Gospel According to Luke

Chapter 2

The Birth of Jesus

Not only does Luke place the birth of Jesus into a specific time and setting, he places the birth of Jesus into the midst of a great Power Struggle. This power struggle was foretold in the Magnificat, Mary’s song. She sings of the Lord’s power to equalize power between the strong and the weak, the rich and poor, the hungry and those who full. Luke paints a picture of the power differentials between these extremes.

The story of Jesus begins with the decree of Emperor Augustus that “all the world” should be registered for the purposes of a taxation. The Greek word employed here is oikoumene. We derive our word economy from it. It is a word that means contextually the entire inhabited world occupied by the Roman Empire. It is a vast number of people that are being moved around. We are given the word that Caesar Augustus has enough power to shift the balance of the world and then to tax them. The spotlight falls, however, upon this couple, a carpenter, and his wife (to be) who was expecting at any time. The upshot of this migration of the entire world brings about the one end, however, that God has planned. Mary and Joseph of the family of David are moved to Bethlehem, the birthplace, and childhood home of David the shepherd who became king of Israel.

Why Bethlehem? It is a sheep station, which provides good sheep grazing ground. Sheep trading, buying, and selling, is done in Bethlehem. Outside of those qualities, it is nothing to speak of. The prophet Micah even refers to it as “least among the clan of Judah.” As has been already hinted at, its significance is that it is the home of David. Messianic descendence is through David as Nathan promised from God that it would be. Luke is underscoring the lineage question deeply. Mary and Joseph draw their family ties to David, and now, the family is being delivered to Bethlehem just in time for the birth of the messiah. Here lies one of the profound power differentials – Augustus has the power to move Mary and Joseph like pawns in the game. Yet, Luke’s account raises the important message, that there is a power differential greater than Augustus at work here. God is using this migration to divine ends. Luke wants us at least to ask, “Who is really in charge here?” Luke’s answer is, “God.” The message that he leaves the reader with is an important one, one that we all face as we find ourselves swept along in the tides that we cannot control. God’s ends are met even in the seemingly uncontrollable events that sweep us along. Other worldly authorities do not diminish God’s sovereignty. God is supreme and those who are connected to God have nothing to fear. God’s ends will be accomplished.

Note: We turned our attention in class to the question of Jesus’ crucifixion. Why did it happen, when it happened? His earthly ministry was doing many good things and accomplishing God’s work. Jesus was cut down in his early years. We must never forget that God’s work in Jesus’ hands was leading up to that moment when he accomplished God’s plan. That was at the cross. The cross did not get in the way of God’s plan, it was God’s plan. John’s gospel puts those words in Jesus mouth as he breathed his last, “It is finished.” Christ’s death is what accomplished the plan of God. Christ death is what brought salvation to the world.

Examine the early Christian hymn that St. Paul quote in Philippians: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death –even death on the cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) This is the greatest story of God bridging the power differential. God himself left the palaces of divinity to assume the form of humanity. God who is mighty took the form of a slave.

This is an important moment to reflect once more upon the mystery of Christ who is God and yet human. In the entire activity of the incarnation and ministry of Jesus, it is God who is acting. God has found the way to be both human and divine, both immanent and transcendent, both mortal and immortal at the same time. In God Christ God is acting out the plan conceived from introduction of sin into the world to accomplish the divine plan to return to humanity to him. What we are left with is the conundrum that the human and the divine coexist in Christ; but even more so, as the divine could be conceived in the womb of a mortal woman, so the divine can be conceived in the flesh and blood of us mortal all the same. Things human and things divine coexisted in Mary, in Christ Jesus, and also in us. The words of this story of incarnation of Christ are the hope that God coexists with us in our very mortality.

The second sign of the power differential that Luke leads us to see is that the first proclamation of the messiah’s birth came to shepherds, those who were lowest on the social scale. It was the shepherds who beheld the “heavenly hosts” and heard to tidings of the new arrival before anyone else.

Another sign of the power differential was the very birthplace of the messiah. Jesus was born in a barn with the animals present. He cradle was the manger filled with the straw that fed the animals. God has taken the lowest place and reached the lowest of those in the society.

Note: The question was asked at the study, who are the “heavenly hosts.” To answer the question, we first have to understand ancient cosmology. Cosmology is an understanding of the way the cosmos works. In our modern understanding of the stars, the mood, the planets, the universes, and all things of the cosmos, we rely on scientific explanation to discover the way things work. Theirs was a different world. Each of those phenomena in the sky were understood to be “beings.” There came to be an understanding from the societies and cultures around them certainly heavenly beings. Cherubim and Seraphim (see Isaiah 6 for a picture of the heavenly places. Angels and a special line of angels called archangels. One of the known books available during the time that Jesus was a human was the Book of Enoch. He names the archangels: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Urriel. Satan is also named as the angel who revolves against God and is ejected from heaven. These are they known as the heavenly hosts who appeared to Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and the shepherd keeping their watch by night.

The Childhood of Jesus

In the Biblical record, there is little told of the childhood of Jesus.

First, we are told of circumcision according the customs of the children of Israel. Jesus is name. The name Jesus, is Hellenistic (Greek) form of his Jewish name, Joshua. The name is significant in that it means, literally, savior. Jesus stands in the Jewish tradition of being a child of Abraham and inheritor of all of the promises of God as they came down through the patriarchs. Everything was done in good order including the designated sacrifices that surround the ritual. Jesus stands takes his place in the promises and covenants of God.

The prophet Simeon recognizes the role of Jesus as the Messiah. His song called in the tradition of the church, Nunc Dimitis is sometimes sung as the post communion canticle in the LBW liturgies. His song underscores the promise of God that Simeon was not die until he sees the Messiah and marks the recognition granted by the power of the Holy Spirit that this baby boy is the Messiah. Simeon makes the prophecy that talks about the role of the Messiah baby as the one “who is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed.” His life is going to be embroiled with controversy. Simeon also indicates that Mary will also suffer in her life. We who know the outcome has the magnificent image of Pieta, the lifeless body of Jesus lying in his mother’s lap. This was the sword that pierced her soul.

A second prophet appears on the scene, Anna who receives the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and tells many about the child. God gives a prophetic role to woman. This is an underscore in the gospel of Luke. Woman play a dominant role.

Note how many times the Holy Spirit has entered the picture through the story of Luke. Any and all significant vision and understanding that appears to the major characters, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon, and Anna, all received their insight as the Holy Spirit lead them.

Second, Jesus is at the age of Jewish majority, 13 when he stays behind in Jerusalem to “be about his father’s business.” This is the age of Bar mitzvah, the age when a boy can now take his place in the synagogue worship to read the scriptures and comment on them.

Mary ponders these things in her heart

To this point we have seen Mary ponder the message of the shepherds who came to the stable after being drawn by the angels, and now we see her ponder the mystery of Jesus in the temple as something to behold with wonder. The incident of the boy Jesus in the temple reveals a panic in the parents. They had gone a day’s journey and had to return when they found him missing. They were afraid and they were filled with anxiety. It was Jesus who had to turn their focus to things that were greater than the present circumstance. Jesus has a sight on things that go beyond the present reality to things divine. We find here that Jesus returns to Nazareth with them and is “obedient” to them as his parents, yet in temple we find the boy Jesus obedient also the Father who presides over all of his life events.

Thursday, April 26, 2007