Now
in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant.
Luke 2:1-5
Luke 1 [80.] The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Luke 2 [1.] Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant.
Luke 2 [6.] While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn. There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people. For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,
Meaning:
Luke now moves from the birth of John to the birth of Jesus. He sets the story against the background of world history, as a careful historian would (Luke 1:1-4). The most powerful man in the world issues a decree, and without knowing it he moves a young couple from Nazareth to Bethlehem, so that God’s promise could be fulfilled.
- “a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled”
Caesar Augustus, born Octavian, was the first Roman emperor. He ruled from 27 BC to AD 14 and was celebrated as the bringer of peace and even called “saviour” and “son of god” in some inscriptions. Luke quietly sets him beside the child born in Bethlehem, who is the true Saviour and Son of God (Luke 2:11). “All the world” means the Roman Empire. An enrollment was a registration of people and property, mainly for taxation. Roman rule and its taxes were bitterly resented in Israel; Gamaliel later recalled that “Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the enrollment” (Acts 5:37).
- “This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria”
Publius Sulpicius Quirinius is known from Roman history as governor of Syria around AD 6, when a census of Judea was held. Since Jesus was born while Herod the Great was still alive (Matthew 2:1), and Herod died about 4 BC, scholars have discussed how Luke’s note fits. Some suggest that Quirinius held an earlier position of authority in the region, others that the Greek can mean the enrollment “before” the one under Quirinius. Whatever the exact arrangement, his point is that Jesus was born at a real moment in history.
- “All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city”
Roman censuses in some provinces required people to register where they owned property or where their family came from. Joseph went to Bethlehem, the city of his ancestors.
- “to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David”
Bethlehem, about eight kilometres south of Jerusalem, was David’s hometown: “David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse” (1 Samuel 17:12). The prophet Micah had foretold, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). People in Jesus’ day knew this: “Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” (John 7:42). The decree of a pagan emperor brought Mary to the very town where the prophet said the Messiah would be born. As Proverbs says, “The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires” (Proverbs 21:1).
- “to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant”
The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 150 kilometres and would have taken several days on foot, a hard trip for a woman near the end of her pregnancy. Mary is still described as “pledged to be married.” Matthew tells us that Joseph had taken her as his wife but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth (Matthew 1:24-25). By taking her with him, Joseph protected her and publicly accepted the child as his own, giving Jesus his legal place in David’s line.
The Significance of Luke 2:1-5
- God rules over history
Emperors, decrees and taxes may seem to control events, but God uses them to fulfil his purposes. Believers can trust that no ruler is beyond God’s reach. “When the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4).
- Faithfulness in ordinary duties
Joseph and Mary obeyed the law of the land even when it was inconvenient. God’s great plan unfolded through their ordinary obedience on a long and difficult road.
Cross-References:
Micah 5:2: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah," the prophecy of the Messiah’s birthplace.
Matthew 2:1: Matthew’s account of Jesus born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod.
Proverbs 21:1: "The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses." God’s rule over rulers.
Galatians 4:4: "when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son," God’s perfect timing.
Conclusion: A decree from Caesar Augustus required everyone in the empire to register. Joseph, a descendant of David, travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, David’s city, with Mary, who was expecting her child. Through the decree of a pagan emperor, God brought about the fulfilment of Micah’s prophecy that the ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible