DECEMBER 14TH
Holiday Inn
Luke 2:1-7 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
We're all familiar with the lyrics, "away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head." This classic Christmas hymn was inspired by a single verse in the Bible that tells us that Jesus lay in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn. You're probably familiar with this part of the Christmas story as well, but it's easy to get the wrong idea about Christ's birth from this one simple line. If someone today is traveling and finds himself without a place to stay, we usually assume they didn't plan their trip very well and should have made a reservation beforehand or booked a travel agent. But far from being an accident or a sign of poor planning, Jesus being laid in the manger is the result of a plan so detailed and so amazingly perfect that only God could have orchestrated it and brought it about.
To understand how Jesus came to be laid in a manger, we must first understand why He was born in Bethlehem. After all, if His parents were from Nazareth, there would probably be a warm bed there where all of this could have happened, instead of a stable in a foreign land. Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, had decided to take a census of everyone in the Roman Empire, including Jews (who were not even Roman citizens). Rome was expanding so quickly and taking over so many countries that a tally had to be taken to make sure everyone was being taxed correctly, ensuring the empire would have all the money it needed to operate. Scholars tell us this was the first census ever taken in the Roman Empire, and the timing of Caesar's decree was such that Joseph and Mary would be precisely in the town of Bethlehem when the time came for Jesus to be born. Caesar Augustus surely thought the decree was his idea, and the timing was up to him, but it turns out that he was just running an errand for God. You see, 750 years earlier, God had revealed through the prophet Micah that his Son, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Because God is in complete control and knows everything, He knew Caesar would make the decree at just the right time for Mary and Joseph to be in Bethlehem and not Nazareth for Jesus' birth and for Micah's prophecy (as well as all messianic prophecy) to be fulfilled perfectly.
If God knew exactly when and where Jesus would be born, then we can safely assume He also knew that after Jesus' birth, he would be laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. God didn't forget to make a reservation for Jesus. Far from being a mistake or an oversight on God's part, the fact that there was no room at the inn was a preview of how the world would reject Jesus and how prideful people would shut their hearts and lives to Him. Jesus entered the world in a humble way; those who wish to follow Jesus back to heaven must also do so with humility. The things you see happen around you may appear to be accidental, coincidental, or unimportant, but the stay of Jesus in the manger reminds us that nothing is accidental with God. God is driving all of it to accomplish his plans. As you celebrate this potentially hectic, stressful, and spontaneous season, remember that God hasn't overlooked a single detail. He's got the whole world, and everything in it, in His hands.
To understand how Jesus came to be laid in a manger, we must first understand why He was born in Bethlehem. After all, if His parents were from Nazareth, there would probably be a warm bed there where all of this could have happened, instead of a stable in a foreign land. Caesar Augustus, the Roman emperor, had decided to take a census of everyone in the Roman Empire, including Jews (who were not even Roman citizens). Rome was expanding so quickly and taking over so many countries that a tally had to be taken to make sure everyone was being taxed correctly, ensuring the empire would have all the money it needed to operate. Scholars tell us this was the first census ever taken in the Roman Empire, and the timing of Caesar's decree was such that Joseph and Mary would be precisely in the town of Bethlehem when the time came for Jesus to be born. Caesar Augustus surely thought the decree was his idea, and the timing was up to him, but it turns out that he was just running an errand for God. You see, 750 years earlier, God had revealed through the prophet Micah that his Son, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Because God is in complete control and knows everything, He knew Caesar would make the decree at just the right time for Mary and Joseph to be in Bethlehem and not Nazareth for Jesus' birth and for Micah's prophecy (as well as all messianic prophecy) to be fulfilled perfectly.
If God knew exactly when and where Jesus would be born, then we can safely assume He also knew that after Jesus' birth, he would be laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. God didn't forget to make a reservation for Jesus. Far from being a mistake or an oversight on God's part, the fact that there was no room at the inn was a preview of how the world would reject Jesus and how prideful people would shut their hearts and lives to Him. Jesus entered the world in a humble way; those who wish to follow Jesus back to heaven must also do so with humility. The things you see happen around you may appear to be accidental, coincidental, or unimportant, but the stay of Jesus in the manger reminds us that nothing is accidental with God. God is driving all of it to accomplish his plans. As you celebrate this potentially hectic, stressful, and spontaneous season, remember that God hasn't overlooked a single detail. He's got the whole world, and everything in it, in His hands.