Luke placed the story of Christmas within the historical context. The events surrounding Jesus’ birth allow us to verify “the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Like 1:4 NIV). He names specific people who ruled over specific regions at a specific time.
When Jesus was born, the head of the Roman Empire was Caesar Augustus. He was the grand-nephew to Julius Caesar and was known as Octavian. Julius Caesar adopted him, and when he was assassinated, Octavion came to rule Rome. In September of 27 BC, the Roman Senate declared Octavian was Caesar Augustus, “the divine one.” He declared that his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, had been a god, which made himself the Son of God. He led Rome so effectively and conquered so many more lands that in Roman circles, Caesar Augustus became known as the Savior of the World.
As we now know, elsewhere, the true Son of God and Savior of the World was about to be born. In Rome, Caesar Augustus was sitting on a throne because God had placed him there so His plan could be carried out.
God used a pagan emperor to bring about the birth of the King of Kings in a way that would fulfill his 500-year-old prophecy. God had told Israel through the prophet Micah, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2 NIV).
Caesar had no idea that his actions were part of a bigger plan, one that would cause the Savior to be born in the exact place the prophet Micah had predicted. He decreed that a census should be taken of all the Roman Empire, and he required that everyone return to their hometown to be counted. Mary was in the final stage of her pregnancy, so traveling the 80 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem would have been extremely uncomfortable. No doubt they and all the rest of Israel grumbled about the inconvenience. However, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem as promised, rather than in Nazareth.
In Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph were forced to find shelter someplace other than an inn. Her delivery was imminent, but the influx of people for the census meant Bethlehem was overcrowded. They found a cave nearby that was used as a stable for animals and stayed there. Once Jesus was born, they wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, a food trough for animals. The One who deserved a palace and throne was laid where unclean animals had eaten.
Once again, God was at work even in the smallest of details. The word Bethlehem means “house of bread.” In John 6, Jesus refers to himself as “the bread of life” and says “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:48-51 ESV). In the First Advent, the Bread of Life was born in the House of Bread and laid in a food trough.
What does it mean that God used a pagan emperor to cause the birth of His Son in a particular town whose name had a particular meaning? It means that this Advent season, we can look at the world around us and know that God is in control over even the smallest of details. Every ruler and political party in authority is there because God gave them their position. Everything that has meaning has that meaning because God declared it so. And everything that God does has a purpose: He is working to fulfill His promise to us that Jesus will come again. The world is not out of control. God is in control. He has a plan, and it is for our good and His glory.
