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Luke 2 This Will Be a Sign to You
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into 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 wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7)
On one level, here is a young couple in a difficult situation.
They are forced by the decree of the government to travel during a time
when Mary really should not have been travelling. But it was out of
their control. When the soldiers ordered everyone to return to their
own place of origin, they had no choice but to head for Bethlehem. By
the time they got there, no doubt travelling slowly due to Mary's condition,
it was late and all of the other people coming into the town for the
census had already taken the only available beds in the inn. There was
nothing that they could do. So they found the best shelter they could,
a stable, and there she gave birth, and because there was no bed, they
laid the baby down in a manger. It was not the best of circumstances.
I am sure that Mary never dreamed as a little girl of becoming a mother
in quite this way. Joseph must have been frustrated and angry and feeling
guilty for not providing something better for her, but there was nothing
he could do.
On one level, Mary and Joseph are doing the best they can in a very
difficult situation. But on another level, there is something very different
going on here. For this is not just any baby. It is Jesus, it is the
Son of God. This is the Christ, Messiah, that prophets had foretold,
that Israel had longed for, that would not just be born in the city
of the great king, but would be the King of Kings. This is the opening
act of the greatest scene of history. This is the beginning of the climax,
that starts with God becoming a man so that He can know all of our pain,
and ends with that same God bearing all the pain of the world on the
cross, defeating death and sin and setting us free. This is it! This
is the main event. And I cannot believe that God messed it up. I don't
think that God was up in heaven, scratching His head and saying to Gabriel,
"What do you mean, you forgot to make reservations?" No, hidden
behind the very human situation that Joseph and Mary find themselves
in, is the hand of God. We see it more clearly in the shepherd story.
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
God did not send His messengers to the religious leaders
in Jerusalem to proclaim the birth of Christ . He did not send the angels
to Caesar Augustus in Rome to proclaim the birth of Christ . The angel
of the Lord went to a field outside of Bethlehem and caught the attention
of some shepherds. They weren't really anybody. We don't even know their
names. Here is the most important angelic message in the Bible, "great
joy to all peoples", the birth of the Savior, and the angels give
it to the ancient equivalent of the guy who works the midnight shift
at 7-11! Can you start to see what God is doing here? God is sending
us a very important message through the Christmas story. God wants to
break into our lives. Our ordinary lives filled with ordinary things
and very human mistakes, and turn us into instruments of His glory.
God is not interested in a big show. He doesn't time the angel chorus
so that it will make it into the evening news. God works great things
in the hearts of small, seemingly insignificant people.
"And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in
swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." Not only does God send His
message of love to the unlikely, but He sends it in an unexpected way.
I believe that God is still sending signs. God still allows us to find
Jesus in unexpected places. Whoever would have thought to look for the
Christ in a manger. A manger is just a feeding trough for the donkeys
filled with hay. And yet this is where Jesus was when the shepherds
found Him. Are you looking for Jesus? Would you really like to know
God? You don't need a ticket. You don't have to stand in line. There
is no entrance fee or gift that you need to bring. Just open your heart
to believe that God really does care about you, that this little baby,
born in a stable is the Lord, the Savior, and that you have been invited
to the birth. God would send His message to you too. God would send
you a sign. Be ready for it. Open your heart.
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, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things wich were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. (Luke 2:8-20)
God would do the same thing today. There are brief moments
when the heavens are opened and we see the glory of God breaking into
our normal lives. Now and then we catch a glimpse of the eternal and
like the shepherds we have a choice. We can continue to watch the sheep,
explain to ourselves that we are too busy to get involved in impractical
religious matters. We can shrug off what we have experienced and say
that we just imagined it, or we can recognize that it is God, that this
is what is really important and be set free from our chains. The shepherds
ran as fast as they could into town to look for the babe in the manger.
They left the sheep in the fields and went looking for the Good Shepherd!
Jesus talked in a parable about the man who was digging in a field and
suddenly hit something hard. At first he thought it was a rock but as
he tried to get under it he realized that he had discovered buried treasure.
He got a glimpse of the gold and then quickly covered it back up. This
man ran back home, sold everything he had and bought the land that he
had been digging on. This is the shepherds experience. Who cares about
a few sheep when the Christ has come! What are the priorities in your
life? Would they suddenly change if a choir of angels showed up on the
way home tonight? It would definately get your attention! But how about
the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. What about the gentle guidance
that God gives?
Perhaps the reason why the angels went to the shepherds first was because
they had nothing to lose, no previously held views, no status to protect,
no reason to fear. We will see that when the king, Herod, heard about
Jesus he tried to have all the babies in the area killed. Later the
religious leaders would succeed in killing Jesus Christ. Why were they
so antagonistic towards Him? Because they were holding onto their own
place so tightly. How about you today? Is there anything that you are
holding onto more tightly than Jesus. When the Holy Spirit speaks are
you willing to listen or do you shut your heart?
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. Just
like He sent messages to the shepherds, He still sends messages today.
But there is a big difference, because then the Holy Spirit had yet
to come. Some few people were filled briefly with the Spirit and spoke
the word of God, but now those who have Jesus in their hearts have the
Holy Spirit in them. So we have the privilege to hear from God continually,
if we want to. We can talk to God in prayer and expect an answer. If
we open our ears, and our hearts to Him, He will guide us and comfort
us, and counsel us all through the day. I am not talking about special
people. I am not describing some holy man or prophet. The meaning of
the Christmas story is that God is more concerned with the ordinary
shepherd than the king. More concerned with the very human Mary and
Joseph than with all the holy men of Jerusalem. More concerned with
me and you, and our relationship with Him than anything.
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