Luke 2: 1-35, The Birth of the Messiah

After learning of the birth of John the Baptist, we are ready for the birth of the Messiah.

Luke 2: 1-7, The Birth of the Messiah
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke gives precise details of the census. There are some disagreements about when this occurred but enough details are given to put this somewhere from 11 BC to 4 BC.

It was prophesied that the Messiah would be of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2.) Luke describes how that happened to one who began his ministry later in Galilee.

Joseph was in the line of David. Was Mary?

This "Christmas story" does not really fit our modern nativity scene.  A manger was a stable -- it could have easily been a cave. We are not given a time span for this stay; Mary and Joseph could have stayed in Bethlehem for months.  The traditional Christmas story has shepherds and wisemen (only 3) all showing up in one night with a star overhead (and a pine tree in the background) but little of that story appears in the Bible. Shepherds do eventually appear, as do an unknown number of "wisemen" but the December night image is a medieval concoction.

There is so much remarkable about this birth and how it occurred. Can we still see it?

Luke 2: 8-20, Shepherds hear
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

A source for this story is hinted in the sentence (verse 19) about Mary treasuring these events.  It is likely that Luke interviewed Mary, as she was active in the Jerusalem church after the death and resurrection of the Messiah.

What was this experience? What was the "glory of the Lord" like? What, in particular, made the shepherds afraid? (They were afraid before the heavenly hosts appeared! After they appeared it must have really been frightening!)

Why did the angels appear to shepherds?

Apparently even the "manger" was a sign.

How soon after the birth was this announcement and visit?

What was the reaction of the angels?

Luke 2: 21-24, Circumcision of Jesus
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

Why the name Jesus? Mary, like Elizabeth, had been under instructions on the name of the child.

Jesus's family follows all that the culture and Law required. The small sacrifice is in keeping with the obvious poverty of the young couple.

The Old Testament quotes about the purification rites are from Exodus 13: 2 & 12 and Leviticus 12:8.

Luke 2: 25-35, Visit of Simeon
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

What does it mean for the Holy Spirit to be on Simeon? How was this fact revealed? Did Simeon hear an audible voice like Elizabeth and Zachary and the shepherds?  This surely must have been exciting to Simeon!

Simeon's waiting is similar to the prayer of Zechariah, likely looking for the redemption of Israel.

The "Gentiles" are mentioned here. How has this salvation been "prepared in the sight of all people"?

He (Jesus) will cause both the "falling and rising" of people.

Why will Jesus be spoken against? What will be the effect of that?

Mary is warned of the price she will pay.

For further thought: How did Luke learn of all these things that he reports in these first few chapters? What do you think he did to record these stories from Bethlehem and Judah?

A good message on the Christmas story, by Andy Stanley, is here.

Since Luke 2 is also a rather long chapter, we will break it into two parts. We will cover the second half tomorrow.

Luke 1: 56-80, Birth of John

Luke records the birth of first John, then Jesus, telling the stories from the point of view of the respective mothers, who are apparently cousins.

Luke 1: 56-65, The birth of John
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."

They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name." Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.

He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

Isn't three months a rather long time to stay? Why do you think Mary stayed so long? What did Joseph think of her absence? Did he yet know she was pregnant?

Why did he have to be named John? Why did the angel pick this name? Couldn't he have been called Elijah or something similar?

What was the result of Zechariah's naming his son? (His affliction was removed, he praised God, the neighbors were awed, and the hill people told of it!)

Who all heard the tale of Zechariah and his son? (This must have been an interesting community. Surely it included some shepherds?)

Luke 1: 66-79, Zechariah's song of praise, the "Benedictus"
Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

In verse 69 the word "horn" symbolizes strength (NIV footnotes.)

Does Zechariah see the Messiah as overthrowing the Gentiles?  Or aiding the Gentiles.

A question for the Jews of that day: "What type of salvation will this child provide?" (Two-fold, apparently, for it will save Israel from his enemies and provide forgiveness of sins.)

Zechariah is remembering God's covenant with Abraham, grandfather of the Jewish nation. (See Genesis 17.)

What is the "rising sun"? How will they be guided into "peace"?

How do you think Luke learned of all of these events?

Luke 1: 80, The child grows strong
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.

What does it mean to become "strong in spirit"?

How did he live in the desert? Did he live there as a child? Maybe his parents resided in the desert? Or did John move there after growing up?

Like the other gospels, neither the childhood of The Baptist, nor the childhood of Jesus seems to be of much interest.

For further thought: What was the childhood of Jesus like? of John?

In the next chapter Luke records the birth of this promised Messiah.

Luke 1: 26-55, The Announcement to Mary

Luke records the birth of John the Baptist, then the birth Jesus, telling the stories from the point of view of the respective mothers.

Luke 1: 26 - 33, Mary is visited
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Presumably "sixth month" is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Mary is not married but engaged. She is probably a teenager, possibly a young teenager, age 14 or 15.

What is Mary's reaction to the angel? Is she afraid of his presence or his words? (I think she should be afraid of his words -- this process will bring pain and suffering to her, along with much joy.)

Why the name "Jesus"?  (The New Testament "Jesus" is, in Greek, "Yeshua", which is the Old Testament "Joshua."  It is presumably a common name.)

How long will this child reign? (See Micah 5:2, also 2 Samuel 7: 13, 16 and Isaiah 9:6-7.)

Luke 1: 34-38, A virgin to have a child
"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

Mary's response (a question in verse 34) is very practical. How is her question different from that of Zechariah? (Why doesn't Mary get the treatment Zechariah did, that is, being struck dumb?)

Physically, anatomically, what exactly must have happened to Mary? One of her eggs was fertilized. Did God make up a Y chromosone? What type of genetic code did the child have? The passage only says that the power of the Most High will "overshadow" her.

The miracle with Elizabeth is mentioned as validation of the upcoming miracle for Mary. (But Elizabeth was not a virgin!) What is Mary's final response? (Wouldn't you want to ask a few more questions?)

Mary & Elizabeth are described as "cousins" but that could merely indicate "kinship", that they are relatives.  It is not clear what the distinction is for Elizabeth (or at least her husband) is of the tribe of Levi, in the lineage of Aaron (as a priest) while Mary is of the tribe of Judah.

Luke 1: 39-45, A baby leaps for joy
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

Elizabeth lives some distance away (70+ miles) in Judea.

Why do you think Mary hurries to see Elizabeth? What title does Elizabeth give Mary? What praise does Elizabeth give to Mary?

Notice the word "believed". I think it means several things, but one of them is "trust". However, because God seems to be so subtle, it is surely necessary for Mary to believe He is at work and to remember that.

Was Mary ever tempted to doubt after the first visit of the angel?

Luke 1: 46-55, Mary's song, the "Magnificat"
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name.

"His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

"He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

Women were considered blessed by God if they had children, apparently especially blessed with a male child. How special would be the woman who carried the Messiah! Did Mary know how rough this would be on her?

Note the attributes of God which Mary praises: He is Great/Mighty, Holy, Merciful, Upsets the proud but raises the humble, Takes care of the poor but foils the rich, Protector of Israel. Two qualities are poetically described as contrasts, eg., God defeats the proud but lifts up the humble.

For further thought: Can God be humble? What does the Magnificat say about the character of God?

The birth of John will be described in the final portion of chapter 1, which we will look at tomorrow.

Luke 1: 1-25, Good News for Zechariah

The gospel of Luke opens with a prologue, explaining the author's motives.

Luke 1: 1-4, Introduction
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Luke claims to have talked to eyewitnesses and wants Theophilus ("friend of God") to know that the claims in this letter are "certain".  Luke is not an eyewitness, but refers to others who are. Who, most likely, were some of these eyewitnesses? Why does Luke write this if "many" others have already done so?

Luke 1: 5-7, The priest Zechariah
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Apparently all descendants of Aaron were priests. These two were committed priests, worshiping God fully and carefully.

How did Luke learn about this couple?  Did he hear of this from Mary?

Luke 1: 8-17, An angel with a message
Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous--to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

It would have been quite an honor to go into the Holy Place and burn incense. William Barclay says most priests would not get this opportunity simply because there were too many priests.  Barclay also says that some Jewish writings indicated that a single man or a man without children was ostracized from God's presence. Could Zechariah have been aware of those thoughts as he ministered at the altar?

What do angels look like?  Often in Scriptures their first statements are "Do not be afraid." Other than that, we generally have no description of them.

How recently was Zechariah praying for a son?  What does wine and alcohol have to do with the son? What is John's mission to Israel? (Why is that important? Why not the Gentiles?) Who will John represent/model when he speaks to Israel?

Luke 1: 18-20, Zechariah's question
Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years."

The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

This is a rare naming of an angel; he is named nowhere else except in the book of Daniel.  Was the angel angry with Zechariah? (I hope not -- I would have certainly asked this question!)

Notice what the angel says about when his words will come true.

Luke 1: 21-25, God's favor to Elizabeth
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me," she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."

Is there another explanation for his silence? One might wonder if Zechariah had a stroke! But then he is quite capable, in all other ways, to communicate what happened.

Notice the sensitivity of the people. Apparently this appearance and conversation with the angel (and the angel's leaving) took considerable time. Then when Zechariah comes out, he has to make signals to them, probably to explain himself?

Did he just go on with the ceremony? What was the ceremony he was leading? What is Elizabeth's reaction to her pregnancy?

For further thought: What really are angels? What do they look like? Can you imagine the scene with Zechariah?

We continue with the story of Mary and Elizabeth tomorrow....

Meanwhile, you might enjoy this short video on Luke's introduction to the birth of Jesus.