As we are less than a week from Christmas day, I thought that it would be helpful to share a brief reflection on Luke 2, which, I hope, will not only be a spiritual encouragement to all of us but also a demonstration of the importance of appreciating literary craftsmanship in the Bible.
We have grown so accustomed to Luke’s nativity story that we miss several points that he wants to make. What we shall see is that Luke embeds important theological points by the way he structures his nativity narrative. In particular, he is contrasting throughout Caesar and God in order to highlight the glory and grace of God in Christ Jesus the Lord.
Several years ago, at a Christian writers’ conference one teacher claimed that in a novel the author should mention the chief character and state the main problem in the first couple of sentences. Luke does not do this, thankfully.
Look at how Luke 2:1-7 orders the characters. Caesar Augustus, Quirinius who was governor of Syria, all that went to register, Joseph, Mary, her firstborn son. Luke clearly is telling the story of the birth of Jesus, but he mentions the chief character last and does not even give his name here. Why? Well, this is where Luke shows his skill as an author.
Let’s structure the order of the characters this way.
Caesar Augustus Firstborn Son
Quirinius Mary
All Joseph
To start with the first set descends from the most important to the least important, but the second ascends from the least important to the most important. By this structuring Luke wishes to strongly contrast the ways of the world on the left side with ways of God on the right side.
On the left side you have the great Caesar giving orders to his servant, Quirinius, to have all the people register in their native town in order to pay taxes for his benefit and that of the Roman Empire.
On the right side Joseph, actually the least important person in the holy family, is mentioned first and the baby in the manger, the most important person, is mentioned last. What is interesting is this way of structuring the story reverses the way the world runs. Culturally speaking, Joseph, as the husband, would be the most important, then his wife, and, although a firstborn son will have great status, he is the weakest of all.
This leads to the contrast between God and Caesar. Caesar Augustus was born Gaius Octavius Thurinus and was adopted by his great uncle Julius Caesar, taking the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius. The Roman Senate had declared Julius Caesar to be divine and so Octavius, as his adopted son, was called the Son of God. As the founder of the Roman Empire, the Senate bestowed on him the title “Augustus,” which means “the revered one.” Caesar Augustus brought to an end the civil wars that had plagued the Roman Republic and so ushered in the Pax Romana or the Pax Augusta, the Peace of Rome or the Peace of Augustus.
Yet, a line from Virgil’s Aeneid, the Romans’ national epic, reveals a dark side to the Peace of Augustus. “Roman, remember by your strength to rule the earth’s peoples.”[1] It was by the strength of their armies that Rome ruled, and many nations, including the Jews, viewed the Peace of Augustus as a cover up for oppression.
Unbeknownst to the Romans, new forces were at work by characters easily overlooked and even hidden from their sight.
Joseph, a carpenter, and Mary, a young peasant girl about to give birth, travelled to Bethlehem under the heavy hand of Caesar Augustus and his decree. In the crowded conditions, her first-born son had to be placed in a feeding trough for animals and was wrapped in swaddling cloths.
Notice the structure of the order of the characters again.
Caesar Augustus Firstborn Son
Quirinius Mary
All Joseph
The firstborn son is parallel to Caesar Augustus. In contrast to Caesar in his purple robe, seated on a golden throne and in a marble palace, Mary’s firstborn son is wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in an animal feeding trough in an overcrowded room or a stable[2] and is unnamed.
How can Luke possibly place this infant in equal standing with the great Roman emperor? The answer will come in Luke 2:8-14.
An angel appears to a group of shepherds watching their flock at night near Bethlehem. The angel announces, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The savior is then identified with Mary’s baby.
The baby is obviously superior to Caesar in his person.
- “Savior” and “Lord” are divine titles, which Mary used in praising God in Luke 1:46-47. According to Luke 1:32, he “the Son of the Most High.” In other words, he is called the Son of God by the angel Gabriel, a much greater one than the Roman Senate.
- Caesar’s kingdom will come to an end. The angel Gabriel says that the kingdom of Mary’s son, the Son of God, will never end” (Luke 1:33).
- A host of angels praise God for his birth (Luke 2:13).
In contrast to Caesar proclamation to collect taxes for his oppressive empire, the announcement of baby’s birth is “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:9), bringing peace of earth (Luke 2:14).
In the background is Micah’s prophecy of seven hundred years. “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2).
This prophecy reveals that guiding the events is the unseen hand of the sovereign God. Caesar Augustus, Quirinius, and the Roman Empire were mere instruments used by God to accomplish his purposes.
In the babe of Bethlehem God’s power is hidden in weakness, his glory clothed in poverty, and status lowered to humility.
Truly this is good news for all, because the ruler of the universe descends to us to save us and raise us up.
Christians, Luke’s topsy-turvy telling of the story of the birth of Jesus is a reminder to us not to be deceived by the so-called superpowers and elites with their trappings of glory and greatness. Jesus was the King of Kings at his birth and still is, and God rules the world. He uses ordinary people like the shepherds, Mary and Joseph and us.
This Christmas let us with Mary treasure all these things and ponder them in our hearts (Luke 2:19). And with the shepherds let us be “glorifying and praising God” (Luke 2:20).
Merry Christmas!
[1] Book 6, 851 “Tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento.”
[2] Luke uses the word κατάλυμα, which in 22:11 is used for the room in which Jesus celebrated the Passover. For this reason, it is contended that the Holy Family did not stay in a stable but a crowded guest room.
