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. 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.
The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you:
It can be easy in our current context to lose sight of the marvel of the birth of Christ. Things that are fun and even once brought attention to the gift of Jesus (like Saint Nicolas and his desire to give gifts) now create noise that distract from the true meaning of Christmas. Unfortunately, our lack of knowledge of the context of the lives of Joseph and Mary also contribute to our disconnect from the miracle of Christmas.
This water break attempts to connect us to the context of the birth of Jesus in a way that restores some of the wonder that we have lost.
As we see in these verses, a census brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. A census such as this was not just to tally who could pay taxes, but it was conducted to communicate to the people under the rule of Rome that Rome was fully in charge.* Like a bully commanding a weaker person to do unnecessary things, the Romans wanted the Jewish people to know the place of Rome in their lives.
Shockingly, the fact that Mary and Joseph went to the town of Joseph’s ancestral home is not a Roman practice but a Jewish one.* This important fact clues us that the Jewish powers at the time were privy to and a party to this census.* This would have created an unstable environment for the people of Israel: fully ruled by pagan Romans and betrayed by spiritual leadership.
Scholars speculate why Mary came as Scripture does not make it clear. Some speculate that Mary might have gone with Joseph as she might have been of the house of David as well.* Others speculate that Mary came because Joseph did not wish to miss the birth of the child.* Others speculate that their marriage may have become official prior to this trip, making her accompaniment logical.* Another scholar suggests that Joseph may have brought Mary with him to help her escape from the gossip surrounding the miraculous conception of Jesus.* Whatever the case, the oppressive government at the time and the traveling mother of Jesus played unknowing parts in fulfilling Messianic prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.*
Know this: the will of God will move forward. No matter how oppressive the government, no matter how untrustworthy our leaders may seem, no matter how hard the circumstances, and no matter how unaware we are of all that is going on, the purpose of God will prevail.
Interestingly, the birth of Jesus came as a stark contrast of the leadership of the time. In the ancient world, everyone considered the most important person of the time to be Caesar.* Yet, angels show up to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the most humble of circumstances.* The ambitions of Caesar Augustus set him as a world leader, dominating tyrant, and cosmic hero.* Yet, God chose to penetrate the world by sending His son as a humble baby into humble circumstances to the marginalized of society (shepherds).*
Augustus, the emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus, was the first emperor to encourage a cult to deify his name and reign.* According to legend, Augustus was miraculously conceived by a serpent.* According to an ancient document, during his rule, Augustus was hailed as a god whose birthday signaled the beginning of good news for the world.* Other ancient inscriptions (currently kept in the British Museum) refer to Augustus as God, Son of God, and savior.* They also associate him with peace, hope, and good news.* Yet, in reality, only Jesus embodied these things. Only Jesus was God, Son of God, savior, Prince of Peace, hope to the world, and Good News to all men. You can imagine the explosive force with which the truth of Jesus tore through the spiritual fabric of that time. The arrival of Jesus onto the scene during the rule of Augustus was a purposeful destruction of the lies of the time.
Furthermore, Octavian, the governor at the time, was known for his peaceful character and brought peace to the area through his reign.* Again, in contrast to this, only Jesus proves to be the true Prince of Peace.*
These facts and contrasts show us that there is more to the story of Jesus than we know. In a few verses, Luke sets up the radical rule that Jesus comes to set up in the most unlikely of ways. There is more to the miracle of the birth of Jesus than we appreciate in our current celebrations of Christmas. This Christmas, as you remember the birth of Jesus, remember that God was completely disrupting the understanding of the time. He upended what it meant to be important and born for greatness.* He redefined peace and showed what true salvation looks like. God used the great and the powerful and the most humble to bring His purposes to fruition. God hasn’t changed, and Jesus still does these things today.
Wherever you are today, God is at work for His purposes and will to be done. Consistent with the entrance of Jesus into this world, God is doing things on purpose and for your good even when you cannot see it.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember who the true Prince of Peace is. Perhaps God wants you to turn your focus back on Him. Maybe today God wants you to remember that while life is difficult, He is at work in your life. Perhaps God wants you to remember what Christmas is all about.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 2:1–7). InterVarsity Press.
Brown, D., Fausset, A. R., & Jamieson, R. (n.d.). A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Matthew–John: Vol. V (p. 225). William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 83). Zondervan Publishing House.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 66–71). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 202–203). Baker Academic.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 76). Zondervan.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 118–119). Zondervan.