Study 5. Luke 2:1-21

 9. Why did God have His Son born in the circumstances described in 2:7, rather than in a royal or at least comfortable, household? (see Luke 6:20, 9:58, 22:27; 2 Cor 8:9)

 The verses tell us that Jesus was poor and came to serve. He upended the world's idea of 'blessing' as being rich. This indeed is the pattern of all God's working in the Bible. He chooses the small and insignificant (Dt 7:7-8), like king David (1 Sa 16:11) and peasants in Galillee  to exalt and to accomplish His great and wise purposes.

10. What does 2:1-20 reveal about:

Jesus' identity (2:11)

• 'Saviour' (cf. 1:47, Jn 4:42)
  
• 'Christ' - the Messiah, the Anointed One. (cf. Jn 1:41, 4:25) - empowered for ministry.
  
• 'The Lord' (cf. Acts 2:36; 2 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 2:11)

How people and angels reponded to his coming (2:8-20)

•  The angels were 'praising God'
• The shepherds were filled with great fear. They quickly went to look for the baby, told Mary and Joseph what the angels had said. They returned glorifying and prasing God for all they heard and seen as told by the angels.
  
• All who heard 'wondered' at the saying of the shepherds
• Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart -  she grasped the experience as something significant and precious, and laid it up in her memory
  

What was God saying by having His Son's birth announced to such people as shepherds, rather than to the nationsl official 'shepherds' (leaders) or at least, to people considered respectable? (cf. Lk 5:32, 6:20, 24; 11:46-52)

The shepherds were ceremonially unclean, an underclass of society - not even permitted to give testimony in court.  God favours the sinners and poor - people who need Him and who depend on Him alone. He shows His preferences in the miracle of the incarnation (cf. Phil 2) by upending earthly expectations.

What did the angels mean by proclaiming peace to those whom God favoured?

= 'Good news of great joy that will be for all the people' (v.10). The people are pre-eminently God's chosen people - the nation of Israel.

Christ will both unite the irreconciliable (Eph 2:14, Gal 3:28) and yet break the bonds of nature (Mt 10:21). The peace brought by the Prince of Peace (Is 9:6, Mic 5:2-5) is ultimate, but not unversal in every sphere. 

To whom does God assure peace in 2:14? Why to them? (Consider Prov 16:7 "When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.")

 ' peace among those with whom he is pleased' (Gk eudokia carries the meaning of 'kind intention' 'gracious' will e.g. Lk  10:21, Mt. 11:21, Eph 1:5, 9, Php 2:13).

There is an implication that peace is not for all men, since Luke in the Magnificat an in 2:34 indicates that the coming of Jesus will cause both rising and falling.

Christians should live in ways that deprive people of bad reasons to have conflict with us.

 

Trace the idea of God's pleasure in 3:2, 10:21, 12:32

• God is pleased with His Son
  
• God is pleased to conceal and reveal to the humble
• He is pleased to give us the Kingdom

 

Compare 2:10-14 with Isaiah 9:6

 For to us a child is born,                                              For unto you is born this day
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,     in the city of David
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,                            a Savior, who is Christ the Lord
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.                        on earth peace 

 

 Humility

The Incarnation (Php 2:1-8)  tells us that God appears to the humble - and that God Himself is humble 

Humility : "freedom from pride or arrogance : the quality or state of being humble" (OED); the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance.(Merriam-Webster); "the feeling or attitude that you have no special importance that makes you better than others; lack of pride" (CED)

Christian humility involves a grasp of God's greatness and holiness and a lack of proud preoccupation with ourselves.  Christians alone know how exalted we are as those created in the image of God, and how depraved we are as fallen sinners, and so only Christians can be truly humble. We have a right estimate of our worth. Qin reminded us that it "does not mean that we think less of ourselves, but that we think of ourselves less". Humility means that we do not demand  special treatment or regard for ourselves because of our perceived rights. It is how love expresses itself toward those of a different status, rank, or position.

•  It is not insecurity (being afraid of asserting onself), it is no sin to know who you are and to know what you are called to. ("But by the grace of God I am what I am" 1 Cor 15:10)
  
• It is not indecisiveness (full of questions, "Who can know?" "Who can say?" "I’m open to any and all perspectives.") Being humble doesn’t require you to deny truth.
  
• It is not inaction (stepping back “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”1 Cor 15:10) 

Here's Neo to remind us of the 'One' 😄