The Birth of Jesus: Retold

Introduction

People were made to be story-tellers. Some are better at it than others, but everyone loves to tell a good story. It’s part of being human. Dogs don’t do it. Cats don’t do it. Gorillas don’t do it. Only human beings tell stories. And there are some that are worth telling over and over again.

I had a bunk mate in basic whose name was Havrey. One day he got sick and had to go to the infirmary. When he got back he had to tell us the story of what happened. He was in the waiting room for quite some time, when suddenly a name was called. “Harvey! Harvey!” They called it over and over again and no one got up. Finally he decided to get up. He had experienced many times people misreading his name as Harvey instead of Havrey. So he asked, “Are you sure that isn’t Havrey?” “Private! I know how to read!” So he sat back down. After a few more calls of Harvey, the nurse looked down at the file, and suddenly called out “Havrey! Havrey!” He loved to tell that story. In the few weeks of basic I probably heard it nearly a half dozen times.

Good stories require repeating. I’m not one to reread books generally. But I do rewatch movies and shows. I can’t get through the Christmas season hardly without seeing It’s a Wonderful Life. It ends the exact same way every time and yet I love it!

Preaching every Christmas can get difficult. A preacher is preaching on the same subject that every other preacher in the world is. Christians everywhere practically know this story by heart. I was talking about this with Bruce a couple of weeks ago. And he reminded me that I ought not feel anxious about preaching Christmas messages because everyone loves to hear the story of Christmas over and over again. Last week, I was listening to a podcast that said the same thing. The birth of Jesus is something to retell year after year. It was even retold multiple times during the actual birth. That’s what we are looking at this morning.

Two weeks ago we saw the birth of Jesus foretold. Last week, we saw the birth of Jesus extolled, and today we see the birth of Jesus retold in five different parts or forms. First it came in the form of an emperor’s declaration. Second it came in the form of an angel’s proclamation. The third form came from the shepherd’s information. The fourth was Mary’s Preservation. And the fifth and final form was God’s glorification.

The Emperor’s Declaration

Part one of this retelling of the Christmas story comes in the form of the emperor’s declaration.

Luke 2:1–3 ESV

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town.

Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. In his will, he adopted his great nephew Octavius who would later be called Augustus. Through various battles, Octavius was able to become the sole Emperor, the first official emperor of Rome. Though they Senate was still technically a body of representatives, by the time Augustus secured his power, they were little more than yes-men. By way of wars, setting up a road system, a police/army force, and a new way of taxation, Rome entered into a time known as Pax Romana—Roman Peace. It was during this time that a decree went out for the inhabited world, that is the Roman empire to be registered. It very likely could have been to implement the new taxation, but we aren’t told that in the Bible for sure. And, these registrations could take years to be finished.

This declaration went out while Quirinius was commanding from Syria. Quirinius was in charge of a large portion of the Roman army. He was a rich commander and a mean one. He was not one that anyone would trifle with. Though Luke does not bring up Herod, Matthew does. Herod was a vicious, paranoid king of the Jews. He was friends of Augustus but not Quirinius. At one point, Augustus said of his friend, I’d rather be a Herod’s pig than Herod’s son, a comment aimed at the probability of being a son being killed by his own father.

These were the men in charge at the time of Jesus’s birth. It was because of this emperor’s declaration that Jesus was not born in Nazareth but in Bethlehem. If we are familiar with our Christmas prophecies, then we known that in Micah 5:2, we are told that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. But that does not mean that Joseph or Mary knew that prophecy. Sure, the scribes knew when the magi came, but that’s their job to know. That’s why they were called in. But there is no indication that either Joseph or Mary sought to make their way to Bethlehem on their own. It took an act of the Roman Emperor to move them some 90 miles. Without God’s use of the emperor’s declaration, the prophecy would have gone unfulfilled.

Read what happened as a result of the emperor’s declaration:

Luke 2:4–7 ESV

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, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

This is the part of the story that we tend to misunderstand, I think. First, it is very likely that the reason Joseph had to return to Bethlehem was not only was he born there, but that he had property there. While the Bible doesn’t say this, history tells us that this is generally the reason why people had to move around to be registered. Usually, people could be registered in the place they currently resided. However, if they owned land elsewhere, they’d have to go and register in that town.

We also tend to think of inns like we have now. Maybe not as fancy, but a business in which rooms were rented out. Those existed, but the word that is translated in, simply means room. When Jesus had his disciples prepare the last Passover meal that he would eat, he had them do it in the upper room. That’s the same word as used here for inn. So it probably wasn’t that Joseph and Mary were turned away from a motel in Bethlehem, but as Luke stated, there was no place for them to have a baby in the room. In other words, there wasn’t enough space.

Think of it. Joseph and Mary could have been in the comfort of their own home in Nazareth. They could have had all the space they needed, surrounded by friends and family. Instead, they traveled to Bethlehem, and had to have Jesus out in a cave and lay him in a feeding trough. What a story to tell their friends when they got back! That would be a story to tell and retell and tell again! And it all happened because of the emperor’s declaration.

It reminds me a lot of what happened in the early church. You may be familiar with the final orders of Jesus in

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Yet what we find is that the early church stayed in Jerusalem until Stephen was martyred and Saul began his persecution upon the Christians.

Acts 8:1 ESV

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Let us never underestimate what God can and will do through those in power to bring about his glorious will. There are some here that may be concerned about what will happen with the new administration coming into office. Some were concerned about the administration that was coming into office four years ago and are now leaving office in the next month. Let us never underestimate what God can and will do during this time. And let us not be concerned if we never hear or see anything we may consider good. The only reason we have the information of Mary and Joseph having Jesus in Bethlehem due to Caesar’s decree is because Luke tells us. You won’t find this information in other history books. You’ll find Augustus and his registrations and censuses and Quirinius and his commanding, and Herod and his insanity, but it is because of Luke and Matthew that we know how God used it all to bring about the birth of the Son of the Most High.

The Angel’s Proclamation

The first part of the retelling of the birth of Jesus comes in the form of the emperor’s decree. Part two comes in the angel’s proclamation. Joseph and Mary moved into the cave and she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger. No friends. No family. We see this later when the shepherds arrive. It was just Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. No fanfare for the Son of God. Could God enter into this world without a proclamation? If this had been Caesar’s son, there would have been a town crier. Surely, the Son of God deserved no less.

Luke 2:8–12 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Notice that the angel retells the story of the birth of Jesus. The very first “person” who evangelizes is an angel! That’s actually the literal translation. “Fear not, for behold, I evangelize to you great joy!” And this great joy would be for all the people. The question is, who is all “the people.” It isn’t just for all “people” but all “the people.” The angel is very specific. He used the definite article. Commentators differ on their thoughts. Some would say the people of Jesus, the Jews. Others would say that the definite article doesn’t really mean much, and should just be generically thought of as all people. I think the answer lies in the verse we haven’t looked at yet and will look at later. But in verse 14, we find the words, “on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” While peace and joy are not the same thing, they often are found together. When one has joy it is often because they have peace and when one has peace they can rejoice. So “the people,” are the people with whom God is pleased.

But then notice that it is not just that joy will be for all the people, but the reason. There is that word “for” again. Remember that gift I gave to you a couple of weeks ago? The gift of because or for. What brings about such joy? A Savior is born who is Christ the Lord. Three titles given: Savior, Christ, Lord.

Savior - the deliverer that the people needed so desperately.

Christ - the God-Anointed King of Israel

Lord - Yahweh in the flesh! Emmanuel, God with us!

He was born in the city of David, Bethlehem. Just as the prophecy foretold. That wasn’t the angel’s point, mind you. He wasn’t alluding to the prophecy. The shepherds probably had less of a chance of knowing that prophecy than Joseph or Mary. It was simply the Birth of Jesus Retold by the angel. And the angel then gave a sign. The shepherds would find him wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. That’s exactly what happened!

Beloved, we live in a world that celebrates Christmas as an idea, but not as a reality. This goes for Christians as well as non-Christians. As Christians we know that the season is not about the lights, the gifts, the dinners and parties. It’s about the birth of Jesus. The secular world doesn’t give two thoughts about Jesus. They don’t know who he is. They don’t know the joy that he can bring—joy that lasts longer than a winter season. But here is the thing. There are no angels to declare the joy of Christmas anymore. There are angels, yes. But the baton has been passed to us. We declare the joy of Christmas.

But how do we do that if we don’t see the joy in it? I suspect that many Christian (and I am not excluding myself) understand that Christmas is about Jesus’s birth. But we don’t take it much further than that. We don’t stop to think about those three titles and what they mean for us today. He is our Savior. Not just for eternal life in the future, but he is our Savior now. Jesus came that we would have life and have it abundantly. He is our Christ. He is our King. He rules our lives day in and day out. He is on his throne and come what may, he will never be dethroned. We wait eagerly for him to make his enemies a footstool. He is Lord. He is God with us. He never leaves us and never forsakes us. He puts his Spirit in us to bring us all the way home. It is not simply that some baby named Jesus was born and that event is celebrated every 25th of December. It is that our Savior, our King, our Immanuel came to dwell among us so that we could dwell with him.

The Shepherds’ Information

The first part of the Birth of Jesus Retold comes in the form of an emperor’s declaration. The second in the form of an angel’s proclamation. Now we come to the third part of the Birth of Jesus Retold. It comes in the form of the shepherds’ information.

Luke 2:15–18 ESV

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.

Like Mary, making haste to see Elizabeth, so the shepherds make haste to find Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. In their conversation, they actually show their faith. They speak of the event as an actual event. It is something that has happened. There’s no doubt that it did. And they show their faith in acknowledging where their information came from. The Lord made it known to them. But I go back to the words “with haste” in verse 16. It’s the same word that was used with Mary. It’s the act of faith. We could even say it is the obedience of faith. It would be clear that Mary or the shepherds did not believe what they were told if they had stayed where they were. Faith is what acts, unbelief remains stagnant. This is why the writer of Hebrews defined faith as

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

To say that faith is the assurance, is to say that faith is hoping by its very nature. But it is also a conviction, a proof of a deed or a thing not yet seen with the eyes. So if I were to say I have faith that God will do as he promised or as he revealed, then someone has the right to come to me and say, “Prove it.” Words are cheap. They’re easy to say. Faith isn’t about words; it’s about action. That’s why we see all through Hebrews 11, proofs of faith. Abel offered (action) to God a better sacrifice. Noah built (action) an ark. Abraham left (action) Ur. And the list goes on and on.

By faith Mary made haste to Elizabeth. By faith the Shepherds went to find Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. And their faith was rewarded. There they found him just as it was told them. This was a life changing event. They could not keep it to themselves. They had to share. With whom? Who knows exactly. Stop and think for a second. The shepherds are the ones retelling the story. So the “all” in verse 18 doesn’t include them. By verse 19, we have Mary doing her own thing with the information, so she’s not included with the “all” either. That leaves Joseph. One man does not equal an all. So they either told people as they were going what had happened or they told people walking by as they were meeting the newborn king or some other way. What we know is that they too had a story to tell. It was the Birth of Jesus Retold by the shepherds.

The response was one of marvel. All who heard the shepherds’ information wondered. They marveled over it. Shepherds were the dregs of society. No one liked them. No one trusted them. They were so untrustworthy that they could not even be called in to be witnesses in a court of law. Many then ask, why would God reveal such marvelous news to those who were most untrustworthy, those who were of such humble estate. That’s what God does. Remember the Magnificat from last week?

Luke 1:52 ESV

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

Beloved, let us be careful that we do not prejudge people based on who they are or what they’ve done. Let us not prejudge believing we know who should hear the good news and who should not, who will accept by faith what is said and who won’t. Let us follow in the steps of God and reveal it to the lowly. Let us be like the shepherds and inform whomever will listen.

Mary’s Preservation

The first part of The Birth of Jesus Retold came in the form of an emperor’s declaration. The second came in the form of an angel’s proclamation. The third came when the shepherds shared their information. And while everyone else marveled. We see in verse 19 that Mary responded differently. The fourth prat of the Birth of Jesus Retold came in the form of Mary’s Preservation.

Luke 2:19 ESV

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.

She treasured all these things. She preserved them. She kept them from harm. No one would ever be able to take these precious moments, these precious memories away from her. She and Joseph were not alone in this moment. The Savior though born in obscurity, actually had his birth announced by the very angels of heaven. That is worth preserving in the heart. But she went further. She pondered them as well. That word for ponder literally means to converse. She conversed with herself all these things. Surely we understand this. We’ve probably all been there. Something major happens in our lives. We try and take in everything about that moment. And we review the details. We whisper to ourselves how amazing that moment was. We rehearse that story in our minds so that we can get every detail exactly as it happened. In other words, we retell what just happened. That’s what Mary was doing.

She was preserving those moments in her life and retelling to herself the Birth of Jesus. Many scholars believe that Mary was the prime source for Luke’s account of Jesus’s birth. And why not? She was there. She was drinking it all in. She had rehearsed, rehashed, and retold the story in her mind over and over again. No one knew it better.

Beloved, as a gospel-believing, Christ-centered church, we must do as Mary has done. Paul told Timothy

2 Timothy 1:14 ESV

By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

While not the same wording as what Mary did with the preservation of the things which happened, it conveys the same idea. The gospel message is always under attack. The very deeds of Christ, from his birth to his ascension are constantly being bombarded from all sides and we as individuals must guard the good deposit within us and we as a body must guard it as well. Let us rehearse, retell the gospel message to ourselves and to each other so that we do not forget it and so that we do not revise it. How easy it is to turn the gospel of God did everything necessary for salvation through Christ to God did the major work and now the rest is up to me. But as Paul warned,

Galatians 1:6–8 ESV

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

God’s Glorification

So we’ve seen four of the five parts of the Birth of Jesus Retold: from an emperor’s declaration to an angel’s proclamation to the shepherd’s information to Mary’s preservation. But we come to the fifth: God’s Glorification. This happens twice in the text. The first was with the angels.

Luke 2:13–14 ESV

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

The Birth of Jesus could not be celebrated rightly, if God did not receive the glory. As great of news as Jesus’s birth was, God was the one who was to receive the glory. As wonderful a joy that it might be to hear the news, that joy must respond in glorifying the Father. As the angel of the Lord finished proclaiming the Savior who is Christ the Lord was born, a whole bunch of other angels gathered around the shepherds and made sure the glory was rightly given to God.

Which the shepherds then followed suit. That’s the second time God was glorified.

Luke 2:20 ESV

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

As Luke wrapped up the Christmas story, he brought out the natural reaction of those whose faith was realized. They went in faith to Bethlehem to find Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Just like the angel said, there they were. What an amazing event! What an amazing story! To God be the glory. And note that’s exactly what the content of the praise was about: all that they heard and saw. God was glorified as they recalled the events of the night.

I don’t typically use the word; in fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever used it before. But this verse is one of the motifs, a recurring theme, throughout Luke’s gospel account. He wrote it or sometime similar to it at various times throughout the account. The last being at the ascension with the disciples.

Luke 24:50–53 ESV

And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

That is the response that we must have when in the presence of Christ. The response of angels, shepherds, and the disciples. A response of worship, praise, glorifying, and blessing. It is when we see him as the angels, shepherds, and the disciples saw him that we can respond in such a way: He is the Savior, Christ the Lord.

Conclusion

As we conclude this passage, having seen the Birth of Jesus Retold in various forms—the form of an emperor’s declaration, an angel’s proclamation, shepherds’ information, Mary’s preservation, and God’s glorification—we have seen, if nothing else, this is a story that begs to be retold. But this is only the beginning of the story. The rest of the story is crucial to who we are in Christ and among each other and who we are in this world. The story of Christ’s death and resurrection and ascension are all stories that need retelling. Let us not grow tired of telling them. Let us not grow weary in hearing them. May this Christmas be a time when the Birth of Jesus is retold time and again and may we rejoice and glorify God is it comes alive in our hearts and souls all over again.