Luke 2:8-12
"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
It was a time of Roman rule. The rule of one man really, or so they thought. A man born Octavius but later known as Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. This reign of Caesar's was initiated as an imperial cult, which means the empire considered him to be of divine authority. He was the ruler of all the known world and the other world. They afforded him respect for all deities and mores, spiritually and politically. And about every fourteen years they would take a census in all the Republic and its provinces so that the whole world could be taxed for him.
Mary and Joseph were forced to travel about seventy miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem just because Augustus wanted to tax them. And when they arrived at the guesthouse it was filled because so many people like them were there for the same reason. Such a small insignificant place but filled with people and importance.
Seven hundred years earlier, that same small town of Bethlehem, which was under the rule of a self-proclaimed deity in Mary's time, was spoken about by the prophet of God himself.
Micah 5:2
"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days."
The prophet predicted that Bethlehem was to be the birthplace of the true divine human being. The Messiah, the true ruler of the world, not that puppet in Rome. This child, about to be born, is going to ultimately achieve truly hegemonic status as all authority becomes his by the True Ultimate and Divine Authority. That puppet in Rome is controlled by this divine Architect. The tax is God's plan. The place is God's plan. The young Jewish girl is his blessed vessel. And the man Jospeh is his guardian for her and the child. And the lowly Shepards are God's chosen heralds.
So, the glory of the Lord was in the land. Messengers from heaven were sent to nearby shepherds. And they sang their heavenly song to them with the message that the King of kings was born in the small village of Bethlehem, "the city of David".
They sang,
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"
The shepherds went and they saw him. And they went everywhere to tell the world about what they've seen.
Later Mary and Joseph had him circumcised and named him Jesus which is the English version of the Greek name for the Hebrew name Yehoshua. In Matthew's gospel it is recorded that they were "to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins".
If you were to try and understand how the Hebrew name is spoken, you would need to aspirate the sound as you breathed out the name. Beginning the "Yeh" as an aspirated breath.
Ye-shooo-ahhhh. The "h" is dropped.
Jesus was circumcised at eight days old. And a man who was named Simeon of whom it was said to be, "righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel", was there in the temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus in to be presented for a holy offering. Simeon was in the Spirit...
Luke 2:28-32
he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."
And so it was that in this way the Divine Authority, King of the Universe is officially recognized and proclaimed to all the world. This is the beginning of the reign of the Prince of Peace. He is anointed, divinely acknowledged, and coronated here in this offering.
Luke 2:34-35
"And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."
If you were to ask me what is meant by the sword that pierced Mary's soul, and the revealed hearts of many, I would attribute to this as a reference to the gospels that have yet to be written. To Mary, Simeon is saying, Jesus will reveal the secrets of the Holy Scriptures and the hidden thoughts of men. The sword is the Sword of truth. The man Jesus time after time exhibits the ability to not only know the thoughts and intentions of the people, but he possessed profound insight in The Holy Scripture. He knew the mind of God as well. And his mother understood this and told others to do whatever he tells them to do. This was and is his divine authority as The Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12
"The word of the Lord is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"
If you were looking for a true reason to give deference to Mary the mother of Jesus, do so in this, her obedience to The Word of God to which she kept perfectly in a way that so many fail. She pondered his word and divine nature. She kept control over her emotions and served his ministry even though she had prophetic information available to her that would give many others great pause and reason to resist the outcomes. Her humble obedience to his earthly ministry is worthy of praise, though I think she would resist that praise if it were offered.
At that same time, as they were anointing Jesus in the temple, there was an eighty-four-year-old prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel. Who lived out her days worshipping and fasting. And she came upon them and proclaimed Jesus as the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:40
"And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him."
And so it was that God called Jesus the Christ into his earthly ministry. And he called him to be a man of sorrows. As Simeon told Mary, Jesus was to be a sign that would be opposed, whose suffering would cause grief not only for Him but also for His mother (Luke 2:34–35). And Jesus did suffer, but he did so willingly and perfectly, without sin.
1 Peter 2:23
"When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but continued entrusting himself to Him who judges justly."
And we who love God, and call ourselves "Christian", should make note of this call into suffering and submission. Many examples confirm the Bible's general teaching that all believers will suffer in their ministry vocations. And these serve to illustrate Gods wisdom and will in bringing us into those situations. He permits us to suffer and sometimes it's a temptation to sin where we shouldn't resist. These lessons are invaluable because it's important for us to know that we can trust in the sovereign goodness of God. This gospel telling of the birth of the King of the Universe is important as well to help us remember that all the things that operate in the Universe are in God's control. Nothing happens by chance. All things are sovereign and divine. Even suffering is from God being worked out for our good.
We struggle with understanding that, and God's knows this. Even that he knows. He raises up kingdoms and brings them down and our whole life is in his hands. Everything that happens is the will of God. Good or bad, God is in control. This is not to say that God creates sin and evil but only affirms that through it all God reigns sovereign. There's a concurrence of two flows, His perfect will and the wicked human will of mankind. God stands over all these things and works out good from both.
If we can receive that realization as Mary does, we can find the blessing she has received. I hope you all receive it and keep it close to your heart. You're going to need it one day when your time of suffering comes. Don't resist it but instead humbly lean into it. In the deep darkness, even the smallest of lights can be seen for miles. Keep these things in your heart and ponder them.
God bless you and be a blessing for others.