GREAT JOY AVAILABLE TO ALL

Luke 2:1-6 (ESV) In those days a decree went out from Augustus Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Suria.  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.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  

In the above Scripture, we see God at work in human history.  The entire Roman world was rather large, from the mid-East over to Britain.  It is doubtful that Caesar Augustus was thinking about God’s purpose when he made the registration edict but God was using a political development to assure prophecy was fulfilled (see the prophecy in Micah 5:2).  An interesting tidbit is that the name Bethlehem in Hebrew means “House of Bread”, from which came the Bread of Life.

The first to know about the birth of the Messiah were the shepherds out in the field when an angel of the Lord appeared to them, saying (Luke 2:10-11) (ESV) “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  The good news of great joy was the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among the people, who saw his glory, as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (see John 1:14).  The great joy stemmed from the fact that his birth changed everything, as there became hope for everyone.  Peace on earth was now possible because the relationship between man and God could be complete through the removal of the division caused by sin.