Once In Royal David’s City

What this episode covers

The New Testament begins after 400 years of silence. It would have been a time when the church was asking: Where is God? It also begins during a historically significant time in Roman history. Rome had been entrenched in centuries of warfare and imperial expansion until Caesar Augustus ushered in 200 years of peace, known as the Pax Romana. The people were asking: Who needs God? In light of history, we are insignificant and powerless, yet we remain full of self-sufficient pride. God orchestrates history to fulfill his redemptive purpose through a humble Messiah. Pray and Read Luke 2:1-7. Luke seems to have collected the material for these opening chapters through long conversations with Mary. It is revealing what he shares about history’s most significant birth. A Sovereign Messiah (1-3) “All the world” (1) refers to Roman occupied territory. This reflects the proud hyperbole of Rome. Octavian became the sole ruler of Rome and transitioned the republic into an empire. The Roman Senate voted to name him “Augustus”, which means “eminent”, “majestic”, even “holy” or “revered”. After the death of Julius Caesar, Augustus referred to his adoptive father as divine, thus labeling himself as “son of god” and an inscription at Halicarnassus refers to him as the “savior of the whole world.” Imperial worship was ramping up and quickly becoming the accepted religion, which, later on, posed grave challenges for the early church. Verse 2 presents a historical problem. This census most likely took place between 6-4 BC, but Josephus dates Quirinius’ governorship of Syria in 6/7 AD. How do we account for the difference of 10-13 years? A few solutions have been proposed. The ESV Footnote suggests “when” could be translated as “before”. However, this does not have good grammatical support.Another option is that the census was merely a local one that effected the inhabitants of Israel, but was part of a large-scale and long-lasting attempt to gather statistics for taxation purposes.Josephus’ dating could be wrong. I trust an inspired Luke over an uninspired historian (who, incidentally, made other recorded mistakes). There really is not a simple or obvious explanation for the discrepancy. Maybe some additional archeological evidence will corroborate Luke in the future. However, we should confidently confess that Scripture’s testimony is clear and trustworthy. Whether Josephus is wrong, or extra-biblical history is lacking, we should readily adopt Luke’s account as the infallible record on the matter. The bigger point is Luke’s contrast of two kingdoms. The kingdom of Rome, with all of its earthly glory is about to be infiltrated by a heavenly kingdom, that enters the region in relative obscurity. God used the pseudo-savior of the world to contribute to the fulfillment of his redemptive purposes. The One True God ordained a Roman census to bring about the birth of the One True Savior of the World, Jesus Christ! We have a Messiah who is Sovereign. He directs kings and rulers—including those who set themselves up as gods—as if they are pawns on a chessboard. Whereas Augustus and Quirinius thought they were expanding their power, in reality, God was using them to lay the foundations of His kingdom. God orchestrated events in such a way that Mary, a pregnant virgin from Nazareth in Galilee (Lk 1:26-27), would end up in Bethlehem—“the city of David”—at the time when she would deliver her child. Luke set out to write his gospel to provide his readers “certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Lk 1:4). He provides dates and names and the details of events to give believers evidence that supports their faith and hope. How do these verses serve that goal? These verses provide us with the certainty that—even when wicked rulers make inconvenient decrees—God “works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11). God turns what men intend for evil and uses it for our good (Gen. 50:20). I

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