Christmas Questions

Luke 2:1-7; 21-24

One of the things I love about Christmas is the wonder of it.

I’m not talking about:

Wondering what your presents may be

Wondering if you’ll have enough money to buy all you want

Wondering if the family will make it

One of the definitions of “wonder” is to feel admiration and amazement; marvel:

This was the response some people had to the shepherds’ story of seeing Christ. Look at 2:18:

And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

It says that Mary herself treasured up all the things the shepherds said and pondered them in her heart (2:18).

Christmas should make us think. Those of us who believe in Christ are making a serious claim. We are telling the world that they need a Savior and that God Himself has come to the earth in human form to be their Savior. If we are going to answer their questions, we should know the story well. This morning I’m going to answer three questions about the birth of Jesus. I pray that this will help you as you tell the story of Jesus to others. Also, I pray it will help to wonder during this season.

1. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem?

A. God revealed his power over political rulers.

Rome ruled over the Jews when Jesus was born. Specifically, Caesar Augustus did. He was the first Emperor of Rome. He took Rome from a Republic to an Empire. He was a powerful man who ruled Rome from 27 BC- 14 AD.

As he died, he said of Rome “I found it of clay, I leave it to you of marble.”

After he died Rome declared him to be a god.

He built Rome on the taxes of the people he conquered. While he was busy building a kingdom for himself God was busy getting the world ready to send the Savior.

Rome was known for building roads. They were building these roads to spread their empire. God had them building these roads at this point in history because He was about to unleash the gospel sending missionaries to all the corners of the earth. The famous roads it built would be used by missionaries to spread the gospel.

But there is even something more impressive God used Caesar for. He used Caesar to fulfill an important prophecy of the Messiah.

Micah 5:2 says that the Savior would come from a city named Bethlehem.

There is a problem. Joseph is from Bethlehem, but he doesn’t live there anymore. He lives in Nazareth. That’s about 85 miles from Bethlehem.

Caesar makes a decree that the Roman Empire should be registered. He wants a census. There were two reasons they did this:

Taxation

To enroll men for military service

Jews were exempt from military service, so this was for the purpose of taxation.

The census required people to return to their hometowns. Joseph is now required to return to his hometown.

Proverbs 21:1 says

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

The power of the Roman Empire could not stop God. In fact, God is using this Empire to accomplish His will.

B. God exalts the humble.

Jesus could have been born anywhere. God decreed it be Bethlehem. Bethlehem was not a big place. It was more like a village. Yet it was the home of the great King David. It would also be the birthplace of King Jesus.

God has exalted this little village. I wasn’t even raised in church and I can remember singing the song:

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in the dark street shineth

The everlasting Light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

The last stanza of the hymn shows that. The writer is asking Jesus to do to us what He has done for Bethlehem:

O holy Child of Bethlehem,

descend to us, we pray;

cast out our sin and enter in;

be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels,

the great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

our Lord Emmanuel!

The coming of Jesus exalts the humble. It makes the small big.

C. God is working in people’s lives.

There is an argument to be made that Mary didn’t have to go. Why did she go?

Perhaps she knew the prophecy.

Perhaps she wanted to be with Joseph. He was her provider and protector. Maybe he insisted she go.

Perhaps she needed a break from Nazareth.

We know there was nasty gossip about Mary. Thirty years after He was born people still threw it in His face (John 8:41).

Mary was in her third trimester. She was showing. People were not buying the idea of a virgin birth.

Leon Morris said “We should perhaps reflect that it was the combination of a decree by the emperor in distant Rome and the gossiping tongues of Nazareth that brought Mary to Bethlehem at just the time to fulfill the prophecy…”

God has a way of getting His people right where they need to be. Christmas reminds us of that.

2. Why was Jesus born of a virgin?

A. To show that only God can save us.

We needed a Savior, but we could not produce our own. This is one of the reasons the virgin birth is important. We can’t compromise on this doctrine.

If a man and a woman can produce one Savior, why couldn’t they produce another?

If a man and a woman can produce one perfect child, why couldn’t they produce another?

The virgin conception of Christ shouts to the world “You can’t save yourselves!”

Christmas is about God giving us something we could not get for ourselves.

Why don’t adults get as many gifts as kids at Christmas?

If we want something, we get it. We have the ability and wherewithal to get what we want.

Kids don’t have jobs.

Kids don’t have cars.

Kids are usually broke.

The gift of a Savior is something we all need.

Salvation cannot be bought.

Salvation cannot be earned.

The only way we get a Savior is if God gives us one. The virgin birth reminds us that salvation is a gift we could not have given ourselves.

B. To produce a perfect man.

Two imperfect people cannot produce a perfect child. Our children are born with a sin nature. The Bible teaches that the sin nature passes through the father.

Romans 5:12 tells us that sin has passed from Adam to all people. Christ had no earthly father. He was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, He had no sin nature.

How do we know people are born with a sin nature?

Do you know anyone who has not sinned? That should be enough.

People watched Jesus closely for thirty years and testified that He never sinned.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says He knew no sin.

Hebrews 4:15 says he was tempted but never sinned.

1 John 3:5 says in him was no sin.

1 Peter 2:22 says He committed no sin and deceit was never found in His mouth.

That’s four different writers.

In John 8:46 Jesus asked the people to show Him a sin He committed. We couldn’t do that. People would have a list a mile long.

Listen to 2 Cor. 5:21

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

On the cross there was a transfer.

Our sins are placed on Christ.

Christ’s righteousness is placed upon us.

God treated Jesus like you deserved to be treated.

God treats you like He treats Jesus.

Our sins are transferred on Christ.

His righteousness is transferred upon us.

You can’t do that with two sinners. The Savior has to be perfect because He is not only dying for your sins, but also living for your righteousness.

C. To represent humanity.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the second Adam. Adam was the original representative of humanity. He blew it. We needed a new representative.

It was important that Jesus be born of the Holy Spirit because the Savior had to be divine. But it was also important He be born of a woman because the Savior also had to be human.

Notice the text says she gave birth. The only thing supernatural about the birth of Jesus was the conception.

Mary had labor pains.

Mary had a natural birth (23).

There were no shortcuts taken by Jesus. He became a person. He was born into a poor family.

There was no halo around His head when He was born. Nothing suggested He was God in the flesh.

In fact:

There was no room in the inn for them.

There was no crib for Him to be laid in.

There were no midwives to help Mary with the child.

She wraps the child herself in swaddling cloths.

Jesus had a normal childhood.

He had brothers and sisters.

His earthly father had a normal job.

He grew up as any first century Jewish child would have.

Until Jesus was age thirty no fuss was made about Him at all.

Jesus got tired.

Jesus got hungry.

Jesus felt pain.

Jesus got thirsty.

Jesus was tempted to sin.

Jesus was loved.

Jesus was hated.

In fact, the Bible calls Jesus our sympathetic High Priest because He can sympathize with the weaknesses of humanity (Hebrews 4:15).

We could never say to Jesus “Lord you don’t know how it is.”

He does know.

3. Why was Jesus brought to the Temple in Jerusalem? (21-24)

A. Before Jesus was taken to Jerusalem He was circumcised.

Jewish boys were circumcised on the eighth day. This was what God commanded (Gen. 17:9-14; Lev. 12:3). There were two purposes:

1) It identified a man as Jewish. It was a physical sign He was in covenant with the God of Israel.

2) It symbolized the need to have sin removed. Because sin passed from the man only men were circumcised.

Jesus wasn’t a sinner, why was He circumcised?

First, because He was a Jewish boy.

Second, He perfectly obeyed the Law.

Jesus was circumcised for the same reason He was baptized. As the representative of humanity, He perfectly obeyed every command.

This is important for the Christian. Some downplay baptism. They ask “If I am already saved why do I need to be baptized?”

If Jesus was baptized, why shouldn’t you be? Are you better than Jesus?

Something else I want to point out. I remember as a young Christian hearing many preachers say “Just one drop of Jesus blood can wash away all your sins.”

I know what they were trying to say but that isn’t the case.

Jesus didn’t bleed to save us. He died to save us.

On the day He was circumcised He shed His first drops of blood. That was not enough to save us. If it where the gospels would be a lot shorter.

He was beaten with a whip- not enough.

He was crowned with thorns- not enough.

He was pierced with spikes- not enough.

The circumcision of Jewish men pointed to the removal of sin that would be accomplished in Christ.

Deut. 30:6- And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

The blood Jesus shed at his circumcision pointed toward that pool of His life’s blood that puddled up under the cross. His sacrifice accomplished the circumcision of heart we all need.

B. Mary went through the process of purification (22-23).

When a woman had a child, she was ceremonially unclean for a period of 40 days. She could not go to Temple or even touch anything set apart for worship.

This doesn’t mean she was a sinner. There was no shame involved in this. It was strictly ceremonial. These were days when Mary would be alone with Jesus. This forty-day period was a type of rest for the mother. Look back at verse 19. During these forty days Mary was likely thinking about all that had been told her about Jesus.

By the angel- Your child will be the Son of God (1:35).

By Elizabeth- You are the mother of my Lord (1:43).

By the Shepherds- Telling of the angels saying, “A Savior has been born!”

C. A price was paid for the birth of Jesus (23-24).

After Mary was purified, she and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple. When a first-born son was born an offering was required. Why?

Initially the first-born sons of the Jews were the priests of the nations. Later God changed this. He made the tribe of Levi the priestly tribe. As a reminder to the people God required that each first-born son be bought back, redeemed, with an offering (Numbers 3:12-13).

The price was five shekels (Numbers 18:15-16).

That wasn’t the only reason they went to the Temple. To complete her purification process Mary had to make a sacrifice at the Temple.

A normal family was required to offer a lamb.

A poor family could offer pigeons or doves (Lev. 12:6).

Mary and Joseph were poor, so they offered the birds.

This was a sin offering. When the Jews offered up animals for sacrifice, they were reminded that the wages of sin is death.

Mary brought those little birds in her hands to the priest.

The birds were killed.

They were killed as a reminder that she was a sinner.

She brought the cheapest offering possible to the Temple that day. But she brought the most valuable as well.

The Lamb of God!

The Only begotten Son of God!

That little baby she held in her hands would be brought again to Jerusalem. On a hill outside Jerusalem, He would be killed for her.

Just as she was there to watch those little birds die, she would be there to watch her Son die. The death of her Son would accomplish more than those little birds.

He would give us:

Forgiveness

Peace with God

Joy in all circumstances.

Here’s another Christmas question for you- Are you saved? Are you forgiven? Have you received the greatest gift?