The Politics of the Incarnation Text: Luke 2:1-20
Introduction: Two Empires, Two Kings
We live in an age that has done its level best to domesticate Christmas. We have rendered the birth of the Lord Jesus into a quaint, sentimental story fit for children's pageants and greeting cards, a story about a sweet baby, some gentle animals, and stargazing wise men. But to do this is to declaw a lion. The nativity of Jesus Christ is not a quiet, pastoral scene. It is a declaration of war. It is the invasion of enemy occupied territory by the one true King. It is the most profoundly political event in the history of the world.
Luke, the meticulous historian, begins his account not in the Temple or a synagogue, but in the palace of the emperor of Rome. He places the birth of Jesus squarely in the midst of global politics, under the reign of Caesar Augustus, the most powerful man on earth. This is entirely deliberate. The story of the incarnation is the story of a direct collision between two empires, two lords, two gospels, and two claims to universal dominion. Caesar Augustus claimed to be the "son of god," the "savior of the world," the one who brought the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome. His gospel was one of salvation through submission to the sword of the state. But into the middle of this glorious Roman project, God injects the true Son of God, the true Savior, the Prince of true Peace. And He does so in the most unexpected, upside down way imaginable.
The world measures power by the size of one's legions, the reach of one's decrees, and the grandeur of one's palaces. God measures power by the humility of a manger, the obedience of a young couple, and the cry of a newborn baby. This story is designed to overthrow all our assumptions about power, authority, and how God works in the world. It is a story that shows us that God's sovereignty is so absolute that He can use the decrees of pagan emperors to fulfill His own ancient prophecies, and that the birth of a single child in an obscure village can shake the foundations of the mightiest empire on earth. This is not a story to make us feel warm and fuzzy. It is a story to make us bow the knee.
The Text
Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for a census to be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was going to be registered for the census, each to his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child. Now it happened that while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guest room.
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
And it happened that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it marveled at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary was treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as was told them.
(Luke 2:1-20 LSB)
Caesar's Decree, God's Design (vv. 1-5)
The story begins with the machinery of state power.
"Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for a census to be taken of all the inhabited earth... And everyone was going to be registered for the census, each to his own city." (Luke 2:1, 3 LSB)
Caesar Augustus, sitting in his palace, issues a decree. He wants to count his people, to know the extent of his domain, to assess his tax base, to consolidate his power. From a human perspective, this is the engine of history. A great man makes a decision, and the world moves. People are uprooted, families travel, and the bureaucracy of the empire grinds on. But Luke is showing us that there is a hand on the lever that Caesar knows nothing about. The emperor of Rome, in all his pomp and pride, is nothing more than an errand boy for the God of Israel.
For seven hundred years, the prophet Micah had declared that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). But the mother of the Messiah lived in Nazareth, a town of no account, some ninety miles to the north. How was God to solve this logistical problem? He solves it by nudging the most powerful man in the world to issue a global decree that forces a humble carpenter and his pregnant fiancee to make the arduous journey at precisely the right time. God's sovereignty is not a generic, abstract principle. It is meticulously detailed. He moves empires to fulfill His Word. This should give us profound confidence. The nightly news may be filled with the decrees of modern caesars, with political posturing and global machinations, but our God sits in the heavens and does whatever He pleases. He uses the pride of kings to serve the purposes of His grace.
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee... to Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was with child." (Luke 2:4-5 LSB)
Joseph's obedience is central. He is a righteous man, and so he obeys the civil magistrate. But his obedience is what places him in Bethlehem, the city of his ancestor David. This is crucial. Jesus must be born here not only to fulfill Micah's prophecy, but to establish His legal claim as the heir to David's throne. Caesar's census, designed to register subjects, becomes the instrument by which God registers His Son as the rightful King. And notice the quiet faith of Mary. She is "with child," in the final stage of her pregnancy, yet she undertakes this difficult journey. This is not a comfortable trip. It is a picture of faithful submission to God's perplexing providence.
The Humility of the Incarnation (vv. 6-7)
The arrival in Bethlehem is not triumphant. It is marked by rejection and profound humility.
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guest room." (Luke 2:7 LSB)
Here is the great reversal. The King of the universe enters His world, and the world has no room for Him. The "guest room," the kataluma, was likely the main living area in a relative's crowded home, not a commercial inn. The point is that He is displaced from the start. He is an inconvenience. The Creator is treated as a trespasser on His own property. John tells us, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). This rejection begins at His birth.
And so, He is laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Think of the staggering condescension. The one who spoke the stars into existence is laid in a filthy trough. The one who is the Bread of Life is placed where the beasts of the field come to eat their grain. This is not an accident. It is a sign. It is a theological statement. The way to glory in God's kingdom is the way down. The path to the throne is through the stable. This is the antithesis of all worldly wisdom. Caesar builds monuments to himself; Christ is laid in a borrowed trough. The world seeks to exalt itself; God humbles Himself. This is the gospel in miniature. If you want to find the King, you must look for Him in the lowest place.
The Angelic Proclamation (vv. 8-14)
While the world of men sleeps, unaware of the cosmic shift that has just occurred, heaven cannot contain itself. But to whom is the royal birth announced?
"In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields... And an angel of the Lord stood before them... 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" (Luke 2:8, 9, 10-11 LSB)
The announcement does not go to the palace of Herod in Jerusalem. It does not go to the court of the High Priest. It goes to shepherds. In that culture, shepherds were on the bottom rung of the social ladder. They were often considered ceremonially unclean and their testimony was not admissible in court. They were nobodies. And this is precisely the point. God's gospel is for the humble. He bypasses the proud, the powerful, and the self-sufficient, and He brings His good news to those who know they have nothing. This is the consistent pattern of God's grace.
And what is the news? It is the gospel in three titles. A "Savior" has been born, one who will rescue His people from their sins. He is the "Christ," the Messiah, the long awaited anointed King who will sit on David's throne. And He is the "Lord," Kurios, the very name of God Himself. This baby is Yahweh in the flesh. This is the bombshell. And the sign of this glorious King's identity is not a crown or a scepter, but His humiliation: "you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." The sign of His divinity is the depth of His humility.
"And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'" (Luke 2:13-14 LSB)
The sky explodes in worship. The birth of this child is the central purpose of creation. It brings the ultimate glory to God. And it brings peace on earth. But this is not a universal, sentimental peace. It is not the Pax Romana, enforced by swords. It is a covenantal peace. It is peace "among men with whom He is pleased," or as some translations render it, "men of His good pleasure." This is the language of election. God has set His favor upon a people, and the birth of this Savior is the action that secures peace between them and their holy God. The war between God and sinful man is over for those on whom His favor rests.
The Appropriate Response (vv. 15-20)
The passage concludes by showing us three models of a right response to the gospel news.
"Let us go to Bethlehem then, and see this thing... So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child." (Luke 2:15-17 LSB)
The first response is that of the shepherds: immediate, urgent faith that results in evangelism. They hear the word, they believe the word, and they go. They don't form a committee to study the angelic phenomenon. They go "in a hurry." And having seen the Christ, they cannot keep it to themselves. They become the first preachers of the gospel, telling everyone what they have heard and seen. True faith is never silent. It must speak.
The second response is that of Mary: quiet, contemplative faith.
"But Mary was treasuring all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Luke 2:19 LSB)
While others are marveling, Mary is thinking. She is taking the prophecies, the angelic visitations, the strange journey, the manger, and the shepherds' testimony, and she is fitting them together. This is the heart of a theologian. She treasures the Word of God and meditates on it, seeking to understand the glorious plan that is unfolding around her. Our faith must have both the public proclamation of the shepherds and the deep, internal reflection of Mary.
Finally, the shepherds' response comes full circle.
"And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as was told them." (Luke 2:20 LSB)
Their evangelism leads them back to doxology. The ultimate end of the gospel is the worship of God. They return to their flocks, to their ordinary lives, but they are changed men. Their fields have become a cathedral. Their work is now worship. This is the goal of our salvation, that in everything, we would glorify and praise God for the magnificent reality of the gospel, which is just as He has told us in His Word.
Conclusion: Whose Kingdom?
The story begins with Caesar on his throne and ends with shepherds on their knees. It begins with a decree of taxation and ends with a declaration of salvation. This is the great conflict that defines all of human history. Will we live as subjects of Caesar's kingdom, a kingdom of pride, power, and self? Or will we live as subjects of Christ's kingdom, a kingdom of humility, grace, and worship?
Caesar demanded that everyone be registered in his books. The gospel invites us to be registered in the Lamb's Book of Life. Caesar's decree brought Joseph and Mary to a place of rejection and humility. God's decree brings all His children, through that same humility, to a place of ultimate glory. The manger was only the beginning. It points forward to the cross, another place of utter humiliation and rejection, which became the instrument of salvation for the entire world. And the cross points forward to the throne, where that same Jesus now rules and reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Every Caesar, every president, every prime minister, every petty tyrant who has ever lived will one day stand before that child of the manger and will bend the knee. The empires of men are temporary; they rise and they fall. But the government of this child will have no end. The question before each one of us this day is simple. Will you bow the knee now, in loving submission to Christ the Lord? Or will you be forced to bow it later, as a conquered rebel before the Judge of all the earth? The good news of great joy is that the invitation is still open. Come and behold Him, born the King of angels.