The Christmas Story: Part 6 The Narrative
The Christmas Story
Part 6. The Narrative
Updated 11/27/11
Outline
- Introduction
- Prophecies
- Pre-existence
- Genealogies
- Annunciations
- Narrative
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- To Bethlehem Luke 2:1-5
- Our Lord’s Birth Luke 2:6-7
- The Shepherds Luke 2:8-20
- The Significance of His Birth
F. Narrative of the Birth of Christ
Now, having looked at our Lord’s pre-existence, prophecies of His birth and genealogy, let’s embark upon a narrative of the beginning of His life as He walked this earth. In the course of our study, we’ll be going from Gospel to Gospel and even bringing in other New Testament passages as they become pertinent. Our goal is to have a fairly clear narrative of the circumstances surrounding our Lord’s birth. As to His birth and early life, the Gospels of Luke and Matthew provide us with the most detail.
Luke 2:1-3
Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
“Those days” were the “fullness of the time” because this was the peak of all things that God the Father brought into being, having decreed salvation from the days of Adam and Eve. Read through the Old Testament and you will understand that the fulfillment of every word is the life of our Lord, from His humble birth, His perfect life, His salvation work on the cross to His resurrection.
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, Galatians 4:4
…with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. Ephesians 1:10
Historically speaking, in Rome, Caesar Augustus was in charge. He was the first Roman Emperor. Times were fairly prosperous. He’d ordered a census of the entire country. It was so large in land mass that it was considered, “all of the inhabited earth.” There is a problem with the “time of Quirinius” unless you take it as “the first census taken before Quirinius was governor of Syria.” This census was taken for the purpose of taxation. Instead of filling out a form then transmitting it to the governmental authorities, the head of each household returned to the home of his ancestry to register.
Luke 2:4-5
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
Joseph, an ancestor of David, went to Bethlehem. Both Mary and Joseph were from the line of David. God promised David that the Savior would be in his lineage and both Mary and Joseph were from the line of David. So the fact that both Mary and Joseph were in the Davidic line fulfilled the terms of the Davidic covenant and fulfilled prophecy. Note the faithfulness of God here. God made a promise, an unconditional covenant with David. For this promise to be fulfilled, David had to do nothing. God handled everything, despite the real challenges from Satan, whose mission it was to prevent our Lord’s birth.
Gabriel had appeared to Mary in Nazareth, so both she and Joseph lived there. But their family property was in the Bethlehem area because they were both descended from David, whose tribal inheritance was centered there. This verse says that Joseph had to register along with Mary. There is evidence that she also had to register.
It was a three-day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem; I can’t imagine riding any animal or walking for three days a great comfort for Mary who was getting very close to her delivery date. However, had Mary remained, most likely the baby would have been born in Joseph’s absence. He wouldn’t have wanted that and Mary certainly wouldn’t. A husband’s place is close to his wife when she gives birth. Considering that they remained in Bethlehem for some time after our Lord’s birth tells me that they were taking the opportunity to move there. Also, they both knew from Gabriel that Mary’s child was the Messiah. They both knew of Micah 5:2, which teaches that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Micah 5:2
Is it possible also that they moved from Nazareth to escape any gossip and rumors that might have been circulating about Mary’s premarital pregnancy. This was serious business. Remember that Joseph came very close to terminating their engagement or betrothal because of her pregnancy. An angelic visit though, quickly put those ideas out of Joseph’s thinking!
Luke 2:6-7
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
While they were in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus. Contrary to tradition, the language doesn’t indicate that they arrived in Bethlehem, found a stable then she immediately gave birth. First, the Greek indicates that there was some passage of time between their arrival and her giving birth. The first two words in this verse are not translated directly but emphasize the importance of the words that follow. The words, EGENTO DE, the aorist middle indicative of GINOMAI γίνομαι with the conjunction DE δέcan be translated, “then it happened.” When you combine those words with the next few words, EN TO EINAI AUTOUS EKEI are best translated “during their being there”[1] indicating a passage of time. Luke used these words, EN TO ENAI, formulaically to begin a temporal clause.
She gave birth in the normal painful human manner as per the curses we discussed in the Dispensation series. She did not, however, give birth alone, surrounded by a bunch of farm animals in a stable as popularly taught.
Kenneth Bailey wrote this, concluding a fairly lengthy scholarly paper about the most likely scenario surrounding the birth of our Lord: “Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem; Joseph finds shelter with a family; the family has a separate guest room but it is full. The couple is accommodated among the family in acceptable village style. The birth takes place there on the raised terrace of the family home and the baby is laid in a manger.”[2] This convincing scenario is the subject of Kenneth Bailey’s article, The Manger and the Inn: The Cultural Background of Luke which scholarly investigates every aspect around our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem. He supports his conclusion using vocabulary, grammar, the culture of the area as well as history.
Our Lord was born as a normal child, having been born in an environment common to all peasant children in that time. Mary was most likely attended to by midwives while Joseph probably stayed with the menfolk next door! As a baby, our Lord also made all the demands upon Mary and Joseph that a regular baby does. That He was her firstborn son alludes to the fact that she had other children. James who wrote the Book of James was one of those children.
This was a most humble birth, our Savior, the Creator of the universe, born in peasant surroundings. It indicates how our Lord humbled himself to fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation. He, totally perfect God, took on the lowly form of a human being to accomplish the greatest work in the history of the universe. He, who knew no sin, died on the cross, bearing the sins of the world, providing salvation for each one of us.
“He [God] made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
She wrapped Him in strips of cloth, thick bandages commonly used to wrap baby’s legs to straighten them. They were also used to wrap wounds for healing and protection. The dead were also wrapped in these kinds of bandages. Many commentators say that this was a normal procedure for new-born babies. As we will see in a moment, this was a sign to the shepherds.
She then laid him in a manger: This is a literal feeding trough. In an average peasant home, animals were brought into a covered and walled-in front porch at night for safety and for the comfort of those in the home. The home proper was raised above where the animals stayed. Within reaching distance of the animals, shallow basin-shaped indentations were carved into the raised area of the house. These basins served as mangers and when a baby was born, a crib. They would have stayed in the guest room of the house, but it was full, due to the census. So they stayed in the home proper, near the mangers.
Luke 2:8-9
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
This region was one of very special significance. It was where David grew up as a shepherd, watching and guarding his father’s sheep. These were special shepherds, watching a very select herd of sheep, sacrificial sheep. These were the sheep without spot or blemish used in the Temple sacrifices to teach our Lord’s sacrificial substitutionary spiritual death. Shepherds, because of their lowly spot on the cultural hierarchy, were not allowed to worship in the Temple due to their profession. However, there is evidence that these specific shepherds, because of the sheep they watched, were more educated and allowed to worship. They understood the purpose for their sheep and were awaiting the arrival of the Messiah just as other devout Jews. There is much debate as to the time of year that these shepherds would be out in the fields, so close to Bethlehem watching their sheep. Generally, in the spring and summer, they would have been further away from the village. In the fall and winter, if the weather was mild, they certainly could have been out in nearby fields during the latter part of our December.
Then the most unexpected event occurs! An angel suddenly appeared in front of them. This wasn’t an appearance of a person suddenly appearing but an angel evidenced by the glory of the Lord. It was a blinding light surrounding and emanating from this angel. We can look back to Isaiah to see what his response was to being in the presence of God’s glory.
Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5
Isaiah, when face to face with God’s glory, thought he was going to die. The shepherds were immediately full of fear because they also thought they were going to die. These shepherds, because they were afraid could not think. If they could not think they could not understand or pay attention to the angel’s message. No one can think if afraid. Fear is characterized by emotional control of the soul. These men needed their thinking and recall so that they’d be able to pay attention to the messenger angel’s message.
Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid,” which literally means “stop being afraid.” The two Greek words are ME μή FOBEW φοβέομαι, a very strong imperative. Then he brought attention to the message he was about to communicate with two words: IDOU ἰδού GAR γάρ, idiomatically translated, “Look, pay attention!” Apart from their fear, I’m sure the angel had the shepherds’ complete attention! This message the angel had to communicate wasn’t just for them or just for the Jewish hierarchy of just for Jews, but for all people. This message was destined to bring blessing for the entire world! This “good news” is technical language for the Gospel. What better news can there be for the world? Salvation and entry into the sphere of God’s blessing and plan is the best news ever! Jesus Christ died for every human being.
Luke 2:11
…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The content of the angel’s message needs no explanation! At long last, in the fullness of the time, our Savior had been born!
Luke 2:12
“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
God provided signs for ages previous to the Church Age as proof that the message was indeed divine, from the source of God. The Greek word translated sign is SEMION σημεῖον, though it functions more as a pointer or indicator or a “mark by which someone or something is recognized.” (TDNT Vol 7, p, 208) These signs offered credibility to the message because in those days the canon of scripture had not yet been completed, nor did every believer possess the ministry of the Spirit. Just as the canon of scripture is now complete, so we have been given greater resources than believers in previous dispensations to complete our faith. They needed signs to complete their faith whereas we need only the completed canon and the empowering ministry of the Spirit. So, to take up the slack for power not yet given, God offered signs of recognition for those shepherds.
Through the angel, God provided to the shepherds two signs by which they would recognize our Lord. The first sign was that He would be “wrapped in cloths,” from the Greek verb SPARGANO σπαργανόω. This verb refers to being wrapped in cloth strips, the normal way babies in those days were initially clothed. When we hear the term “swaddling,” we generally think in terms of modern fluffy clothing, designed specifically for babies. But these strips of cloth had multiple uses. Strips of cloth were used to wrap wounds as well as to wrap corpses. On one hand then, this method of clothing Baby Jesus was foreshadowing his eventual death, for us.
“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastisement for our sins, for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” Isaiah 53:5
On the other hand, it let the shepherds know that He was born and dressed as a peasant child with whom they could readily identify. He was born as a commoner, on their same economic level.
The second sign, “lying in a manger,” comes from the Greek KEIMAI κεῖμαι EN ἕν FATEN φάτνη , reclining in a feed trough. As we noted earlier, feed troughs for the protected domestic animals which were stalled in the front of the house were built into the floor of the raised dais of the house, within reach of the animals. They often doubled as cribs in peasant homes. What can we learn from this fact? He is our spiritual food. Doctrine is His thinking. We are mandated to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior by means of the Word, His thinking.
“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3
Luke 2:13 – 14
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” After the angel, presumably Gabriel, left the shepherds, just as suddenly appearing an entire army of angels singing praises to God. The Greek word for host is, signifying an army. A war rages in heaven between divine forces and the forces of Satan; the outcome of which was announced to Satan as well as to Adam and Eve in the Garden. Nonetheless, the war rages on. Our Lord’s birth, the taking on of humanity, His substitutionary spiritual death and resurrection guarantee Satan’s defeat. So the Lord’s army sang a victory praise, saluting our Lord who would ultimately bring peace, not only to the human race, but also to angels; to the entire universe.
This war will rage on until the end of the Millennium when Satan and his fallen angels become thrown into the Lake of Fire. In the meantime, those in the human race who do not believe in Jesus Christ will live their lives in a state of spiritual death; never being able to please God. The only way to be one for whom this peace or reconciliation is designated is to believe in Jesus Christ, becoming placed in union with the Victor.
When anyone believes in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately places him into union with Christ, being identified with our Lord’s victory. This truth results in positional peace, but not necessarily experiential peace. It guarantees eternal life with God. However, a believer only experiences temporal peace by growing up spiritually. By growing up spiritually, a believer gains capacity for the prosperity peace brings which the Father rewards. The only temporal peace comes to the believer when he assimilates our Lord’s thinking, the Scripture, and makes it his own. When a person believes in Jesus Christ, then matures spiritually, he becomes a person with God is pleased.
[1] Reiling, J., & Swellengrebel, J. L. (1993). A handbook on the Gospel of Luke. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (109). New York: United Bible Societies.
[2] Associates for Biblical Research. (1981; 2005). Vol. 10: Bible and Spade (1981) Volume 10 (2) (64). Associates for Biblical Research.
The Life of Christ 