STUDY THEME: ONE SOLITARY LIFE: THE LIFE OF JESUS.  12-17-00
UNIT 2: "BORN TO SAVE-"Gift of the Savior."
Luke 2: 1-7, 8-14, 15 & 20.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO LUKE 2.

Luke's Gospel has more about Christ's birth than all the other writings
in the N.T. together. Last week's lesson dealt with the context for the
birth of Jesus. In Ch. 2 Luke resumes the narrative of Mary at the birth
of John the Baptist, including Zechariah's hymn of praise. Now, he
locates the date of that birth which has furnished a point for division
of time between all the years before and all which have followed. The
dating of the birth of Jesus involves identification of the reign of
Caesar Augustus, who ruled from 27 B.C. to A.D. 14.

No exact date by our calendar can be given for the birth of Jesus. Two
factors mentioned by Luke point to a date not later than 4 B.C. and no
earlier than 6 B.C. The time of year is not mentioned. The traditional
Dec. 25, the winter solstice by the Julian calendar, was mentioned in the
early third century. In today's lesson we will consider the birth itself.

Surely if there is ever a time when people have right to be sentimental,
it would be at Christmas. And yet, even at Christmas-time, we dare not
satisfy ourselves with being merely sentimental-not in a world like this!
As James S. Stewart said in one of his works, "There is a type of
religion that accepts the consolations of religion without the duties of
religion and thus we become sentimental followers of Jesus Christ."
Sentimentalism is enjoyment without a sense of obligation. So many would
like to enjoy the Christ Child without ever being obligated to Him. That
is impossible.  

The central fact in our lesson today is stated in Luke 2:11 "There is
born unto you-a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." With reverent reticence
and delicate beauty of diction, the great event was stated by the angel.
This Savior was then in the stream of human history. 
Heaven came down our souls to greet, 
And glory crowned the mercy seat. 

It was the most stupendous event in all the running decades and centuries
and millenniums of the history of man. "There is born a Savior,"
 
Let us consider the story, noticing first the earthly conditions;
secondly, the great fact; and finally, the heavenly activity. The earthly
conditions are described in the first five verses. The stupendous fact is
declared in verses six and seven; and the heavenly activity in connection
with that fact on the earthly level is recorded from the eight verse to
the twentieth. What were the earthly conditions? 
 
1. PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 1-7.

"In those days"-a "decree-from Caesar Augustus." Caesar Augustus was the
first Roman emperor. His real name was Caius Octavius. He was a
great-nephew of Julius Caesar. The word Augustus is significant. That was
his title. He took the name Caesar by courtesy and by adoption. In
process of time the title Augustus was dropped and the title became
Caesar. When this man became Imperator, and the matter was under
discussion as to what title he should assume, he declined to be called
Dictator, which suggested a temporary office.

He declined also to be called King, as it did not signify enough. In
consultation with the Roman Senate, this name was created for him
Augustus, indicating a religious sanction. He was moving towards that
which happened subsequently, the claim of deity on the part of the
supreme ruler of the Roman Empire. Gradually the power of Government had
been taken from the people.

The Roman republic had passed away, and in its place had emerged the
Roman Empire, under Augustus Caesar. "In those days," when the Roman
Republic had become the Roman Empire, when the Roman people had passed
under the despotism of an autocratic ruler; "in those day," Jesus was
born. "In those days," Caesar Augustus issued a decree that all the world
should be enrolled, and it was done. There was no appeal. People came
because Caesar Augustus said they were to be enrolled. That was the
darkest hour the world has ever seen. 

Now in that Roman Empire, in an outpost, away down in that turbulent
little bit of land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, that little
land of Palestine, these things-or rather This Thing happened. There were
two people there, a man and a woman, only two individuals and amid the
multitude in Judaea and Galilee and that whole region; and amid the
massed multitudes of the Roman Empire. 

Those two people had no more effect upon the Roman Empire than any two of
you have upon the President of the United States. As to their condition,
they were entirely insignificant, and yet touched by the Roman authority.
The decree of Caesar Augustus reached Nazareth. Joseph must bend the
neck, even thought the royal blood of David is cursing in his veins; he
must go up. He cannot enroll by proxy. He must go up to the city of his
family and enroll. He went up, and Mary traveled with him; two people.
Nobody knew about it, except perhaps the friends of Mary and of Joseph;
and they did not know much about it.

But look again. Two individuals marching under the orders of Caesar
Augustus. Look at the woman. Her womb is the tabernacle of the Son of God
as she travels. Look at the man. The one passion of his life is to guard
that woman. They were going up to Bethlehem, because Caesar Augustus had
at that psychic moment issued his edict that all the world be enrolled.
But in my Bible I find a prophecy written at least six hundred and fifty
years before this happened. Micah in Micah 5:2 wrote, "But thou,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little among the thousands of Judah, out
of thee shall One come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; Whose
goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."     
    
That prophecy declared that this Man to be born in Bethlehem "shall be
great unto the ends of the earth." Plato spoke for the waiting world when
he said "We wait for one, be it God or God-inspired man, to teach us our
duty and to wipe the darkness from our eyes." 

Luke did not explain the reason Joseph took Mary with him. In a Roman
census, a woman had to pay taxes, but she normally did not have to
register in person. Other factors likely prompted Mary to accompany
Joseph. Possibly, Joseph used the emperor's decree as an occasion to
remove Mary from the gossip and stress in her village. In addition, her
time to deliver her child was close at hand and Mary may have known the
prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. As a s result and
remembering the information each of them received from Gabriel, they
chose to go to Bethlehem for Jesus to be born.

In last Sunday's lesson when Joseph discovered Mary's pregnancy, he
determined to break the betrothal by divorcing her. An angel's
intervention and explanation caused Joseph to change his mind and to
accept Mary as his wife. By stating that Mary was pledged to be married,
Luke most likely meant that Joseph and Mary, though married continued to
live as espoused persons until after Jesus' birth. This understanding
fits with Matt. 1:25 "And he knew her not till she had brought forth her
firstborn son:"

Because Mary had stayed three months with Elizabeth, Mary may have been
back home for a sufficient time to be in her third trimester of pregnancy
when she and Joseph left for Bethlehem. This would be the time public
opinion in Nazareth might have made life difficult for them, for they had
been married considerably less than nine months.  

Luke did not record how long Mary was in Bethlehem before giving birth to
Jesus. He simply stated that the birth took place while they were there.
Later Luke affirmed that Mary subsequently gave birth to other children.
Jesus was her eldest or firstborn. If Luke had meant to state that Jesus
was an only child, he would have described Him as only-born rather than
firstborn.

Why did Joseph and Mary make that long journey to Bethlehem? Because
Caesar had issued an edict. All were to be registered so that Caesar
Augustus would know how many subjects he had to tax. Palestine had
previously been excluded from the Roman census, because Jews were exempt
from serving in the Roman Army.  Why did Caesar do it? Matthew answered
the question. He said this thing happened in fulfillment of prophecy and
so under the government of God. That prophecy declared that this Man
Jesus to be born in Bethlehem "shall be great unto the ends of the
earth." Caesar Augustus thought he had gained mastery of the world, but
he never had. Tabernacling in the womb of Mary was the One who is to have
world rule. Those were the earthly conditions, seen in the light of the
heavenly economy. When they arrived, the stupendous event transpired. The
greatest news story ever told.

Joseph and Mary arrived late at the inn; others arrived there first, and
got the good rooms. First come, first served. There was no room in the
inn when Joseph and Mary went to the door; it was already filled. How is
your heart? With what had it been filled before Christ came? We do not
mean to be irreverent, or irreligious-but is there so much in your heart
and mind that Christ cannot get in? Be honest; How much room do we allow
Him in the inmost chamber of our living? Do we plead, "but I have so many
other things to do"? Other things that got there first?

It was in the manger of an inn because nobody knew they were coming. If
the inn-keeper had known it, he would have saved a room. If only he had
know about the Son of God waiting to be born! He didn't know-but we do.
We know that God waits for us, reaches for us, longs for us to give Him
room. But do we give Him room? 
That is the great plea of Christmas: "Make room for Jesus! Clean out of
your heart the things that relegate Him to second place, to a manger.
Christ is coming: be ready for Him."     
God Chose the stable because those who were most in need of Him were the
most likely to come there---not to the rooms in the inn!

Mary and Joseph found refuge there. And in such a humble setting, Jesus
was born. What a contrast to the emperor's rich palaces were the humble
setting in which the King of kings and Lord of lords was born to the
virgin Mary.

The interpretation is consistent with the life and teachings of Jesus. In
Mark 10:45 He said that He had not come to be served but to serve. He saw
Himself as the Suffering Servant of Isa. 53. His death was the ultimate
humbling of the Servant. In John 13:1-16 Jesus also taught His disciples
that they too were to live humble lives of service to others. One meaning
of the humble circumstances of Jesus' birth is the challenge for us to be
humble servants of our Lord. 

The first public announcement of Jesus' birth was made by an angel to
shepherds. The angel told them that he had come to tell them good news of
great joy for all people. He called the new child Savior, Christ, and
Lord. A heavenly choir announced that His coming would mean glory in
heaven and peace one earth to those who receive God's favor.   

2. PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 8-14.
In Vs. 11 we have the only place in the N.T. where the exact phrase
"Christ the Lord" is found. In Vs. 14 we have the first Doxology of the
Gospel.
In the fields of Judea were certain shepherds, watching over flocks of
sheep designated as temple sacrifices. As shepherds, they represented the
lowliest of folk. Not to kings, or wise men or lords of the Empire came
this word, but to the lowliest of the lowly, that in the city where David
long ago had been born was come another greater than David. To you,
shepherds, is born this day a Savior. No doubt, the message came to the
shepherds, rather than to others, because they were ready to believe it
while the religious leaders of Jerusalem as well as Herod, were not. The
word "Lord" in Vs. 15 in the Greek here stands for the Hebrew word "The
Messiah, the Anointed One," and was understood by every Jew to be the
Great Deliverer promised to Israel by God. 

Martin Luther comments: "He (the angel) does not say simply, Christ is
born, but to you He is born; neither does he say, I bring glad tidings,
but to you I bring glad tidings of great joy. Furthermore, this joy was
not to remain in them, but it was to be to all the people. 

To the lowly, the needy, He came. To those who needed Him most. To those
filled with fear (the shepherds were "sore afraid"), with the sadness and
near despair, He came. And this was the good tidings: "For unto you is
born this day...a Savior...The Messiah! The Christ! Jesus did not
suddenly become Savior on the cross; He was born Savior at Bethlehem! "He
was born, not to make a holiday, but to save the world." "Good will
toward men" might better be "Peace toward men on whom God's sovereign
pleasure rests." God's peace is not a reward for those who have good
will, but a gracious gift to those who are the objects of "God's good
will." 

Before the shepherds had a chance to speak a word, the heavenly host of
angels burst into song: It is the immortal Gloria in Excelsus, the glory
song. Glory to God in the highest. That is the meaning of the coming of
this Child. That is the meaning of this Savior, Christ, Lord. Glory to
God in the highest. That phrase, "in the highest," does not mean in the
highest degree. It means above. It is a word descriptive of heaven, the
dwelling place of God.  

Some think Christ was born to bring peace miraculously. That is not so.
He has been with us nearly two thousand years, and peace is not yet. For
peace comes not by way of miracle, not by divine fiat of God, but through
Christian suffering and witness. We have badly misinterpreted the
words,"...and on earth peace, good will toward men." This does not mean
that peace will come through any shallow, sentimental "good will"
expressed only at Christmas; it will come through the efforts of men "in
whom God is well pleased"-through men who will give up all to follow Him
and do His will. God has good will toward all men, but men must return it
in kind, and love all men every day and in every situation, as Christ
loved them. 

Men have "prayed" for peace too often in a manner of which they should be
ashamed. They have asked for a miracle while refusing to love as God and
Christ asked them to love. They have talked blithely about Christ being
the hope of the world, the Prince of Peace---while they gave more to war
in one day than they gave to the churches in a year! Caesar is still
here; we still give him much that belongs to God. Peace will never come
until the allegiance of men is shifted to God. Peace will never come
through unregenerate, unsaved men. 

3. PLEASE READ LUKE 2: 15 AND 20. 

The going of the shepherds from the manger was as important as their
coming, for they were bearers of the good news, once they had seen the
Child. They went back to their own country, after their night of
splendor. The shepherds "returned."

After the splendor of Christmas day, we all go back to life as it has
always been. We have given and received our gifts...but how few of us
take Christ back with us! How few "make known abroad" the deep spiritual
meaning which Christmas holds for us on His natal day! How many of us
fail to take His gleam in to the gray days, once the golden day is
passed!

"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God...."
They did this because they knew what had happened! A Savior had
come-their Savior. After all the long dark years of travail and
expectancy and continued waiting, the weary world at last had its savior.
"Unto you is born this day...a Savior." The world did not want an
advisor. The world had advised itself almost into hell. The world did not
ask for a speculator. Everything that man could do had been done, and men
sat down in the darkness of their own wisdom. The world did not want a
reformer, a man who could change his outward and transient relations, an
engineer who would continually devote his time, (for appropriate
remuneration) to the readjustment of the wheels and the pulleys and the
various other mechanical forces of society. The world wanted a Savior. 

"Savior" is a pathetic name. It is not an official title; it is not an
image you could robe in scarlet, and bow down before on account of its
majesty and haughtiness; "Savior" is an angel with tears in his eyes;
with arms mighty as the lightning's of God, but a heart all tenderness.
"Savior" is a complex word. It has in it all human nature, all divine
nature, all the past of history, all the possibility of prophecy, all the
mystery of apocalypse; the tenderness outvying the love of women, the
majesty humbling the haughtiness of kings." 
That kind of Savior the world wanted; that kind of Savior the world got.
And the shepherds knew it, and thanked God. Vs. 11 is the only place in
the gospels where Christ is referred to as "Savior." The other is in John
4: 42 where the men of Sychar confess Him as the "Savior of the world."  
 

Two thirds of the people of the earth will have no Christmas this year
because they know nothing about it. Although the Christian church has
celebrated Christmas for more than l800 years-observance beginning in the
second century-there still remain vast areas where not even the name of
the Christ Child has yet penetrated. More than one billion people have
never heard the Christmas story.  

They are no better off than if He had never come-unless we tell them this
glorious story. They are as lost as the people were upon the day before
Jesus was born. They are as hopeless as people were then. If they have
ever heard of God at all, He has not been revealed to them as their
Father. They do not know the glorious certainty of the resurrection, and
they lay their dead away without hope or with a false hope. If they have
heard of God at all, they do not know that he loves them so much that he
gave His only Son that they might have eternal life. Oh, the world needs
a Savior now as it did then.   

The feelings of the Son of God when he was down here was, "they did not
want Him." He had come to save men, and they did not want to be saved. He
had come to lift men up, and they did not want to be lifted up. There was
no room for Him in this world then and there is not room for Him now. The
only place there was room for Him was on the cross. 

Yet man's nature is completed only when he knows Christ. How many
millions of people walk the streets of our cities who have no joy, no
hope, and no fellowship with God. The shepherds on the plains of
Bethlehem experienced something that day more satisfying and abiding than
even the most learned professors in a university could ever know apart
from the Lord Jesus Christ. 

And even the "Christian" world has not fully accepted Him. The principles
He taught, which long ago would have brought all the world to salvation
and to peace, we have neglected or ignored. His command to take this
Gospel to all the world we have failed to obey. And the result is that
after these nearly two thousand years, the world still needs a Savior.
God did His part. When will we do ours?

It is not enough to prepare your home and your pantry for Christmas. "Let
every heart prepare Him room."  

NEXT SUNDAY WE LOOK AT THE EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF JESUS WHEN HE WAS FIRST
TAKEN TO THE TEMPLE AS A BABY. LUKE 2: 22-38.                            
        A.V. DAUGHERTY   12-17-00
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