This Tuesday we continue our journey through the Gospel of Luke with a discussion of Luke 2 where we encounter the Nativity and the Presentation. All you will need for our journey is a Bible.
The Census: (vv.1-5)
When Luke begins his discussion of John, he begins with the local ruler, King Herod of Judea. However, when Luke begins his story of Jesus, he begins with the ruler of the world, Ceasar Augustus. As Luke will show us in Acts, what begins in Bethlehem, will eventually reach throughout the Roman Empire.
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (38-199AD), gives us an independent account of the census of Quirinius in his book The Antiquities of the Jews (Bk 18, ch.1). This census set off a revolt by Judas the Galilean giving rise to the Zealots. See, Acts 5:37. Unlike Judas the Galilean, however, Jesus’s parents (and by extension Jesus himself and his followers) are obedient to Roman rule. Here, Luke echoes the teachings of Jesus and Paul, that Christians should (generally) be obedient to the ruling authorities. Luke 20:25, Rom. 13:1. Jesus’s eternal kingdom is not in direct competition with the transitory kingdoms of this world. Although, as we read in the Song of Mary last week and as we will see throughout the Gospel of Luke, what it means to be a Christian is ultimately subversive to the power structures of this world. A good overview of Jesus’ Nativity vis-à-vis the Empire is this blog post: The Roman Empire During the Time of Jesus by Kurt Willems.
The Inn and the Manger: (vv.6-7)
Despite children’s Christmas pageants and household creches to the contrary, Jesus was not born in a barn. All Luke tells us is that Mary “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.” v.7. The word translated as “inn” is kataluma. This is the same word Luke will use to describe the upper room in his passion narrative. Luke 22:11. This is a different word from that used by Luke to describe the “inn” (Gk: pandocheion) where the Samaritan took the injured traveler. Luke 10:34.
I have attached an excerpt from Kenneth Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (pp. 25-37) which discusses the living arrangement of a first-century (and into the twentieth-century) Palestinian peasant home. Most homes had two rooms – a primary family room and a guest room that was either attached to the end of the house or located on the roof. The end of the family room next to the door was partitioned off either by elevation or a short wall. Here the family would bring inside their animals for the night. (This arrangement is also seen in Luke 13:15.) Jesus was not born in a stable, but simply in the front of the home because there was no other room in which Mary could give birth.
As an aside, Luke describes Jesus’s burial in almost identical terms: “wrapped [Jesus’s body] in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb.” Luke 23:53. The firstborn of faith, of creation, and of the dead is handled the same way as the firstborn of Mary.
Shepherds and Angels (vv.8-20)
Shepherds play a key role in Luke’s narrative. First, shepherds are ordinary people on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder, and yet it is these people, not politically or culturally important people, to whom Jesus’ birth was announced. Also, having shepherds in the story connects the new covenant with the old. King David was a Bethlehemite shepherd, just like those men to whom the angels appeared. 1 Sam. 16:1,11. It is almost, as if, David himself was present. And, of course, the Hebrew Scriptures often refer to God as a shepherd. Ps. 23, Ezek. 34, Isa. 40:11. The appearance of the shepherds, therefore, brings to mind both Jesus’ humble earthly origin and his divine heavenly origin.
We have had previous discussions about Angels. Here, Luke tells us that these angels (1) scared the shepherds and (2) the angels were a host. Shepherds aren’t easily scared. As David recounts to Saul on the eve of his meeting with Goliath, shepherds fight off hungry lions and bears with only sticks and stones and so he isn’t afraid of the giant. 1 Sam. 17:34-37. The very appearance of the angels, however, frightens these men when lions, bears, and giants cannot.
Luke also describes the angels as the “heavenly host.” The Greek word for “host” is stratia which means an organized group of soldiers or an encamped army. The Hebrew Scripture uses the word “host” to describe the combined army of the Canaanites opposing Joshua and the Philistine army facing Saul. Jos. 11:4, 1 Sam. 17:20. We see this angelic army in action in the great heavenly battle described in Revelation 12. Additionally, the War Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls written about 150 B.C., describes a similar heavenly battle in which the angelic hosts are organized into four divisions, each headed by its own angel: Michael, Gabriel, Sariel, or Raphael. Therefore, as you read through this portion of Luke’s gospel, see the angels, not as a church hand-bell choir, but as battle-scarred veterans of war that look something like this. And it is this army, legion, division, or company who proclaim Jesus as Lord and King.
Dinner is at 6. The menu is cheesy beef baked potatoes. Discussion about 6:45. Compline at 8. Hope to see you here!
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
and his name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,
to establish it, and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Isaiah 9:6-7