BS1L - THE BIRTH OF JESUS - GETTING MARY TO BETHLEHEM
Luke starts out with a time frame for what is going to come next in the first 3 words of this verse.
Luke 2:1
“In those days” – Luke is saying that around the time that John and Jesus were to be born, Caesar Augustus (nephew of Julius Caesar) gave a decree (or a law commanding) that his entire Roman empire be registered. Since the land of Palestine was part of the Roman occupation they were included in this enrollment. Registration was then used to assess taxation.
It could be that Caesar Augustus wanted to gratify his pride to know the vast number of his people and to appear more formidable to the eyes of the world. Or….it could be the way that Providence chose to get the very pregnant Mary to Bethlehem to have her baby.
Writing in the 8th century B.C. the Prophet Micah prophesied where the Messiah (or the ruler of Israel) was to be born.
Micah 5:2
Since Joseph was from the “lineage of David” he needed to go to the place of David’s birth which was Bethlehem and also called “The city of David”.
Luke 2:3-5
If you “google” the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem by car today, you’ll get that it’s around 150 km or 90 miles. This means that Joseph walking, and the very pregnant Mary riding on a donkey would have had at least a 4-5 days journey. You can see an all-knowing God superintending the birth of his son behind all this. For I’m sure there is no way that Joseph and Mary would have ever thought such a trip possible at this time in her pregnancy.
The two of them made the trip alright but what happened next?
Luke 2:6-7
Had Mary and Joseph been rich, no doubt something would have been arranged for them. But being poor, they had to fend for themselves. The “inn” which would have been preferable to the adjoining stables was not what we think of today. It was merely a “space” that you could have for sleeping. The occupant brought with them everything they needed to maintain themselves. So, at least in the stable area there was a manger (where animals were fed) that Mary could put her baby into like a crib.
And so, as Commentator Mathew Henry writes: “The Everlasting Father became a child of time.” And another prophecy of the coming Messiah was fulfilled.
Before leaving Luke’s description of Christ’s birth, I’d like us to go back to
Luke 2:2. Quirinius (or Cyrenius) was only a Roman senator at the time of this census and NOT the governor of Syria (which was annexed to Judea). Then, around 12-15 years AFTER the birth of Jesus, he became the governor of the province.
Why would Luke pen this sentence as he did?
We need to remember that Luke was writing his eye-witness account approximately 60 AD some years after Quirinius had been governor. It would thus be accurate to still call him by his title governor much the same as we do today. We still call someone by their title even after they have left the office.
Luke also says that this enrollment or registration was the first one, to distinguish it from another one that Quirinius would make when he was the governor.
Next Study: BS1M- God's Announcement of Jesus