Today’s passage places us squarely in what is best known as the Christmas story. I’ll leave the warm fuzzies for a couple of months from now. This gives us an opportunity to consider something of the narrative perhaps often overlooked among angels and presents and cold, starry nights.
The Christmas story begins here with a government census. Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because Caesar commanded that everyone should be counted. It was a government directive to be counted. For the young couple, it was taxing in more ways than one: exhausting travel, inconvenience, disruption, and perhaps a sense of unfairness. Why should a poor carpenter and his pregnant fiancée have to walk all those miles just to be registered for the emperor’s tax machine?
Was it unjust? Maybe. Was it so unjust that they should have refused? That’s the question. At what point do followers of God say No to government action? The prophets often confronted rulers. Jesus himself would eventually have strong words for both religious and political powers. But here, Joseph and Mary submit. They go, they travel, they comply, even when it is burdensome.
The Hebrew story tells us that God is no fan of human censuses.1
But God works beyond this act of compliance nonetheless. The census moves them to Bethlehem, fulfilling prophecy and setting the stage for Jesus’ birth. It’s not that Caesar had a divine plan. It’s that God can weave even the decrees of emperors into the fabric of salvation.
Even then, we know there are times when Jesus, Peter, Paul, and others demonstrate that we don’t just do whatever the governing authorities want.
Discernment is key.
And to be clear: in NO INSTANCE do we have any example in the New Testament of followers of Jesus resorting to violence.
Certainly not Joseph and Mary. And certainly not Jesus. Even in the face of the most horrendous of injustices.
This is very challenging. Sometimes faithfulness means resistance. Sometimes it means submission. But either way, our ultimate loyalty is to God, and we trust that - in the end - God’s purposes will not be stopped by unjust rulers or inconvenient decrees.
Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.
Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.”
When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go right now to Bethlehem and see what’s happened. Let’s confirm what the Lord has revealed to us.” They went quickly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw this, they reported what they had been told about this child. Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds told them. Mary committed these things to memory and considered them carefully. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. Everything happened just as they had been told.
Psalm 2:1-4
Why do the nations rant? Why do the peoples rave uselessly?
The earth’s rulers take their stand; the leaders scheme together against the Lord and against his anointed one.
“Come!” they say. “We will tear off their ropes and throw off their chains!”
The one who rules in heaven laughs; my Lord makes fun of them.
Prayer
God,
We live in a world of governments and powers, decrees and demands. Sometimes they ask little, sometimes they ask much. Give us wisdom to discern what is inconvenient, what is unjust, and what is intolerable in light of your kingdom. Keep us faithful in following Jesus, never violent, never careless, always loyal to you.
Okay, but for real now - it’s confusing to a lot of Christians. And I’m not saying I have it all figured out, but Paul kinda muddies it all when he says to obey government authorities because they have no power that you haven’t given them. I can contextually work my way around it, but a lot of Christians just cannot, do not, and will not.
So help us, God: Bring revelation to us all. Help us to know Christ as he was, as he is, and as he would be in us. Remind us of the cross, that significant place upon which you subverted the worst of government power and authority…through submission and sacrifice. I fear we have absolutely no faithful framework or noticeable exemplary action for doing so today.
We need you.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.
See 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21.