By Pat Lubomski – Ypsilanti, Michigan
ANY time of year is a good time to remember the birth and first coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But the season of Christmas serves as a special reminder of the deep care our Father God took to send His son into the world and rescue us.
So let’s dive into Luke 2 together with your Bible, a favorite hot beverage, and a heart to experience the wonder of the Word of God and the story of Christmas.
Born in Bethlehem
“Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar August to register all the empire for taxes.” Luke 2:1 NET
So Caesar Augustus, for whom the month of August is named, was considered a God in the Roman Empire. He was considered both a deity on earth and a son of gods.
“This was the first registration, taken when Quirinus was governor of Syria. Everyone went to his own town to be registered.” Luke 2:2-3 NET
Mary and Joseph went to the city of David, which was Bethlehem. That was their legal hometown.
In pictures they are often shown to be using a beast of burden or a donkey, but more than likely they were walking. Owning an animal to ride on was reserved for people that had much more money.
“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David.
He went to be registered with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him, and who was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” Luke 2:4-7 NET
It says first born because you can read about James and Joseph and Simon and Judas who were his brothers in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
Mary and Joseph wrapped Jesus in swaddling cloths. This was done minutes after the birth. The child would be wrapped like a mummy in these cloths soaked in salt water, and they would only be on for a few minutes.
The child would be straight and stiff as a board. Since the water was salted, it was a symbol of the parents making a covenant before God to raise him pure and purified, truthful, just and good.
No Room at the Inn
There was no place for them at the inn, likely because Bethlehem, a village of only a few hundred people, would have been overwhelmed with people for this taxation!
At these “roadhouses,” sometimes the animals would be around the outside, sometimes the animals would be on the inside, and the rooms around the outside like a fort.
Mostly people stayed in one big room, where it would be rowdy and drinking and carousing and carrying on. It’s likely that Mary and Joseph were staying at a house that had a guest room.
The animals would be in there because people of regular means and income would have sheep or goats or other animals, and the only separation between the animals and the sleeping quarters would be a raised area where the people slept.
I saw this when I lived in Europe – they would take their animals out to the countryside in the morning, and then back at night. The animals would be inside of this walled off area where they were protected.
When I was in Germany, I noticed the animals were sometimes below the sleeping quarters in these bigger buildings. The body heat off of the animals would actually warm the rooms above!
The Shepherds’ Visit
“Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night.” Luke 2:8 NET
The shepherds that were out at night were usually young male teenagers. Keeping guard means they were protecting the lives of their valuable livestock. They were protecting it against wolves and even bandits.
They were out at night, and historically, the flocks are not out at night in December (another reason why it has been proved that Jesus was not born in December).
“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.
But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people.” Luke 2:9-10 NET
So, there they were, and the Angel of the Lord appears to them, and he said “I’m here to bring you good news. Don’t be afraid, fear not, this is good news that I’m about to tell you.” Can you imagine how they must have felt??
“Today, your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.
This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:11-12 NET
There’s a lot going on in this verse: remember, the fine linen strips were only on the baby for a few minutes. The manger would have been made of stone, because wood is in short supply in the Middle East and the desert.
“Suddenly, a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying [they were saying, not singing]
‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among people with whom He is pleased!’
“Luke 2:14” by Tito & Eva Marie Balangue, CC BY 2.0
When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.
So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger.
When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said.
But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean.
Image courtesy of janeb13 of Pixabay
So, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” Luke 2:13-21 NET
That’s the night of Jesus’s birth; wow! Part 2 will look at Jesus being presented in the temple, and some of the prophecies that his first coming fulfilled.
To see a powerful dramatic rendition of the shepherds’ night, watch The Chosen’s “The Shepherd: A Story of the First Christmas.”
Pat Lubomski has been married to Laurie since 1982! They have hosted home Bible fellowships for almost that long, and they currently pastor a neighborhood Baptist church, as well as fellowships in Southeastern Michigan and the Toledo area. They have one adult son, Jason.
Watch Pat teach at Christian Family Fellowship in “We Like People!”