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-- THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST
Luke
2:1-5
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be registered.
This census first took place while Quirinius was governing
Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judea, to the City of David, which is
called Bethlehem, because he was of the house
and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed
wife, who was with child.
Luke
2:8-11 Now there
were in the same country shepherds living out in the
fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold,an angel
of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around
them, and they were terrified.
Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy which will be to all
people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The ancient prophet Micah had foretold centuries earlier that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and that one day his power would extend to the ends of the Earth (ibid, verse 4) -- and here, as Luke continues to root his account in the historical realities of the Old Testament, we get a glimpse of the hand of God in history, making that prophecy come true.
For some reason, Caesar Augustus decides that the time has come not only to undertake a census in order to try and determine the population of his vast empire, but to do so in an amazingly methodical manner that would require many men to return to be registered in the city of their immediate ancestors, thereby making it possible for officials to establish accurate numbers with a meaningful social context.
As a result, Joseph and his wife undertake the one-hundred mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the City of David his ancestor -- probably, like other informed people at the time (Matthew 2:4-6), mindful of Micah's prophecy regarding the birth of the Messiah.
Here Luke identifies the Christ as also being the Savior -- perhaps not grasping at that time, however, the simple fact, as the angel points out to the shepherds, that these tidings of great joy are intended ultimately by God for all people, not just Israel -- a fact not fully accepted by the apostles until made clear to Peter in a vision many years later (Acts 10:34-36).
God teaches us many things through metaphors, in the Bible and also in the natural world, and it is interesting that the message here comes to shepherds living out in the fields watching over their flocks -- symbolizing the fact that a minister of God, or "pastor", is responsible to shepherd the flock in his care, to lead, feed and protect it.