While our Savior is often called “Jesus of Nazareth,” because that is where his parents lived and where he grew up, it was also prophesied that he would be born in Bethlehem, which seemed highly unlikely until…
I. THE CENSUS WAS ORDERED
A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
The taking of a census is an important Biblical theme. God designed the census as way to atone for the sins of the people and to avoid punishment. A Census involved exercising authority as God’s representative. Moses made a record of this in Exodus 30:2:
When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.
When the people sinned and got out of control, the leader would deal with any flagrant sin that was occurring, then count the men, assign them to their duties and responsibilities and then take an offering so that they understood there was a price to be paid for sin. The ransom offering taken during Moses’ census was used to construct the Tabernacle. 3 Things happened:
1. The people were counted
2. A ransom offering was taken
3. A dwelling place was built for God
After initially failing to conduct an appropriate census as ordered by God and suffering the consequences, David eventually completed the task and the offering taken was used to build the First Temple. In the days of the exiles returning from Babylon, the people were counted and the ransom offering given was used to build the Second Temple on the site where the first one had been destroyed.
At the turn of the Millennium, Bethlehem was part of the Roman Empire in the region of Judea and even though a pagan ruler held power over them, it was still a census that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, falling in line with the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in that town. The Christ Child would grow up to present himself as an offering that would pay the ransom for all of our lives so that we could be forgiven of our sins. That offering is still being used to build God’s Temple, the Church. For the census, by order of Caesar, Joseph and his wife Mary would have to travel to...
II. THE HOMETOWN OF JOSEPH'S ANCESTORS
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, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
As we learned in the earlier posts in this advent series, Jesus would be a legal descendant and heir of King David through Joseph. He would be a literal, physical descendant of David through his mother Mary. This is why he is often called the Son of David. At this time, Joseph had already taken Mary into his home and they were living as husband and wife. While they had not yet consummated the marriage through physical intimacy, no one knew that and it was assumed by everyone in Nazareth that she was pregnant with Joseph’s child.
Bethlehem is located far to the south
of Nazareth. The reason the Bible says they went UP to the city of David is
because it was higher in elevation.
Bethlehem, which means house of bread, had been the ancestral home of Joseph's family going all the way back to the time of Boaz and Ruth. How fitting that Jesus, the bread of life, would be born in this town. While a few Jews may have looked askance at anyone coming from Nazareth in the region of Galilee, as we learned in the previous post there is no reason to believe that Mary and Joseph were social outcasts as some have postulated, but rather that they were closely related family members from the tribe of Judah participating in a homecoming of sorts. And they arrived just in time for...
THE BIRTH OF THE PROMISED ONE
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
How interesting that the English version of this text reads: the days were completed for her to be delivered. Obviously, it is referring to the fact that it was time for Mary to give birth. But it reminds me of the song lyric “this child that you delivered will soon deliver you.” The time had come for Jesus to deliver, or save the world from our sins and darkness.
When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, some translations say there was no room for them in the inn, others read: there was no guest room available for them. If there was a local inn, it would certainly have been full, but this was much worse, every home in the town was filled with visitors or they would likely have been welcomed into the home of one of their relatives. Speculation as to the attitude with which they were received isn’t particularly helpful. I believe it best to accept the simple explanation that by the time they arrived, the only accommodations available for the night were in the stable.
They may been offered shelter in a barn or stable out back, but in that day, many people lived in 2 story stone structures. They often slept in one large room upstairs, used the rooftops like a front porch and cooked and worked on the bottom floor. The few animals the family owned were sometimes stabled for the night on the first floor. Inns may have been built and used in the same manner, more like a hostel than a luxury hotel with separate rooms. Whether the young family spent the night in a barn, a cave, or the bottom story of an inn or home, what we know for sure is that they slept in the place where the animals slept, the stable.
I often here city folk speculating about the filth and muck of a stable, as if Mary and Joseph were wading around in a squishy pile of wet manure. But any real cattleman, horseman or shepherd keeps their barn mucked out and in good shape. Animals would have been valuable to a family and kept in a sheltered, safe place. Think of kids at the fair cleaning up after their animals and families sleeping in the barns near them, and you will probably have a more accurate picture of what the stable was like. It wasn’t ideal, and it was certainly humble, but I think it’s important to paint the most accurate picture we can and that is of a safe, dry place with shelter from the wind and cold of night.
It would have been rather awkward to deliver the baby in a room where many people were crowded and trying to sleep, but the shelter of a stable, while very humble, would have afforded more privacy than other options. If you have ever spent time in a barn, it can be pretty peaceful. Animals down for the night are quiet. I am sure that midwives were called. December was wintertime in ancient Bethlehem, so Mary bundled Jesus up warmly in soft cloths and laid him in a feed trough because there was no other crib available. Warmly wrapped, cushioned by cloths and safely surrounded by the stone walls of the trough, the baby could not fall, be dropped or become injured.
Jesus wasn’t born in a palace because he didn’t come to be an earthly king. He didn’t come to pander to the wealthy and powerful religious leaders who were living like kings and taking advantage of the poor. God is not mocked and He was not fooled by the religious pretense of the Jewish leaders, He knew the thoughts and intentions of their hearts. Jesus did not come to play the politics of the Roman Empire or seek wealth and privilege. He humbled himself, stepped down from heaven and came to the poor and needy. He came to those living in darkness who needed light and hope. Fully God, He also became fully man so that He could understand us and relate to us. Not only did he choose this, he planned it.
Great affirmation is given to the validity of Old Testament prophecy by the fact that the prophet Micah accurately predicted the unlikely location of Jesus’ birth:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come forth from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His coming forth is from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth, then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return. He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the LORD his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
Jesus coming from heaven to be our Savior was planned from the very beginning. Redemption was always God’s plan. After around 400 years of silence from the prophets, God’s was reaching out to His people. He would send the Messiah to lead and guide us, and this redeemer would be born in Bethlehem. It is no coincidence that the Great Shepherd would come from this little town. Long before he was king, David himself had been a shepherd. The birth of the promised Savior was first announced by angels in spectacular fashion to...
THE SHEPHERDS
Shepherds are used throughout Scripture as an example of how God's men are to shepherd, or pastor His people. Think of the example given in the 23rd Psalm. In fact, the word translated in our New Testaments as Pastor is the word Poimen, the Greek word for Shepherd. The Shepherds in the fields between Bethlehem and Jerusalem had an incredibly important job. They watched over the lambs that would be used for the Passover and the sacrifices in the temple. Since the lambs had to be spotless, or without blemish, they had to guard and protect them carefully. They led them to nourishing pastures and refreshing streams, protecting them from predators like wolves, lions and bears, risking their lives to protect their sheep just like David had done. In the same way, Jesus would give up his life to save His sheep. The Shepherd of a smaller flock would often sleep at the entrance to a sheepfold, making himself the door, so that no predators could get in. So it is with God's Kingdom, Jesus is like the gate, the only way in is through Him. The Shepherds of these enormous flocks basically lived out in the fields with the sheep, or at least slept out there while they were on duty near fires or in shelters.
In the same region there
were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an
angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear
not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is
Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: You will find the baby
wrapped in swaddling cloths and laying in a manger.” And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory
to God in the highest, and earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
The word angel means messenger. The
most notable aspect of the angel's visit to the shepherds is that they
proclaimed a message of peace on earth, good will toward men. They
didn't bring warnings, fear, or threats of punishment. They proclaimed glad tidings of great joy for everyone.
They declared grace. God had come in peace. Jesus was coming to pay the ransom to atone for the sins of all people so that anyone who believes and trusts in him will be saved. The heavenly army of angels did not
show up that night wielding swords to destroy God’s enemies as instruments of God’s wrath, they were sent
as emissaries of peace. The heavenly ambassadors declared that the long awaited
Messiah had arrived, Jesus had been born in Bethlehem. The angelic choir filled
the sky with God's praises and brought a joyful message to the Shepherds.
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them.
The humble Shepherds recognized that it was God who had chosen them to share this special news with. They had the wonderful privilege of being among the first people to gaze upon the face of the Messiah. They responded by giving honor, praise and glory to God. They worshipped. The Shepherds had been entrusted with valuable animals, possibly even Passover lambs and sacrificial lambs, now they would be entrusted with the Good News about Jesus, the Lamb of God...and they told everyone they encountered. What an appropriate response to the Gospel. It is fitting that the name Jesus chose for those who would lead his people would be pastors, or Shepherds. But it isn’t only the shepherds who are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ birth, all believers share in that privilege and responsibility. And I am here to tell you that the good news of Jesus birth is for you. Jesus came to save you, forgive you and give you hope if you will believe, turn away from your sins and accept him as the Shepherd of your life.
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