The King is Born

This morning, we continue in our study of the “Coming of the King” by considering the birth of Jesus, from Luke 2:1-20. From this text, see two points: The King is Born Against Earthly Authority and Among the Humble.

First, from verses 1-5, see that the king is born against earthly authority. Luke gives us far more detail than any other gospel on the birth of Jesus. All of chapter 1 is a build up to that event, tracing Jesus’s lineage, noting how he fulfills prophecy, pointing to the promised messenger who would prepare the way in John the Baptist, and telling us how Mary found favor with God. Luke is very intentional about what he tells us. The same is true of what he says about the circumstances of Jesus’s birth. He begins, in verse 1, by telling us of some important historical events. There was a decree from Caesar Augustus that called on the whole of the Roman Empire to be taxed. This decree required that every man return to his family’s ancestorial home to be counted for taxation, and because Joseph was of the lineage of David, it required him and a very pregnant Mary to journey from Nazareth in the north of Palestine to Bethlehem in the South. This would have been a 90-mile journey – a journey that was costly and demanding for people of their status. It is safe to say that, if it were not for this requirement, Joseph and Mary would likely have never traveled to Bethlehem. Yet, it was God’s sovereign plan that the Messiah should be born in Bethlehem. As Micah 5:2 promises, “But you O Bethlehem Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for me one who is the ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” This irony sets up a contrast between the king of Rome, Caesar Augustus, and the King of Kings, Jesus of Nazareth. There are four aspects of this contrast to see.

First, God uses the prideful demands of an unbelieving king to accomplish his purposes. It was common for kings of the ancient world to flex their political muscle by demanding a census. A census proved a number of things. For one, it proved the greatness of the kingdom. Counting the number of military-aged men would show the king’s power. It would also account for the kingdom’s tax base. If the accountants of the kingdom knew the number of families in the kingdom, they could audit the books to know whether they were receiving their due from each province. Finally, it proved the king’s authority. In a census, the king could cause mass migration across the entirety of his kingdom. With the stroke of his pen, he could displace millions of people for months on end, all for his good pleasure. For all of these reasons, this census would seem to bring glory to Caesar, but Luke makes this historical note to prove the sovereignty of God. God moved a man who did not even worship him to use the bureaucracy of his kingdom to put two people exactly where they should be to fulfill his word.

Second, Luke contrasts the false son of God with the true Son. Augustus proudly used the title “Divi Filius” (“son of the deified” or “son of god”), because he was the nephew of Julius Caesar, who had been raised to the level of a god by the Roman public.  This was printed on Roman coins and announced publicly wherever Augustus went. Imagine the scene: Augustus decides to visit the Roman Senate. Going before his chariot is an array of heralds who were to announce his coming. They would blast trumpets and cry out with a loud voice: “Behold, Caesar Augustus, Son of God!” To this propaganda, Luke gives us the announcement of the true son of God. In verse 11, when the angels appear to the shepherds, they announce, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Third, Luke contrasts the self-serving savior with the savior of the world. Every year, on his birthday, Rome celebrated the “good news” (Gospel) of the birth of Augustus. He was announced to be the “savior” because he had ended a civil war after the death of Julius and unified the empire. Yet, the angels announce the good news of the true savior. They tell the shepherds, “I bring you good tidings of great joy”, the true Gospel. A savior has been born.

Fourth, Luke contrasts the political peace of Caesar with the true peace of Christ. As I mentioned earlier, Augustus claimed to be savior because he had secured the peace of Rome. This peace was brief and tenuous. In fact, even the time that is known as the “Pax Romana” (Roman Peace), from 27 BC to 180 AD, was not peaceful. During that time there were major wars, including the Jewish wars that led to the destruction of Jerusalem. There were revolts and unrest. In 68 AD, the army of Galba marched on Rome and sparked a civil war that nearly ended the empire. And, even if it had been absolutely peaceful in those terms, it still wouldn’t bring the true peace that we need – peace with God, freedom from sin. But, the angels announce to the shepherds that Christ has come to bring “glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This leads me to my second point: The King is born among the humble. Jesus was not like Augustus because he was the true Son, Savior, and Peace. But, he is also not like Augustus in his humility. There are two aspects of his birth that point to this humility. First, Jesus was born into humble circumstances. Verses 6-7 tell us that there is no place for Joseph and Mary to lodge, so they make do with a stable. In fact, it doesn’t even say that they had a roof over their head. This could have been a paddock for livestock or a cave – somewhere they could make camp and find some comfort. The humility of Jesus’s birth extends even to his first crib. The only option his parents had for his bed was a feeding trough – a manger. So, they wrapped him tightly in swaddling cloth and laid him there. There were no royal cloths of purple for the King of Kings. There was no comfortable Roman villa for the place of his birth. From the beginning, it was as the prophet Isaiah foretold – “he was despised and rejected by men… and we esteemed him not.”

We also find that Jesus’s birth had humble witnesses. Verses 8-20 tell us that on his birth, angels appeared to shepherds keeping watch of their flocks in the night. This announcement started with one angel, which was fearful enough, but then it expanded to reveal a heavenly host that announced the glory and peace of God. Why would the first witnesses of the birth of the Messiah be shepherds? They were poor with no connections among the nobility of Israel. They were also doubted among the religious elite. Because they dealt with animals and were assumed to be untrustworthy, in some cases, rabbis advised against using them as witnesses in trial. So why are they chosen by God to witness of his Son? Because these are the people to whom the kingdom has come. As Matt. 5 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus did not come for the proud, the self-righteous, and the self-serving. He did not come for those who believed they were worthy to receive heaven by their own merit. He did not come for those who believed they had a spark of the divine. He came to the oppressed, the despised, those who knew that they could not earn God’s favor.

This is the beauty of Christmas, that the true Son of God is not like earthly authorities who claim God’s favor. The true son of God is humble and lowly. The true Savior is not like those political leaders who promise salvation through government programs and bureaucracy. The true savior reconciles us to God so that we can receive the blessings of the kingdom. The true prince of peace is not like the rulers who promise peace that they have no way to deliver. Jesus Christ is our peace because he has joined us to God through his life, death, and resurrection.