Luke 2
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
In Luke 2:1-7, we read that Caesar Augustus was ruler over the whole Roman Empire. Augustus was a great title. It didn’t mean king or emperor but had the connotation of being deified or like a god.
Caesar meant to rule over the whole world. Everyone had to bow to him. When he ordered everyone to register for the census, even if it was hard to do so, they had to obey him.
Mary was advanced in her pregnancy but she had to make the difficult journey to Bethlehem. This shows us how God is totally Sovereign, over every circumstance.. This Caesar had to do God’s will, so that the prophecy that His Son would be born in Bethlehem and not in Nazareth, would be fulfilled.
Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus in a dirty stable because no-one had any room for Him. When the Lord Jesus comes in glory, how will those people react then? Maybe they’ll cry out to the Lord to forgive them.
How can we continue in our sins if we have met the One who was born to save us from our sins, our Lord Jesus who is without beginning or end.
God rules over all rulers. There is a story related about a man who thought it weird and unbelieveable that the Lord Jesus had to become a man, God in the flesh. That winter, in his area, there was a bad snowstorm. The man saw wild geese getting stranded and landing in his yard. He tried to get them into the shed (by dropping food in that direction) to save them, but they wouldn’t follow him. Instead they flew around in a panic. He so wished that he could become a goose, like them, so that he could lead them into the warmth and security of his shed. He suddenly had an idea to use his tame goose to lead all the others into the shed. Indeed, he fetched his goose and put it in a position where it would return back to the shed. All the wild geese went into the shed behind this goose. Then the man realised how the Lord Jesus became a man so that He could save mankind, and lead us into the safety of His salvation and eternal home.
The man prayed “Thank you God, that you came in human form to get me out of my storm.”