Summary
As required by an imperial census, Joseph travels to his ancestral home of Bethlehem with Mary, who gives birth to JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. More there. Meanwhile, angels announce news of the Messiah’s birth to shepherds, who quickly travel into Bethlehem to see the baby and tell everyone what the angels told them.
Analysis
Anyone who has ever attended, produced, or participated in a Christmas pageant probably knows the basic contours of this story. Several of its details make it even more interesting as a fitting introduction to Jesus, his society, and the contours of Luke’s story.
The census LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. More describes is unknown in other sources, but mention of a different census exists in ancient literature, and the timing of that census does not quite align with what Luke describes. Also it is unlikely that a census would require everyone to return to the places where they grew up or where their extended families reside; that would create a need for mass travel that would severely disrupt the society and economy. Nevertheless, Luke’s brief description of the census reminds readers that Jesus is born during a time of Roman rule and occupation. Rome exerts itself over the region and people’s very selves. While Caesar AugustusRoman emperor at the time of Jesus' birth. More rules the extensive Roman EmpireThe region we today call Palestine and Israel was under Roman rule during the time of Jesus and the early church. The Roman Empire was in its ascendancy during the first century, making it the most powerful political and military force on earth. More and Quirinius governs Syria, God’s Savior nevertheless arrives, in relative obscurity, in out-of-the-way Bethlehem.
Scholars debate where Jesus is born, according to Luke: is it in a crowded “inn” among strangers or a “guest room” in a house owned by Joseph’s family? Either is possible. The presence of a manger suggests that animals are present or nearby, as well. Many homes in Bethlehem were constructed atop natural caves, and some of those caves served as shelters for livestock, so if Mary was among animals, she was not necessarily relegated to a place of less dignity or honor, whether in a private home or some other locale.
In Luke, God chooses shepherds to be among the first witnesses of the Messiah’s birth. Shepherds were no more or no less honorable than other people in the ancient world, as reputations and stereotypes go. The mention of them may recall another person who once tended sheep near Bethlehem, the son of Jesse who became King DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More (1 SamuelThe judge who anointed the first two kings of Israel. More 16:1-13). Jesus, as it will turn out, will be greater than even David, for he is MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified... More and Lord. This, the angels gleefully declare, is at the heart of their “good news of great joy for all the people.”
