Signs and Wonders

Luke 2:1-2:52

Those of you who are fans of the Lord of the Rings trilogy know that the huge epic story is really about the end of an age in the universe of Middle Earth. By the end of the story, after the “one ring” has been destroyed, one age has come to an end, and another has begun, the “Age of Men.”

What about our universe, the real one? Is our history one than can be separated into ages? Yes, I think so. There is certainly more than one way to do it. Matthew, in the first chapter of his gospel, provides a genealogy that is divided into three groups: from Abraham to David, from David to the exile in Babylon, and from the exile to the birth of Christ. This is certainly a valid (and Biblical) way to do it, although it doesn’t go back to the very beginning, but instead begins with Abraham.

What if we were to go back to the very beginning? Here is how I would do it. (I am not making any claim that this is the “right” way to do it, or even that there is a “right” way.) I would call the first age the Age of Innocence, and it would begin with “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” and it would end with the fall of Adam and Eve, the point when they bit into the forbidden fruit and brought sin into the world. So the Age of Innocence ends with the end of innocence. I would call the second age the Age of Unrestrained Wickedness, and it would go from the fall to the flood, in Genesis chapter 7. The Age of Unrestrained Wickedness ends with the end of nearly all of mankind except for Noah and those on the Ark. Following this time, people’s lives generally became shorter and shorter, and so I would say that because of this, their wickedness was at least somewhat restrained. The third age I would call the Age of the Patriarchs, as a highlight of this time includes the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as that of his twelve sons. I would have this age end with the birth of Moses. The fourth age I would call the Age of the Law and the Prophets. In this single Age I would place all events from Moses up to the birth of Christ. Others might want to subdivide this age further, perhaps separating out an Age of Kings and an Age of Exile, but I would place these all together, because during this entire time, the Law was in place. In today’s passage, we are going to witness the end of the Fourth Age and the beginning of the Fifth. I believe the transition is every bit as momentous as the epic story of the Ring.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. – Luke 2:1-3

In what days? The days of Luke chapter 1, shortly after the birth of John to Zechariah and Elizabeth. Again Luke gives details to anchor down the fact that this really happened. Between this passage and that of Matthew chapter 2, three key leaders are mentioned. Caesar Augustus was the emperor Octavian, who founded the Roman Empire after the death of Julius Caesar. Herod the Great, as we talked about a few weeks ago, was called the “King of the Jews” and ruled Judea. As we learned, he was not a nice guy, ruthless and paranoid, even executing three of his own sons. As Matthew explains, he also had the baby boys in Bethlehem killed. And Quirinius was a military leader and later Legate of Syria-Cilicia. All three were extremely well-known figures, and Luke’s details nail down the time and place.

The passage also says that a census was taken. There were a variety of censuses taken during this period, some recorded in Josephus and other ancient works. Sometimes they were used for finding people to fight in battle, and sometimes to collect taxes. Sometimes they were preparatory for either task to take place later.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – Luke 2:4-7

And so in these few short verses, we come to the end of an age. We could argue when this age actually ends and when the next begins, whether with Jesus’ birth, or His death, or His resurrection, but there is no question the birth of Jesus was the beginning of the end. It is fascinating how God used unbelieving dictators to orchestrate events so that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling Scripture. Although quite literally the Son of God, born of a virgin, Jesus was legally the Son of Joseph, descended from David, and so Jesus was a Son of David. This was also a fulfillment of prophecy.

Several weeks ago I talked about the hardships Mary endured, from taking this long journey while pregnant to giving birth in a stable where dirty animals were kept, where hay was frequently swept to clean out the animal droppings, exposed to the elements. But today I want to talk about Jesus.

We can scarcely begin to comprehend what it was that God asked Jesus to do. To assume human form would be like us becoming an amoeba. He had always been fully God, but now He also became fully human. And He entered this world not as a grown-up, stately king, but as a baby. He did this for us. What would you do for someone? Would you chop off your arms and legs? That doesn’t even compare to what Jesus did. Would you have a stroke, losing your memory, your ability to eat, drink, move, and even go to the bathroom by yourself? Jesus did all this and more, by entering this world as a baby. What did He make Himself for us? Nothing.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. – Phil. 2:6-7

The word for nothing is kenoo, which means to empty oneself, to render oneself useless, of no effect, to make oneself hollow. Jesus emptied Himself of just about everything! His connection with the Father was broken to a shadow of its former self. His infinite power, His omnipotence, was set aside. His infinite knowledge and wisdom, His omniscience, also was “put away.” Could He have picked them up again? Yes, Scripture seems pretty clear that at any time He could have done this. But He chose not to. He emptied Himself and stayed empty so that He could grow up like any other “amoeba.” The fact that He was born in a stable, that an innkeeper could be allowed to turn Him away, was just an exclamation point on this whole event.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." – Luke 2:8-12

These verses are read every Christmas, and so are incredibly familiar to all of us. But listen to it in the context of Luke 1, from last week. This is the third visit by an angel. The other two were to Zechariah, the father of John, and to Mary. These visits made sense – as we said last week, they were to the people involved, and it gave them comfort and understanding about what was to happen. They were also in effect messages of faith and comfort to us, because they predicted the future, something only God can do. But why a visit to shepherds?

Shepherds were generally hired hands. They had a terrible reputation of being jobs only those would do that couldn’t do anything else, and the people who did them were considered untrustworthy. According to early sources, often they would sneak the herds they were watching onto other people’s lands to eat of what their lands had. Because they often had little or no supervision for long periods of time, they often stole some of the babies and kept them or sold them for themselves. Kind of like finding someone selling fancy watches or expensive electronic equipment in a back alley, people knew to stay away from shepherds selling wool, milk, or kids. It was so bad that hired shepherds were not allowed to serve as judges or witnesses in trials. With this context consider what Jesus said in John 10:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. – John 10:11-13

No doubt there were non-cheating, humble shepherds mixed in with the bad. Perhaps it was to such a mix that the angel made his sudden, terrifying appearance, complete with the bright shining of the “glory of the Lord.” The angel said to not be afraid, for he brings good news. The Greek verb for bringing good news is euangelizo, from which we get the word evangelize. To evangelize is to bring good news. Even the word for angel is based on this word. An angel is a news-bringer, or messenger.

The angel further says that this news is for all people, everywhere. This person who has been born is born to you. Jesus emptied Himself for you. And the angel uses three terms for this person: Savior (soter – one who rescues, saves, delivers, and preserves), Christ (christos – anointed, Messiah, someone who would restore freedom and bring righteousness), and Lord (kurios – a word used in the Greek Septuagint Old Testament for the word Yahweh, in other words, God Himself). Soter, christos, kurios – indeed, such good news that it must not have even been understandable to the shepherds.

But why the shepherds? Why was the message given to them? I can think of two possible explanations: First, by announcing it to those of such low esteem, it was clear that it really was true that He was born for everyone. And second, it was appropriate that the birth of the Good Shepherd be announced to not-so-good shepherds.

And they were given a sign: an infant wrapped in cloths (swaddling clothes, not an uncommon thing), and lying in a manger (now that is uncommon!).

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." – Luke 2:13-15

The Greek words here for “heavenly host” could also be translated as a gigantic heavenly army. God’s heavenly army is described several places: Joshua 5:14 (mentioned in the message to Joshua before the fall of Jericho), 2 Kings 6:17 (revealed when Elisha was surrounded by an army of the king of Aram), and also in Psalm 34, 103, and 148. What is this gigantic heavenly army doing? Praising God. It doesn’t mention singing like the Christmas songs do, but more like chanting. Imagine the sound of thousands of voices shouting together: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” And after they left, the shepherds did something very smart: they decided to check out the sign given for them!

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. – Luke 2:16-20

Notice how they tell the town, much like what happened with the birth of John, although the events here events are even more wondrous. “Spread the word” is really a paraphrase – what is says is that they repeated what had been told to them about this child.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise Him, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons." – Luke 2:21-24

Now, there were three Jewish ceremonies associated with childbirth: circumcision, performed on the eighth day, for all boy children, purification for childbirth for the mother, performed on the fortieth day, and consecration, for the firstborn son. Mary and Joseph, being Jewish, would do each of these things. All three are mentioned here. At the circumcision, the baby was given the name Jesus, as the angel had told Mary back in Luke 1. Then they waited until after the fortieth day so as to be ceremonially purified. She could not go to the sanctuary before this. As explained in Leviticus 12:2-8, at this time she was to bring a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or dove for a sin offering. If she was too poor to afford a lamb, she was to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for the burnt offering and the other for the sin offering. We see that Mary and Joseph were too poor to provide a lamb. From other sources, we know that the sacrifice was to be offered at the Nicanor Gate on the east of the Court of Women. It was not necessary for a woman to attend in person – they could simply provide the sacrifices to a priest who would take it, but Bethlehem was pretty close to Jerusalem, about 6 miles, so they went in person.

As part of the same trip to Jerusalem, they also planned to do the consecration. This also did not need to be done in Jersualem – a priest could do it anywhere, but again they were near, and this was a pretty important baby. I bet they felt that it would be wrong to do it anywhere but at the Temple. The consecration of the first born consisted of a formal presentation of the child to the priest, two short prayers, one recalling how God said “all the firstborn are mine” in Numbers 3, and the second for the gift of a firstborn son, followed by the payment of redemption money to help support the ongoing service at the temple (5 shekels, according to a variety of passages in Numbers, Exodus, and Deuteronomy).

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel." – Luke 2:25-32

Before the ceremony could begin, it was interrupted by the appearance of an old man who picked up Jesus and, filled with the Spirit, praised God. Once again, as with Elizabeth, Mary, and Zechariah, the Holy Spirit revealed things to Simeon he could not know. Jesus was salvation, Jesus was a light for revelation to the Gentiles (this brings to mind Isaiah 49:6, “I will make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring salvation to the ends of the earth,”) and Jesus was a light for glory to Israel.

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too." – Luke 2:33-35

Here Simeon, led by the Spirit, says more, things that were harder to hear. In a few short sentences he hints at the entire life of Jesus – drawing ever-increasing opposition and, ultimately, crucifixion.

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. – Luke 2:36-38

At that very moment, it says, someone else came up: Anna, an old woman who practically lived in the Temple (the Woman’s Court). The Greek tense for the verbs for giving thanks and speaking about the child implied that she kept on doing this even after they left. She didn’t just tell anyone, though, but just those who also looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Apparently there were a good many people like this beyond just Simeon and Anna. Anna got the word out to them. Can you imagine these meetings? I picture a meeting at a retirement community as word gets passed around.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the Child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him. – Luke 2:39-40

Luke does not mention their escape from Herod into Egypt to protect Jesus as Matthew does. Indeed, Luke has very little to say about Jesus’ childhood. Instead, he focuses on one event from when Jesus was twelve years old. But in the meantime, we know that Jesus grew not just physically, but intellectually and spiritually. Recall that Jesus “emptied Himself, becoming nothing.” Much like a stroke victim has to relearn how to talk and walk and do many things, Jesus had to relearn as well. Jesus was fully human, as well as fully God. There is no sign that as an infant He had special abilities – I believed He learned like the rest of us. But over time, God’s Spirit revealed to Him who He really was and what purpose He actually had on earth. Somehow, God’s Spirit made Him self-aware enough so as not to sin as a child. How this actually worked out is a mystery to me.

Every year His parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When He was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while His parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking He was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him. – Luke 2:41-45

People who went to the feast in Jerusalem often traveled in large parties to avoid danger from bandits. Jesus’ parents must have been in such a group and didn’t realize that Jesus was missing until they stopped for the night. What a shock it must have been to not see Him there!

After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You." – Luke 2:46-48

When they finally found Him, they were first amazed at what they saw – Jesus teaching the teachers with wisdom and authority. The questions He asked were likely part of the Socratic style of teaching – asking questions to get people to think, and then answering His own questions. We see Him doing this over and over when He teaches as an adult, even in these same courts about 20 years later.

What was it like to be the mother and father of a 12-year-old Jesus? Certainly He was generally a very good child, obedient to His parents. In fact, I heard this in a recent teaching – can you imagine what it was like for Jesus to obey His human, sometimes sinning parents? I know, most teenagers think they are perfect and their parents are a hopeless mess, but in Jesus’ case this was actually true! Yet I am sure He was always respectful and honoring of them. At this point, Mary’s question I am sure was filled with emotion – “how could you do this to us?” On one hand, it is totally understandable, but on the other, she is guilty of what every teenager accuses their parents of: embarrassing them.

I have many unanswerable questions from this whole adventure. Who took care of Jesus all these days, giving Him food and shelter? Of course this is Jesus – He could turn the stones into bread if He wanted to! Didn’t anyone ask about His parents before now? Did He sin by not going home with His parents? Clearly not, but why not? One possibility is that He had been so engrossed in discussing the Scriptures with these folks that He didn’t realize His group had left without Him. When He did realize this, He decided to stay where He was so they could find Him.

"Why were you searching for Me?" He asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" But they did not understand what He was saying to them. Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. – Luke 2:49-52

Jesus’ answer (with questions) is pretty profound when you consider the previous verse. " Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You." ""Didn't you know I had to be in My Father's house?" Notice the two uses of “father.” Jesus’ use of “My Father” was shocking on several levels. First it was shocking because He seems to be saying “Joseph is not My Father, God is” – which is true, but still shocking. All parents eventually have to let their children go as they grow up, but not when a child is only twelve years old. With Jesus, though, their parents had to come to terms with it at this moment, not just because of what Jesus said, but by His very actions in the Temple. This makes you think about what it really meant for Jesus to honor His parents – which parents, in particular, His earthly father or His heavenly Father? If God had in fact led Him to stay at the Temple, then He was absolutely honoring His parents by staying there! And in fact, Jesus’ answer seems to indicate this was the case. “Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” “I had to be there!” The Greek verb is based on dei which means to be under necessity of happening. Luke will use this word again and again at points when Jesus feels compelled to do various things in His life. It comes up in chapters 4, 9, 13, 17, 19, 22, and 24.

As an aside, teenagers often complain about the inconsistencies of their parents. Well, what about Jesus? He was perfect, and His parents (like all of us) were sinners. Submitting and obeying and honoring His parents had to be challenging on levels that none of us ever had to face.

But Jesus’ answer was even more shocking because you just didn’t call God “My Father” back then. There is an intimacy of relationship implied with that phrase that was considered almost blasphemous. God was seen as so distant, so mysterious, that people wouldn’t even pronounce the name Yahweh. To call Him “My Father” was to turn their views about the need to “keep back” from God upside down.

I have a few observations from the chapter as a whole. First, what do Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna have in common? They were old. In contrast, Joseph and Mary were young. Well, if this were a fiction book, literary analysis would say that this is symbolism – Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna were representative of the Law and the Prophets, what I called the fourth age. (By the way, you see similar symbolism all over the place in Lord of the Rings – the elves are leaving Middle Earth, the king and steward of the past age are old and die, and the new king is young, at least he looks young – he is actually much older than he looks.) We are not talking about fiction though – or are we? What I mean is that fiction is a story written by a human writer to say what he wants it to say. History is a story, a true story, written by God to say what He wants it to say. God can certainly use symbolism to write history! In fact, I believe the Bible is full of symbolism, foreshadowing, and many other literary devices – in this case, they just happen to be true!

And so now we have Jesus, the new King. He is also young; well, at least He looks young! He is actually, much, much older than He looks. He is the man of the Fifth Age, not the Fourth. In a way, He later says this:

The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached... – John 16:16a

In these early chapters of Luke, we are seeing Jesus beginning the process of fulfilling the law and the prophets. Once they are fulfilled, their purpose in the Fourth Age is over. Notice that He did not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. We see this symbolically with Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna. They were not thrown out with the arrival of Jesus – far from it! They each rejoiced at His coming. They saw that He brought fulfillment and completion to their lives. They rejoice to see that the Fourth Age, their age, is coming to an end. The Fifth Age, the Age of Jesus, has come! It is one where we can all say “My Father,” where this Jesus, who emptied Himself and became nothing, is now our everything.

I have one other thought as I think about this whole chapter. This chapter is filled with a longing to see Jesus. The shepherds longed to see Jesus. Simeon and Anna and their like-minded friends longed to see Jesus. Generations of prophets longed to see Jesus. The men at the Temple longed to see Him and hear Him speak. Elsewhere it says that even angels have longed to look into the things of Jesus.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. – I Peter 1:10-1:12

Do you long to see Jesus? I will be blunt. Do you long to die so that you can be with Jesus? We should not fear death, but welcome it. I am not saying we should do anything to hasten our meeting with Him – that is sin for us. We are not allowed to do this. But we are allowed, encouraged to long for that day. It is OK to also desire to see those we love grow in faith and to be here so as to be a part of it, but we should have both desires competing in our hearts.

This describes exactly the Apostle Paul. Here is what he said:

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. – Phil. 1:20-24

If you do not long to be with Jesus, really ache for it, it is an indication that your relationship with the Lord has room to grow. Would you spend a minute now in prayer, telling Him of your longing for Him, or if that longing is weak, asking Him to become a greater part of your heart and life?