CHRISTMAS IN BETHLEHEM
LUKE CHAPTER 2 VERSES 1-20
(December 25, 2004)
Preface:
Christmas is the happiest time of the year in our family. Both Glenda and I were brought up in Christian homes, and so among our families we were exposed to a lot of love among our siblings. It is far better to remember the good family times than to think on the times of strife, that all families experience; and Christmas is a good time to center our thoughts on the good times. It has been a tradition in our family to let the children open a small gift on Christmas Eve, and then the bulk of their gifts early Christmas (and I mean early) morning. This is a tradition handed down from grandpa and grandma Munday. Another tradition for Christmas was that we had a special breakfast of waffles and hot white vanilla gravy poured over the waffles with real butter slathered on top; this is a tradition handed down by grandpa and grandma Graves. The last tradition, and far from being the least, as soon as our children were old enough to understand I would read this account of Jesus' birth from Dr. Luke, before we opened any presents. This account unwraps the greatest Gift to mankind our heavenly Father could possibly give, the Savior of the world. Jesus left His eternal home in heaven to come to earth to lay down His life for all who would believe. The moment Christ was born to the Blessed, among women, Virgin Mary, His mission began to save the world that would be saved. Let us try and concentrate around the real spiritual meaning of Christmas, before we get involved in the material happiness.
Introductory remarks:
Luke did not present his account of the birth of our Savior to be a lengthy document, but especially to give Christians a panorama of The Lord's birth, without taking away from the real important issues of His birth. "Thus early in this history does the absence of details, which painfully increases as we proceed, remind us, that the Gospels were not intended to furnish a biography of Jesus, nor even the materials for it; but had only this twofold object: that those who read them might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they might have life through His name (John 20:31; comp. Luke 1:4)" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah - Alfred Edersheim). In this same section Edersheim earlier writes: "The Man of Nazareth has, by universal consent, been the mightiest Factor in our world's history: alike politically, socially, intellectually, and morally. If He be not the Messiah, He has at least thus far done the Messiah's work. If He be not the Messiah, there has at least been none other, before or after Him. If He be not the Messiah, the world has not, and never can have, a Messiah."
J. Vernon McGee in his commentary on Luke, gives a wonderful background for this account by Dr. Luke:
"Before we look at the text, it is necessary to consider some background material. As you recall, Luke's gospel is historical and written especially for the Greek and the thinking man [that leaves most of us out]. It also has a great spiritual purpose which is to present the Son of God. Neander, one of the great saints of the past, made this statement: 'The three great historical nations had to contribute, each in its own particular way, to prepare the soil for the planting of Christianity, - the Jews on the side of the religious element; the Greeks on the side of science and art; the Romans, as masters of the world, on the side of the political element.' The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were each directed to a particular segment of humanity. Matthew was written to the Jews, Mark was written to the Roman, and Luke was written to the Greek.
Dr. Gregory wrote: 'The Greeks are clearly distinguished from the other great historic races by certain marked Characteristics. They were the representatives of reason and humanity in the ancient world. They looked upon themselves as having the mission of perfecting men' (Key to the Gospels, p. 211). They were the cosmopolitans of that age. They made their gods in the likeness of men, as well as in their own likeness, and therefore joined to human culture utter worldliness and godlessness.
Paul was the right person to go to Athens to enlighten the Greeks about their altar to the 'UNKNOWN GOD.' Dr. Luke, a Gentile, went with Paul.
The mission of the Greeks was thus evidently a part of the preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. It forced the thinking men of that age to feel and confess the insufficiency of human reason (even in its most perfect development) for the deliverance and perfection of mankind. It left them waiting and longing for One who could accomplish this work.
The Greek language became a vehicle for getting the Word of God out. The gospel was communicated to the world in the Greek language. God used Alexander the Great to make it possible.
Of Alexander the Great it has been written: 'He took up the meshes of the net of civilization, which were lying in disorder on the edges of the Asiatic shore, and spread them over all other countries which he traversed in his wonderful campaigns. The East and the West were suddenly brought together. Separated tribes were united under a common government. New cities were built, as the centers of political life. New lines of communication were opened, as the channels of commercial activity. The new culture penetrated the mountain ranges of Pisidia and Lycaonia. The Tigris and Euphrates became Greek rivers. The language of Athens was heard among the Jewish colonies of Babylonia; and a Grecian Babylon was built by the conqueror in Egypt and called by his name' (Conybeare and Howson, Life, Times, and Travels of St. Paul, vol. 1, p. 9). That city was Alexandria; it still bears this name.
Keep this background in mind as we look at the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ" (T. T. B. - J. Vernon McGee). I will continue to use the method that serves me well that I have used in all my expositions; that is, I will write the verse out in the KJV and then follow with my translation from the Greek text of the United Bible Society Greek New Testament, with the initials LGT.
The Birth of Jesus
(Luke 2:1-20)
Verse 1, "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."
LGT "And it came to be in those days there went out a decree [ordinance] according to Caesar Augustus the whole inhabited [land] should be registered."
"There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus,"
The word 'decree' is dogma meaning a decree or a ruling. It was a ruling from Caesar Augustus, as Vincent puts it: "Hence, strictly, a personal opinion; and, as the opinion of one who can impose his opinion authoritatively on others, a decree." It is from this word dogma that we get our English word dogmatic.
"Who was Caesar Augustus? He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. Actually his name was Octavianus and he took the name Caesar - I think he had a right to it. Now the name Augustus was not a name at all but a title. When the senate submitted to him certain titles like king, emperor, and dictator, he was not satisfied. Instead he chose the title Augustus. It had a religious significance, and it was an attempt to deify himself" (McGee).
"That all the world should be taxed."
The phrase, the whole world in Greek is ten oikoumenen, meaning the inhabited land. "In habited by the Greeks, then by the Romans, then the whole world (Roman world, the world ruled by Rome). The phrase should be taxed is in Greek, apographesthai, meaning literally, should be enrolled. "It was a census, not a taxing, though taxing generally followed and was based on the census. This word is very old and common. It means to write or copy off for public records, to register" (Robertson
Verse 2, "(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria)"
LGT "This first registration came to be when Cyrenius was governor of Syria."
"This was the first enrollment made; with reference to a second enrollment which took place about eleven years later, and is referred to in Acts 5:37" (Vincent). "It was no accident that Dr. Luke mentioned the name of Caesar Augustus. This man signed a tax bill that the whole world (of that day) be taxed. He needed money to raise an army to control his vast empire and to live in luxury himself. Notice Luke's historical reference that this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria" (McGee).
Verse 3, "And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city."
LGT "And all were going to be enrolled [or registered], each to his own city. "
The term 'went' is gr. eporeuonto, which is in the perfect tense and so continuous action is depicted - were going. "The preparation and bustle and travel were in progress. To his own city is the town to which the village or place of their birth belonged, and where the house and lineage of each were registered: (Vincent).
Verse 4, "And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David)"
LGT "And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of [the] city of Nazareth into Judea into a city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because of his being out of the house and family of David,"
"Joseph and Mary came out of Nazareth in Galilee and went into Judea to Bethlehem, the city of David. Joseph did this because he was of the house and lineage of David. Why did Mary have to go to Bethlehem? She also was of the lineage of David" (McGee).
Verse 5, "To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
LGT "To register himself together with Mary who was married to him, she being great with child."
"That which Augustus designed was either to gratify his pride in knowing the numbers of his people, and proclaiming it to the world, or he did it in policy, to strengthen his interest, and make his government appear the more formidable [fearsome]; but Providence had another reach in it. All the world shall be at the trouble of being enrolled, only that Joseph and Mary may. This brought them up from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea, because they were of the stock and lineage of David (vss. 4, 5); and perhaps, being poor and low, they thought the royalty of their extraction rather than a burden and expense to them a matter of pride. Because it is difficult to suppose that every Jew (women as well as men) was obligated to repair to the city of which their ancestors were, and there be enrolled, now, at a time when they kept not to the bounds of their tribes, as formerly, it may be offered as a conjecture that this great exactness was used only with the family of David, concerning which, it is probable, the emperor gave particular orders, it having been the royal family, and still talked of as designed to be so, that he might know its number and strength. Divers ends of Providence were served by this.
Herby the virgin Mary was brought, great with child, to Bethlehem, to be delivered there, according to the prediction: See how man purposes and God disposes; and how Providence orders all things for the fulfilling of the Scripture, and makes use of the projects men have for serving their own purposes, quite beyond their intention, to serve His" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 6, "And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomp-lished that she should be delivered."
LGT "And it came to be in the time they were there the days were fulfilled for the bearing the child as to her."
And it came to pass just exactly as the prophets foretold: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). "The circumstance of His birth, which were very mean, under all possible marks of contempt. He was indeed a first-born Son; but it was a poor honor to be the first-born of such a poor woman as Mary was, who had no inheritance to which He might be entitled as first-born, but what was in nativity" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 7, "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."
LGT "And she brought forth her Son, the first born One, and she wrapped Him in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was not for them a place in the inn."
"And she brought forth her firstborn Son,"
Literally, She brought forth her Son, the first-born. "The expression naturally means that she afterwards had other children and we read of brothers and sisters of Jesus. There is not a particle of evidence for the notion that Mary refused to bear other children because she was the mother of the Messiah" (Robertson).
"And wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger;"
"In a crib in a stall whether in a cave (Justin Martyr) or connected with the inn we do not know. The cattle may have been out on the hills or the donkeys used in traveling may have been feeding in this stall or another near" (Robertson). "Only the simplest provision could be made for this Babe. She wrapped Him in strips of cloth [He was wrapped with strips of cloth at His birth, and at His death]. These strips of cloth or swaddling bands have been described:
"To swaddle and to swathe are really the same word, both forms going back to an AS form swethel, a bandage, but swaddle has become the technical term for the wrapping of and infant in the Orient or elsewhere. The Oriental swaddling clothes consist of a square of cloth and two or more bandages. The child is laid on the cloth diagonally and the corners are folded over the feet and body and under the head, the bandages then being tied so as to hold the cloth in position. This device forms the clothing of the child until it is about a year old, and its omission (Ezek. 16:4) would be a token that the child had been abandoned. The mention of darkness as a swaddling band at the birth of the sea (Job 38:9) is only a poetic way of saying that the sea, at its creation, was covered with clouds and darkness, and to find any idea of restraint involved is fanciful" (The Words and Works of Jesus Christ - J. Dwight Pentecost
"The little town of Bethlehem was crowded with those who had come from all the outlying districts to register their names. Even if the strangers from far-off Galilee had been personally acquainted with any one in Bethlehem, who could have shown them hospitality, they would have found every house fully occupied. The very inn was filled, and the only available space was, where ordinarily the cattle were stabled. Bearing in mind the simple habits of the East, this scarcely implies, what it would in the West; and perhaps the seclusion and privacy from the noisy, chattering crowd, which thronged the khan, would be all the more welcome. Scanty as these particulars are, even thus much is gathered rather by inference than from the narrative itself. Thus early in this history does the absence of details, which painfully increases as we proceed, remind us, that the Gospels were not intended to furnish a biography of Jesus, nor even the materials for it; but had only this twofold object: that those who read them might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they might have life through His name (John 20:31; comp. Luke 1:4). The Christian heart and imagination, indeed, long to be able to localize the scene of such surpassing importance, and linger with fond reverence over that Cave, which is now covered by the Church of the Nativity. It may be - nay, it seems likely - that this, to which the most venerable [respected] tradition points, was the sacred spot of the world's greatest event. But certainly we have not. It is better, that it should be so. As to all that passed in the seclusion of that stable - the circumstances of the Nativity, even its exact time after the arrival of Mary (brief as it must have been) - the Gospel-narrative is silent (Remember it was Edershiem who said if the Scriptures are silent on a given subject - we should be silent too]. This is told, that then and there the Virgin-Mother brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger. Beyond this announcement of the bare facts, Holy Scripture, with indescribable appropriateness and delicacy, draws a veil over that most sacred mystery. Two impressions only are left on the mind: that of utmost earthly humility, in the surrounding circumstances; and that of inward fitness, in the contrast suggested by them. Instinctively, reverently, we feel that it is well it should have been so. It best befits the birth of the Christ - if He be what the New Testament declares Him" (The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah, pp. 130-131 - Alfred Edersheim).
"Dr. Luke gets right down to the little human details in this passage. He is saying that Mary put swaddling clothes on this little child - baby clothes and diapers on the Son of God! How perfectly human He was - God manifest in the flesh!" (McGee)
"Because there was no room for them in the inn."
"A lodging-house or khan, poor enough at best, but there was not even room in this public place because of the crowds for the census. There would sometimes be an inner court, a range or arches, an open gallery round the four sides. On one side of the square, outside the wall, would be stables for the asses and camels, buffaloes and goats. Each man had to carry his own food and bedding: (Robertson). Vincent adds: "A Syrian khan is a fort and a mart; a refuge from thieves; a shelter from the heat and dust; a place where a man and his beast may lodge; where a trader may sell his wares, and a pilgrim may slake [satisfy] his thirst . . . Where built by a great sheikh, it would have a high wall, an inner court, a range of arches or lewans, an open gallery round the four sides, and, in many cases, a tower from which the watcher might descry [discover] the approach of marauding bands. On one side of the square, but outside the wall, there is often a huddle of sheds, set apart from the main edifices, as stables for the asses and camels, the buffaloes and goats. In the center of the khan springs a fountain of water, the first necessity of an Arab's life; and around the jets and troughs in which the limpid [serene] element streams, lies the gay and picturesque litter of the East. Camels wait to be unloaded; dogs quarrel for a bone; Bedouin from the desert, their red zannars choked with pistols, are at prayer. In the archways squat the merchants with their bales of goods. . . . Half-naked men are cleansing their hands ere sitting down to eat. Here a barber is at work upon a shaven crown; there a fellah [an Arab peasant] lies asleep in the shade. . . . Each man has to carry his dinner and his bed; to litter his horse or camel; to dress his food; to draw his water; to light his fire, and to boil his mess of herbs" (Hepworth Dixon - The Holy Land - quoted by Vincent).
The Shepherds and the Angels
Verse 8, "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night."
LGT "And shepherds were in the same country lodging in the fields and keeping watch by night over their flock."
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,"
"Luke's Gospel is the gospel of the poor and lowly. This revelation to the shepherds acquires additional meaning as we remember that shepherds, as a class, were under the Rabbinic ban, because of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict legal observation well-nigh impossible" (Vincent).
"Keeping watch over their flock by night."
"There was near Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, a tower known as Migdal Eder, or the watch-tower of the flock. Here was the station where shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrifice in the temple. Animals straying from Jerusalem on any side, as far as from Jerusalem to Migdal Eder, were offered in sacrifice. It was a settled conviction among the Jews that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and equally that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder. The beautiful significance of the Revelation of the infant Christ to shepherds watching the flocks destined for sacrifice needs no comment" (Vincent).
On the term Migdal Eder Edersheim comments:
"But as we pass from the sacred gloom of the cave out into the night, its sky all aglow with starry brightness, its loneliness is peopled, and its silence made vocal from heaven. There is nothing now to conceal, but much to reveal, though the manner of it would seem strangely incongruous [incompatible] to Jewish thinking. And yet Jewish tradition may here prove both illustrative and helpful. That the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, was a settled conviction. Equally so was the belief, that He was to be revealed from Migdal Eder, the tower of the flock [And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the tower of Edar - Genesis 35:21]. This Migdal Eder was not the watchtower for the ordinary flocks which pastured on the barren sheepground beyond Bethlehem, but lay close to the town, on the road to Jerusalem. A passage in the Mishna [Shek. 7:4] leads to the conclusion that the flocks, which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices, and, accordingly, that the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. The latter were under the ban of Rabbinism, on account of their necessary isolation from religious ordinances, and their manner of life, which rendered strict observance unlikely, if not absolutely impossible. The same Mishnic passage also leads us to infer, that these flocks lay out all the year round, since they are spoken of as in the fields thirty days before the Passover - that is, in the month of February, when in Palestine the average rainfall is nearly greatest [The average of 22 seasons in Jerusalem amounted to 4.718 inches in December, 5.479 in January, and 5.207 in February]. Thus, Jewish tradition in some dim manner apprehended the first revelation of the Messiah from that Migdal Eder, where shepherds watched the Temple-flocks all the year round. Of the deep symbolic significance of such a coincidence, it is needless to speak. It was, then, on that wintry night of the 25th of December, that shepherds watched the flocks destined for sacrificial services, in the very place consecrated by tradition as that where the Messiah was to be first revealed" (Edersheim).
Verse 9, "And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid."
LGT "And angel of [the] Lord stood by them and a glory of [the] Lord shone around them, and they feared [with] great fear."
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,"
The Greek words for 'came upon them' is epeste autois, an ingressive aorist meaning, stood by them. "The word 'lo' is omitted in the best text" (Vincent). Literally an angel stood by them, the Greek text does not have the article. Wuest in his expanded translation says, And the angel of the Lord took his stand beside them.
"And the glory of the Lord shone round about them:"
"For more than 500 years the nation Israel had been without that visible sign of God's presence among His people, and now the glory for which Israel had waited was revealed to the shepherds in the field, not to the priests in the temple" (Pentecost). "Of a sudden came the long-delayed, unthought-of announcement. Heaven and earth seemed to mingle, as suddenly an Angel stood before them, as in a mantle [covering] of light. Surprise, awe, fear would be hushed into calm and expectancy, as from the Angel they heard, that what they saw boded [promised] not judgment, but ushered in to waiting Israel the great joy of those good tidings which he brought" (Edersheim).
"And they were sore afraid."
Literally, they feared with great fear. "This made them sore afraid, put them into great consternation [anxiety], as fearing some evil tidings. While we are conscious to ourselves of so much guilt, we have reason to fear lest every express from heaven should be a messenger of wrath" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 10, "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."
LGT "And the angel said to them, Do not fear, for behold I evangelize to you a great joy, which will be to all the people."
"Fear not:"
"The shepherds evidently recalled God's word to Moses: There shall no man see Me and live (Exodus 33:20), for they were terrified by the revelation of God's glory. Now the stillness of the night was dissipated by the angelic announcement, Do not be afraid" (Pentecost).
"For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,"
Literally, I evangelize to you a great joy. The word 'good tidings' is in NT Greek, euaggelizomai to bring the Good News. This Good News [Gospel] had to do with a birth of a special person, The Savior of the world. The Good News will be rejected by Israel and eventually given to the Gentiles. The Messiah came unto His own, and His own received Him not.
"Which shall be to all people."
Literally, which will be to all the people. The use of the article before people, particularizes a special people, Israel. Israel had been waiting over 500 years for the Messiah to come.
Verse 11, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."
LGT "For was born to you today a Savior, who is Christ [the] Lord in [the] city of David."
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior,"
The KJV has 'is born', but to keep to the vividness of this narrative it is better to stick to the original, which is a passive aorist, was born. "In the city of David is Bethlehem.
"The angel identified the place of the birth as the town of David. This was in keeping with the promise of 2 Samuel 7:16, And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee; thy throne shall be established forever." (Pentecost). "The Davidic Covenant (vv. 8-17) upon which the future kingdom of Christ, of the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom. 1:3) was to be founded, provided for David: (1) the promise of posterity in the house; (2) a throne symbolic of royal authority; (3) a kingdom, or rule on earth; and (4) certainty of fulfillment, for the promise to David shall be established forever.
Solomon, whose birth God predicted (v. 12), was not promised a perpetual seed, but only assured that (1) he would build an house for my name (v. 13); (2) his kingdom would be established (v. 12); (3) his royal throne, i.e. royal authority, would endure forever; and (4) if Solomon sinned, he would be chastised but not deposed.
The continuance of Solomon's throne, but not Solomon's seed, shows the accuracy of the prediction. Israel had nine dynasties; Judah had one. Christ was born of Mary, who was not of Solomon's line (Jer. 22:28-30); He was a descendant of Nathan, another son of David (cp. See Luke 3:23-31). Joseph, the husband of Mary, was descended from Solomon and through him the throne legally passed to Christ (cp. Mt. 1:6, 16). Thus the throne, but not the seed, came through Solomon, which is in precise fulfillment of the Lord's promise to David.
In contrast with the irrevocable promise of perpetual fulfillment made to David, Solomon illustrates the conditional character of the Davidic Covenant as applied to the kings who followed him. Disobedience on the part of David's descendants would result in chastisement, but not in annulment of the covenant (2 Sam. 7:15; Ps. 89:20-37; Isa. 54:3, 8, 10). So chastisement fell, first in the division of the kingdom under Rehoboam, and finally in the captivities (2 Ki. 25:1-21). Since that time but one king of the Davidic family has been crowned at Jerusalem, and He was crowned with thorns. But the Davidic Covenant, given to David by the oath of the Lord and confirmed to Mary by the Angel Gabriel, is immutable (Ps. 89:20-37); and the Lord will yet give to that thorn-crowned One the throne of David (Lk. 1:31-33; Acts 2:29-32; 15:14-17). Both David and Solomon understood the promise to refer to a literal earthly kingdom (2 Sam. 7:18-29; 2Chron. 6:14-16)" (C.I. Scofield - notes on 2 Samuel 7:16).
"Which is Christ the Lord."
"He came in the weakest way possible, as a baby. George Macdonald put it this way"
They all were looking for a king
To slay their foes and lift them high
Thou cam'st, a little baby thing
That made a woman cry.
That is the way the Savior came into the world. He did not lay aside His Deity; He laid aside His glory. There should have been more than just a few shepherds and angels to welcome Him - all of creation should have been there. Instead of collecting taxes, that fellow Caesar should have been in Bethlehem to worship Him. Jesus Christ could have forced him to do that very thing, but He did not. He laid aside, not His deity, but His prerogatives of deity. He came a little baby thing" (McGee).
Verse 12, "And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
LGT "And this [to] you a sign, you will find a Babe wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."
"Such a momentous event required a sign, and sign was given by the angel" You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. Both the attire of the Baby and the place where He could be found were to be signs to the shepherds. One would expect to find a bay of royal parentage in a palace. Such a baby normally is wrapped in luxurious garments and surrounded by every comfort and convenience. Signs of wealth and station are everywhere evident. But such was not the case with this Baby. He was in a manger. No royal garments clothed His body; rather, He was wrapped in strips of cloth. This Baby had the appearance of being prepared for burial. How fitting that He should be so seen from the time of His birth, since He truly had appointed to death!" (Pentecost).
Verse 13, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,"
LGT "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,"
The word 'host' in Greek is stratias, a military term for a band of soldiers common in the ancient Greek. Bengal says: Here the army announces peace (Robertson).
Verse 14, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."
LGT "Glory in [the] highest to God and upon earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased."
The word 'goodwill' is gr. eudokias, is a genitive meaning good pleasure.
"Plummer justly notes how in this angelic hymn Glory and Peace correspond, in the highest and on earth, to God and among men of goodwill. It would be possible to connect on earth with the highest and also to have a triple division. There has been much objection raised to the genitive eudokias, the correct text. But it makes perfectly good sense and better sense. As a matter of fact real peace on earth exists only among those who are the subjects of God's goodwill, who are characterized by goodwill toward God and man. This word eudokia we have already had in Matt. 11:26; It does not occur in the ancient Greek. The word is confined to Jewish and Christian writings, though the papyri [papyrus manuscripts- paper made from the papyrus plant, common along the Nile in Egypt] furnish instances of eudokesis. Wycliff has it to men of goodwill" (Robertson).
"Our Authorized Version gives the wrong impression here. The angels did not say, on earth peace, good will toward men. What they actually said was, peace to men of good will, or peace among men with whom He is pleased. The angels did not make the asinine statement that many men make today which goes, Let's have peace, peace, peace. My friend, There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked (Isa. 48:22). We live in a day when we need to beat our plowshares into swords - not the other way around. We live in a wicked world. We live in a Satan-dominated world, and therefore there is no peace. There is, however, peace to men of good will. If you are one of those who has come to Christ and taken him as Savior, you can know this peace of God. Romans 5:1 states: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ came the first time, this is the kind of peace He brought. At His second coming He will come as the Prince of Peace; at that time He will put down unrighteousness and rebellion in the world. He will establish peace on the earth. But until He comes again, there will be no peace on this earth" (McGee).
Verse 15, "And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."
LGT "And it came to be as the angels went away from them into the heaven, the shepherds kept on saying to one another, Let us go through even as far as Bethlehem and behold this saying which the Lord made known to us."
I really like Weust's expanded translation of this verse: And it came to pass that when the Angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds kept on saying to one another, Let us go at once, even to Bethlehem, and let us see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord made known to us.
"The hymn had ceased; the light faded out of the sky; and the shepherds were alone. But the Angelic message remained with them; and the sign, which was to guide them to the infant Christ, lighted their rapid way up the terraced height to where, at the entering of Bethlehem, the lamp swinging over the hostelry directed them to the strangers of the house of David, who had come from Nazareth. Though it seems as if, in the hour of her utmost need, the Virgin-Mother had not been ministered to by loving hands [This appears to me implied in the emphatic statement, that Mary - as I gather, herself - wrapped Him in swaddling clothes. Otherwise the remark would seem needless and meaningless], yet what happened in the stable must soon have become known in the Khan. Perhaps friendly women were still passing to and fro on errands of mercy, when the shepherds reached the stable" (Edersheim).
Verse 16, "And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger."
LGT "And they came having hurried and found both Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in the manger."
"The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. There they found Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. They were probably the first to visit the Babe since Matthew tells us that the wise men did not arrive until much later. In fact, when the wise men finally found the lord Jesus, He was living in a house and probably many months had elapsed" (McGee).
Verse 17, "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying in which was told them concerning this child."
LGT "And having seen it they made known concerning the saying which had been told to them concerning this little child."
"These shepherds, having charge of flocks devoted to sacrifice, would presently be in the temple, and would meet those who came to worship and to sacrifice, and so proclaim the Messiah in the temple" (Vincent).
Verse 18, "And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds."
LGT "And all the ones who heard were amazed concerning the things which had been spoken by the shepherds to them."
"It is significant that they did not publicize the fact of the glory that had been revealed nor the sayings of the angel who had spoken to them. They were not primarily concerned with their experiences but rather with the message that the angel had brought. They spoke about this Child. The result of their proclamation was that all who heard it were amazed" (Pentecost).
Verse 19, "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart."
LGT "But Mary keeping all these sayings pondering them in her heart."
The Greek word for 'kept' is suneterei an imperfect active verb meaning she kept on keeping them in her heart. "She laid the evidences together, and kept them in reserve, to be compared with the discoveries that should afterwards be made her. As she had silently left it to God to clear up her virtue, when that was suspected, so she silently leaves it to Him to publish her honor, now when it was veiled; and it is satisfaction enough to find that, if no one else takes notice of the birth of her child, angels do. Note, The truths of Christ are worth keeping: and the way to keep them safe is to ponder them. Meditation is the best help to memory" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 20, "And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
LGT "And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all things which they had heard and seen, just as it was said to them."
"The implications of their announcement was that the Messiah had come. People could now enter the kingdom of the Prince of Peace.
"And now the hush of wondering expectancy fell once more on all, who heard what was told by the shepherds - this time not only in the hill-country of Judea, but within the wider circle that embraced Bethlehem and the Holy City. And yet it seemed all so sudden, so strange. That on such slender thread, as the feeble throb of an infant-life, the salvation of the world should hang - and no special care watch over its safety, no better shelter be provided than a stable, no other cradle than a manger! And still it is ever so. On what slender thread has the continued life of the Church often seemed to hang; on what feeble throbbing that of every child of God - with no visible outward means to ward off danger, no home of comfort, no rest of ease. But Lo, children are Jehovah's heritage! - and: so giveth He to His beloved in His sleep!" (Edersheim).
Every Christmas should remind each one of us of the wonderful Gift of God's wonderful grace. As we meet as a family, let us never forget to stop long enough to give God the Praise and Glory for sending us His only-begotten Son that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Just as those lowly shepherds gave God the glory, so we should also. The very fact that we believe the record that God sent His Son is the beginning of our recognition that it is the Father who is to be praised. We are all joint heirs with our Brother and Savior Jesus Christ the Righteous One, and as such, we are all members of the Divine Holy Family; let us reflect on this wonderful aspect of God's wonderful grace each Christmas, and not get too involved with the glitter that is not Gold.
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