Luke 2
JOHN is born and so is Jesus. However, the Roman Empire will now cast its' net across Palestine in the form of a census. This census is for the entire Roman Empire, called--all the inhabited earth. It is from Caesar Augustus, presumably to subdue the people, to give Rome an idea of how much they can expect in taxes by knowing the population, and providing Rome the ages of the people in case young men have to be forced into the Roman army. An occupying nation needs to know its' enemy and their number.

What this meant for Joseph and Mary was that they must return to their own city. In Joseph's case this is Bethlehem, the city of David so named becasuse David's father was from Bethlehem, 1 Samuel 16.1, 17.15. Joseph was of the house of David. Isaiah had prophecied a virgin would bear a son from the house of David, Isaiah 6.13.

By now, Mary is showing her pregnancy, it is time for her to give birth. She gives birth in a manger, a shelter for animals against bad weather. Luke says Jesus was born in a feeding trough, implying Mary had Him in swaddling clothes laying down in the bottom of the trough, well out of the winter's cold night.

Around the manger, upon the hilltops some shepherds kept watch over their flock, which would have been laying down on the ground, huddled together for warmth in the night. As the sheep were huddled upon the hilltops, so the stars spread themselves across the spread of the sky.

A glorious angel stood over them, the glory of the Lord shone around them, so of course they were afraid. No one comes out to shepherds at night. Shepherds smell, as they save the pure water for the sheep and do not bathe very often. Shepherds are considered the lowest rank among the Jews, those not worthy of bother. They were nearly all illiterate, not coming to the synogogue very often in their life, so why would an angel come to them?

The angel says He brings good news for--all the people. This may be an indication of how the word of Christ's birth is to be spread: from the shepherds to the laborers to the meek and finally to the rulers. This Jesus will mention in Matthew 11.25, that God revealed the things of the kingdom to babes, not to the wise.

The angel calls Jesus--a savior who is Christ the Lord. That the shepherds were told Jesus was the Lord may be why lepers and the blind call Him the Lord later in His life, in Matthew 8.2. Then the angel tells the shepherds they will find Jesus wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. It is to be God's sign to them, that everything the angel said about Jesus is to be true.

Suddenly a heavenly host appears all around the shepherds, unapproachable light cascading upon them, a glimpse of heaven come down. Notice in 2.14 the words of praise go up to God first--Glory to God in the highest--and then down to earth and to men--And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. It is rare that the heavenly host would say God is at peace with men, but this peace is what Jesus brings.

Zecharias has mentioned this very peace when he gave his pronouncement in 1.77-79, ending with--to guide our feet in the way of peace. The only manner in which God could have peace with men is if Jesus were a meeting place of God and man, as He was. By the time of John 14.27, Jesus realizes this is why He came.