Chapter 2

What strikes me immediately about chapter 2 is the detail that Luke goes into. This is a little atypical of the ancient world; billions of years ago when I was a history student, most writers that I used to read seemed to see stuff like that as unimportant detail.

Not Luke.

Luke wants to nail down just where and when Jesus was born. He uses a lot of material from Mary’s viewpoint, so it would appear that he has interviewed her extensively. And he not only describes the birth of Jesus as happening during the census, he specifically tells you which census it was.

This has made him the target of derision by some atheists and agnostics – they have said things like “There was no census then.” However, there are now at least some grudging admissions that indeed it is arguable that a census took place at that time, so it looks like Luke may well know what he is talking about.

The fact that people are required to go to their ancestral home to register is interesting, but perhaps that’s an option which Joseph and Mary take up. Now, I have pointed out elsewhere that the idea of a pregnant Mary being taken from pillar to post while Joseph frantically seeks for an inn is a lovely image, but probably complete nonsense. Joseph had relatives in Bethlehem, and it seems highly likely that he used the census as an excuse to take his wife where he believed she’d be looked after. The room that’s often translated “inn” could just as easily mean “upper room”[1], so it seems likely to me that Mary and Joseph were staying in a home. Perhaps an overly crowded home, but a home nonetheless, and a place where there were people on hand to help Mary through her delivery. The baby was placed in a manger because, in such a crowded home, that was the best that could be done (and really, it’s not bad).

Moving along, I could say stuff about the Shepherds, but I won’t. Instead I’ll comment on one of my favourite pieces of scripture – verses 21 – 40, Anna and Simeon bless the child.

The image of these two, visiting the Temple every day in their old age, forms a lovely picture in my mind. These two old people (probably knew each other; after all, they’d both been prowling in the Temple, looking for Messiah) demonstrate true faithfulness.

The thing to finish with here is Simeon’s prayer – “Let your servant now depart in peace. (v31, 32). Do you have that kind of calm assessment of your life so far? Can you imagine being able to simply say to God “ “I’m ready to go”? That is, to me, the ultimate in trust - and it is where I want to be at the end of my life too.

[1] In many 1st Century Middle Eastern homes, the upper room was for people, and the lower room (during the night time at least) was for animals to stay in. Hence the presence of a manger.