The account of the birth
of Jesus given by Luke, begins with the indication of the time and circumstance
surrounding His birth. He was born during the reign of Augustus Caesar and when
Quirinius was the governor of Syria. It was at that time that a census for tax
purposes was ordered by the emperor. As prophesied by Micah 5:2, Jesus’ birth
would take place in Bethlehem. This census made it necessary for Joseph to take
Mary and journeyed from Galilee, a town in Nazareth to Judea.
Though Mary was heavily pregnant,
they made the long and arduous journey, arriving at Bethlehem known as the city
of David. In biblical time, the inn was an open concept, it was just an open
sleeping area for everybody. The inn was full and there was no more room for
Joseph and Mary. So they had to go to what seems to have been a stable referred
to here as a ‘manger.’ This was possibly constructed from a natural cave. And
in the privacy of the cave, Jesus was born to Mary. It may appear strange to us
that not even the inn had room to accommodate the Savior’s birth. The angel had
spoken of Christ’s glorious coming into humanity, yet there was no place to which
He could be born. So in the unhygienic environment of the manger, Jesus was
born, but the parents made sure He was safe by wrapping Him in cloths. And
there in that manger, the Lord Jesus laid His sweet head.
Although we read of the
magi’s visit from Matthew 2:1-12, we are told that they saw the Savior in a
house. So it was likely that Joseph, Mary and Jesus moved into a house shortly
after Christ’s birth. Luke tells us that it was a group of shepherds that were
first told of the birth. For they were out in the field nearby watching their
flocks, when an angel of the Lord appeared and stood before them. Then a flood of
glorious light shone around. And they were startled and frightened. But the
angel then told them of the great news of the Savior’s birth in the city of
David. The angel said in no uncertain term that He is the Savior, Christ the
Lord. They were told where the Baby Jesus was, wrapped in cloths in a manger. Immediately
a heavenly host appeared, saying “Glory to God in the highest and on earth
peace among men with
whom He is pleased.” The shepherds left the field immediately, went and found
Joseph, Mary and Jesus in the manger. They made known the statement of the
angels and those who heard it wondered. But Mary kept pondering those words in
her heart.
The
point cannot be missed. This account is included to enforce the truth that the
real Savior of the world was not Augustus Caesar. Neither will it be any great world
leader. Christ Jesus the Lord is the real Savior. He is the Son of God who came
into this world in human flesh. He came through Mary’s womb, and lived and died
as human flesh and had resurrected in that flesh and now seated at God’s right
hand. Christ’s incarnation is real. Because of what He went through, we now
have a High Priest who can fully understand our plight. He knows exactly what
we feel in our experiences because He had completely identified with us in
every way. Let’s us draw near to Him confidently and know that He knows exactly
what we are going through. He understands and He will see us through!
No comments:
Post a Comment