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Good News of Great Joy for Everyone
Good News of Great Joy for Everyone Luke 2:1-20 Key Verse: 2:10,11 "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" Last week we thought about the announcement of Jesus’ birth. We thought about Mary, who was highly favored by God and yet, at first, she was deeply troubled by the angel’s greeting. Mary knew that to be highly favored by God meant that God had a very special mission for her that would likely cost her a great deal. Then we thought about who Jesus was going to be. Jesus is the greatest person who has ever lived, he is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is much more than that, though. Jesus is the Son of God, the Immanuel God who came to dwell among us and save us from our sins. Finally we thought about Mary’s response to this message. She humbly accepted God’s mission for her, calling herself God’s servant. In today’s passage we are given the story of the actual birth of our Savior and King. In this passage there is a great comparison between Caesar Augustus the first emperor of the mighty Roman empire and Jesus, the true King of the world. We also learn of the first people who were told of this great birth in the town of Bethlehem. Who were they and why were they chosen? May God bless our study of this passage and help us to understand why the birth of Jesus is such good news of great joy for everyone. First, the time when Jesus was born (1-7). Luke was a historian so he depicts the historical background of the time of Jesus' birth. Verse 1 says, "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world." The Roman Empire extended westward to England and eastward to Asia Minor and to North Africa across the Mediterranean Sea. This empire was ruled by one man, Caesar Augustus. He had absolute power and authority. He also had all the riches of the earth that came from ruling such a great empire. This census was to be taken so that he could collect more taxes the subjects that he ruled. In this way he hoped to build up his power and wealth even more. Look at verses 4-5. "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." This story reflects the absolute power of Roman authority. People had no choice but to obey the emperor’s decree. They had to stop whatever they were doing, go to their hometown and register. This meant that Joseph had to travel about 125-150 kilometers to his family’s hometown of Bethlehem. He knew that it wasn’t safe to take his pregnant fiancée Mary, but maybe he felt that he had no choice. She was a young woman who was pregnant out of wedlock. As such, she would have been an outcast in that small village of Nazareth. Taking her with him was the only way that Joseph could protect her. Look at verses 6-7. "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." This story tells us about the distressing situation of the times. It is hard to imagine that someone wouldn’t give up their room for a pregnant woman crying out in the pains of child birth, but times were different back then. They probably didn’t have hotel rooms as we think of them today. Inns were probably a lot more like a jimjilbang, where all the guest would stay in one large room. Of course the owner of such a place wouldn’t want a pregnant lady crying out all night and disturbing the other guests, so they wouldn’t admit Joseph and Mary. Joseph had to do something, so he found the best place he could. He found an animal stable. Luke doesn’t tell us anything about the stable, other than that it had a manager in it where Jesus was laid. It certainly wasn’t a proper place for the birth of any child, let alone the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords. If we just look at this story, it looks like just another tragic story in the endlessly miserable world ruled by sin. However, it is not that. This is the beginning of the greatest story ever told. The beginning of the story of how God rescued his people from their sins. At first, it may look unfair and like a story of complete random chance, but it is not. It is a story that is completely orchestrated by God. God used Caesars Augustus’ decree to bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, the city the prophet Micah prophesied would be the birth of our savior, at just the right time. God used the situation in that city to put Joseph and Mary in that stable for the birth of our Lord, so that his first humble visitors could approach the King of the Universe without fear and with joy in their hearts as we will see. Although it may look like another tragic story in a tragic world ruled by sin, it was a perfectly orchestrated story by God. Look at verse 8 and 9. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” Who were shepherds and why did God send his angel to them? Although the Israelites had been shepherds from the very beginning of their existence as a people – Abraham was a shepherd as were the other patriarchs, shepherds were considered to be very low class people at the time of Jesus birth. They were dirty people because of the nature of their work. Furthermore, shepherding often made Jewish men ceremonially unclean because they often had to touch dead animals and other unclean things. From a worldly point of view they would probably be the last people we would expect God to announce the coming of his great king and savior. God doesn’t think from a worldly point of view. From God’s point of view these shepherds were no different from Caesar Augusts sitting on his throne in all his pomp and circumstance. These shepherds were sinners in need of a savior and they were just the right people to bring to Jesus first. They tell us that anyone can approach this new king. He is not like a worldly king. Jesus came to be with the people and to save them. Jesus came to save all people from the grandest of the grand like Caesar, to the lowest of the low like these shepherds. Second, good news of great joy that will be for all the people Look at verses 10 and 11. “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” As we have thought about, this story looked like a tragedy, but that is not the way this angel saw it. To him this was a story of good news and great joy that was not just for a few people. It was for everyone who chooses to accept it. We need to ask ourselves why this story is such God news. Look carefully at what the angel tells the shepherds. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you.” A savior? Why do I need a savior? What is he going to save me from? I think if you talk to most people today, these are exactly the types of questions they would ask you if you told them this Christmas message word for word. What they don’t know is what the Bible says. Bible says that through one man Adam's disobedience, sin came into the world. And sin made man very fatalistic. Romans 6:23a says, "For the wages of sin is death." After death, the ungodly are supposed to stand before the judgment seat of God. After judgment the ungodly will be put into eternal condemnation. As we know well, death makes men very fatalistic. All those who have the fear of death are kind of pessimistic philosophers. Their theme is, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1Co 15:32). They are endlessly sorrowful, living under the power of sin and death, working until their bones are cracking. In the fatalistic view of the world, they want to live an easygoing life and want to enjoy physical pleasure like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. They think that hard work does not make sense to those who are perishing. Men cannot live without dreams and vision. The Bible says, "...your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams" (Ac 2:17b). Fatalistic people have no eyes to see tomorrow. The Gospel writer Matthew is a great example of a fatalistic man who was changed when he heard this story of good news and great joy. Matthew did not want to live a poor life like his father, so he decided to become a tax collector in order to make money, thinking that he could buy happiness with money. In order to become a tax collector, first he sold his conscience, next he betrayed his people suffering under the Roman yoke. He made some money. But his people isolated him like a leper. People's isolation made him too sorrowful to work anymore. He was perishing. One day Jesus visited him and said to him, "Follow me." Suddenly, Levi felt that the power of darkness disappeared from his heart and the bright heavenly sunshine smeared in his soul. He immediately bought a bunch of groceries and invited his tax collector friends and had a heavenly feast. When Levi followed him, Jesus helped him and raised him as the best teacher throughout history. Levi later became Matthew, who quoted Jesus' words, "You are the light of the world." There is no fatalism in Jesus. The story of Jesus is good news of great joy for those who accept it. Jesus can destroy the power of sin and death. Luke 1:69 says, "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." Zechariah nicknamed Jesus the horn of salvation. Zechariah understood the power of sin. Horns are used as symbols of power and strength in the Bible. According to Revelations 12:3 Satan has seven heads and ten horns. The horn of Satan is the symbol of sin and it is the most powerful on earth. There are many young people who look nice outwardly, but inwardly each of them has incurable wounds caused by the horn of Satan. They are pierced by the horn of Satan while they enjoy the darkness of sins. Jesus was sent to save them from Satan’s horn. Luke 1:69 says, "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." To rescue us, Jesus destroyed the horn of Satan through his crucifixion and resurrection. As a matter of fact, we wanted to serve God, but we could not serve God because we were pierced by the horn of Satan and became fearful of everything. With Jesus’ horn, however, we can now God freely without fear in holiness and righteousness. Sin is compared to leprosy. Sin is incurable like cancer. Most importantly, sin makes man meaningless. Luke 1:78,79 says, "because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." Man cannot obtain true happiness with money and fame. One must come to Jesus to rescue him from the shadow of death. Third, Jesus is the Savior King. The baby Jesus was wrapped in cloth and was placed in a manger. The Bible teaches that Jesus' life began in a manger and ended on a cross. Humanly speaking, Jesus was born and lived the most tragic way, but Luke the evangelist and historian says Jesus is a sign of the Savior King. Look at verse 12. "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." The baby Jesus is the sign that God came to this world to save men from their sins. This baby laid in a manger is a sign that God's will for world salvation is fulfilled. This baby is a sign that Jesus is the Savior King. In order to become a Savior King, Jesus gave up his heavenly glory and humbled himself, and came to this world. Without knowing humbleness, we cannot come to Jesus, the Savior King. Humble Jesus became a friend to a lonely tax collector. Humble Jesus became a father to a smelly Samaritan woman. Finally Jesus took up all our sins and shed his holy blood on the cross as a criminal. Jesus gave his life for us. Let’s think for a moment about what is most important to anyone in the world. We agree that each one's life is most important. We can trade many things with others, but we cannot trade our lives with others. Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Lk 9:25) John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." To save us from our sins, God crucified his one and only Son Jesus Christ, and made him a ransom sacrifice. Jesus gave his life to give us eternal life. As history attests, the kings and kingdoms of the world are temporal. Even Caesar Augustus and the empire he ruled was only temporary. There is nothing eternal in the world. The agony of the kings of nations in history is that they wanted to keep their kingdoms forever. Only the kingdom of Jesus is forever. There are many stories about nations and kingdoms in the Bible. Among them, the kingdom of Christ is uniquely eternal (Dan 2:44-45). The Bible says that this kingdom is the climax of God's will for world salvation, and all final destination of all Christians is the kingdom of God. The purpose of our Lord Jesus' coming to this world was to bring us back to his eternal kingdom. The Bible says that we will reign with Jesus forever (2Ti 2:12). When we have faith in the kingdom of God we can live a life of holy pilgrims with no anxiety for our future security. The world is too sorrowful to live in, but we can have joy and hope when we have faith in the kingdom of God. Luke 1:32b,33 says, "The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." According to verse 14, the birth of Jesus is glory to God and peace to men. God was glorified because at long last his promise to save men from their sin and crush the head of Satan had been fulfilled. At last, through the birth of Jesus, God reveals his love for his lost children. Also, the birth of Jesus is peace to men on earth because Jesus, the Savior King, sets us free from the power of sin and rules us with love and peace. The baby Jesus gives eternal life and the kingdom of God to those who believe in him. For all these reasons the birth of Jesus is good news of great joy. This news is not just for you and I, it is for everyone and it is our job to tell them. This is what the shepherds did after they investigated what the angels had told them. Their story of the birth of Jesus filled the people amazement. Jesus hearing the first part of Jesus’ story bought joy to those who heard it. |
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