Luke 2:1-20 - The Truly Majestic One
Luke 2:1-20 - The Truly Majestic One
Jonathan White
Luke / Luke 2:1–20
Today’s message is about how we should worship and glorify Christ, our majestic Savior, as we reflect on His humble incarnation.
Introduction:
Today’s account is going to include two kings. One king rules one of the largest and most powerful empires in the history of the world. He sits on the throne of the Roman Empire. Caesar Augustus is his name now. He was named Octavian - the great nephew of the famed Julius Caesar. But after Julius Caesar was assassinated and after a series of battles and events, Octavian became king of the empire. After taking over, he was renamed Caesar Augustus which means ‘majestic one.’ It was a title of even more religious authority than political authority. He actually handed over the official ruling powers to the Roman senate, but this move only seemed to solidify his power and influence even further throughout his reign.
The other King has a much different story. Although He is truly the majestic one - meaning He is the one who is eminent and having imposing magnificence - He at this time is born in a humble circumstance. He is born and laid in a manger - or a glorified feeding trough. It appears that these two persons are worlds apart. One seems to have everything while the other doesn’t even have an appropriate sleeping arrangement. Yet, as we are going to see today, things are not always as they seem. This little child lying in a manger is more majestic than meets the eye.
Join me as we read the Scripture for today:
Luke 2:1–3 ESV
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
Luke 2:4–6 ESV
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.
Luke 2:7–8 ESV
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9–10 ESV
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Luke 2:11–12 ESV
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:13–14 ESV
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:15–16 ESV
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
Luke 2:17–19 ESV
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:20 ESV
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
Prayer
Today we are going to address three points regarding Christ’s coming that should lead us to worship Him. The first is:
I. We Should Worship the Truly Majestic One Who Is in a Manger (1-7)
Luke 2:1–3 ESV
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.
At the beginning of our reading we see that a census was decreed by Caesar Augustus. This was important for the Roman Empire as it aided in their taxation and was a mandate and not optional.
Here is the ruler of the Roman Empire decreeing something that is the will of the Ruler of Everything. This king thinks that his decree is from the majestic one. He thinks that he is in charge. Yet, as we will see in this account. He is being used by the true King of Kings to fulfill the prophecies regarding the birth of the Messiah.
You see, the Jews had a unique way of registering compared to the Roman Empire. The rest of the Roman Empire would register where they were. It was a much more straight forward process. But the Jews were organized by families. And these families had been dispersed because of the amount of times they were taken over by outside invaders.
And that brings us to verses 4-5
Luke 2:4 ESV
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
Joseph has to travel all the way from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea because of his lineage. Luke stresses this lineage very strongly here and says that he is of the house and lineage of David. This understanding is incredibly important regarding the Messiah. This 85 mile journey is more than just a formality mandated by an early king who is called the majestic one. This journey is ordered for the truly Majestic One to fulfill prophecies of old.
See one such prophecy regarding Jesus to be born in Bethlehem written over 700 years before His birth:
Micah 5:2 ESV
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
The ancient of days would be brought forth in Bethlehem. This name describing Christ points to His deity my friends. Christ wasn’t created on Christmas. He was begotten and not born. Meaning that He came into this earth as one fully man and fully God. 100% of both. But Jesus Christ is the Ancient of Days - meaning that He has existed for all eternity. He is fully God and has been for all eternity. So don’t miss the beauty of what is happening. God - the same God who has been forever praised in heaven by the angels - is humbling Himself in the form of a baby in order to save the world. Praise be to God for this beautiful truth my friends!
Luke 2:5 ESV
to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
Moving forward we see that Mary goes with him in verse 5. Why Mary went with Joseph has been debated by many theologians over the years. One could speculate that Joseph didn’t want to miss the birth of God-made-flesh. Or Mary wanted to avoid any further ridicule by her town that likely didn’t believe her statement of purity. But we know the main reason is that God was fulfilling the prophesy we just spoke about regarding the Christ-child being born in Bethlehem.
So this couple sets out toward Bethlehem. Note that this young married couple is called betrothed here because Luke stresses the fact that Joseph had not yet known his wife as shown in Matthew 1:25:
Matthew 1:25 ESV
but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
And arriving in Bethlehem we are given two short verses about the birth of Christ.
Luke 2:6–7 ESV
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
It is important to note the humble nature of Christ’s birth in these two verses. I know we have heard that Christ was humbly born before but just think of what is absent from these two verses. There are no angels shouting here (we will see they are somewhere else telling a group of nobodies about Christ’s birth). There is no trumpet blast around this manger. There is no battle cry from heaven or voice of God shuttering the neighborhood of Bethlehem. Instead, this miraculous birth is observed by two peasants chosen by God to deliver the Messiah in a less than ideal environment.
There isn’t even an appropriate place for Mary to give birth. And so the Savior of the world is born in a humble place. We are not told exactly what kind of place this was. But we know it was not the typical style of a guestroom that many would stay in. Many commentators think it was a stable or room that was shared with animals. We are not told for sure. But we are told that the baby Jesus is wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid somewhere. And this somewhere is not typical.
Can you imagine how Caesar Augustus slept? He would have likely slept in a royal palace with soft linens and comfort. Yet, the Truly Majestic One is laid in a glorified feeding trough.
My friends, we should worship this baby in the manger. This is God-made-flesh who has humbled Himself to save the world.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:25
II. We Should Worship the Truly Majestic One Who Is With the Meek (8-14)
When the president of the United States comes to a certain area, there is a lot of thought that goes into who will get to meet him. Usually it is elected officials of the area as well as prominent members of the surrounding society at large. It would be very rare and unlikely that a city would select a group of homeless people and have them be the greeting committee for the president.
Yet that is exactly the way God had His Son greeted on earth.
Luke 2:8 ESV
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Verse 8 introduces us to some shepherds out in the field. These are not the most pleasant people to hang around with. They smell like outside and they smell like sheep. Although David had been a shepherd, by the time of Christ, shepherds were mostly known as outcasts and were seen as unclean. They were in low regard in their society. And here is this group of shepherds keeping watch over their flock at night.
Luke 2:9 ESV
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
Just when it seemed that this account could not get any more ordinary - we have seen two peasants travel and have a baby that they just laid in a feeding trough and then were introduced to a group of smelly shepherds - things change gears quickly with the appearance of an angel of the Lord!
And with this appearance the glory of the Lord shone around them. This glory of the Lord is the shekinah glory of the Lord. This term was formed by Jewish rabbis to describe the brightness of the divine visitation and presence of the Lord on earth. See this in action in the Exodus:
Exodus 14:24–25 ESV
And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
This same powerful presence of God that threw the Egyptians into panic and overwhelmed them was also the same powerful presence that guided the Israelites through the wilderness as a pillar of fire by night and cloud by day (Exodus 13:20-22)
And now we see it envelop these lowly shepherds. And what is their response? The same as the Egyptians and the same as those in Israel.
Luke 2:9–10 ESV
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Verse 9 tells us that they were filled with great fear. Again, this is an appropriate response to the divine presence of God’s glory and has been a continuous theme in Luke’s Gospel!
And after quieting their fears we come to verse 10. The angel brings news that is exactly opposite of fear. This angel brings good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
Theologian Joel Green infers that the shepherds were to trade their great fear for great joy (NICNT p133). Such an amazing paradigm shift here!
This good news that is brought is the Greek word euangelizō (e-von-ga-leeze-o) which means to preach the good news. This is the verb form of the noun which means Gospel. The verb we just mentioned is found 11 times in the Gospels with 10 of them in Luke’s alone!
And this good news - or Gospel - is preached to all the people.
We see that the phrase ‘the people’ is usually stated to refer to the nation of Israel. There is most certainly an inference that Israel is receiving this message first. But Luke implies an extension of this as well. This is good news for the whole world. Salvation is available for all through Jesus Christ. Salvation is for the outcasts. It is for the shepherds and even for the Gentiles - namely us my friends.
We know that salvation is not universal in the sense that all were saved by Christ. Salvation has been offered to all. Christ died for the whole world - John 3:16
John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
But it is only through repentance and faith in Christ that one can be saved - John 14:6
John 14:6 ESV
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
He is the only way for salvation. I pray that all here have put their faith in Jesus Christ. If you haven’t, I would love to talk with you more about what it means to follow Christ. There is no better time than Christmas to start following Christ!
Luke 2:11–12 ESV
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Back to our account we see a sign given that will confirm the angel’s words. In the city of David - Bethlehem - Christ has been born and He will be in a manger dressed in swaddling cloths.
I think it is safe to say that there weren’t a ton of newborn babies laying in a feeding trough that they had to search through before coming to Christ. This was a pretty reliable sign for these shepherds to find!
And we see that this has occured this day - meaning the day the angel speaks is the day Christ is born!
The welcoming committee for Christ is being gathered for his birthday celebration!
But not before an amazing thing happens:
Luke 2:13–14 ESV
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
There is a multitude of the heavenly host - or as we learned last week at our church dinner: an army of angels. And these angels are praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.
This is appropriate because God deserves the highest of glory and praise and honor.
But what about this peace on earth? It is qualified by being only to those with whom He is pleased. This peace spoken of here is synonymous with salvation. And this salvation is only found in those with whom He is pleased. How can we please God? The easy answer here is found in the negative form:
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
This peace from God. This salvation offered. It is offered to all unconditionally. It is most certainly a free gift. It requires not the work of man. But it does require a response and acceptance. It requires both faith and repentance.
For those who have placed their faith and trust in Christ Jesus and turned away from their sins, God’s peaceful salvation is so sweet. May you be reminded of this sweet salvation today. And may you be reminded that Christ has humbled Himself to even save the meek - the outsiders - the lost - the Gentiles - namely us.
Finally, we see that…
Scripture References: Exodus 14:24-25, Exodus 13:20-22, John 3:16, John 14:6, Hebrews 11:6
III. We Should Worship the Truly Majestic One Who Is to be Magnified (15-20)
Luke 2:15–16 ESV
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.
The shepherds do what anyone would do after such an event. They go and check out what they have just been told. Luke relays that they didn’t waste any time. They went with haste and found the Christ-child lying in a manger - just as the angel had spoken.
There is an important theological understanding found in this. God’s Word is inerrant. There is never a time where God says something and it isn’t true. In fact, we hear people ask what God cannot do. And we are told in one instance that God cannot lie.
Hebrews 6:18 (ESV)
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie...
Everything that God says is truth. In the verse we saw in our last point (John 14:6) Jesus Christ stated that He is not only truthful but that He is the truth.
And moving forward we see that just as God had spoken through the angels, the baby is there.
Luke 2:17–19 ESV
And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
And they tell Mary and Joseph what had been revealed to them by the angel concerning the Christ-child.
It appears that when the shepherds arrived there were more people that started gathering around this young couple with a new baby because we are told that all who heard it wondered at the what the shepherds told them. This group of shepherds coming in town must have created at least a small stir in the city.
But Mary treasured up all these things. We see this same terminology in Luke 2:51
Luke 2:51 ESV
And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.
She obviously would have recognized the divine calling of her supernaturally born Son. But it is obvious that she did not fully understand the implications of what this divine calling would entail. Many commentators think that Mary was a source for Luke along the way because of statements such as these which reveal the inner thought processes of Mary.
Finally we come to verse 20:
Luke 2:20 ESV
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
The shepherds responded the way we all should respond to Jesus. They first glorified Him - meaning that they recognized His greatness and recognized that he is the Truly Majestic One. And then they praised Him - which means that they understood His great worth. We praise what find to be worthy of praise. And Christ is more than worthy of all our praise.
Scripture References: Hebrews 6:18, John 14:6, Luke 2:51
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we have seen how the shepherds responded to Christ. They magnified Him with glory and praise. We have seen how the angels have responded to Christ - they magnified Him with glory and praise. But how have you responded to Him? How do you respond to the God who humbled Himself and came down as a baby at Christmas - lived the sinless life that you could not - and took the punishment that you deserved on the cross for your sins? How do you respond to the One who rose three days later and now is at the right hand of the Father in heaven? How do you respond to the One Who is coming again? Yet the next time He comes will be in power and not humility. You will see Him as the recognizable Truly Majestic One. And He will righteously rule and justice will reign.
His second coming is an exciting thing to look forward to - for those who are followers of Christ. But if you have responded without praising and glorifying the Messiah and without faith and repentance, it is a fearful thing to consider.
Caesar Augustus thought he was fine without Christ. He thought he was self-sufficient. In fact, he thought he was like a god.
Friends, if you reject Christ, you have put yourself on Caesar’s throne. You have placed yourself as a god.
But we know from God’s word that there is only One True God. And we know that the One True God will be gloried for all eternity.
I pray that if you have not come to Christ for salvation that you do that today. There is no better time than Christmas to recognize Christ as Lord.
For those of us who are saved and are followers of Christ. Let us rejoice, Church. Christ is born. Salvation has come. Hope is here! And Joy to All the World!
Prayer