Fulfilling the Promise!

God Saves Gentiles! Luke Has Good News!

A study of the NT book of Luke

by Pastor Frank Rice

Luke 2:1-20

Having just visited IndianaUniversity in Bloomington, IN, I had jotted down a few interesting phrases posted on the walls of their athletic facility. One of them was “Fulfilling the Promise.” How fortuitous! I’m not sure what the promise is that they are fulfilling, but I know that the one God was and is fulfilling for His people! God had promised, thru the angel, to send a Savior (Luke 1:31). He is in the process of fulfilling the promise. His plan is progressing!

 

❖      The promised Son becomes a fundamental part of world history (vv. 1-3)! (Those in power had / have no clue they were / are being used by God to fulfill His promises and His purposes!)

1. “In those days” connects this birth and celebration story to the previous one. These two crucial events are inseparable!
2. The ruler of the Roman world issued an irksome edict that created resentment, not primarily by economic stress, but by reminding Jews they were under the demands of outsiders.
3. “A census was not simply a means of organizing the tax roles but was also a means of demonstrating control.” (Garland)
4. “The decree calls for the registration of provincial citizens for the purposes of assessing taxes… the census is another word to refer to the tax registration.” (Bock) [Gov’t assesses so they can assess!]
5. In order to make this less irritating to Jews, it required them to return to their ancestral homes, thus placating their ire!
6. “The census, which could be controversial, uses customs that would be the least offensive. For Jews, an ancestral registration would be a most natural way to sign up for taxes.” (Bock)
7. “Luke portrays Augustus as the unknowing agent of God, whose decree leads to the fulfillment of the promised rise of a special ruler from Bethlehem… Only a government decree puts the parents in the right place.” (Bock)

 

❖      The head of the house was required to make the trip in order to register for the purpose of taxation (vv. 4-5)!

1. Joseph was accompanied by his pregnant wife as they traveled 90 miles to Bethlehem, the place of David’s home.
2. “The reference to Mary as betrothed may have a motive… it means that the marriage is not yet consummated and thus implies a virgin birth.” (Bock)
3. Mary’s desire was likely just to be with her husband in anticipation of an imminent birth! Her presence with him just happened to fulfill ancient prophecy (Micah 5:2)!

 

❖      The promised Son made His appearance during the time that they were visiting Bethlehem (vv. 6-7)! (The story is written simple & straightforward, uncomplicated & uncluttered!)

1. Most of the traditional stuff surrounding this well-known event is just that – tradition! (Truth is often suffocated by…)
2. There is no evidence of panic to find a place for delivery, no ill-tempered innkeeper, no animals, no poverty, no idea of a painless birth, etc! (Sorry.)
3. “The fiction of a heartless innkeeper who turns them away is not only a fantasy; it leads away from Luke’s point… It is theologically dangerous to allow the account of His birth to be hijacked by fiction.” (Garland)
4. She gave birth as any other young lady would, handled the delivery just as they would, and Joseph was there. (We must admit the feed trough is a little unusual. It is a sign!)
5. “The Messiah is born in a room normally reserved for animals.” (Bock)
6. “The couple stayed in the animal quarters of the home of a relative or acquaintance because someone who ‘outranked’ them occupied the upper room in an overcrowded home.” (Garland)

 

❖      The heavens erupt with the angelic announcement of the Child’s birth, the fulfillment of God’s promise (vv. 8-14)!

1. The announcement was not made to the political or religious leaders but to those on the fringes of polite society (vv. 8-9). It is often these kinds of people to whom God appeals.
2. “Shepherd motifs in the Bible are mostly positive… they picture the lowly and humble who respond to God’s message.” (Bock)
3. For these “normal” men, it was an ordinary night… until an angel showed up, lighting up the darkened sky and scaring them “half to death!”
4. This 3^rd angelic appearance follows the pattern; angel’s appearance, people’s fear, angel gives assurance, delivers the message, provides a sign, disappears, people respond!
5. The announcement entails good news which will bring great joy to all who hear! We miss the political implications the initial audience would have recognized (vv. 10-12).
6. For these men and all Israel there was news of a Savior, the Messiah and Lord who had been born that very day in David’s town. Even they knew the implications of this news!
7. “Jesus life is introduced in terms of three titles: Savior points to His role as deliverer; Messiah points to His office in terms of the promised Anointed One of God; and Lord indicates His sovereign authority.” (Bock)
8. These men received an invitation to check out this news by seeking the sign, a baby boy in an animal feed trough.
9. The announcement culminated by an entourage of angels praising God and proclaiming peace (vv. 13-14).
10. “The birth in Bethlehem is the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s most significant act for humans. From this simple setting emerges the Lord Jesus, the focus of all God’s promises and of all human hopes.” (Bock)

 

❖      These men respond by confirming the message (vv. 15-17)!

1. The stunned shepherds decided to check out the Lord’s message through the angel (vv. 15-17).
2. They immediately headed for town and soon discovered the sign that they had been told about!
3. When they’d seen the sign, they left the stable and shared with others what the angels had told them and how they’d seen the fulfilling of God’s promise. Did they find out His name?

 

❖      The response to this miraculous event is diverse (vv. 18-20).

1. Those who heard the shepherds’ story marveled (v. 18)!
2. The mother of the Savior treasured ALL these things and contemplated them continuously in her heart (v. 19). This likely infers her awareness of everything that we have read thus far and more!
3. She continued to try “to put the pieces together” to see the whole picture. “It would have been remarkable indeed for Mary not to have been confused about the significance of all that had happened to her.” (Stein)
4. The simple men who’d first received the message glorified and praised God for what they had experienced (v. 20).

 

Such a delightful, uncluttered, uncomplicated, and refreshingly simple story;

 it is the fulfilling of God’s promise.

Yet its impact is extensive and eternal!