Luke 2 Archives - Redeeming God

If you attend church, sing Christmas carols, send and receive Christmas cards, set foot into any store that is somewhat decorated for Christmas, or watch “Charlie Brown’s Christmas,” you will likely see or hear some reference to the birth of Jesus.

I think, however, that while many people are familiar with the birth story of Jesus, few of us recognize how religiously and politically subversive His birth narrative truly is. The birth accounts of Jesus undermine several core ideas in most religious and political worldviews.

In fact, as you prepare for Christmas, note when, where, and how you see these references to the birth of Jesus, and what these references are connected to. More often than not, these references to the birth of Jesus will be connected to things the birth of Jesus actually undermines.

Modern references to the birth of Jesus often support things that Jesus actually opposed.

But when we begin to understand the birth of Jesus (and His entire life), we begin to see how politically and religiously subversive Jesus really was. To see some of this, read my studies on Luke 2, and other Christmas posts.

We consider four of these subversive truths below.

1. The Kingdom of Heaven does not support the Kingdoms of this World

One of the most pervasive ideas in nearly all religious and political hierarchies is that God is on their side. Religious and political leaders claim that God has blessed them, their plans, and their goals. Religious and political institutions claim that everything they do is advancing the rule and reign of God on earth.

But usually, the goals and methods of the political and religious kingdoms of this world have little overlap with the goals and methods of the Kingdom of God. Those religious and political leaders which recognize this threat to their power often use the name of God in the attempt to destroy the Kingdom of God.

This is exactly what we see in Matthew 2 when King Herod feels threatened by the birth of a baby boy in Bethlehem, and then uses the claim that he wants to worship the new-born Messiah as an excuse for trying to kill Jesus.

When we truly begin to understand the values of the Kingdom of God, we see that His kingdom has come to overthrow the powers of this world. The Kingdom of God upsets rulers and dominions and powers and authority. It rights what is wrongs, restores justice, and reintroduces righteousness, which are all things the religious and political kingdoms of this world claim to do why they are in fact doing the exact opposite. For more on this, see Wright, “Emperors and Angels.”

2. The Messiah did not come for the rich and powerful

This idea is similar to the one above, but focuses primarily on the leaders themselves. For some reason, we tend to think that the people in positions of power, the people with titles, and the people who get their voice heard are the ones that God has blessed in this world. Most of the leaders believe this too.

But if the birth of Jesus is any indication, one of the greatest lies of the religious and political world is that God is with the rich and powerful leaders. The birth narratives reveal that there were no rich and powerful people with Jesus at His birth.

The Messiah has come for the dishonorable, the outcasts, the uneducated, the poor. This is the kind of family He was born into. These were the settings He was born in, and these are the type of people who first learned of His birth.

The shepherds were considered by most to be dirty, outcast thieves, and while the wise men from the East are often called “Kings” (though they were likely not kings at all), most people in Israel would have considered them to be religiously unclean, astrology-practicing, sinful foreigners. Modern parallels might be street hustlers and fortune tellers.

So before you go envying the people at the top, who seem to be receiving blessing after blessing from God, you might want to take a closer look at the people who live in the gutter, for it there where you are more likely to find God.

3. Jesus often shows up in the most unlikely places

If you were to listen to most of the religious and political rhetoric at Christmas, you might get the impression that Jesus came to support the powerful in their goals for domination, the rich in their quest for year-end bonuses, and the elite in their self-glorifying causes.

But when God began to perform His greatest work in human history, He launched it in an animal feeding trough in the backwoods town of a tiny, poor, insignificant country.

I imagine that if Jesus were to show up again today, it would not be in Washington D.C. or Rome. It would probably be in some poor village of central Africa. If Jesus was born in the United States (or any of the ruling nations in the world … Jesus was born in part of the Roman Empire, after all), it would be to a poor prostitute who is living under a cardboard box in a back alley.

This leads me to believe that if you want to see God today, don’t look on your television, the internet, or in buildings made with marble and brass.

Instead, look where you would least expect him. Look where life is hard and people are dirty. Look among the homeless, the prisoners, the prostitutes, and the drug-addicts.

4. The birth of Jesus turns political and religious values upside-down

Power, greed, and manipulation are three central values of religion and politics. Wayne Jacobsen refers to them as cash, credit, and control. But such things do not describe the birth of Jesus in any way, shape, or form.

The values of Jesus at His birth (and during His entire ministry) did not include getting more wealthy, but in generously giving it away. Jesus did not seek to gain power or credit for Himself, but consistently gave glory to God and spread power among His followers. And Jesus never tried to manipulate or control anyone into doing what He wanted, but taught people that they were free to follow God and live as they pleased within His family.

In times when politicians promise change to the world, followers of Jesus can offer true and lasting change, based not on the principles of power or greed, but on service and generosity.

This Christmas

I am not sure what you have planned for this Christmas, or for the year that follows, but if you want to see Jesus, don’t look for Him among the rich and powerful, or among those who are famous and well-known (whether in political or religious arenas). Instead, look for Him among the poor, the outcast, the overlooked, the sick, and the weak.

And don’t run after fame and glory for yourself, thinking that such things are the way God keeps score. They aren’t. God doesn’t keep score at all. Such things are not God’s gifts to you. Instead, be generous, loving, gracious, and kind, for it is in these things that God reveals Himself to you, and reveals Himself to others through you.

Did Jesus Learn?

By Jeremy Myers

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I taught recently on Luke 2:40-52 and indicated in my message that Jesus learned the Scriptures and learned wisdom just like any human. Just as He grew physically, He also had to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual strength.

That Jesus learned seems pretty clear from verses like Luke 2:40 and 52 where it says that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. You can see an old version of a sermon I taught on Luke 2:40-52 here.

I also pointed out in that message that when Jesus went to Jerusalem at the age of 12 with his parents, He went to the Temple and listened to what was being taught and asked questions (Luke 2:46). Finally, I mentioned Hebrews 5:8 which indicated that Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered.

After the study concluded, I had several people challenge me on the idea that Jesus had to learn anything. They argued that since Jesus was God, He knew everything, even from birth, and so didn’t have to learn from His parents, from reading Scripture, or from anybody at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Such an idea shocked me. I have never heard such a thing before. Have you?

Did Jesus Learn?

I asked if Jesus knew how to speak all languages when He was an infant, and was told that yes, He did. He didn’t have to learn how to talk, but that He “hid” His ability until it was normal and natural for a child to speak. They said that His parents didn’t teach Him anything about the Scriptures and that He never had to attend school or a Jewish synagogue to learn how to read or to learn what the Scriptures said. Because He was God in the flesh, He just knew it.

When I pointed out that Luke 2:40 and 52 says that Jesus grew in wisdom, they said that this just meant that Jesus became known for His wisdom, as is indicated in Luke 2:47.

I told them that to me, this sounds a lot like the ancient Gnostic and Docetic heresies which taught that Jesus wasn’t fully human. After all, isn’t learning, growing, and developing in knowledge and wisdom a central element to being human?

If Jesus didn’t have to learn, then isn’t He just like some sort of divine Buddha child that falls out of heaven, who has all wisdom and knowledge from birth? If Jesus didn’t have to learn, then why did Jesus have to wait until He was 30 to begin His ministry? If Jesus didn’t have to learn, then how can He truly understand what it is like to be human?

At one point in our discussion, I said, “Well, it seems logical that if Jesus was fully human, then He had to learn.” Their response was, “I don’t use logic. I just use Scripture.” I just about broke out laughing. It seemed pretty obvious to me that logic was not being used. Ha! One guy also kept saying, “I don’t speculate about Scripture. I just believe what it says.” This is the old “The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it” cliche which I wrote about a while back. People like to believe that they are just believing the Bible, but they don’t. I don’t either. We believe what we think the Bible teaches. Some of what we believe is truly what the Bible says, ans some of what we believe is a misunderstanding of what the Bible says. The trick is knowing which is which…

This group also strongly objected to the idea that Jesus might have attended a Jewish synagogue as He was growing up, and also later in life. I pointed out that Luke 4:16 pretty clearly indicates that Jesus had a tradition of attending the synagogue, which probably went back even into His childhood. They said, “Well, even if He did go, He didn’t go to learn anything. Even if you are right that Jesus had to learn, there was nothing He could learn from them.”

“From who?” I asked. “The Jews?”

“Right. Jesus wouldn’t learn anything from Jews.”

“…You do know Jesus was Jewish, right?” I asked.

They responded that they did know this, and we moved on to other topics, but it seemed to me that this was another one of those old mistakes (championed by Marcion who ended up discarding most of the Hebrew Scriptures) where some Christians try to separate Jesus and the apostles from anything Jewish. I believe that such a move causes us to misunderstand most of what Jesus, Paul, and Peter teach. But I digress….

I think Jesus did learn. I think learning is a major element of being human. I think that Scripture pretty clearly indicates that Jesus grew physically, mentally, and spiritually (Luke 2:40, 52). Note that something nearly identical is said of John the Baptist in Luke 1:80. So however a person understand Jesus’ learning (or lack of learning) in Luke 2:40, 52, this same idea must be applied to John in Luke 1:80.

But what do you think? Did Jesus learn? However you answer, what Scriptures and logical arguments would you use to defend your position?

On a related note, here is a much harder question: If you think Jesus did have to learn, when do you think Jesus knew He was God incarnate? When do you think He realized He was the promised Messiah?

Below is a video where NT Wright addresses this question a bit, and for you scholarly types, here is an article he wrote on the topic: Did Jesus Know He was God? And for you super scholarly types, I recommend Wright’s book, Jesus and Victory of God.

Was Jesus Born in a Barn?

By Jeremy Myers

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As a child I often remember running outside to play, leaving the door wide open behind me, only to have my mother call after me, “Come back and shut the door! You weren’t born in a barn!”

I have often wondered if Mary ever called after Jesus in such a way. If so, maybe Jesus could have answered, “Yes, I was!”

But was He really? Was Jesus born in a barn? Or a stable? Or a cave?

No, probably not. We get this idea from Christmas carols, artwork, and other stories, but the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus do not indicate that He was born in a stable, a barn, or a cave. Instead, Jesus was most likely born in a house.

Jesus was Born in a House

In my book, Christmas Redemption, I briefly look at the wording in Luke 2:7 which says that when Jesus was born, Mary laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. I suggest in that the word “inn” is most likely a mistranslation, and the word really should be “tent” or “tabernacle.” The word refers to a “temporary shelter” which can be erected and taken down quickly, not to “temporary lodging” at a place like an inn.

Most likely, Bethlehem did not even have an “inn.” The town had less than 1000 people at the time, and it was culturally unacceptable to stay at inns. When most people traveled they depended upon the Middle-Eastern value of hospitality for their food and lodging needs.

But it doesn’t make any sense for Mary to lay Jesus in a manger because there was no room in the tent, does it? What could that possibly refer to?

Here is another place where knowing the historical-cultural Jewish background of the Scriptures really helps understand what is going on. I suggest in Christmas Redemption that the “tent” refers to the temporary structures erected by Jewish people during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jewish men were supposed to travel to Jerusalem for this feast, and since Bethlehem was only a few miles away from Jerusalem, many people stayed in Bethlehem during this festival. But the little make-shift structure in which they were to sleep and eat their meals was so cramped, Mary could not gift birth inside. So instead, she had to find somewhere else.

But where?

Jesus in the lower part of the house — This picture actually shows Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in the lower part of a structure.

Well, she probably went into the house, right next door to the makeshift tabernacle, and gave birth there. After all, it was now empty since everyone was outside in the sukkoth, the booth or tabernacle.

But what is a manger (an animal feeding trough) doing inside a house? Well, archaeologists say that many homes at this time had two levels. The upper level was for the family, and the lower level was for the animals. This helped keep the animals safe at night from wandering off, getting eaten by predators, or from getting stolen, and also helped keep the family in the upper room above (If memory serves me right, Kenneth Bailey writes about this in Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels).

Whether Mary gave birth in the upper part of the house or the lower, we don’t know, but apparently she used the manger from the lower part of the house as a place to lay Jesus after He was born. (My wife, Wendy, likes to emphasize that Mary probably held Jesus in her arms most of the time. What mother wouldn’t?)

So if Mary gave birth in the lower part of the house, which effectively was a barn, then I guess we could say that Jesus was born in a barn after all.

But What about the Census?

One objection to this whole idea is that Luke 2:1-7 says that Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for the census. Except for the possible reference in Luke 2:7, nothing is mentioned about the Feast of Tabernacles. The solution seems to lie in Luke 2:6. It says that “while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.”

Again, while many Christmas carols and stories seem to indicate that Joseph and Mary entered Bethlehem late at night while she is in the middle of birth pains, and he frantically knocks on doors seeking a place to stay, the text says nothing like this. It makes for a great story, but is not exactly drawn from the text.

Instead, it seems likely that the census of Caesar Augustus caused Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem to be registered. Once there, and with the Feast of Tabernacles approaching quickly, they probably decided to remain in Bethlehem for a few more days (or maybe weeks) until the days were completed for her to give birth.

With her pregnant, it made no sense to travel to Bethlehem for the census, then travel back to Nazareth, only to turn around and travel to Jerusalem for the Feast. So they stayed! It is not as if Joseph had a job to get back to. Following Jewish law, it is certain that he was taking a year off from work so he could take care of his new wife (cf. Deut 24:5).

So the picture that emerges from Luke 2:7 is a bit different than tradition tells. Jesus was born in humble conditions, but it was probably inside a house, and if it was in the lower part of the house, then there may have been a few goats around and maybe a donkey or a cow. The reason they were there was because there was no room for them outside in the tent.

One other objection to this idea is that the Feast of Tabernacles is typically in late September. Wasn’t Jesus born on December 25th? Ah, well, maybe we have given Jesus the wrong birthday! But for more on that, you will have to read Christmas Redemption. Among other things, It shows when Jesus was likely born and also why the Feast of Tabernacles is significant for our celebration of Christmas today.

If you want a copy of this book for your e-reader, it is available on Amazon, or through the publisher, at RedeemingPress.com

The Date of the Birth of Jesus

By Jeremy Myers

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What was the date of the birth of Jesus? Do you care? I don’t really. But I used to. I preached an entire sermon on it once. Here is an excerpt from that sermon:

…Nine months later, John the Baptist in born. This would mean that John the Baptist was born in late March. The date of John’s birth is important also, but I will get to that in just a moment. For now, remember that six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Mary also was visited by the angel Gabriel and she, as a virgin, miraculously conceived. So this means that John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus. So think about it. If John was born in late March, then six months later, Jesus would have been born of Mary, this makes His birthday sometime in late September.

Also, here is where it gets exciting. Knowing such a fact does not make us better Christians unless we can apply it. Right? So here is where it gets spiritually profitable to know such a fact. You probably know that the Jews had many holidays and feasts throughout the year, just like we do. But as many of you know, these feasts were not only ways to remember what God had done in the past, kind of like our Thanksgiving, but were also prophetic for what God was going to do in the future.

The Jewish feasts both looked backward to what God had done in the past, and looked forward to what he had promised to do in the future. It is very similar to our Lord’s Supper, or Communion. When we observe communion, it both looks back to what Jesus Christ did on the cross for us, and it looks forward to when He will come again.

It is funny where I say, “Knowing such a fact does not make us better Christians unless we can apply it.” Ha!

I am not sure that my “theory” is actually fact, and even if it is, I’m not sure such an idea can actually be applied. Even if it could be applied, I’m not sure that knowing the date of Jesus’ birth will make us “better Christians” even if we do apply it. And even if it could, I don’t think I do that great of a job applying this “fact” in the sermon.

Ah, well… there is nothing like laughing at yourself to brighten the holiday cheer.

I do remember really enjoying preparing and preaching that sermon. I am sure that in another ten years, I will look back and some of what I have written on this blog, and roll my eyes at it as well.

If you want to read the rest of the sermon, it is here: Luke 2:1-3 – Christmas Redemption. If you are looking for other devotional ideas on the theme of Christmas, try some of my Scriptures on Christmas.

The Troubles of Joseph and Mary

By Jeremy Myers

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One of my favorite passages is Isaiah 28:27-28.

…caraway is beaten with a rod, and cummin with a stick. Grain must be ground to make bread…”

Do you ever feel like the caraway, the cummin, and the grain in this verse?

Do you ever feel like life is beating you with a stick? Like you are being ground to pieces?

Do you ever feel like all the world is against you? Like nothing goes your way? Like even God has turned away from you?

You have financial problems, and health problems, marital problems, family problems, job problems, car problems, and on and on it goes.

Joseph and Mary faced many of these troubles as well, and they had the added pressure of being the parents of the promised Messiah. Imagine that burden!

Yet as they faced their troubles and obeyed God, He sent angels and shepherds and wise men to welcome the birth of their son.

Just as with Mary and Joseph, troubles and trials in life are tools in the hand of God to mold us and shape us and make us into something beyond our imagination. When trials and troubles come into your life, you may feel like you are getting beaten with rods and ground into powder, but as Isaiah 28 says, grain must be ground to make bread.

God is making you into something great. In whatever trials you are facing, ask God these kinds of questions: Say, “Father, what are you trying to teach me in this situation? How can this trial make me more like Jesus Christ? What chaff in my life are you trying to grind out of me? How can this troubling time make me better instead of bitter?”

God wants to change your troubles into trumpets if you will only let him perform His work in you.

(This Christmas meditation is drawn from a sermon on Luke 2:1-20 I preached several years ago when I was a pastor. For more Christmas meditations, see Scriptures on Christmas.)

4 Subversive Truths from the Birth of Jesus

1. The Kingdom of Heaven does not support the Kingdoms of this World

2. The Messiah did not come for the rich and powerful

3. Jesus often shows up in the most unlikely places

4. The birth of Jesus turns political and religious values upside-down

This Christmas

Did Jesus Learn?

Did Jesus Learn?

Was Jesus Born in a Barn?

Jesus was Born in a House

But What about the Census?

The Date of the Birth of Jesus

The Troubles of Joseph and Mary

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