The Saving and Judging Righteousness of God (Romans 3:21–26) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Catholic and New Perspective Views of Justification from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

What is this Word? (Luke 4:31–44) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

In one of Shakespeare’s classics, a character approaches Prince Hamlet, sees a book in his hand, and asks him, “What are you reading?” Hamlet replies somewhat despondently, “Words, words, words.”[1]

While Hamlet was written around 1600, that’s a decent understanding of the bombardment of words in our world. Everyone seems to be speaking; but few actually say anything.

Not all words are created equal. Nor are all speakers. However, occasionally, when something original is said, we slow down. We might even listen. Even more so, when something compelling is said, and flocks of others listen, we’re even more likely to tune in. What is he or she saying? Why is everyone listening? Further, why is everyone doing what he or she says? While words are one thing, authority is quite another.

We find plenty of words in our text in Luke today. However, what’s striking is who or what heeds them. The deafest of ears and the most rebellious seem to have no choice but to obey. Words wed authority.

1. Jesus Speaks with Authority

Last week Pastor Phil opened up the passage about Jesus preaching in the synagogue from the book of Isaiah. The people marveled at His gracious words. Until they didn’t. Then they promptly drove him out of town. In fact, they wanted to throw him off a cliff, but he slips away (v. 30).

After that, verse 31, And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. Capernaum is by the sea, significantly lower in elevation than Nazareth. It seems that the death threats did not deter Jesus. V. 31 continues, and he was teaching them on the Sabbath . . .

There’s some discussion as to whether this text includes multiple Sabbaths or just one. Verse 38 notes that he left the synagogue, attaching the following events to those previous. Verse 40 tells us the time, now when the sun was setting. Verse 42 tells us to change the date on our calendar, And when it was day. Why tell you all that? Because it appears to show this text as one long full day of ministry for Jesus.[2] Alistair Begg calls his sermon on this text, “All in a Day’s Work.”

The day begins with him teaching. Last week’s text noted, as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day (v. 16). Again, the harrowing experience in Nazareth didn’t change his custom in Capernaum. He’s teaching again.

The crowd in Nazareth initially marveled at His words; the initial response here is not much different. V. 32 and they were astonished at his teaching. If you recall the story of 12–year–old Jesus in the temple surrounded by the teachers, this word, “astonished” is the same word Luke uses to describe Joseph and Mary’s response to finding him in the temple.

There were lots of reasons why his parents were astonished, but why were the synagogue–goers in Capernaum? Luke tells us, v. 32, they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.

Authority is going to come back around in this text, in particular regarding Jesus’ word. But here it refers to the authority of His word as He teaches the Scriptures. In this era, as the synagogue teachers taught the Old Testament Scriptures, they would often do so leaning heavily upon tradition.[3] One ancient Rabbi wrote, “I have never in my life said a thing which I did not hear from my teachers.”[4] Week in and week out, most of the teaching in the synagogue would be along those lines. The teachers’ authority was another teacher.

One of the things seminaries make you do when submitting a thesis is to demonstrate how the notion you’re proposing would be an original contribution to the field. So there’s this section of your proposal where you research everything you can on your particular topic and you attempt to argue that no one’s ever said this before, or certainly they’ve never said it like this. “Yeah, so and so was close to what I’m saying, but please professor, note my particular nuance.”

If we’re honest, in the end very few people are [...]

The Unwelcome Prophet (Luke 4:14–30) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

On a few occasions through the decades of preaching, someone has said to me at the end, “I liked your speech.” Although they meant it as a compliment, it’s not. A speech and a sermon, if the latter is based on Scripture, operate in two distinctly different spheres. A speech tends to earthly, temporal matters. A politician might wax eloquent on some issue of the economy or national security, with high praise for bearing the audience along in the subject of the speech. But a sermon considers eternal matters. Its roots lay in the Word of God—or else it’s not a true sermon—so that it comes with authority and the power of the God-breathed word that judges “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12). It is “the activity of proclaiming God’s word to one another, and from one generation to the next,” as Phillip Jensen put it [The Archer and the Arrow, 15].

The sermon, or to qualify, the biblical sermon, has the authoritative, inerrant Word as its foundation and Jesus Christ as its subject. The sermon is not about the speaker or his desires or his ambitions. It’s not about his great gifts or oratory. I remember listening to a fairly well known preacher at a very large church some years ago. Throughout his sermon he spent time extolling his entrepreneurial skills and the way that he had grown the church. But I learned nothing of Jesus Christ throughout. He gave a speech not a sermon.

The sermon has Jesus Christ as its focus. It recognizes the Christological center of Scripture. It aims for the mind and understanding to grasp the biblical message by the work of the Spirit, so that the heart responds with repentance, faith, obedience, and worship. It has nothing to do with voting or buying a product or choosing a party or volunteering for an activity. It has everything, though, to do with relationship with the living God through Christ.

But the sermon in our text is different than any other biblical sermon. Here we have the first recorded sermon of Jesus Christ. Jesus did what no other preacher should ever do and what He alone has the right to do. He made the sermon about Himself. Jesus declared who He is and what He came to do. He didn’t spend His time calling for a new morality or a new wave of volunteerism or a new approach to civility. He declared “today” as marking the decisive point of hearing and believing that He is the good news. In His first sermon, Jesus declared Himself to be good news for the nations. Yet the very people closest to Him did not welcome Him or His message. If they rejected Him, how do we know that His sermon is good news for the nations? Let’s think about that by considering what Jesus said about His mission, His distinction, and His rejection.

Jesus’ Mission

Verses 14–15 serve as a preface to Luke giving Jesus Christ’s first recorded sermon. He had preached in other places around Galilee, meeting with praise by them before returning to His hometown of Nazareth. That preaching mission demonstrated the power of the Spirit, as people began to see the uniqueness of what He proclaimed.

When He came to Nazareth, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. The Jewish people gathered in synagogues from the time of the Babylonian captivity until Jesus’ day. They usually sang some psalms, read from the Law and heard an explanation, read from the Prophets with another explanation, and ended with reciting the Eighteen Benedictions. Instead of a regular preacher, men in the gathering could stand to read from the Hebrew, translate into Aramaic, and then as they were seated, give a short explanation of the text just read. At the reading of the prophets Jesus stood to accept the scroll of Isaiah. Luke makes a special point: “And He opened the book and found the place where it was written . . . .” The scroll contained words upon words with no division between words or sentences or paragraphs. Finding a particular place required knowing [...]

Tempted but Faithful (Luke 4:1–13) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

The movement in the Gospel narratives aims to reveal Christ to us as the only Savior of sinners. While it tells a story we must remember that it’s a redemptive-theological story. So the Gospel writers don’t just pick out interesting clips from Jesus’ life that they think might fascinate us enough to keep purchasing Bibles. Instead, they weave the story of His life, selecting particular conversations, interactions, teaching, and encounters so that we might understand who He is and what He has done to deliver us from darkness and bring us into relationship with God.

As we look at the devil tempting Jesus, we’re seeing a cataclysmic encounter. The Serpent of old, the devil, the tempter, Satan who disrupted the purity, goodness, and beauty of the creation at the fall, confronts the eternal Son of God Incarnate. Why did he do it? What was he trying to do?

And from the other angle, why did God allow His Son to face the devil? Why did the Holy Spirit who led Jesus in the wilderness, lead Him into this time of temptation by the archenemy of the Triune God?

We should realize that the devil never has any good purpose in mind. Never! Whatever he suggests he does with ill intentions. He seeks to supplant, overthrow, destroy, and thwart anything that God is doing to secure a people for Himself. We mustn’t be deceived with the devil’s aims.

Before the start of WWII, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain thought that he could negotiate with Hitler and come to some point of understanding that would quell the Führer’s ambitions, and keep the world free from war. That didn’t go well. As many historians have pointed out, in a proverbial way, he was trying to make a deal with the devil. Hitler only saw things from his terms. The devil is far worse. He doesn’t make deals. He deceives, overthrows and destroys. He aims his temptations at Jesus.

Let’s pick up on the scene where Jesus faces the tempter.

Our Lord leaves the Jordan River valley where John had baptized Him and where the voice from heaven affirmed Him as the beloved Son of God in whom the Father is well pleased. As the Spirit leads Him toward the wilderness, Jesus has the intense consciousness of His Messianic office and mission. For thirty years, He lived in obscurity outside of that one notable visit to the temple as a twelve year old. He labored day-by-day in the carpenter’s shop, following the trade of His earthly father Joseph. He had performed no miracles, given no public talks, and made no intimations that He was the Messiah promised by God and declared by the prophets.

Then John baptizes Him, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him in some visible way, and the divine voice declares, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” No sooner had that declaration affirming Him taken place than the Holy Spirit that filled Him led Him into the wilderness for forty days. While there is some debate among New Testament scholars on whether the entire forty days He encountered temptation or whether it was only at the end, Luke’s record implies that the entire time Jesus faced an array of temptations. What he narrates in our text gives the conclusive temptations. Just as the writer of Hebrews tells us, Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin, even so a major portion of that truth took place in those days (Heb 4:15).

Here’s where we sometimes fail to see what happened. Although He is the eternal Son of God, Jesus faced these temptations in His humanity. As man He had to depend upon the same grace, the same Holy Spirit, and the same divine enabling that we do. He had to trust that same Word of God to stand against the devil’s onslaughts, as we have for the same purposes. And as one that had never sinned, and so utterly holy and pure in every respect, His sensitivity to the power of temptation was far greater than what we know. One writer explained, “. . . for in every case He felt the f[...]

Son of God and Son of Man (Luke 3:23–38) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Genealogies don’t normally grab us. If you know a few generations back on your family tree then you might be able to interest a cousin or an aunt in your findings. But just try showing it to someone that’s not part of your family. ‘Hey, do you want to take a look at my family tree?’ You will likely watch a quick exit. A list of names that means something to you may hold little attention for others.

Blame it on the disconnections of our day or the busy pace of life or the disinterest in the historical. Whatever the reason, apart from a desire to know the roots of one’s family, force-feeding another’s family tree won’t go over well.

Yet the Lord God considers some family trees particularly important, so much so that a few of them find their way into His eternal Word. So they even show up on occasion in our daily Bible reading! We face them and wonder just how exacting we’re to read through the endless list of names of people we know nothing about, and most that have no additional details. Yet, odd as it may seem, they have a bearing on our eternity.

Matthew’s Gospel begins with a genealogy. Luke doesn’t. Instead, he lays out the early stories of John the Baptist, the angelic announcement to Mary of her conception of the Messiah, followed by Jesus’ birth and John’s early ministry. Then Luke gives us a small statement on the baptism of our Lord.

At the baptism we see the sonship of Christ revealed. The Holy Spirit descends on Him in a way unlike upon any other. Then the voice from heaven attests, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” God the Father affirms that this man Jesus, who was around 30 years of age, is the unique and only eternal Son of God.

Just afterward, in chapter 4, we find that the devil tempts Jesus for 40-days in the wilderness. Throughout that time he questions Jesus as the Son of God, with each beginning, “If You are the Son of God. . . .” Jesus responds perfectly without giving in to the devil’s enticements. Instead of acting like us, Jesus acted like the Son of God.

Sandwiched right in the middle of the divine voice affirming Jesus Christ as God’s Son and the devil questioning Jesus’ divine sonship, Luke provides a detailed genealogy. Why does he do that? He wants to show us that God sent His Son for the nations, just as He promised. Let’s consider how Luke does that through this detailed genealogy.

1. Jesus is vitally connected to the human race.

The Gospel writers do many things but two things in particular in their Gospels. They affirm both the deity and humanity of Jesus. They do so through the attesting miracles of Christ, His power over the demonic, His authority over nature, the attesting voice, as well as through the uniqueness of His birth, death, and resurrection. They also show Jesus being born into a family like all of us, needing to be nurtured, learning and growing into maturity, facing hunger and sleep, feeling grief and sadness, and enjoying relationships. Luke, especially, makes use of the genealogy to do the same. He’s emphasizing both Jesus’ deity as “the son of God,” and His humanity, with the long list of his forefathers.

While Matthew’s genealogy focused on Jesus as “the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham,” in order to confirm his right through Abraham and David as the promised Messiah, Luke takes a broader look (Matt 1:1). He demonstrates Jesus as Messiah in the lineage of David but he also shows Jesus connected to the rest of the human race. To accomplish that, Luke goes back seventy-six generations. How’s that for genealogy! Twenty of those generations precede Abraham in order to confirm that Jesus was not just a Messiah for the Jewish nation to give them a national heritage. He’s the Son of God sent for sinful humanity. As Michael Wilcox so aptly put it, “Jesus is not simply one with the whole Jewish race: he is one with the whole human race, for he is son of Adam” [BST: L[...]

The Pleasure of God in His Son (Luke 3:15–22) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

One sociological nuance that fascinates me is how two people can look at the same thing and yet come to wildly different conclusions.

In one of the least serious ways, this plays out during sporting events, in particular with officiating. If the ball goes out of bounds in basketball, for example, almost immediately you see the guys in the red jerseys pointing one direction and the guys in the blue pointing the opposite. Of course, their limited perspective in that moment makes those contradictions less incredulous. However, on those close calls, fans in the stands or in their living rooms can watch the same replay––in slow motion––and come to vastly different conclusions.

In a more serious way, hung juries serve as another example. The exact same evidence is brought before the eyes of men and women day after day in this or that trial, but when it’s time for a verdict, one person sees the matter this way and another the opposite.

In a more personal way, we do the same thing with people. Some people are polarizing.

The Gospel of Luke tells the story of the most polarizing human to ever walk the earth. The scope is what’s astounding. While Christians throughout history hold that Jesus of Nazareth created the world and then saved it, others are willing to kill for their hatred of Him.

As you recall, Simeon worshipped in the temple after seeing the Christ. Then he turned toward Mary and said, Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel (Lk 2:34). In other words, some would see Him for who He is. Others would not. Essentially, he told Mary that her baby boy would soon divide the nation. Our text, among many, shows some of that fulfillment. We’ll note that God appointed Jesus for the fall and rising of many.

God did not appoint John for this.

I told you last week’s text was largely preparation. Through John the Baptist, God was preparing His people for the arrival of the Messiah. It’s quite likely the Jewish crowds loved their celebrities as much as we do. John built quite the following. Today he would’ve had book deals and someone would’ve set up Johnthebaptist.com. People would’ve flocked to his conferences.

V. 15 reads, As the people were in expectation. John didn’t just preach once. And his urgency in last week’s text was not an aberration. He’d said over and over, in essence, “Get ready. Be prepared. The Christ is coming.” As the crowds grew, so did the anticipation. They expected something soon.

In fact, they were so expectant some of them didn’t wait long enough. V. 15 continues, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ. Speaking of polarizing characters, the men he called a “brood of vipers” last week probably did not think too highly of John. But this crowd began to wonder if he were the Christ. When Luke includes that all were questioning in their hearts, it does not mean they only did this internally. The fact that John responds in a moment makes clear they didn’t keep this notion to themselves. “In their hearts” means they questioned on a deep personal level.[1]

But Simeon didn’t say God appointed John for the fall and rising of many. And John the Baptist knew it. He’s merely setting the table. So he answers the rumors, v. 16, John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

John’s setting up a comparison here. He’s saying, sure I do this, but, you’ll see, someone else mightier is coming. What He will do dwarfs what I am doing.

John initially points out how mighty this one to come was by saying, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. In this era, the student of a prominent teacher would do nearly everything for their mentor. We’d say the student got the teacher’s coffee, scraped the ice off his windshield, pulled his car up to the front door,[...]

A People Prepared (Luke 3:1–14) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

What you prepare for exceeds the preparation. At least, you hope it does. One doesn’t research and plan a trip, take off work, wash clothes, and pack bags for the experience of loading the car. The preparation isn’t the end; it’s that which you prepare for.

Yet, often the preparation helps you to fully enjoy that which you prepared for. If you do your research, you might better avoid the tourist trap in that city. Or you might know the right time to visit this or that place to avoid the lines. You’ll have the extra coat to keep you warm.

What you prepare for exceeds the preparation. That’s the intent. Also, preparation helps one to fully enjoy that which you prepare for.

In one sense, this text and this sermon will be an intentional cliffhanger. We’re reading about preparation. Luke 3 fulfills the words of Gabriel to Zechariah in chapter 1, speaking of Zechariah’s soon to be born son John the Baptist. Gabriel tells Zechariah that John the Baptist would come, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared (Luke 1:17). What Gabriel stated, this text unpacks.

God would prepare His people for the Messiah; and He would do so in part through John the Baptist. To study the text, we’ll ask three questions of it.

What does John the Baptist do to prepare God’s people?

Last week, we moved from 40–day–old Jesus to 12–year–old Jesus. In one week we skipped ahead 12 years. This week we fast-forward even more than that. Verse 52 of chapter 2 summarizes this fast–forward, asserting that Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

After a good bit more than a decade passes, we’re in the next verse. 3:1 In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

This first verse tells us where the details that follow should be placed historically. Interestingly, all the information the reader needs to locate the year is the first clause about Tiberius Caesar. However, Luke includes all these other names, beginning with the most powerful rulers and working his way down the corporate ladder. Since he didn’t need to include all those names for dating the events to come, the question might arise as to why he did so. The style actually points us to something we’re relatively familiar with. For example, if you were to go back and read Jeremiah 1:1–3, you’d read: The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon. In short, Luke 3:1 reads stylistically like an Old Testament prophet. And that’s on purpose.

But that’s not the only reason these details are included. Luke, the historian, intends to give us a date for the events that follow. Since we can find these rulers in our history books, we place this event around 28 AD.[1] It’s always helpful for us to remember that while we often read books as a temporary escape from reality, that is, in picking up a story we leave real life for a few moments to enter into a different world. But that’s not the case here. When we pick up this book, we’re not escaping from reality, we’re in it.

You can read about Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate or Herod in your history books. Herod is actually Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. He’ll return multiple times in the Gospel of Luke. And if you choose to read about these leaders, and this era, you’ll find this to be an incredibly complicated political time.[2] Tiberius Caesar’s biographical details unfortunately read like the latest bestseller: full of intrigue, backstabbing, infidelity, and murder.

And Luke notes that some of these complicated dynamics ac[...]

12–Year–Old Jesus (Luke 2:39–52) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

I won’t speak for all males, but I know one who can’t multi–task. A couple years ago, on a Sunday morning, I had 6–month–old Eden in her carrier walking through the hallways a little before Sunday School. I think I remember someone asking me a question, but after that it all gets a bit foggy until I rounded the corner by the men’s bathroom and saw Julie in the foyer. Her expression indicated something was up, but I didn’t immediately know what. So she said, “Where’s Eden?” My face confirmed what she already knew. I turned around and mall–walked back toward the Adult Sunday School hall. As I rounded the corner again, there were a group of ladies standing by the Ladies Sunday School room. As I recall, some of them were laughing. A few of them, like beloved Ms. Pernie, looked ready to have a word with me. They’d all arrived to their Sunday School classroom with a baby sitting outside the door. They’d picked her carrier up and took her into their classroom. I will say, in my defense, if there were a place to leave a 6 month old by herself, that was pretty strategic. To compound the guilt I felt, this all happened on Father’s Day 2015. That story was part sermon intro and part prayer request for the rest of my family.

If you’ve never seen a parent momentarily lose their kid, hang around after the service today and just pay attention. You’ll find one. And you probably won’t even have to ask, just look for the dad or the mom walking faster than everyone else with a look of panic.

Parents have been doing this for centuries, and one of the most famous of temporarily lost kids is the story in our text today. Luke includes it not as an interesting story, though it is that, but so we might see and hear how Mary and Joseph’s son grew up. And even more importantly, so we might note His self–awareness.

Luke 2:39–52 will show us that: as Jesus grew, while his understanding amazed some, others did not understand.

Jesus Grew Up

It’s likely that around the holidays you saw kids you haven’t seen in a year. We all say the same things over and over, “Wow, she’s really gotten tall!” Or, “What are you feeding this boy?” Subconsciously, we often think if we’re not there to watch something change, it doesn’t. Everything freezes the way we left it.

But, as far as I can tell, babies turn into 1 year olds. Then they move on to 2. Eventually they start school. Then, in our terms, they become tweens, then teenagers, then (we hope), they become men. It’s happened to everyone in the room. Though my children can hardly believe I was their age once and teenagers think, “Mom and Dad have no idea what it’s like to be a teenager!,” as far as I know, you can’t just skip to 20.

And this gradual growth is even true for Jesus of Nazareth. So because we spend a whole bunch of time thinking on Him as a baby in Bethlehem and even more time considering His life as an adult male, we might be tempted to think he transformed from one to the other. God flipped a switch and Jesus the baby was with John the Baptist getting baptized.

But that’s not what happened, of course. And Luke is the only Gospel writer who gives us a glimpse into the period between Bethlehem and the baptism.

v. 39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. We left last week’s text with a 40-day-old Jesus who’d just met Simeon and Anna. The other Gospels give us a few more details about things that happen shortly thereafter (the flight to Egypt, etc.), but Luke picks back up the narrative at the point when Jesus and his family return to Nazareth. As you recall, Nazareth was little more than a village. Most of us have places we grew up in and call our hometown; this would be Jesus’.

And what Luke does next is summarize 12 years in Nazareth in 1 verse: v. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was up[...]

Waiting (Lk 2:21–38) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

If nostalgia had a favorite week, this would be it. The final few days of the year prompt all kinds of thoughts, reflections, and emotions concerning the previous 364 days. News organizations recap the biggest stories of the year. Articles depict the films and books of the year. If you’re the reflective type, you might think on the various things that happened to you personally in 2017.

All of those have a common denominator, namely, they point to something that occurred in 2017. But on the final day of the year, one can also consider those things that still haven’t happened. While you thought this or that would come to pass in 2014 or 2015, here we are on the threshold of 2018 and you’re still waiting. At the end of a year we do two things, at least. We look back, no longer waiting on some things. On other things, we look forward, continuing to wait.

There’s very little in us predisposed to waiting. We want what we want, and we want it yesterday. But the story of the Bible is about people patiently waiting on the Lord’s purposes, in the Lord’s timing. Our passage today is about people who waited—faithfully––and about the God who delivers––faithfully.

Luke 2:21–38 will show us that: At the temple, Simeon and Anna saw what the people of God waited for. That sentence will function as something of our outline as well.

At the temple

Jerusalem, in particular the temple courts, is the setting for our text today. But before we get there, verse 21 functions as something of a transition from the birth narrative to this next passage.

Today we’ll see four faithful Jewish people in our text. Two men: Joseph and Simeon. Two women: Mary and Anna. Why call them faithful? Because over and over in our text, Luke points out their obedience to the Lord. There are two examples in v. 21 alone. First, at the end of eight days, they circumcised Jesus. You say, “Of course they did. They were faithful Jews.” That’s the point.

The text goes on to indicate they weren’t merely following the cultural pressures; they were obedient to the Lord’s word. Back in chapter 1, Gabriel strolled into Mary’s den and told her “Joseph Jr.” was out of bounds. I don’t know if you’ve ever commanded someone else what to name his or her firstborn. But Gabriel did. Our text, (2:21) makes clear that Joseph and Mary obeyed. He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Beginning in verse 22, we’re in Jerusalem for the rest of our text. What follows is most likely a summary of three different ceremonies.[1] Verse 22 describes the purification ceremony that, according to Leviticus 12:6, occurred 40 days after the birth of a baby. So, for setting purposes, we’re in Jerusalem and Jesus is likely a little over a month old. Note v. 22 And when the time came for their purification, according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Verse 23 is describing a second ceremony, not from Leviticus 12 but from Exodus 13:2. Joseph and Mary faithfully present their firstborn to the Lord.

Again, note Joseph and Mary’s obedience to the Law of the Lord. Verse 22: according to the Law of Moses. Verse 23: As it is written in the Law of the Lord . . . Verse 24: And to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord. Wonder what Luke’s trying to emphasize?

Mary and Joseph were faithful followers of the Lord; that’s the main point. But let’s note a few details here. One is the sacrifice the parents brought. Typically, one was supposed to bring a lamb for this purification sacrifice. However, if a lamb was too pricey, there was a concession for the poor. They could bring two birds, one for the burnt offering and one for the sin offering.[2] It seems that Mary and Joseph were in this socio–economic bracket, a subtle critique of their elaborate dress pictured on Christmas cards. There’s nothing flashy about Mary and Joseph. They’re not t[...]

The Son is Born (Luke 2:1–7) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Christmas nativity scenes have a fascination about them. At this time of year, some churches have living nativity scenes with volunteer characters, various animals, and shall we say, “rent-a-baby” to play the part of Jesus. We see them, marvel at their willingness to stand in the cold, and drive away thinking, “how cute.”

Amazon offers twenty web pages of variously priced nativity scenes made from an array of materials. You can get them in polyresin, wood, ceramic, stone, plastic, metal, porcelain, crystal, fabric, glass, pewter, and vinyl. Each has its own take on the nativity.

During our first year of marriage, we purchased an inexpensive nativity scene (that’s all that we could afford) in New Orleans and made it part of our celebration. Every year I must get the hot glue gun out and pin down Joseph or a lamb or shepherd that has worked its way loose boxed up in the attic. That very humble looking nativity scene reminds me that what took place at the first Christmas couldn’t have appeared very spectacular.

Our middle son John made a manger scene during Sunday School at South Woods many years ago. The birth of Christ is displayed with clever use of toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks, crepe paper, and cotton balls. The figures at this nativity have lost eyes, legs, and beards but continue as part of our tradition.

My personal favorite is one that our oldest child Kelly proudly gave us when she was probably 6 or 7. The little plastic Joseph and Mary stand less than three inches tall while standing next to baby Jesus asleep on the hay. Best of all, it glows in the dark. It’s simple, which is part of the picture that Luke describes in his nativity narrative.

We’re sort of engulfed with nativity scenes in stores, gas stations, shopping centers, and other public venues. Yet, despite the many representations—some quite helpful, how often do they leave our imaginations staggered with the humble reality of Jesus Christ’s birth? Luke’s narrative understates the scene at Jesus’ birth in order to highlight its simplicity in the midst of eternal purposes. The majestic Lord of glory displayed simplicity and humility in His first coming. Why did He come in simplicity? Let’s think about this by considering a few questions from this narrative.

1. Who rules the world?

Who rules the world? If we had lived in the first century, no doubt, we would have said, “Caesar Augustus.” As the great nephew of Julius Caesar, the first emperor (or dictator) of the Roman Empire, Octavian inherited the throne, but not without battles. After Julius Caesar’s assassination, Octavian, in partnership with Mark Anthony, defeated Brutus and Cassius in 42 B.C. at Philippi. He later conquered Anthony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., securing for himself the sole reign over the empire. The Roman Senate gave him the title “Augustus” (i.e. “majestic” or “revered”) in 27 B.C., which he combined with “Caesar” (meaning “emperor”), so that without rival, he reigned over the expansive Roman Empire for 41 years. He promoted the Caesar cult throughout his reign by which citizens worshiped him as a god. Some inscriptions even identified him as the son of Zeus, so Son of God.[1]

“Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth,” a term referring to the Roman Empire. “This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.” Caesar gave a decree or a written command to be carried out by provincial governors or legates, such as Quirinius who was governing in Syria, and everyone living in the Roman Empire had obligation to obey. That didn’t always happen, of course, and when it didn’t the Roman legion crushed any rebellion against Caesar’s commands, as happened in the census of 6 A.D. (see Acts 5:37). But they tried to avoid that.

Massive movements by various conquered people comprising the Roman Empire went to their [...]