Luke · chapter 2 of 24
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Luke 2 tells of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem during a census ordered by Caesar Augustus. An angel announces to shepherds that a Savior, Christ the Lord, has been born, and they go to see him. Jesus is presented in the temple, where Simeon and Anna recognize him, and at age twelve he stays in the temple talking with the teachers.
Luke 1 announced the births of John and Jesus; Luke 2 tells of Jesus' birth. Luke places the event in the history of the Roman Empire and presents it as good news for all people, beginning with humble shepherds. The chapter also gives the only window into Jesus' childhood found in the Gospels.
By a decree of Caesar Augustus a census is taken, and Joseph, of David's house, travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary, who is expecting. There Jesus is born, and Mary wraps him in cloths and lays him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the lodging. Nearby, shepherds are watching their flocks at night when an angel announces that a Savior, Christ the Lord, has been born to them. The sign will be a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. A crowd of angels praises God, and the shepherds go to Bethlehem, find the child and tell what they had been told. Mary treasures all this in her heart.
On the eighth day he is circumcised and named Jesus. When the time of purification is complete, they take him to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer the sacrifice of the poor: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Simeon, a righteous man waiting for Israel's consolation, takes the child in his arms, praises God because he has seen his salvation, and declares that Jesus will be a light for the nations and a cause of division, and that a sword will pierce Mary's soul. The prophetess Anna, a widow who served in the temple, gives thanks to God and speaks about the child to those waiting for Jerusalem's redemption.
The family returns to Nazareth, and Jesus grows in wisdom and grace. At twelve he goes up with them to Jerusalem for Passover and stays in the temple while they head home. They find him on the third day, sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. Jesus says he had to be in his Father's house. He goes back with them, obeys them and keeps growing.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The angel announces that today, in David's city, a Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord. In one sentence we find the three central titles of Jesus, given first to shepherds, simple people of that time.
The angels praise God and proclaim peace to those on whom his favor rests. Jesus' birth joins God's glory in heaven with the peace he brings to earth.
Simeon says his eyes have seen God's salvation, prepared before all peoples, a light for the nations and glory for Israel. From the start Luke shows that the Messiah is for Jews and Gentiles.
At twelve, Jesus asks his parents why they were looking for him, since he had to be in his Father's house. These are his first words in the Gospel and reveal that he already knows his unique relationship with God.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Because of the census ordered by Caesar Augustus, which required everyone to register in his own town; Joseph was of David's house. — Luke 2:1-5
Answer: In a manger, because there was no room for them in the lodging. — Luke 2:7
Answer: A baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. — Luke 2:12
Answer: She treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. — Luke 2:19
Answer: That he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ. — Luke 2:25-26
Answer: In the temple, on the third day, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. — Luke 2:46
Luke 2 shows that God chooses the simplest places to reveal himself: a manger, shepherds, a poor couple. In Sunday school you can ask whom we have overlooked, thinking they do not matter, and how God might speak through them.
It also teaches us to treasure and ponder. Mary does not understand everything, but she keeps what God is doing and thinks it over calmly. That attitude helps anyone going through confusing times: remember what God has said and wait. And the picture of Jesus growing in obedience reminds us that faith is formed in ordinary life, in the family and in the community.
Luke 2 ends with Jesus growing in wisdom, stature and favor with God and people, prepared quietly for years. Luke 3 opens with John's preaching in the wilderness, announcing that the time for the Messiah's public ministry has arrived.
Luke says the census took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. This anchors Jesus' birth in known history. Historians debate the exact date: some think of an earlier first census, others of a different translation of the text; it does not change the message of the passage.
The Greek word can mean a travelers' lodging or the guest room of a house. What Luke stresses is that there was no room for them there and that Jesus was laid in a manger, an animal feeding trough, a detail of humility.
Simeon announces that Jesus would cause division and that Mary would suffer over what happened to him. Many see it as a reference to her grief at his rejection and death. The text does not explain more, but it shows that salvation would come at a cost.