A. Caesar and God Established Christ that Christ was King of the Jews.
B. Luke moves from the universal to the specific when locating the birth of Christ.
C. Caesar Rules the World from Rome While Christ Feeds the World from Bethlehem
D. Caesar Issues the Old Dogma, Christ the New
E. God Became One of Us
F. God’s Peace is Concrete and Sudden
G. God’s Shepherd Gathers Sheep with His Word
Mary was the only woman to conceive just by hearing the Word of God.* The average
sixteen year old girl would be in a psychiatric unit if she were told she was going to
have a baby under similar circumstances. We must assume the angel’s words, "Fear
not, Mary" were powerful, indeed. We get so used to seeing manger scenes that we
forget there was nothing ordinary about the manger in Bethlehem. It just looked ordinary.
When the Bible says Christ was born under the law it means every aspect of the law:
ceremonial, civil, moral, revealed law, and the laws of nature. Gal 4:4 But when the
fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.
Therefore, Christ was also born under God’s and Caesar’s law.
Luke begins with an interesting comparison of Caesar’s and God’s law, or
decrees. The Greek word for the "decree" that Caesar issued is
"dogma". It is the root word for our study of Christian Dogmatics or God’s
decrees, both law and Gospel.
Caesar’s and God’s decree in Luke Chapter 2, verse 1, have unique parallels
and contrasts regarding the birth of Christ.
A. Caesar and God Established Christ that Christ was King of the Jews.
According to the kingdom of Caesar, Christ was in the line of David. Therefore, Mary
and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem to be taxed. Caesar established that Christ was, indeed,
born in the line of King David according to Roman tax laws, and was a legitimate heir to
David’s throne. To this day, no one keeps better records than the IRS. According to
the records of the Jewish church, God established that Christ was born King of the Jews
through Mary. Therefore, the records of both God and Caesar agreed that Christ was born
King of the Jews.
B. Luke moves from the universal to the specific when locating the birth of Christ.
- that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be
taxed.
- this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.
- And Joseph also went...into Judaea,
- unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.
The order is: world, Syria, Judaea, Bethlehem. As Luther says, "From heaven above
to earth I come." Christ entered the world in four steps. The number four is also the
Biblical number for all mankind and the earth.
Luke reverses this four step order from the specific to the universal in Acts 1:8...and
ye shall be witnesses unto me…
- both in Jerusalem,
- and in all Judaea,
- and in Samaria,
- and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Again, when it comes time for the preaching about Christ to begin, Luke takes seven
steps, the number of judgment and blessing, and moves from what the world hears to what
God wants the world to hear, as in Luke 3:1 as follows:
- Tiberius Caesar, (in the fifteenth year of the reign)
- Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea,
- and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee,
- and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis,
- and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
- Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests,
- the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Caesar judges the world from Rome, and John gives out God’s judgments and blessing
in the desert.
C. Caesar Rules the World from Rome While Christ Feeds the World from Bethlehem
In Luke 2, Caesar rules the world, and Christ, the new born King, rules Bethlehem,
which means "the city of bread." Here is food for the world, in a little town
that could barely feed its insignificant population. Christ is the Bread of life.
According to Roman law, Caesar ruled the world. According to Scripture, Christ ruled
the world. It is interesting to note that in our day Christmas is both a public and a
church holiday.
D. Caesar Issues the Old Dogma, Christ the New
Christ the King blots out the curse of the law with His new dogma, the Gospel. Col
2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; Again, the Greek word
here for ordinances is "dogma." At Christmas, Caesar issues his decree, and God
issues His new decree. According to the law, Caesar taxes the world. According to the
Gospel, the world can’t pay what it owes God. Therefore, God taxes His own Son in
place of the world to cover all our debts. Caesar declares everyone must pay, and God
declares that everyone is righteous and debt free in Christ. The first Christmas
didn’t cost the shepherds anything. So, if you are a little bit short and a little
bit worn out on December 26, don’t blame that on God, you have been taxing yourself.
E. God Became One of Us
The Word of God became flesh and blood, nursed at Mary’s breast, had His diapers
changed, and governed the universe from His cradle at the same time. Christ was laid in a
manger of wood, pointing to the time He would be laid on a wooden cross. Eight people were
saved by the Ark. Israel was saved by the Ark of the Covenant. Now the world is saved by
the contents of a wooden manger. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, pointing to the time
He would be wrapped in linen cloth in a tomb.**
F. God’s Peace is Concrete and Sudden
The angels said, "Peace on earth." Peace is not an abstract concept. It is
not a fuzzy feeling. It is materialized in the flesh of Christ. The angels came with Good
News about the birth of Christ. They spoke the Gospel to the shepherds. And suddenly
there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The brightness of the angels appeared in the black of night like the brightness of the
Gospel appears in the darkness of sin. Grace is sudden. Grace explodes, consumes, fills,
overpowers, unalterably changes our environment, judges and destroys the darkness of sin.
The suddenness of grace is contrasted here with the suddenness of judgment. In Mark 13:36,
when Christ returns the world will end as suddenly as when the angels first appeared at
Bethlehem. "Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping." Both use
the same Greek word to describe the suddenness of Christmas and the end of the world. Paul
speaks about the suddenness of Christ’s appearance and his own conversion on the road
to Damascus with the same Greek word in Acts 9:3, and 22:6.
G. God’s Shepherd Gathers Sheep with His Word
The text says the shepherds told people what happened, what they saw, and what they
heard. Once David watched over the sheep at Bethlehem, in this same city, and probably on
this same hill. These sheep were most likely destined for sacrifice at the Temple, as was
Christ, the Son of God. In place of the sheep, the Shepherd would be the sacrifice for all
sin.
The shepherds said, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." As the
angels’ message led the shepherds to Christ, God’s Word leads you to Christ in
His church. Go and hear what He says, where He may be heard, seen by faith, and consumed
in His supper. 1Pe 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto
the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
* Dr. Norman Nagel
** Dr. Arthur Just