Peace, Goodwill to Men, Luke 2:1-14 (Hope in a Manger, pt. 3)

Peace, Goodwill to Men, Luke 2:1-14 (Hope in a Manger, pt. 3)

Introduction: Thank you, Ms. Nancy, for singing that beautiful song. You know, songs like O Holy Night& Silent Night set our imaginations on fire & make us think that the night of Jesus’ birth was peaceful & serene. Have you had the experience of imagining something to be one way, and then discovering that your experience didn’t match your expectation? E.g., whatever it was that I expected, it didn’t match my experience.

We often imagine the night of Jesus’ birth to be a very peaceful & serene scene. Artistic renderings & live depictions show Jesus’ nativity as a scene of peace & tranquility- animals standing around, angels singing "Peace on Earth," & quiet shepherds showing up to see the baby Jesus.

But when Jesus was born, it was anything but peaceful & serene. The little town of Bethlehem was bustling with activity. Native citizens poured into Bethlehem to sign a census. All the guest rooms & lodging places were packed. Mary and Joseph stayed in either the lower level of a home, or in a cave. Farm animals are not quiet, neither are tourists or soldiers, & Bethlehem was full of all of that- like the worst Black Friday we could imagine, with all the sights, sounds, & smells of an overcrowded ancient village. Add on top of that a young woman giving birth for the 1st time. Peaceful it ain’t.

Imagine that scene as we read Luke 2:1-7, 1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. 3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 4 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, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. 7 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.

Despite our imaginations and depictions about the birth of Christ, it was anything but peaceful. Our first clue to the true state of things is in vss. 1-3 with a decree from Caesar Augustus. Caesar brought peace, but it was peace that came by force.

1. A Peace that comes by FORCE, Vss. 1-5

If you aren’t up on your Roman history, let me tell you a little bit about Caesar Augustus. Augustus is the emperor that ushered in the Golden Age of Rome, the era known as the Pax Romana, i.e. the peace of Rome. Augustus’ real name was Gaius Octavian, the grandnephew of Julius Caesar. Julius was 1/3 of the 1stRoman Triumvirate, along with Crassus & Pompey. Pompey was the Roman general that conquered Syria & Palestine as part of the Eastern Settlement of the empire in 63-64 BC.

Julius & Pompey fought a civil war against one another, Pompey died, & Julius was declared the dictator of Rome. He was murdered by members of the Roman senate in 44 BC (et’tu Brute?). Octavian & Mark Antony defeated Julius’ assassins in the battle of Philippi, then fought with each other for power. Octavian had command of Italy & the western empire; Antony had control in the East (that he shared with his girl Cleopatra of Egypt). Antony & Cleopatra were defeated in the battle of Actium & committed suicide. Octavian was left in charge, given the honorific title of “Augustus,” & that was the start of Roman Imperialism.

Octavian’s rise to power ended the civil wars & brought security & economic prosperity to the empire, i.e. he brought peace.He was hailed as a “savior” & was even called the “son of god”because he had been adopted by Julius, who was deified after his death. The motto of the day was “Caesar is Lord,” & it was treason to call anyone else that.

So, Rome brought peace, but it was wrapped in a sheath. Whenever a Roman general came to the border of another country, he would hail that place with “Good news!” & offer them peace & security. It was like the mafia coming to a mom & pop store & offering them protection at a price. How do you keep the peace? You keep people under your thumb, putting them in social casts they can’t get out of. 10% of the people had 90% of the money; 90% of the people lived in squalor, taxed by the rich.

So that’s how we have this story of these 2 poor people, traveling from where they live (Nazareth) to where Joseph came from (Bethlehem). More than likely his family had been run off from their land or taxed so heavily they couldn’t keep it. That may be why he lived in Nazareth. The peace of Rome came by force, in our text it’s juxtaposed against another announcement of peace, one that comes by favor.

2. A Peace that comes by FAVOR, Vss. 8-14

Luke 2:8-14, Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 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. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

In the same country- means that these shepherds were living in the fields near Bethlehem keeping watch over their flocks. Vincent’s Word Studies - (keeping watch) “is a play on words: watching watches. There was near Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, a tower known as Migdal Eder, or the watchtower of the flock… the station where shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrifice in the temple.

Migdal Eder ("Tower of the Flock")- mentioned in Genesis where Jacob camped after Rachel's death, “beyond the tower of Eder” near Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 is well known for prophesying the birth of Christ, But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.

Most don’t know that Micah also connects the birth to Migdal Eder, Micah 4:8, And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. It is highly significant that this area used for raising lambs for Temple sacrifice would be the place to announce the birth of Jesus, who is the “Lamb of God.”

In Luke, this is now the 3rdtime that an angel has announced a birth: 1stZechariah, 2nd Mary, 3rd, Shepherds. And what does the angel say? I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. Good tidings- proclaim good news; Great joy- Joy (emotion of great happiness); Great (megas); A Message of Mega Joy for all humanity:

A Savior, not Augustus but Jesus (what his name means); Luke 1:31, And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus (which means Savior, Matt 1:21)

A Lord, not Caesar but Christ (God’s chosen one); 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David

A King, not in royal robes but in swaddling clothes, not sitting on a throne but lying in a manger; . 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Like a Roman General announcing his invasion backed by an army, an angelic army shows up with the Angel of the Lord. A multitude of heavenly hosts. Host- army. Wycliffe- heavenly knighthood. Tyndale- heavenly soldiers. Bengel- “Here the army announces peace”.

Rome pronounced “Good News” when they invaded a nation, & angels announced the Good News that heaven has invaded earth. The angel mimics Rome’s words, but Rome cannot mimic God’s works. The literal rendering of Vs. 14 says- Glory in the highest to God, & upon earth peace toward men of goodwill (or, on those whom His favor rests).

This message is not words about peace; it’s the work of real peace. Real peace is possible, but not peace that comes by force. Real peace comes by God’s favor. You can only receive real peace by faith.

3. A Peace that comes by FAITH, Vss. 6-7.

The hinge between Caesar’s decree & the angel’s announcement is the birth of God’s Son, the Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus bridges the gap between the kind of peace the world has & the kind of peace God offers.

RC Sproul- “This announcement of peace on earth is not the Pax Romana, brought about by imperial decree… This peace is the transcendent peace which brings an end to the conflict between men and God. To those who hear the message of the coming of the Messiah, the war is over. Peace has become incarnated in the Prince of Peace, who came to reconcile us with God.”

The world has a kind of peace, but it’s a forced peace, it’s a false peace. The world’s peace is the kind you get by a false sense of security or that you cover over with prosperity.

It’s the kind of peace people look for at the bottom of a bottle or end of a syringe. It’s the kind of peace that people search for in a series of broken relationships, trying to find someone who can make them feel whole.

There’s only one person who can do that, and it’s Jesus- if there’s No Jesus, there’s No peace. But if you KNOW Jesus, you KNOW peace. The world does have a peace, but it pales in comparison to the peace that comes through Jesus. John 14:27, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The kind of peace that Jesus gives does not mean the absence of trouble but the presence of His Spirit. It does not mean a lack of fear but leverages faith in Jesus into future hope. Romans 5:1-2, 1Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

There is a peace that the world offers and there is a peace that God offers. You can receive God’s peace by putting your faith in His Son Jesus, the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. John 8:12, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.

Jesus is the Light of the World; He is the Light of Life. If you do not know Jesus, our prayer for you is that the Light of Jesus will shine in the darkness of your heart. We’re not having a formal invitation. If the Lord is calling you today, I’ll be in the back after service and available for you.

What we’re going to do now is recognize Jesus as the Light of the World, the Light of Life. The Light for us to receive and share with others. I’ve asked all our staff to join me down front to share the light of Christmas with you.

Let me introduce them all, we will light our candles, then we will share the light with you. As each one receives the light, please share it with someone else- saying Jesus is the Light of the World.

When everyone’s candles are lit, we will sing Silent Night to conclude our service.