, their eyes were opened, and they saw who Christ was and the new age that was dawning in him (Luke 24:30–32). This prophecy-fulfilling restoration of God’s people—people who now come from surprising places, cultures, and social spheres—is the role Luke’s Gospel fills in redemptive history.

Placed against the backdrop of the whole Bible, Luke’s Gospel shows us that the one for whom God’s people had been waiting so long had finally come. In him, all the hopes and promises of the Old Testament were coming to decisive fulfillment. He was the true Son of God (Luke 4:41; 22:70–71) who, unlike Adam, God’s first son (3:38), walked faithfully with God. He was the true Israel, who unlike Israel before him passed the test in the wilderness (4:1–13). After generations of sin, failure, and finally exile, One had come who would bear the punishment for his people and fulfill the ancient promises. The people would be restored to God. This was the One about whom the entire Old Testament spoke (24:27, 44).

This restoration is for all people in all places around the world. After his resurrection, Jesus tells his disciples that they are his witnesses and that “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). This global mandate to preach the gospel to all nations will be empowered and begun when the disciples are “clothed with power from on high” (24:49). This happens when the Holy Spirit is poured out in Acts 2 and the gospel begins to flood out to diverse people groups (Acts 2:5–11). The promise given to Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the families of the earth is finally coming true (Gen. 12:1–3).

Universal Themes in Luke

God’s heart for the poor and needy. An important event in Luke’s Gospel takes place right at the start of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus reads the following statement from Isaiah and identifies himself as this statement’s fulfillment: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19; quoting Isa. 61:1–2). Throughout Luke we then see the social and cultural reversals that take place as insiders are unconcerned about who Jesus is and what he is doing while outsiders are drawn to and understand Jesus. Time and again, long-held assumptions about Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, educated and ignorant, moral and immoral, are inverted. Luke drives home God’s great love for those who are marginalized (e.g., Luke 1:48, 52–53; 6:20–26; 13:30; 14:11; 18:9–14).

The Holy Spirit. The Spirit is emphasized more in Luke than in any other Gospel, and this emphasis is then picked up and expanded in Acts (also written by Luke). Around the world today the Spirit is alive and active in places not traditionally associated with Christianity. Indeed, the Holy Spirit does not favor the educated, culturally sophisticated, or historically Christian regions of the world. The Spirit does not need our human cleverness or ingenuity. Rather, the Spirit is drawn to all whose hearts are open to God and his grace (Luke 11:13).

The danger of money. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus pronounces severe woes on those who love money, yet he blesses those who are poor and therefore recognize their need (Luke 6:20–26; 8:14; 12:13–21; 16:10–13, 19–31; 18:22). Amid the ongoing gap between the upper and lower classes around the globe, as well as a frequently unstable world economy, Christians must pay special heed to Jesus’ teaching on money. Believers with many possessions must constantly examine their hearts to see where their hope and security lies. Above all they must remember the gracious wealth of grace that has been given to them through Christ’s self-giving (2 Cor. 8:9), and respond in joyful gratitude and love.

The Global Message of Luke for Today

The marketplace of ideas is increasingly global, and cross-fertilization of cultures has never taken place so easily. Yet it has never been easier to feel small and insignificant amid the blur of modern activity, today’s media with its big personalities, and the continuing population growth in some parts of the world. Such feelings of insignificance are acutely painful because we are made in God’s image and are hungry to experience the glory we were originally destined for (Gen. 1:26–28; Isa. 43:6–7; Rom. 1:23; 2:7; 3:23).

Luke’s Gospel confronts us, however, with the pervasive reminder that it is precisely to such felt insignificance, such smallness, that God is drawn. He has a great heart for the marginalized. As Mary prayed, “he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:52–53). Throughout Luke, Jesus befriends the Samaritans, the poor, the outcasts, the tax collectors, those on the social or cultural periphery.

This is who God is. In Christ, the Friend of sinners, God is attracted to those who feel themselves least attractive. The grace of the gospel qualifies those who feel themselves most unqualified.

As we, his people, receive this grace, we work earnestly to eradicate sickness, destitution, and earthly discomfort. The mercy we have received vertically should extend itself out horizontally in tangible acts of sacrificial love to our neighbors. Above all, however, we must heed Jesus’ parting words, and speak repentance and forgiveness to all nations (Luke 24:47)—thus offering not only earthly comfort but eternal comfort, with Christ himself, in the new earth.

Jesus’ Birth and Flight to Egypt

As the time drew near for Jesus to be born, a mandatory Roman registration made it necessary for Joseph to return to his ancestral home of Bethlehem. There Mary gave birth to Jesus, and later, wise men from the East came to worship him. The wise men’s recognition of a new king, however, troubled King Herod and the ruling establishment in Jerusalem, and Herod the Great sought to kill Jesus. Joseph and his family escaped to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died. When they returned to Palestine, they settled in the remote district of Galilee, where Jesus grew up in the village of Nazareth, to avoid the attention of the rulers in Jerusalem.

Joseph

Joseph, whom the Bible describes as a “just man” (Matt. 1:19), was a descendant of David and a carpenter by trade. Betrothed to Mary when she was found to be with child, Joseph sought to show compassion and divorce her quietly, even though it looked like Mary had committed adultery. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, however, assuring him that Mary’s child was from the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20–21). Joseph trusted God and took Mary as his wife. He traveled with Mary to his ancestral home of Bethlehem, where she gave birth to Jesus. When Herod the Great sought to kill Jesus, Joseph took Mary and the child and escaped to Egypt (Matt. 2:13–18). Following Herod’s death, they returned to Palestine and settled in Nazareth. Joseph later fathered at least four other sons and at least two daughters. Since he is not mentioned in the incident related in Matt. 12:46, it is likely that Joseph died before Jesus began his ministry. (Matthew 1:19–21)

Study Notes

Luke 2:1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem because of a decree, that is, a command (see Acts 17:7), from Caesar Augustus (reigned 31 B.C.–A.D. 14). In those days suggests that Luke did not know the exact year (see Luke 3:23). All the world means the entire known, inhabited world that was subject to Rome. People were registered for the purpose of taxation.

Study Notes

Luke 2:2 the first registration when Quirinius was governor. According to Josephus, Quirinius was governor of Syria A.D. 6–7 and conducted a census in A.D. 6 (which Luke mentions in Acts 5:37). But this cannot be the census Luke is referencing here, since it occurred after the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C., and Jesus was born during Herod’s reign (see Matt. 2:1; Luke 1:5). Some interpreters believe that Quirinius was the “governor” of the census, but not the governor proper. Another solution is to translate the verse, “This was the registration before Quirinius was governor of Syria” (see ESV footnote). Luke would then be clarifying that this was before the well-known, troublesome census of A.D. 6 (Acts 5:37). (One additional proposal is that Quirinius was governor for two separate terms, though this lacks confirming historical evidence.) The most reasonable date for the registration is late in the year of 6 B.C. or early 5.

Study Notes

Luke 2:3–4 Joseph’s ancestral home (own town) was Bethlehem. They went up . . . to Judea, since Bethlehem (in Judea) lies on a mountain 2,654 feet (809 m) high. The references to David (1:27, 32–33; 2:11; see 1 Sam. 16:4, 13) explain why Jesus was born in Bethlehem (see Mic. 5:2).

Study Notes

Luke 2:6 the time came. See Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:1–6.

Study Notes

Luke 2:7 swaddling cloths. Strips of cloth that wrapped babies to keep them warm and secure. manger. A feeding trough for animals. The inn, with the definite article (“the”), indicates that this was a specific, publicly known lodging place for travelers. no place for them. The inn was full, since many had come to Bethlehem to register for the census (see note on v. 2).

S3:247 Luke 2:1-7

Listen Now

We don't appreciate people who are condescending toward us. The condescending boss, teacher, co-worker, or classmate holds an imagined sense of superiority over us. We can feel put out whether we play along or push back against their perspective.

Over time, the definition of condescending changed—now an "offensive superiority," very different from the original meaning of "to go or come down," to "willingly lower oneself to another's level."

God is condescending, but not in an offensive way as we can encounter in our earthly superiors. Instead, in His love, He willingly came down to our level so He could be with us.

Luke presents this very scenario to us in the first verses of chapter two of his Gospel. The scene is nothing short of stunning! After Luke establishes the political context and geographical setting of Jesus' birth, he notes two shocking details.

The baby Jesus is laid in a manger because there is no room for Him elsewhere (Luke 2:7). His first bed is the lowly place where livestock feed. Luke is giving us a hint of what is to come. Jesus, the true King of Israel, descended from David, will be rejected by His own people.

Jesus is "wrapped in swaddling cloths" (verse 7). Luke records only one other instance of Jesus being "wrapped" in clothing (Luke 23:53). This happens after His lifeless body is removed from the cross. Luke gives the reader a big clue of what is to come in the Christmas story. Jesus was born to die.

God's desire to be with His people is a thread running through the Bible from start to finish. The story begins with God walking with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8), and the story ends by saying, "God himself will be with them as their God." (Revelation 21:3)

Today, we see the costly grandeur of God's condescension in Christ. Jesus Christ, eternally God, humbled Himself and became a man. He came to be rejected and then die for us. He came to redeem His people for Himself. He came, so He will be with us . . . forever.

This month's memory verse

everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

– Isaiah 43:7

1. According to Philippians 2:1-8, we have received the humble mindset of Jesus as a gift. How can you best exercise this gift during the busy Christmas season? What is one practical way in which you can look to the interest of others in your community?

2. Jesus went to great lengths to be with us. He promises never to leave us (Matthew 28:20). How can you grow in your awareness of His presence? What simple routines can you practice today to help you remember He is with you?

3. Jesus' lowly act of condescension returns to Him in the eternal praise of all creatures (Revelation 5:13-14). How can you have a great week of worship as you meditate on your future with Him? What temporary problem are you facing today that you need to see from this eternal perspective?

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