The King's Humble Entrance

INTRODUCTION — THE NIGHT PEACE INTERRUPTED A WAR

Every Christmas season, we see lights, hear songs, and feel a kind of softened glow in the air. Even the world—so often cold, divided, and angry—seems to breathe a little easier. But perhaps no moment in modern history captures the unexpected power of Christmas quite like what happened on December 24, 1914.

It was the fifth month of World War I. British and German soldiers were dug into muddy trenches, separated by barbed wire and bodies, surrounded by the sounds of gunfire and explosions. There was no peace; only fear, exhaustion, and cold.

But on Christmas Eve, the British soldiers heard singing from across No Man’s Land.

“Stille Nacht…” “Silent Night…”

The British joined in.

Two enemy armies sang the same hymn across a battlefield.

And then something happened that generals could not have commanded and diplomats could not have negotiated: Soldiers climbed out of their trenches. They shook hands. Exchanged food. Shared photographs. Buried the dead. Some even played soccer.

No war strategy could explain it. No truce had been authorized. It was peace breaking into a place where peace did not belong.

That night became known as The Christmas Truce of 1914, a moment when even hardened soldiers found themselves drawn toward the hope and humility of Christ’s birth.

But here’s the thing: That truce lasted only one night.

The real Christ who stepped into the world brought a peace far deeper, far stronger, far more lasting than soldiers singing across a battlefield.

And Luke 2:1–7 tells us exactly how that peace arrived—not through sentimentality, not through fairy-tale magic, but through real history, real prophecy, real sovereignty, and real humility.

Because if all we have is seasonal emotion, it will fade like the lights in January. But if we have the real Christ, we have an anchor that will hold in any storm.

And that is why we are in a series called Knowing the Real Christ in Christmas.

FROM LUKE 1 TO LUKE 2 — WHEN PROMISE MEETS HISTORY

To understand Luke 2, we must remember what Luke 1 has already established.

Luke opened his Gospel by telling us his goal: “So that you may know the exact truth” (Luke 1:4).

Remember we said that phrase exact truth translates a Greek word meaning stability, security, certainty.

It is the word used for something you can build your life on. Luke is saying: “I'm giving you an historically anchored, theologically rich, divinely orchestrated revelation of the Son of God.”

Luke showed us a righteous but barren couple—Zechariah and Elizabeth—living in days of political darkness and spiritual silence.

God had not spoken for 400 years. Yet when God broke the silence, He did it through a priest chosen by lot (Proverbs 16:33), a barren womb, and an impossible promise.

God wanted Israel—and us—to know: His delays are not denials. His silence is not absence. His promises are certain.

Luke then showed us Mary, a young virgin in Nazareth, hearing Gabriel announce that the Holy Spirit would “overshadow” her (the same word used of the Shekinah glory cloud filling the tabernacle), and that she would bear the Son of the Most High—the eternal Davidic King promised in 2 Samuel 7 and Isaiah 9.

Mary responded, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to Your word.”

Zechariah responded in disbelief. Mary responded in surrender.

Both responses advance God’s plan, because God’s sovereignty does not depend on human perfection.

By the end of Luke 1, Mary, Elizabeth, and Zechariah are singing prophetic songs about God’s mercy, His covenant faithfulness, His rescue from darkness, His promise to send the Sunrise from on high.

That is the setup.

Luke 1 shows us: God keeps His promises, God acts in His time, God raises up a Davidic King, and God comes in mercy to save.

Luke 2 now shows how the promises of Luke 1 enter real human history.

Main Point: The real Christ comes humbly through God’s perfect providence.

As we turn to Luke 2, the camera lens widens:

From the hill country of Judea to the halls of Rome.

From private announcements to public events.

From prophetic songs to the actual birth of the Christ.

Unifying Question: How does the real Christ enter the world, and what does His arrival reveal about God?

We’ll see three truths:

God’s providential plan – He rules history (1–3)

God’s purpose in the ordinary – He works through faithful obedience (4–5)

God’s hope in humility — He saves by going low (6-7)

God’s Providential Plan - He rules history (1-3)

Luke writes: Luke 2:1–3 “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.”

Real Names, Real Rulers, Real History

Luke begins Christmas with names, dates, rulers, political realities, and geography.

That’s because Christianity is not built on “once upon a time,” but on God acting in human space-time history.

Luke’s details remind us that the birth of Jesus is not:

A myth

A legend

A seasonal inspiration

It is a historical invasion of God into the world He made.

“In those days.” — common time marker for historians...

Caesar Augustus was Rome’s first emperor 27 BC- AD 14) —born Octavian, adopted son of Julius Caesar and became the emperor after Julius was assassinated.

The people of his day hailed him as...

Augustus = revered one, as a god would be revered.

“Savior of the world”

“Son of God”

The bringer of the Pax Romana (Roman Peace)

Luke is showing a theological collision:

Rome claimed its emperor brought salvation and peace.

God sent a baby in Bethlehem who would bring the real peace.

“All the world” – the inhabited empire.

Luke is saying: “Put your finger on the timeline. Jesus enters this world—not an imaginary one, but ours.”

This matters because: Christianity does not rest on vague spirituality, But on a real person who experienced real events: God became man at a particular place and time.

An Emperor’s Decree and God’s Deeper Will

This is a fascinating piece of history that shows God’s sovereignty over man and time...I hope you don’t mind a bit of a history lesson here...

Caesar Augustus issues a decree for a registration.

When Luke tells us that “a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered,” he’s describing something every person in the Roman Empire understood.

Augustus had risen to power in 31 B.C. and reorganized the entire empire with a new, systematic census program.

He used these censuses to count the population, determine legal status, measure wealth, and assess taxation across the provinces.

This census in Luke is not the first census.

History tells us that he conducted major censuses in Italy in 28 B.C., 8 B.C., and A.D. 14, and he began a repeating fourteen-year provincial census cycle starting in 8 B.C.

But here’s what many forget: A census of the Roman Empire did not happen in one moment—it took years.

In some regions, like Gaul, one census triggered such resistance that the process dragged on for over 40 years.

So when Luke refers to this decree, he is likely pointing to the census initiated in 8 B.C.—

its implementation rolling out slowly province by province.

By the time it reached Judea, the timing aligned perfectly with Joseph and Mary’s journey, placing Jesus’ birth around 6–4 B.C.

In other words, the census wasn’t a sudden event—it was a massive, years-long imperial procedure.

And God used that slow-moving machine of Roman bureaucracy to move Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem at precisely the right moment.

Additionally, when Luke mentions this census he doesn’t tell us that there had also been a long delay in Judea (Jews) complying with this census.

And that delay makes perfect sense when we understand the political climate.

Herod Tried to Delay the Census

Herod was afraid of both Jews and the Romans.

Augustus had recently rebuked him and treated him like a subject rather than an ally.

At the same time, Herod feared a Jewish uprising...Enforcing a census could ignite rebellion, and Herod knew he was sitting on a powder keg.

So he stalled, hesitated, negotiated, and postponed.

Historically, Herod sent an embassy to Rome seeking to soften or delay the decree.

But ultimately, Augustus insisted—and Herod was forced to comply.

That compliance likely triggered unrest, confusion, and local resistance—explaining the delay between the decree and its implementation reaching Mary and Joseph in Nazareth.

The Theological Significance

And this is where Luke wants us to see God at work.

Herod stalled. The Jews resisted. Rome demanded.

But God had already spoken:

Micah 5:2 NASB95

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

approximately 700 years before Jesus was born...Rome was not even in power then...Assyria was...then came Babylon, Persia, Greece and then Rome.

The census was not the triumph of Caesar’s power— It was the triumph of God’s providence.

700 years of events before he was born, God was working to make sure the Messiah would be born where he was supposed to be born.

From Rome’s perspective the census was to...

Count the people.

Tax the provinces.

Tighten the administrative grip.

From God’s perspective:

Move Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem.

Fulfill the promise of Micah 5:2.

Position the Christ where He’s supposed to appear.

Why Bethlehem?

If Jesus were born anywhere else, he would not have fulfilled this prophesy.

It is David’s hometown...1 Sam 7:12...the birthplace of Israel’s greatest king, the fountain head of the royal line.

Being born here shows Jesus is the true and rightful heir to David’s throne, fulfilling God’s promise to David.

Bethlehem is tiny and obscure and God used it to bypass human pride, exalt the humble places, and to show God’s salvation comes from unexpected places.

Bethlehem means “house of bread.”

How fitting that the Bread of Life would be born there.

Bethlehem was also a shepherding village supplying lambs for temple sacrifice.

How fitting that the Lamb of God—who takes away the sin of the world—would be born there.

Friends what we see here is God using a pagan emperor—who thought he was controlling the world—to fulfill every last detail of His plan.

God works through the free decisions of people, the movements of nations, the timing of events, the delays of governments, and the desires of rulers—without violating their will—to accomplish His eternal purposes.

Nothing in Luke 2 is accidental. No detail is incidental. Every movement is choreographed by the sovereign hand of God.

If God can move an empire to fulfill one prophecy, He can move the circumstances of our life to fulfill His purpose for us.

Transition: Luke starts on the imperial level—Caesar and empire. Now he zooms in: what does this providence look like on the ground, for two ordinary believers?

God’s purpose in the ordinary – He works through faithful obedience (4–5).

Luke 2:4–5 “Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.”

Joseph “went up”—a term used for pilgrimages.

This wasn’t just geography (ascending from Nazareth’s elevation to Bethlehem’s hills).

This was a spiritual ascent into the next chapter of redemptive history.

Joseph is a descendant of David, and according to Jewish law, returning to one’s ancestral town for registration was necessary.

This is covenant language.

God had promised David (2 Sam. 7:12–16): A son from his line, who would have a throne established forever.

The prophets amplified that: Isaiah 9:7 – a child will reign on David’s throne with unending justice and righteousness.

So when Joseph goes to Bethlehem, he is:

Obeying a census decree, and at the same time carrying forward the line through which God will install His eternal King.

Joseph’s obedience gives Jesus His legal right to the Davidic throne.

Mary, meanwhile, walks the long road in real, physical hardship.

No angel appears along the path.

No miracle eases the journey.

Mary living out the “yes” she spoke to God.

By the way, Scripture does not mention she rode on a donkey either as most nativity scenes depict...more than likely she walked beside Joseph, a journey of at approximately 100 miles (85-90 if you cut through Samaria)...a typical day’s journey was about 20 miles depending on terrain and road conditions...at minimum a 3 day trip.

Historically, Rabbis decreed the marriage age for girls was 12, and 13 for boys...Jewish men typically married before reaching 21.

Most likely they were teenagers making this journey.

Both of them displayed a steady, persistent, ordinary faith.

Sometimes walking in God’s will doesn’t feel supernatural—it feels ordinary. But ordinary obedience is often the vehicle of extraordinary providence.

For Joseph and Mary, this is not a “big moment” in the way we often think:

They’re not preaching. They’re not on a mountaintop. They’re not seeing miracles every step.

They’re doing what the law requires. They’re staying together. They’re trusting God in discomfort.

When you:

go to work faithfully

parent with patience

love your spouse sacrificially

pray when you feel nothing

worship when your heart is heavy

…you are walking the same kind of obedience Joseph and Mary walked.

And God accomplishes His purposes through people who simply do the next right thing.

Transition: God’s providence has moved the empire. His purpose has guided this couple’s steps. Now we arrive at the moment when the promised King is actually born—and how He enters tells us volumes about God’s heart.

God’s hope in humility — He saves by going low (6-7)

Luke 2:6–7 “While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

This is the climax of the passage.

The eternal Son of God—the radiance of the Father’s glory, the Word who created the universe, the One whose “goings forth are from everlasting”— is born, not in a palace, but in the lower-level animal room of a crowded home.

“Firstborn” (πρωτότοκος) means more than sequence.

It means status, inheritance, supremacy. He is: the rightful heir of David’s throne

the preeminent One over all creation (Col. 1:15)

the One who will reign forever

Yet His first throne was a stone feeding trough.

Archaeology shows mangers were often carved from limestone, inside homes where animals were kept at night.

This was not charming or rustic. It was loud, dirty, smelly, cramped, and exposed.

This is the beginning of Jesus’ humiliation— a humiliation He willingly embraced (Phil. 2:6–8).

He left heaven’s glory for...

...a manger’s poverty,

...a carpenter’s shop,

...a life of service,

...a ministry among the lowly,

...a cross meant for criminals,

...and a tomb that wasn’t His.

From first breath to last, Jesus identifies with the humble, the poor, the marginalized, the rejected.

And isn’t it something…“There was no room for them.”

No room in comfortable religiosity for a Savior who calls for repentance.

No room in political powers for a King whose kingdom is not of this world.

No room in human hearts that want gifts but not a Lord.

Humanity rejected Him from the moment He arrived.

That rejection climaxed at the cross.

Yet through that rejection, He opened the door of salvation.

He came into a world that had no room for Him—to make room for us in His Father’s house.

LIFE LESSON — Trust God’s plan by following Christ’s humility.

All of this—the emperor, the census, the journey, the manger—shows us how Jesus stepped into history as the promised Messiah and that God rules history, works through the faithful, and graciously saves the humble.

And that leads us to three concrete applications.

1. Trust God’s Plan

When You Can’t See the Pattern, know that God is still working behind the scenes, and has been working for years.

If God can orchestrate: Augustus’ decreed census, Judean resistance, Roman administration, travel routes, Bethlehem’s timing, then He is not confused about your life.

Name the area you fear the most. Speak this truth over it: “Lord, You ruled over Augustus. You rule over this too. Your providence has not failed me. You will not fail me.”

2. Be Faithful in the Ordinary

Most of God’s redemptive work is done through ordinary obedience.

Joseph walked. Mary walked. And prophecy was fulfilled.

What ordinary act of obedience is God calling you to this week? A conversation? A habit? A prayer? A reconciliation? A step of repentance?

Offer it to God.

He uses ordinary faith to write extraordinary stories.

3. Follow Christ Into Humility

The manger is not just where Jesus lay. It is the shape of His entire mission.

Serve someone who can’t repay you.

Let go of the bitterness and forgive those who have hurt you.

Love someone who’s difficult.

Humility isn’t weakness. Humility is Christlikeness.

Jesus humbled Himself to the lowest place— so He could lift us to the highest place.

THE REAL CHRIST OF CHRISTMAS

The Christmas Truce of 1914 shows what can happen when a battlefield hears a whisper of Christ. But Luke 2 tells us what happens when the world receives Christ Himself.

The real Christ is not sentimental. He is not seasonal. He is not fragile.

He is the sovereign Son of David. He is the eternal Son of God. He is the humble Savior of sinners. He is the Lord of history. He is Immanuel—God with us.

This is the real Christ in Christmas.