Luke 2

The first part of this chapter is so familiar that we often can overlook some of what it says.  First, the author makes sure to orient us to history by mentioning Caesar Augustus and Quirinius governor of Syria.  Augustus was emperor for a significant time and was the one instrumental in establishing Pax Romana or the peace of Rome.  This peace came about due to the military might of Rome and the economic control over the population.  The concern is that outside the bible there is no mention of a census during Augustus reign.  Also Quirinius was governor in 6/7 CE long after the birthdate of Jesus.  I believe that the author wanted to let the readers know how Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem.  He also wanted to lay down the atmosphere of what was happening at the birth.  It was a time of oppression and violence not at all peaceful especially for the ordinary people.

This brings up reflection about arriving at Bethlehem.  In Matthew, there was a star that guided the Magi.  For the shepherds, it was a divine chorus of angels.  For Mary and Joseph, it was an imperial demand.  The question arises, how do we get to Bethlehem in our lives?  Do we depend on some sort of divine intervention or do we come out curiosity of what we have heard from others or maybe through some other intervention?  Maybe we will come out of family or hearing a small voice in our everyday lives.

Another interesting reflection is that Matthew focused on King Herod’s reaction.  In Luke, the emperor knows nothing of the birth of this new king.  There is no slaughter of the innocents.  Rome appears to be oblivious to what was happening.

Luke also uses the circumstances of the birth to present the scandal of Jesus’ birth.  God comes to u vulnerable, helpless, homeless, and laying in a feeding trough.  The earthly parents were either unmarried or just married and had made no preparations for the birth.  Luke in chapter 1 and now emphasizes one of the major themes of the gospel.  God identifies with the powerless, the oppressed, the poor, and the homeless.  It is among such that God will do the divine work of Jesus.

Also as the angels proclaim, the true peace of the world lies not with the government but with Jesus.  So even though the shepherds were afraid they were the first to worship.  No magnificent gifts just worship and praise.  It is not what we give monetarily but what we give of ourselves.  The birth of Jesus turns the world upside down and fulfills what Mary had proclaimed in the first chapter. Much like what God did in Exodus hearing the cries of the people, so now he does for all of us.

The chapter continues with the presentation of Jesus at the Temple.  On the eighth day following birth, the male child was to be presented to the priests to be circumcised.  Mary and Joseph following their religious obligations did so.  Also one was to make a sacrifice for the first born.  It was the ritual to do so because the first of everything belonged to God.  By making the sacrifice, not only recalling the last plague of Egypt, the child is spared.  If the family was poor, they could use two turtledoves instead of a bull or ram.  While there they encountered two prophets Simeon and Anna.  Go back and read what Simeon says.  What is inspiring is that in doing the rituals of the church we can encounter a prophetic word.  Rituals and worship are important concepts that Luke is setting before us.  It is part of righteousness. Today we have so much that interferes with all lives that some of the rituals such as family meals, prayers, reading scripture together, and even going to church on a regular basis is challenged.

                Mary and Joseph lived in a covenant community.  They sought through obedience to the rituals to come closer to God.  What they heard from Simeon and Anna and the blessings they gave, made the rituals deeper and more personal.

The last section of this chapter, has a story of Jesus as a young adolescent maybe 12-13 years old.  Nowhere else do we have this story.  It points out that Jesus knew even before his baptism that God was his Father.  Jesus found his identity by affirming his relationship with God.  This also speaks to another theme found in the parables later of searching and finding.  Jesus’ parents are searching for him while he is about doing his Father’s work.  A question arises as to what are we searching for in our lives?  What we choose to search for says a lot about who we are.