According to Luke

Introduction

Illustration: For the longest time I used to tease my mother because I was the only one of her children who didn’t have a “baby book” with pictures and keepsakes from the year that I was born. It’s understandable honestly, I was the fourth child, and the more children you have the less time you have to do stuff like scrapbooking. Eventually she did give me a baby book for one of my birthdays, she had the pictures and stuff she just didn’t put it all together. Now my birth wasn’t much of a story. I wasn’t a miracle child, nothing too crazy happened to my mom when she was in labor, so we never really talk about my birth story.

Not every story begins with the birth of the main character. In fact I’d say that most stories don’t. Even biographies often skip the details of a persons birth. When a story does begin with the birth of someone, it’s usually for a reason. Usually because something about the circumstances of their birth are important for us understanding them.

When it comes to Jesus, three out of the four gospels start with the circumstances of His birth. Mark characteristically gets right to the ministry of Jesus with His urgent gospel. John of course takes a more existential approach talking about Jesus being the Word, and the “Word becoming Flesh.” Matthew and Luke both take time to recount the amazing details of Jesus birth. Both of them because they have something important to teach us in the story of Jesus birth. We talked about Matthew’s account last week, specifically what it teaches us about the meaning of Christmas. Well what about Luke’s Gospel? Let’s take a look at His account.

Luke 2:1–20 (CSB)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

Matthew and Luke each have their own emphasis when it comes to telling the story of the birth of Jesus. Matthew is more concerned with the meaning of Jesus birth in salvation history, and His fulfillment of Hebrew Scriptures. Luke on the other hand I would argue focuses more on Jesus as an individual and on His character as a person.

So what does the birth of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel teach us about who Jesus is? Luke teaches us about the humility of Jesus through His humble birth. He could have been born anywhere and in any circumstances but chose poor parents in a cattle stall. We also learn about how Jesus birth foreshadows who He is as being both the shepherd and the lamb that God sent to the world. He also shows us the true glory of Jesus through the announcement to the angels, inspiring in us the reverance and praise due His Name.

The Humility of Jesus Birth

Illustration: Have you ever wondered how the rich and famous people give birth? As someone who has spent a not insignificant amount of time in the maternity ward of a few hospitals, I can tell you that they are not exactly the lap of luxury. Most of us either have to share a room or pay for a walk in closet with a bed in it. Don’t get me started on that terrible chair that folds out to a bed. I still have nightmares about that. So that got me thinking. Surely the Kim Kardashians and Beyonces of the world aren’t going to put up with that, right? Surely there’s somewhere that caters to the rich and famous who are giving birth. Let me tell you about Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angelos. They do have some ordinary rooms available for us ordinary folk, but they also have luxury birthings suites for a small fee of around $3500 dollars american a day (as of the article I found from 2018, so that’s probably higher.) For that fee you get a three bedroom, two bathroom suite with “bath robes, recessed lighting, flat screen TVs, hardwood floors and access to salon services such as haircuts, manicures and pedicures.” Oh, they also come with a personal doula.

I mean, that’s really what you would expect from the birth of someone rich and famous, right? I imagine members of the royal family probably give birth under similar circumstances. The royal treatment it could be called. Now almost 2000 years ago there probably wasn’t quite as much luxury as you’d find today, but you’d have to imagine that a royal birth was as posh as they could manage. There was probably a team of medical experts and/or midwives involved and the queen could likely have asked for any luxury their kingdom had access to.

The thing is, if God had wanted to He could have made sure Jesus was born in the most comfortable and luxurious situation imaginable. I mean, He’s God. We don’t have any choice about where we’re born and under what circumstances we’re born, but He does. So what does it mean that He chose the circumstances that He did? Let’s remind ourselves of those circumstances in verses 4 to 7:

Luke 2:4–7 CSB

Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

No luxury suite. No palace in Jerusalem. No soft crib. No army of midwives. Instead Mary gave birth on a bed of hay and laid her newborn baby inside a stone manger. Old traditions say that this may have been in a cave where animals were kept. More modern scholars say it might have been something like this:

See the animal stall inside the home? It’s possible that’s where Mary gave birth. There was no actual room available for her, so she stayed in someone’s animal stall.

Either way, the point is the same. The one man who had full control over the circumstances of His birth chose to be born in a lowly place. What does that say about Him? It says to us that He is humble. Everything about Jesus’ Birth as a human being tells us this. Jesus, who I will remind you is the Only Son of God who is also God Himself. Who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The name at which every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The Alpha and the Omega, beginning and the end, the Word who was at the beginning and through whom all things were made. That Jesus chose a humble beginning.

Why? Because the things that we fight over and scramble for mean nothing to Him. Riches. Esteem. Luxury. They are the last thing on His mind when He came to earth to save us. And because He wanted to teach us something. He wanted us to be like Him in this way, He wanted us to practice humility. I can say it no better than Paul does in Philippians 2:3-8

Philippians 2:3–8 (CSB)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.

Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity.

And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.

There’s our application of the birth of Jesus. We should be like Him, and put the needs of others above ourselves and put ourselves in a humble frame of mind. Become obedient to the Will of God and love others as He asked us to.

The Foreshadowing in Jesus Birth

Illustration: Good foreshadowing is difficult to pull off. In order to do it well you’ve got to put just enough of a hint that it’s clear you did it on purpose but not too much to give away what is about to happen. One famous example of foreshadowing is from the movie The Shawshank Redemption. In the film at one point the warden is inspecting the room of the main character, who we know is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and he picks up a copy of the Bible. He says to the main character, Andy, that “salvation is found within.” He is of course correct on two levels. For the sake of the movie’s foreshadowing he’s right because as it turns out, Andy had hidden a rock pick in the Bible, which he uses to slowly tunnel his way out of the prison.

In a crafted story like a novel or a movie we call this foreshadowing, because the author who knows what will happen later in the story is leaving hints for their viewer or reader. When it happens in real life we call it prophecy. See throughout the Hebrew Scriptures God did the divine equivalent of “foreshadowing,” where He gave hints about His future plan of salvation. He does a little foreshadowing here in the message from the angels

Luke 2:8–12 CSB

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

So in what way do these passages foreshadow Jesus’ ministry? Well for one, the angel tells the shepherds that Jesus is a savior. This means that He will in some way save the people. The angel also tells them that he will be Messiah and Lord, foreshadowing Jesus’ fulfillment of Hebrew Scriptures and the fact that He is God Himself. The angels calling Him “the Lord” can mean nothing else after all. Yet the foreshadowing I have in mind is a little more obscure but no less intentional. It has to do with the audience itself of this message. Who did the angel appear to, to invite to the birth of Jesus?

Sheperds. This foreshadows Jesus’ mission in two opposite but also both entirely true ways. For one it shows the nature of Jesus as a leader. As it says in Matthew 2:6

Matthew 2:6 (CSB)

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Since we talked about Jesus as a shepherd leader last week I’ll focus on the other part of how this foreshadowns Jesus’ ministry. This is because Jesus is not just the Good Shepherd, He is also as John the Baptist says in John 1:29

John 1:29 CSB

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

I believe the primary reason that God sent the shepherds to the side of the manger when Jesus was born was to show that His beloved son was the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world. That sitting in that manger on the first Christmas night was the one who would pay the ultimate price for our sins so that we don’t have to. Who would become sin for us so that we could become righteous to God.

So what does that mean to all of us? What should we do differently knowing that the shepherds foreshadow the fact that Jesus is the lamb of God? We should do what the Israelites did at the first passover. God instructed them to take the blood of a lamb and spread it on their doorposts as a sign to the angel of death to “pass over” their home, hence the name. For us putting the blood of the lamb on the doorpost is not so literal. Instead Jesus invites us to follow Him and have the blood He paid for us applied to our hearts to give us salvation in Him.

The Glory in Jesus Birth

Illustration: What comes to mind when you think of the word “glory” or the word “glorious”? For whatever reason the word association that happens in my mind is when I hear glorious I think “glorious victory.” Which makes me think of the Olympics. The world’s greatest athletes training with all they have for the shot at winning the gold, and that moment where they stand on that riser and receive their medal and thousands and thousands of people cheer as their national anthem plays. There’s a reason people sacrifice so much of their life and endure so much pain in order togain that medal.

A surprising amount of human effort is put into giving “glory” to those who we feel are worth it. Some earn their glory through feats of strength and athleticism. Other competitions exist where the one deemed most beautiful is given glory. Celebrities for better or worse are given glory for their ability to act, or sing, or some other talent or personality trait that makes them stand out amongst the people.

Now you might be uncomfortable with me using the word “glory” to describe the worth and praise that we give to famous people, but it is technically correct. According to Miriam Webster the definition of glory is “praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent : renown.” It’s just that we’ve used glory so exclusively of Jesus that it seems wrong to use it of someone else. Or maybe that’s just me. In any case we see in Luke’s Account here that while Jesus’ birth is a humble birth, it is not without glory.

Luke 2:13–20 (CSB)

Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

Can you imagine how overwhelming this must have been for these shepherds? They were already afraid when one angel appeared to them. Now there’s a “multitude of the heavenly host.” It’s easy to forget, maybe because most of us only ever see this word at Christmas in this verse, but the word “host” here means army. A multitude of the heavenly army has a different ring to it, doesn’t it. So these surprised shepherds see an army of the heavens, which then begins to sing. Not what you expect from an army that appears, right? Even more unexpected? The words this heavenly army sings.

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!

So a heavenly army singing about peace. But more to the point, glorifying God. Which is really what this whole moment was about. Though Jesus was born in a humble place to humble parents, He is the Messiah and God Himself. Who deserves glory more than Him? So God accomplishes what on the surface seems like a paradox. A birth which is somehow both humble and glorious at the same time. Truly we serve a God who loves a good contrast.

So the shepherds do what the angel told them to do and go to find the baby Jesus. When they do they are amazed at what they see, and report the message from the angels to everyone present. Then what do they do? They leave and glorify and praise God for what they had seen and heard.

The application for the shepherds is the same one extended to us. When we see the glory of Jesus, we must join in glorifying Him. It’s no mistake that the Westminster Catechism says that the meaning of life is to “glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” It’s the reason we were made, and one of the reasons why our rebellion against God is so serious. We’ve violated the whole reason we were created and done the exact opposite of what we were made for. So God is calling us back to Him, and calling us to glorify Him. Jesus was born a humble birth that foreshadowed His death, but also foreshadowed and projected the glory that He truly deserves. That He always deserved, and yet somehow deserves even more now that He has been raised. Remember the Philippians 2 passage we quoted that shows the humility of Jesus? Let’s pick it up at Philippians 2:9-11

Philippians 2:9–11 (CSB)

For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Some day we will all bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord. The goals is to be one who does so out of love and reverance rather than one out of resignation and fear. To bow before Him now and know that when Judgement comes we will stand with Him in glory.

Conclusion

While last week we looked at Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus and what it has to teach us about why we celebrate Christmas, this week we took a look at Luke’s gospel and what it has to teach us about Jesus Himself in the account of His birth. We learned from His birth in the animal stalls and poor parents that He is humble, and that we should be humble in the same way. We learned from His birth being attended by Shepherds that He is both the shepherd King and the Lamb who was slain for our sins, and that if we apply the blood of the atonement to the doorposts of our hearts we can be saved in Him. Finally we learned that Jesus birth was also glorious, and that He deserves all glory, fame, and honour. We should willingly and gladly give Him the glory that He deserves so that we can also be glorified with Him in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Though every year we dedicate a significant amount of time to the celebration of Jesus, let’s not get caught in the trap of confining the meaning of His birth to just a season. Jesus was born in a manger, but then He went on to live and teach and do glorious works. And He went on to die for our sins and be raised on the third day in glorious victory. He is still living now and seated at the right hand of God. He will come again, this time in the splendour and glory that is due His Name. Let us live even now in anticipation of all that day will bring.

Let us pray.