1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. ~ Luke 2:1-7
The Roman leader Caesar Augustus was hailed by the Romans as their “savior” and proclaimed him to be “the beginning of the good news for the world.” His father, Julius Caesar, had been declared a god, and so, Augustus called himself the “son of a god.” Caesar was a title like king, or emperor. It was not his name. It was his people's description of him. Caesar means revered, highly esteemed, highly regarded, honored.
Caesar Augustus, according to v.1, ordered a census requiring “the entire Roman world” to register for the purpose of raising taxes. The reason Luke tells us this is to help us pinpoint the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus and that this is a historical event. So, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary made the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home, to register.
In fulfillment of the prophesy in Micah 5:2-5, God uses Caesar’s census to move a seemingly insignificant couple to Bethlehem for the birth of the king of Israel, who will become the Lord of the whole world. The birth of God in human form then is the most important moment in all of history.
This census is called "the first census" in v.2, because Caesar Augustus called for a series of censuses in fourteen-year intervals. In fact, we can track these series of censuses all the way back to the year 270 A.D. Every fourteen years there was a census.
In v.3, we read, "And everyone went to their own town to register." This sets the scene. The Romans would normally register people in their own place of residence. They didn't make them go back to their initial homeland. But, there was a Jewish custom to go back to their ancestral hometown, so, the Jews went back to their tribal area, back to their family home area, back to their father's village. This sets the scene perfectly, to put Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem when the baby is born.
In v.4-5, we read, "4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child." Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem in the ninth month of her pregnancy. Since Micah prophesied the Messiah was going to be born in Bethlehem, this is no small thing and is very important. So, a forced journey to Bethlehem was necessary for the Word of God to be fulfilled. Had they not made this trek, it would have thrown a wrench in the plans of God.
And, when they arrived in Bethlehem, all the rooms were taken. Nine months pregnant, in a matter of a few days to deliver a baby, and no place to stay. No relatives awaiting with a warm home. In what seems to be the last minute, they found a room which was near a feeding trough for animals. The word translated “manger” in v.7 is not a stable, it is a feeding trough for animals. After the birth of the Lord Jesus, the feeding trough serves as a crib.
On a night like every other night in Israel, with no fanfare, no celebration, the Savior of the world was born was born. It was a night like any other night but He wasn't a child like any other child. He was the Lord Jesus Christ, both God and man fused together in indivisible oneness. This birth was so monumental that it became the apex of history. All history before His birth is B.C., Before Christ. All history since is A.D., Anno Domini, which is Latin for "the year of our Lord."
In v.7, we read, "She wrapped Him in cloths." This sentence is best translated, "She swaddled Him." Mary treats the Lord Jesus like any other baby. And then it says, most interestingly, "and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." The Savior of the world born to redeem sinful mankind was not expected by the common man, especially being born to this couple. This speaks volumes of the God we serve.
The last statement in v.7, "there was no guest room available for them," was a part of God's plan. We've all seen "no vacancy" signs posted outside motels. Joseph and Mary were concerned, their circumstances made the "no vacancy" sign in Bethlehem all the more severe since Mary was about to deliver a baby. After traveling about eighty-five to ninety miles from their home in Nazareth, there was no where for them to stay. When the Lord Jesus came into the world, He came in the most comfortless conditions. The conditions were smelly and filthy. This is the wonder of the grace of God! The Son of God became the son of man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God.
