The Night Heaven Broke the Silence

It didn’t look like a King’s arrival. There was no palace. No ceremony. No crowds of powerful dignitaries waiting with arms wide open. Just a village. A young husband and wife. And an animal feeding trough. But heaven watched over what was taking place with great celebration.

Luke establishes the setting of Jesus’ birth by tying it to world events. “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled” (Luke 2:1 ESV). The Roman emperor thought he was issuing orders for political reasons, but God was orchestrating events to keep His promise. Long before Augustus’ decree, God said through the prophets that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Politics were actually working out God’s plans. Caesar may have given the command, but God was authoring the story.

“And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6–7 ESV). Heaven’s King came into the world in a humble way. Jesus who spoke matter into existence was laid in a feeding trough. God didn’t send His Son in glory because He first came to die for sinners.

As the town slept, angels pierced the night. Shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks when “the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them” (Luke 2:9 ESV). These were not priests or powerful leaders. They were simple working class men. But they were the first to hear the good news.

“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’” (Luke 2:10–11 ESV).

Someone may ask, “Wait, didn’t the idea of a Savior come later? Wouldn’t those shepherds have missed that concept?” Savior is not a New Testament idea tacked onto Jesus’ identity. It is an Old Testament foundation to who God is. Israel called the Lord their Savior long before Jesus was born. The Bible had declared this reality from generation to generation. “I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11 ESV). God says the same thing in Isaiah 45: 21, “And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me.”

Those shepherds would have known that terminology. Every believer in Israel would have known that language. Scripture proclaimed the Lord as Savior over and over again. There is not suddenly a Savior in Luke 2. The Savior had suddenly arrived in the flesh.

Some like to create distance between the OT and NT. They portray the God of the Old Testament as angry and punishing while the Christ of the New Testament is loving and forgiving. That’s not what Scripture teaches at all. The same God who condemned sin promised redemption. The same Lord who delivered His people from slavery also promised a Redeemer who would rescue them from their sin. This story, from Genesis on, has always been about Christ.

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” (Luke 2:13–14 ESV). Notice the declaration. Glory is to God first. Peace is to man second. True peace doesn’t start with us trying to make things right. It starts with God making things right.

The shepherds never argued about the announcement. They went. They traveled to Bethlehem to see for themselves and found the baby just as the angel had described. When they saw Him, they began spreading the news to others. Luke records that “But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19 ESV). She was seeing the fulfillment of God’s promises firsthand.

Eight days later Jesus was circumcised and named according to the angel’s instructions. When His parents took Jesus to the temple, a man named Simeon was there waiting. Luke describes him as “a righteous man and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25 ESV). God had promised Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.

As Simeon held Jesus in his arms, Scripture says he “took him up in his arms and blessed God, saying, ‘Lord, now let 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’” (Luke 2:29–32 ESV). Salvation was not just a promise. Salvation had come. Jesus was standing right in front of him.

But notice what Simeon also said. “Behold, this child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And there will be a sword that will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:34–35 ESV). Jesus would become a dividing point in history. Many would stand because of Him. Many would fall because of their rejection of Him. The babe laying in Mary’s arms would provide salvation to many through His death on the cross.

Luke 2 paints a beautiful picture of how God often works quietly. Most of the world slept through the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The Son of God had quietly come to earth, and it was the most significant event in human history.

For us as believers, our response should mirror that of the shepherds and Simeon. When the shepherds heard the announcement, they ran to Christ. Simeon waited until God fulfilled His promise to him.

Christ promised in the Old Testament has come. God is faithful to keep His promises.

And if God sent Jesus the first time by keeping His promise, you can rest assured of every promise that He has yet to fulfill.

Take this question into your reading tomorrow: When heaven shouted the Savior had come, the shepherds ran to see Him. Will you continue to run to Christ with that same urgency?

     

Listen to Today’s Bible Reading

Numbers 24:1-25:18
Luke 2:1-35
Psalm 59:1-17
Proverbs 11:14

New Testament

Luke 1:57-80

Summary
The Birth of Jesus Christ
The Shepherds and the Angels
Jesus Presented at the Temple

Simeon thanks God for sending Jesus

“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.”  ~ Luke 2:29-32

Listen to John MacArthur on today’s scripture below:

Mark by John MacArthur

 

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Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible

 

Luke 2 – Introduction by Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible

Luke 2:9-14

Luke 2:25-35

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