Luke 2:1-7 (NKJV)

​1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 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. 

 

Vs 1 - A decree went out from Caesar Augustus…

 

Jesus was born during a time when Israel was under the Roman empire. Especially during then, many may have questioned why God would choose this specific timing, but God had His reasons. 

 

Because of the Roman empire, and especially after Caesar Augustus brought about more stability and progress, these were some of the things that were developed:

 

• Roads expanded

• Sea routes were safer

• Trade increased

• Language and communication improved across cities and countries

 

All these things were instrumental in ensuring the spread of the gospel. God’s plan and the arrival of Jesus was perfectly timed. Such is the wisdom of God!

 

Often we will not fully comprehend why God does certain things or plans some things in a time where may not make sense to us. But we must always remember that God’s ways and wisdom are always higher than any of ours. We must trust that all things are beautiful and purposeful in God’s time. 

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Vs 4 - Joseph was of the house and lineage of David.

 

Joseph was of the house and lineage of David. This fulfilled prophecies recorded in Isaiah 11:1 and Jeremiah 23:5 which spoke of how the Messiah will be born from David’s lineage. 

 

Vs 4-7 - Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be registered and Mary gave birth there…

 

This event fulfilled the prophecy from Micah 5:2 which spoke of how the Messiah will come forth from Bethlehem.

 

Notice how Caesar Augustus’ decree came in such perfect timing that would lead Joseph and Mary back to Bethlehem where Mary gave birth? 

 

Does this not make us wonder how God is in total control of the events in the world? Everything will work according to His will and timing. 

He is the World’s Orchestrator. 

What other examples can you think of from the Bible that shows how God orchestrates the details according to His will?

 

Has God revealed certain prophecies to us which have yet to happen? 

As long as we are obedient to walk in His will and timing, let us trust that God will orchestrate things and events accordingly. 

 

Vs 7 - Mary laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

Just imagine… after knowing about the powerful destiny of her baby, and how she has been graciously chosen by God, she faced unideal circumstances. Laying your newborn baby in a manger (a box which animals eat from) is surely unideal regardless of any culture! We can only imagine how uncomfortable it was for Mary to give birth wherever she had to do it. 

 

An interesting question is, “Why were the circumstances like that?”

 

Surely God was in control and He could have made sure that a room was reserved for them in the inn. God could have made sure that Mary only delivered Jesus when she was in a more favorable situation. God who loved Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, would have wanted to give them more comfort, but He did not. So why? 

 

If we consider Philippians 2:5-11 and Isaiah 53, it was God’s purpose for His Son to experience humility. Right from the beginning of the birth of Jesus, and all the way to the crucifixion of Jesus, humility is written all over Jesus’ life. 

 

Many things which the world valued, were things that were absent in Jesus’ life, and many things which the world despised, were things that were present in His life. 

 

Jesus’ life and humility exemplified some of these important points:

 

• God loves humility (Isaiah 57:15, 66:2, Proverbs 22:4). 

• God chooses the weak to shame the strong, and the fools to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

• What the world values… God detests (Luke 16:15).

• Jesus went through all these so that the weak, poor and despised will know that we have a God who sympathizes with what we experience (Hebrews 4:15).

 

And as much as it was destined for Jesus to be born in such conditions and to live a life of humility, Joseph and Mary were inevitably bound together with His destiny. They had to also experience humility and this was a great service to the Lord, and to all of us now who can learn from their examples. 

 

After learning about these things, let’s reflect and think about ourselves. 

Do we esteem and value the same things which the world does? 

Are we of the same mind as God? 

Are we willing to experience humility in our lives and let God accomplish His work in and through us? 

 

Disclaimer:

This does not mean that we all begin to downgrade everything in our lives to the worst possible options. More importantly, do we value things the way the world does, or the way God does? 

 

Luke 2:8-20 (NKJV)

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. 

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Vs 11 - … who is Christ the Lord.

 

“Christ” means the Anointed One, or also is known as the Messiah (John 1:41). Usually, in the old testament,  when a king, prophet, or priest was appointed, he would be anointed with oil and it would be poured over him (1 Sam 10:1, 16:13, Exodus 29:7, 1 Kings 19:16).

 

Similarly, in Jesus’ case, He is the anointed one because He was appointed to be Savior and King. Therefore, “Christ the Lord” literally means the Anointed & Supreme One. 

 

Vs 15 - 17 -  “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”... and they made widely known the saying which was told them…

 

The question we must ask is, “Why did God choose to reveal this to shepherds and used shepherds to spread the good news?”

 

God could have announced this to Pharisees or to more important people. It may have made more sense to announce this to influential people so that they would spread the word more effectively, but God chose shepherds. Why?

 

Couple of reasons:

 

• Shepherds were considered to be people who were of a low status. If we remember what we learn in the previous verses, it is always in God’s nature to use such profiles to do His work. Choosing an influential figure or a rich person to spread the word may have caused God’s glory to be stolen and diminished.  

• Since Jesus was always referenced as the “Lamb”, perhaps it was also significant that shepherds welcomed him into the world, like how they would do to their flock. 

 

Vs 20 - Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. 

 

Greater is the gratitude when we experience something that we do not deserve. The shepherds must have been surprised that God would choose to reveal such things to them and use them to do His work. This is exactly why God chooses such profiles, because such men will respond with great gratitude and praise Him! 

 

Luke 2:21-24 (NKJV)

21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 

 

Vs 21 - And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child…

 

Baby Jesus was circumcised when He turned 8 days old and this was done according to God’s commandments (Gen 17:10-12, Lev 12:3). 

 

What was the reason and significance of circumcision? 

 

Some may reason and say that the commandment was for health purposes. While it is true that circumcision has some health benefits, God had a very specific reason for commanding this. 

 

Gen 17:11 tells us that circumcision was meant to be a sign of the covenant between God and them. It was a mark and a symbol of the promise between God and the Israelites. The details of the covenant can be found in the same chapter where God spoke about the promise of blessings and increase that He would give to Abraham and his descendents. And from the perspective of the Israelites, they had to keep their promise of obeying His commandments. Therefore, the circumcision was a physical mark for them to always remember this covenant that they had with God. 

 

A possible reason why God chose circumcision to be the sign of the covenant may be because circumcision involves the reproductive organ, and the covenant was to be kept for generations. In doing so, the Israelite men were always going to remember that they and all their descendents were in a covenant with God. 

 

Vs 21 - His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

 

While this may not sound like much, but credit to Joseph and Mary for remaining obedient to name their baby “Jesus”. Much could have changed and happened between the time when they received this instruction and to when Jesus was born. They could have changed their minds or could have been influenced by others, but they remained obedient. 

 

“Jesus” means God is salvation. 

In Greek, it’s translated as “Jesus”, and in Hebrew, it’s translated as “Joshua”. 

They have the same meaning.

 

Names are supposed to be meaningful and significant. Joshua was given such a name because of his destiny of leading the Israelites into the promised land. Similarly, Jesus’ destiny was similar too, where He provided and showed us the only way to salvation. 

 

It is also interesting to note that the name and destiny were given by God before conception. This can be seen in several other examples in the Bible. Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:16 talk about how God knows us, calls us, and has plans for us even before we are formed in the womb. 

 

Personally, what names has God given to us? If our names were truly God-given, do we understand the meaning and significance of them? 

 

As parents who may be expecting a child, do we carelessly choose a name for our child by googling it? Do we choose a name just because we like it? Or do we really pray about it and let God have His way with whom He has given to us? 

 

Do we truly recognize that God is our Creator and that He has plans for us all? If this is true, perhaps it’s time to stop pursuing our own plans and begin to discover God’s plans for us. 

 

Vs 24 - … offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

 

These details of this law can be found in Leviticus 12 where it actually commands that a lamb of the first year, and a turtledove (or a pigeon) are to be sacrificed to God. However in the case where the woman is not able to offer a lamb, she may bring two turtledoves or two pigeons as sacrifices. This was known as the “offering for the poor”. In view of this, many suggested that Mary was poor and could not afford a lamb. 

 

Luke 2:25-35 (NKJV)

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,

According to Your word;

30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation

31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,

And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

 

Vs 25 - … there was a man… Simeon, and this man was just and devout…

 

Again, we see that God used people who were righteous before Him and people who were committed. People like Zacharias, Elizabeth were described as such too. 

 

Vs 25 - Consolation of Israel

 

The Israelites saw the Messiah as comfort and encouragement. 

 

Vs 25 - … and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit… so he came by the Spirit into the temple…

 

Notice a pattern in the Bible of how the Holy Spirit is always involved in enabling and empowering people? When we walk in the Spirit and not in our flesh (Galatians 5), it always results us in knowing God’s will, doing God’s will, and experiencing His plans and powers. 

 

Revelation and direction were given to Simeon by the Holy Spirit. 

 

Do we rely enough on the Holy Spirit for these things? 

Or are we too quick to either rely on our own strength, or seek man's help and get an answer quickly? 

 

Vs 28-33 - … Simeon took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said… And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him…

 

Once again, Joseph and Mary received revelation about their Son Jesus. Let’s reflect for a while now and consider what they have heard so far up to this point:

 

• God’s angel revealing to Mary about Jesus (Luke 1:28-33)

• Elizabeth prophesies and has knowledge of Mary’s pregnancy (Luke 1 41-45)

• Zacharias prophecies about Jesus (Luke 1:67-75)

• Shepherds revealing what the angel said to them (Luke 2:17)

• Simeon prophesying about Jesus (Luke 2:29-32)

 

There are a couple of things that we can learn from this. 

 

Firstly, God made sure that all these revelations were gradually fed to Joseph and Mary. This was important because if God poured out everything about Jesus to Joseph and Mary from the beginning, it would have been too heavy for them to take. They needed time to digest the information and God knew perfectly when they were ready. This also would have kept Joseph and Mary assured over the period of time.

 

Secondly, God was also gracious to deliver these revelations from various sources and reliable sources! God made sure that there was credibility in His message.

 

What can we learn here? 

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• God knows best how and when to reveal things to us

• God always does enough to assure (while faith is also required from us)

• Revelation from God is often revealed through prophecy (speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit). 

 

Vs 32 - A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles…

 

“Gentiles” simply means a people who are foreigners or who are unbelievers. 

Jesus was not only the “Consolation of Israel”, but He was the Light of the world. Salvation was not just for the Jews, but to all. And this was no new revelation, because we see similar prophecies  in the Old Testament (Psalm 72:11 & 17, Isaiah 11:10, 42:6, 49:6…).

 

Despite these prophecies and despite the Jews reading them religiously, many of them still struggled with associating themselves with Gentiles. Even the leaders of Israel and the Pharisees questioned Jesus when He associated Himself with Gentiles. 

 

Vs 34 - This Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel…

 

It is likely that the “many” was referring to people.

 

Many people in Israel fell and stumbled because of Jesus. Because they were offended at Jesus and rejected His message, they fell away from God’s grace and salvation. Many people rose as well because they responded well to Jesus and received God’s goodness. Instead of choosing the existing “spiritual leaders” who exalted themselves over the people constantly, God chose a new breed of disciples who were “nobodies” and exalted them to do the kingdom’s work.

 

Vs 34 -35 - … a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also).

 

As we read on in the gospels and the letters of the apostles, we will realize that whoever associated with Jesus faced resistance. Persecution was a norm in those days for followers of Jesus. The disciples were mocked, stoned, hated, and some even killed for His name’s sake. 

 

For Mary, she certainly would have faced much anguish and pain to see Jesus go through these things. Although there are no verses that literally speak of Mary’s pain, it is reasonable for us to assume that she also suffered. 

 

Vs 35 - that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

 

Jesus’ ministry exposed many things that were hidden. He constantly knew the thoughts of men, and confronted them when it was necessary (Matthew 9:4). Jesus was the truth! And where there is truth, lies are exposed. 

 

Luke 2:36-38 (NKJV)

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 

 

Vs 36-38 - … Anna, a prophetess… who did not depart from the temple… served God with fastings and prayers night and day… and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption…

 

Here is another person who prophesied about Jesus and His destiny. After years of waiting, the time finally came when God activated devoted people like Anna and Simeon and gave them the privilege to witness the coming of the Messiah and prophesy about Him!

 

Not only was John preparing the people for Jesus’ ministry, but Anna also did whatever she could in her capacity to prepare people for Jesus. 

 

Another thing we can learn from Anna’s example is:

 

She was truly living out Psalm 27:4 which says…

 

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple." 

 

Do we desire and enjoy being close to God? 

Have we learnt to enjoy praying to God? 

When we reach this stage of relationship with God, His inspirations will flow freely through us. 

 

Luke 2:39-52 (NKJV)

39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

 

41 His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 

46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

 

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 

 

Vs 40 - And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom…

 

A common misconception that some people have is that Jesus lived life on earth with a cheat code because He was God. It is common to hear Christians say, “Jesus was sinless because He was God!”, or “Jesus could do all those things because He was God!”

 

Well, Jesus certainly was God, but He intentionally gave up the reputation as God and came in the likeness of men (Philippians 2). This is why He had to grow and become strong. He experienced 100% human nature (Hebrews 4:15) and He had to grow in all ways like we do (vs 52). There was no cheat code at all.

 

It was the work of the Holy Spirit that empowered Jesus and made Him grow. Jesus was showing us the perfect example of how we should live our lives on earth and how we can be empowered by God. We must be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that Jesus was different and that we cannot be like Him. That’s a lie! The truth is, we must aspire to be like Jesus and it is possible (though difficult) to be like Jesus. 

 

Vs 43 - 47 - … the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem… after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers…

 

For a 12 year old, Jesus was very mature. He had to be very independent to be by Himself for three days in Jerusalem. Where did He sleep during the nights? How did He find food to sustain Himself? 

 

We must understand that Jesus had to grow in knowledge in the same way that every man did , hence He was there to listen to the teachers. However, the advantage He had was that the Holy Spirit guided Him in truth, understanding, and wisdom. The Holy Spirit would have helped Him interpret and understand the Scriptures in their true meaning. 

 

Although the Scriptures do not explicitly say that Jesus received the Holy Spirit as a child, there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit was at work in His life. For a 12 year old to know what He knew and do what He did, it had to be the Holy Spirit. Additionally, let us not forget that it was the Holy Spirit who conceived Jesus in Mary. Some may argue that Jesus only had the Holy Spirit when the Holy Spirit descended on Him when He was baptized (Luke 3:21-22), but we will learn about this later that the vision actually served more as an assurance to John the Baptist. 

 

Vs 49 - Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business? But they did not understand the statement…

 

This was probably the first time Joseph and Mary heard Jesus referring to God as “Father”, so that may explain why they did not understand the statement. At only 12 years of age, Jesus already understood about His relationship with the Father. Who could have taught this to Him? 

 

As we read earlier in Vs 40, Jesus was already growing strong in the spirit and in wisdom. And according to Vs 47, he had an understanding that shocked even the teachers. This leaves us to the only conclusion that the Holy Spirit was the Teacher.

 

Vs 51 - Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them…

 

Jesus was blameless in all things. Despite the parents not fully understanding His actions, He still submitted to them because it was the right thing to do.

 

Vs 51 - … but His mother kept all these things in her heart.

 

Despite not fully understanding why Jesus did that and what Jesus said, Mary was always wise in her parenthood. She knew that her Son was no ordinary person, and she was always careful to make sure that she would not impede or hinder Jesus’ journey to be the Christ. 

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