The Journey to Bethlehem - Luke 2:1-5

Copyright December 1, 2024 By Rev. Bruce Goettsche

The Christmas story is familiar to most people who have grown up in the church. However, frequently among our friends, the story is either not known, or is confused with secular traditions. For example, there are stories about Santa kneeling at the manger, and some people want to know how the elves fit into the Christmas story. (They don’t!). Christmas music is loved, but increasingly, the songs are about family gatherings, red-nosed reindeer, warnings about Santa Claus, and snow-based activities instead of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God.

Our goal every Christmas is to reintroduce the story and spotlight the majesty of the Biblical Christmas story. We desire to give people a reason to look beyond the secular trappings of gift-giving and elaborate decorations to see the true magnificence of the events in Bethlehem in Israel so many years ago.

Today we look at the introduction to the Christmas story or the birth of Christ as we find it in Luke 2:1-5.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 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, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

A Historical Account

The first thing Luke tells us of the story of the birth of Jesus is that this story is anchored in real history. Luke wants us to see at the beginning that what He is writing is not some fantasy or a made-up religion. These things happened at a particular time with real people. The Christmas story does not begin with “once upon a time,” even though some people think of the Christmas story in this way.

The story is placed in the time of the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. This Roman emperor was born Claudius Octavius. He was a faithful military leader who served under Julius Caesar. Julius was also Augustus's great-great uncle. Caesar adopted him in His will. He served with others (including Mark Antony) for a short period and then took sole control of Rome and was widely thought to be the architect of the Roman Empire. He is remembered as a brilliant administrator. He served from 27 BC to AD 14. The Pax Romana (or the peace of Rome), which lasted for 200 years, started because of Casear Augustus. During these years, you could travel around the entire empire on roads that made travel easier. Thanks to Caesar Augustus, the gospel was able to be proclaimed throughout the empire quickly.

The name Augustus means ‘holy’ or ‘revered.’ It was a title that previously had been used only for the gods. Because of the work of Caesar Augustus the Caesar’s started to be viewed as gods. Some Greek cities in Asia Minor adopted his birthday as the first day of the New Year, and hailed him as “savior.”

The Jews did not share this viewpoint. Nor should they. I suspect the people therefore, traveled for the census with a hefty dose of resentment.

The second name mentioned is the name Quirinius. He is called the governor of Syria. We know Quirinius was involved in a census in around 6 AD. He served as the governor of that land from 6-9 AD. The census allowed the Romans to assess taxes and get some facts about the size of the Empire.

However, there is a problem with identifying that census in Luke 2. When Jesus was born, we know Herod the Great was also on the throne. As the census of Luke 2. Herod the Great was a King of Israel; (He is the One the Wise Men talked to.) Augustus was the Emperor, so Herod was subject to Augustus but didn’t like it. Here is why this matters: Herod died around 4-6 BC. The Quirinius census we know about was in 6 AD. Those two dates are incompatible. Because of this, many conclude that Luke must have gotten the chronology wrong.

Let me point out something. The Bible has often been charged with erroneous information that has repeatedly, through archaeological discoveries, been shown to not be in error! So, my bias when I look at “problems” like this is to trust Luke because he is meticulous in the other details of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts (both written by Luke).

Is there a way to possibly reconcile these seemingly contested dates? Three good suggestions have been given. First, the term “governor” was also used as a general term for “ruler.” Quirinius may not yet have been in the office of the Governor, but he may have been an administrator for this earlier census. Second, the text could be read, “This was not the census everyone knew about but instead was an earlier census” (which is why we are told it was the FIRST census). The final suggestion is Quirinius may have served as governor twice.

There is another question that troubles some people, “Why did Mary travel with Joseph?” Most believe only the men were required to return to their ancestral homes. Why would you take a woman who was nine months pregnant on a 80-90 mile trip? Is that an arduous trip? Yes. But I am not troubled by this at all.

It makes sense to me that since Mary and Joseph were both called by God to be parents to the Messiah, I suspect there was no way Joseph was going to allow Mary to face the birth of this child by herself.

It is also “possible” and maybe even likely that Mary came with Joseph so they could have their child without all the clucking tongues that existed in Nazareth. People can do the math. They know this child had to be conceived out of wedlock. It could have even been dangerous for Mary to remain in Nazareth, where she would have been seen as a promiscuous woman. Joseph could be sure she was safe as long as she was with him.

It appears Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem after the birth. Perhaps they had intended all along to move to Bethlehem. (Again, possibly to get away from the gossip).

Does This Have Any Relevance to Us?

These are all the details we learn from the first 5 verses. The question for us this morning is the same question we ask every time we read the Bible: Is there something for us to learn in this straightforward text? I believe the text raises several issues.

First, we see that this is a story about several different Kings all vying for Our Allegiance. The first King was the most powerful ruler on earth at the time, Caesar Augustus. The second King was the King of the Jewish people, Herod the Great, who would do His best to eliminate the child that was born in Bethlehem. The third King in the story is easy to overlook. He is the baby who lay in the manger. He appeared weak and helpless. But, He is the God of creation who had come to redeem rebellious mankind in the person of the Son of God. . . He came to make it possible for us to know Him better and have a close relationship with Him.

I used to wonder who was running the world while Jesus, who is God in human form, was on earth. But, that is where the doctrine of the Trinity fits in. We are taught that God exists in three persons but is one in mind and in purpose (somewhat like how a man and woman are supposed to become one. But the oneness of God is so profound it is unlike anything we can imagine.) So, the Son of God was born in the manger. The Father and the Holy Spirit never lost control of anything.

We need to choose daily which King will get our allegiance. Everywhere we turn, voices are clamoring for our allegiance. Everyone wants our 100% effort: our employer, our coach, our spouse, our classroom teacher, our church, our country. They want to be first the agenda for our lives. We can’t be completely loyal to all of these voices! If we try, we will be run ragged trying to meet the expectations of all these “kings.” We can only choose one King.

Jesus told us to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and the other things would all fall into place.” He also said,

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

When Jesus faced Satan, he responded to him with the words, “You must worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”

Paul wrote in Romans 6,

16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. (Romans 6:16-18)

Eugene Peterson wrote in his classic work, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction,”

Religion in our time has been captured by the tourist mindset. Religion is understood as a visit to an attractive site to be made when we have adequate leisure. For some it is a weekly jaunt to church; for others, occasional visits to special services. Some, with a bent for religious entertainment and sacred diversion, plan their lives around special events like retreats, rallies, and conferences. We go to see a new personality, to hear a new truth, to get a new experience and so somehow expand our otherwise humdrum lives. (p. 16)

It is impossible to give your allegiance to two masters. It can’t be done! Somewhere along the line, you have to choose between the voices. You may think you can give your all to several things, but somewhere their goals and demands will conflict, and you will have to make a choice.

· You may need to choose between your family and the Lord

· Or between your job and your loyalty to Him

· Or there could come a time when you will have to choose between the Lord and your citizenship.

· Or spending time with the Lord or sleeping a little longer

· You may be asked to give up a relationship that is compromising your obedience to Him.

The point is that life is about choices. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem together at a stress-filled time because they believed God was calling them to this task. They put God’s plan first. We must choose to put Him first as well. Then we will serve Him in every area of our lives.

Second, we see that the road to obedience is not smooth. We all want God to just “spit it out” and tell us exactly what we are to do to be in His will. We want a job description, not a call to “Follow Me.” He does not give detailed directions. He calls us to follow Him one day at a time.

The Biblical prophecy in Micah 5:2 said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Everyone figured this would logically mean the child would be from Bethlehem like David was. But God doesn’t always do things in a predictable fashion. Instead, he brings a couple from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the baby is born when they get there, thus fulfilling the prophecy. God does work in mysterious ways. In fact, the whole story is this way. The Son of God is born in a stable rather than an OB Ward. Shepherds come to greet the King rather than the authorities of the day. Rather than create a holiday to commemorate the fulfilled promise, Herod puts out a contract on the new baby.

No one said things would go “as expected” when we choose to follow Christ. Our job is to follow and be prepared for whatever comes.

For Mary and Joseph, this meant traveling 80-90 miles to be registered for a tax that would impact their lives negatively. It meant doing this when Mary was ready to deliver the child God called “God with us” or Emmanuel. It was not an easy trip. As was suggested in the video this morning, I am sure there was significant conversation taking place as they traveled. At times, I suspect they were both frustrated and wondered why this was part of God’s plan. But they understood that their job was to trust God. And that is what they did.

Let me ask you a question: Are you the type of person to address the most challenging things on your to-do list first, or do you put that off until the end? Those who do the challenging things last will likely never get around to those things.

Jesus warns us regularly that following Him will not be easy, and if we are going to follow Him, we should count the cost and be prepared to keep going once we have put our hand on the plow. Joseph and Mary said “Yes” when the Lord called them to do something, and even though it was difficult, they followed through on that yes. And if we are serious about following Jesus, we must keep following even when things get tough.

Finally, God Uses the Bumps of Life to Deepen Our Faith and Our Walk With Him

We’ve talked about this before: as you look back on your life, when did you grow the most? These were undoubtedly the times when we were stretched and put through the crucible. In these times, we learn to see things more clearly. We learn to hold on to Him and not our ability to understand.

James tells us to rejoice when we encounter trials because the trying of our faith develops patience and stability. When we hang on and see God’s faithfulness, it only strengthens us to trust Him more in the future. It’s a simple concept. It is kind of like riding a bike . . . if your mom or dad never let go, you will never learn to find the balance you need to ride. Will you fall a few times? You likely will. However, you will learn to balance better each time, and if you keep going, you will keep riding further until you finally get it and become a bike rider.

Think of all the times Mary and Joseph had to learn to trust. They had to agree to what would be seen as a scandalous pregnancy. Joseph would marry a woman everyone believed had been unfaithful to Him. They had to endure the long and arduous journey to Bethlehem. They had to search for a place to sleep and deliver this child of God in a stable with the animals. They had to leave Bethlehem to go to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod the Great, and Mary had to watch as her son was crucified. It is not an easy journey, but it is a necessary one.

Yet, in all these things, Mary and Joseph were learning to trust the Lord. The hard times force us to choose: will we trust or bail and take a different route?

Conclusion

Christmas is a special time of the year. It is filled with family (and church) traditions. It is far too easy to get caught up in the gift-buying, the gatherings of family and friends, the decorations, and the good feelings of Christmas.

At the beginning of this Christmas season, we must decide that we will see the hand of God extended to us in a remarkable show of love. We need to see the birth of Jesus as God’s provision of a better life. He does not simply want to pay our debt, He wants a relationship with us. The Christmas Story is about lost people finding hope in the gospel.

This Christmas, let me make a few suggestions for you.

1. Make time to read the Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke. Dare to put yourself in the scene and feel Joseph and Mary's apprehension and trust.

2. Ponder how long the Jews had waited for Jesus. Centuries had gone by, but God was faithful in the end. And then consider the things you have been waiting and praying for and remind yourself that God is always good and always faithful. Don’t give up. Keep on praying and trusting!

3. Be alert to the voices calling out to you, asking you to commit your life to them. Is it an athletic program? A job that keeps asking for more time? A hobby that is starting to control your life? Friends that ask you to choose between them and the Lord. Decide NOW that you will seek the Kingdom of God first. If you keep your priorities in order, life will work so much better.

4. As you plan and purchase Christmas gifts this year, deliberately write the name of “Jesus” on your gift-buying list. Consider how you might honor Him this Christmas.

And let me say a word to those going through a crisis this Christmas. It could be a disease, a lay-off, a strained relationship, or the intense loneliness you can feel when all the world is celebrating but you are alone. Remember the example we read this morning. God does not guarantee an easy life – He guarantees that the times of crisis will be redeemed, and you will never truly be alone, for He will walk with you.

There is no way of knowing where the crisis will end or IF it will end. All we know for sure is this: if we keep walking, our final destination will be a time of blessing that will overshadow all the pain. Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem is a message of hope, endurance, and God’s outstanding provision. If we hear it and apply its lessons in our own life, we too will be singing, “Glory to God in the Highest!”