Luke 2:1-14

Luke 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus

that the whole world should be enrolled.

This was the first enrollment, 

when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth 

to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, 

because he was of the house and family of David, 

to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

While they were there,

the time came for her to have her child, 

and she gave birth to her firstborn son.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, 

because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields

and keeping the night watch over their flock.

The angel of the Lord appeared to them 

and the glory of the Lord shone around them, 

and they were struck with great fear.

The angel said to them,

“Do not be afraid;

for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy 

that will be for all the people.

For today in the city of David 

a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.

And this will be a sign for you: 

you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes 

and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,

praising God and saying:

    “Glory to God in the highest

        and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have made this most sacred night radiant with the splendor of the true light. Grant that we who have come to know the mysteries of the light of your Son on earth, may also delight in the gladness of the heavenly light.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Son of God: Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth begins with a reference to Caesar Augustus, who reigned as Emperor of Rome from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D. During his reign, Augustus took three censuses of the Roman citizens in his empire, one at the beginning in 27 B.C., one in the middle in 8 B.C., and one at the end in A.D. 14. Since a census could take a decade or more to complete, Luke seems to be referring to the general policy established by Augustus to enroll the empire. The enrollment that Luke refers to in the context of Jesus’ birth was likely a loyalty oath in 3/2 B.C. or a phase of one of the censuses for tax purposes. If it were the loyalty oath, then it was connected to the empire-wide enrollment when Augustus was given the title “Father of my Country” in the 13^th year of his consulship (2 B.C.). As the adopted son of Julius Caesar, Augustus also referred to himself as the “son of a god,” and had himself hailed as a “god” and “savior” who established peace and whose birth brought “good news.” Luke knows all of this and narrates the birth of Jesus in such a way as to show that the real “good news” is the birth of Jesus in a small village. Jesus, not Augustus, is the true “Son of God” (Luke 1:35) and “Savior” who ushers in the era of God’s peace (Luke 2:14) (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 61). 

2. The Savior of the World: When the angels announced the true “good news” (Gospel) to the shepherds, we learn that the good news is not about one of Caesar’s military victories or the birth of a new Roman ruler. The true good news is that our Savior, the Messianic Lord, has been born. He will be victorious over sin, death, and the devil. Throughout the infancy narrative, Luke is bringing out the contrast between the Caesar and the Christ: “The supposed king of the world, Caesar Augustus, flaunts his power by uprooting families throughout the empire so he can collect the Roman tax, while the true King of the world is born quietly in Bethlehem and placed in a manger, escaping the notice of most of the people he has come to save” (Sri, Dawn of the Messiah, 75). Our savior is a small baby born today in a humble stable and placed in a feeding trough, a manger. He will save us not through military power or economic policies, but through his loving obedience, sorrowful passion, innocent death, and glorious resurrection.

3. The Bringer of True Peace: There is another contrast in the infancy narrative between the Roman Legions, commanded by the Emperor, and the angelic army and heavenly host who give glory to the newborn king. Caesar Augustus proclaimed that he brought peace to the world. He performed the ceremonial closing of the Gates of Janus in 29 B.C. and 25 B.C., indicating that the Roman Empire, after years of civil war and unrest, was at peace. The Roman Senate even commissioned the “Ara Pacis Augustae” or “Altar of Augustan Peace” in 13 B.C. to celebrate this. But much of the “Pax Romana” was skillful propaganda. Peace was attained and maintained through military force, and wars continued to be fought as lands were captured and added to the Empire. Later Roman emperors would strive to imitate Augustus and produced lavish ceremonies to close the Gates of Janus and issued coins with “Peace” (Pax) written on the reverse. For all its limitations, the “Roman Peace” was providential as it permitted the spread of the Gospel to much of the world. But it was not the true peace and reconciliation that humanity so desperately needed. The true bringer of peace, as Luke brings out, was the newborn king, who reconciles humanity with God. The angelic armies do not conquer and influence human history by physical force but through liturgical worship. When the heavenly host manifests itself to the shepherds, the shepherds hear the praise of God: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have restored the dignity of human nature by assuming our human nature and perfecting it through your suffering. You shared in our humanity so that we can come to share in your divinity.

Living the Word of God: Can I take some time today, when I am with family, to reflect on my loyalties? Do I trust more in secular (military or economic) power or divine power to bring about a more peaceful and just society? Do I believe in the transforming power of divine grace and charity? What does the contemplation of the Christ-child in the manger inspire within me?