Luke 2

Luke 2:1

Luke: The Man Christ Jesus The Birth of Jesus and the Beginning of his Work An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Luke 1:1 to 4:13

www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 2 The birth and childhood of Jesus – Luke 2:1-52 The birth of Jesus – Luke 2:1-7 v1 In those days, *Caesar Augustus issued an order. All the people in the entire *Roman world had to record their names in registers. v2  This was the first register of the people while Quirinius governed Syria. v3 And all the people went to their own towns to register.

v4 So, Joseph went from the town called Nazareth in Galilee. He went to the town called Bethlehem in Judea. Bethlehem was the town of David. Joseph went there because he was a *descendant of David. v5  Joseph went to register with Mary. They had agreed to marry. Mary was expecting a baby. v6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born.v7  Mary gave birth to her first son and she wrapped him with pieces of cloth. There was no place for them in the hotel. So, she laid him in a box. Usually, animals ate from that box.

Verses 1-3 *Caesar was the title that *Roman rulers took. They were in effect the kings of Rome. Octavianus Augustus was a nephew of Julius *Caesar. Augustus’ real name was Thurinus but he changed his name to Augustus in 27 *BC. Augustus means ‘honourable’. He became *Caesar after the death of Julius in about 31 *BC. He died in 14 *AD.

Augustus gave the order that all the people must register themselves. The purpose of the registers of people was to charge taxes. This register of the people was when Quirinius governed Syria (verse 2). Bible students are not sure when this happened. There are different ideas about the periods when Quirinius governed Syria, and about the meaning of verse 2.

In *Israel, all the *Jews had to go to the towns of their *ancestors.

Verses 4-7 Joseph and Mary travelled from Nazareth town to Bethlehem in Judea. Joseph was a *descendant of David. Bethlehem was the place where David was born. Mary expected the baby Jesus to be born soon. Mary was married to Joseph (Matthew 1:24-25). Luke says that they had agreed to marry. Perhaps he says this because they had not had sex yet. Joseph was not the father of the baby. The *Holy Spirit had arranged for the birth of Jesus to Mary.

Bethlehem, which means ‘house of bread’, was about 6 miles (10 kilometres) from Jerusalem. It was about three days’ journey for Joseph and Mary from Nazareth. It would have been a rough journey for Mary in her state.

There seems to be no need for Mary to be there. Joseph could register for the family. She was also a *descendant of David. Perhaps for that reason she had to register. But God arranged it this way so that the *Christ would be born there. The *prophet Micah said that this would be so. He spoke about 700 years earlier. He said, ‘But you, Bethlehem, are a very small town. You are so small among Judah’s families. But out of you, a man will come who is for me. He will be the ruler over *Israel. His origin was a long time ago in the past. It was in an ancient time’ (Micah 5:2).

By the time that Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, there was no room for them. There is a tradition that Jesus was born in a stable. A stable is a place where people keep animals. That could be right. But it is also possible that Jesus was born in a poor home. In the poorest homes, people and animals lived together, in the same room.

When a child was born, *Jewish women would wash it with water. Then they would rub it with salt and they would wrap it in cloths (Ezekiel 16:4). It seems that Mary did this for the baby Jesus. There may have been nobody there to help her. Therefore, Mary had to do these things herself. Then she laid the baby in a box. Usually, animals ate from that box. But that was the only place where she could put her baby to sleep. The *shepherds and the *angels – Luke 2:8-20 v8  In the same region, there were *shepherds who were living in the fields. They guarded their sheep during the night. v9 An *angel of the *Lord appeared to them. The *glory of the *Lord shone round them. And they were very afraid. v10  The *angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people. v11  Today in the town of David, a *Saviour has been born to you. He is the Christ the *Lord. v12  This is the proof by which you will know him. You will find a baby with cloths round him. He is lying in a box. Usually, animals eat from that box.’

v13 At once with the *angel, there was a great army of *angels from heaven. They were praising God. v14 They said, ‘*Glory to God in the highest heaven. And on earth, let there be peace for the people whom God approves.’

v15  The *angels left them and went back to heaven. Then the *shepherds said to each other, ‘Let us go to Bethlehem. Let us see this thing that has happened. The *Lord has told us about it.’

v16 So, they went quickly and they found Mary, Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in a box. Usually, animals ate from that box. v17 They saw this. Then the *shepherds told everyone what the *angel had said to them about the child. v18 The *shepherds’ reports astonished all who heard them. v19  But Mary remembered all these things. She thought deeply about what they must mean. v20  The *shepherds went back to their sheep. They declared how great God is. And they praised God for all that they had heard. They praised him for all that they had seen. Everything was as the *angel had told them.

Verses 8-14 *Shepherds kept their sheep in the open fields near Bethlehem from about April to November. They may have kept the sheep in the fields later than this if the weather was not too cold. They had to guard their sheep from wild animals and from thieves. So, the *shepherds watched in turn through the night to protect their sheep.

Probably they kept these sheep near Bethlehem to be *sacrifices in the *temple.

Suddenly, light replaced the darkness of the night. An *angel appeared and with him the *glory of the *Lord came. This sight frightened the *shepherds. The *angel told them about the birth of the *Saviour. This is the good news that would give great joy to all people. The *Saviour is the *Christ the *Lord. And he told them how they would recognise the baby Jesus.

The *Jews expected that one day God would send the *Christ to them. The good news that the *Christ had come was to the *Jews first. Then it was good news for all people. People used the word ‘*Lord’ in the *Greek language to translate the name of God from the *Hebrew language. His name ‘the *Lord’ shows that Jesus is God.

Then a large number of *angels appeared in the sky. And, with the first *angel, they praised God. They praised God because he had sent Jesus to save us.

The *angels said, ‘Let there be peace on earth.’ We were all enemies of God because of our *sins. But in Jesus, we can have peace with God. In other words, we have a right relationship with God. In Jesus, God’s enemies become his children.

Verses 15-18 The *angels left the *shepherds. The *shepherds did not doubt the truth of the *angel’s words. They left their sheep and they went to find Jesus. They did not delay but they went quickly. It seems that they knew Bethlehem well. They had to look for a baby, with cloths round it, which was in a box for animal food. And they soon found Mary, Joseph and the baby. Everything was as the *angel had told them. They saw the *Christ who would save his people from their *sins.

The *shepherds told everyone what the *angel had said about the baby. Probably the *angel said a lot more to them than we have in this record. What they said astonished all who heard them.

Verses 19-20 Mary listened to what the *shepherds said. She thought deeply about all that had happened. She tried to understand what it all meant.

The *shepherds returned to their sheep. They praised God for what they had heard. They praised God for what they had seen. Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the *temple – Luke 2:21-40 v21 The ceremony to *circumcise the baby happened 8 days after his birth. Mary and Joseph gave him the name Jesus. Before Mary was expecting the child, the *angel had given this name to him.

v22 The time came for Joseph and Mary to perform the ceremony to make them clean. This was to obey what the law of Moses commanded. They took the child to Jerusalem to offer him to the *Lord. v23 (They did this to obey the law of the *Lord. It says that the first male child of every mother belongs to the *Lord.) v24 Also, they went to give the *sacrifice that the *Lord’s law orders. They had to bring two *doves or two young *pigeons.

v25 A man called Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was a good and sincere man. He respected and obeyed God. This man was expecting the *Christ to come and to help *Israel. And God’s *Holy Spirit was with Simeon. v26  The *Holy Spirit had told him that he would see the *Lord’s *Christ. And, that Simeon would not die before he had seen the *Christ. v27 God’s Spirit led him to the *temple area at the time when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus there. They came to do for Jesus what the law orders. v28 Then Simeon took the child in his arms and he praised God.

v29 He said, ‘Now, Master, free your servant to die. Let me be at peace as you promised to me. v30 With my eyes I have seen the *Christ whom you have sent to save the people. v31 You have prepared him for people from all nations to see. v32 He is like a light that will show your truth to the nations. He will bring honour and *glory to your people, *Israel.’

v33 What Simeon said about him astonished the child’s father and mother. v34  Then Simeon blessed them. He spoke to Jesus’ mother, Mary. He said, ‘This child will cause many people in *Israel to fall and to rise. He will be a sign from God but many people will oppose him. v35 This will show clearly what people really think in their hearts. And you, yourself, will suffer and be sad. It will be as if a sword cut through your heart.’

v36  Anna, a *prophet, was also there. She was a *descendant of Phanuel from the *tribe of Asher. She was now very old. Her husband had died 7 years after they married. v37  She had been a widow a long time. She was now 84 years old. She never left the *temple area. She *worshipped God day and night. She prayed to God and often she went without food. v38  At that moment, she came to Mary and Joseph and she began to thank God. She spoke about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.

v39 Mary and Joseph finished all the things that the *Lord’s law orders. Then they went home to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. v40 The child grew and he became strong. He was learning to be wise. God was pleased with him and he *blessed Jesus.

Verses 21-24 On the 8th day, *Jewish parents must *circumcise a baby boy (Genesis 17:12). Mary and Joseph did all that the law ordered. So Mary and Joseph arranged for this to happen at the proper time. Mary and Joseph obeyed what the *angel had told Mary. They gave the name Jesus to the baby (1:31).

Every first son belonged to the *Lord. The parents had to pay money to the *Lord for the first son when he was a month old. This was to buy back the boy. The fee was 5 *shekels (Numbers 18:15-16)

In *Jewish law, a woman became unclean on the birth of her child because of the blood. The mother was unclean for 40 days after the birth if the baby was a boy (Leviticus 12:4). To be unclean meant that the woman could not go to the *temple. And she could not join with other people as they *worshipped God. At the end of this period, the woman had to bring a *sacrifice to the *Lord. This *sacrifice was a *lamb, with a *dove or *pigeon. If she could not afford a *lamb, she would bring two *doves or two young *pigeons (Leviticus 12:6-8).

So, at the proper time, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the *Lord. They brought the *sacrifices to make Mary clean. Mary and Joseph were not wealthy and they could not afford to bring a *lamb. So, they brought either two *doves or two young *pigeons.

Verses 25-28 We know nothing more about Simeon than is in this passage. It seems that he was an old man. He was a good man and he trusted in God. He was expecting the *Saviour to come. And the *Holy Spirit had told Simeon that he would see the *Lord’s *Christ. The *Christ would come before Simeon died.

The *Holy Spirit led Simeon to go into the *temple. So, he was there when Mary and Joseph came in with Jesus. Then Simeon knew that the baby Jesus was the *Christ. Here was what he had waited for. It would have been a time of great emotion and joy for Simeon. He took the baby in his arms and he praised God.

Verses 29-32 Many Christians know what Simeon said here as the Nunc Dimittis. These are the first two words in the *Latin translation of this passage. It means, ‘Now let me die.’

Simeon, the servant of the *Lord, was now ready to die. His ambition had been to see the *Christ. Now with his own eyes, he had seen him whom God had sent. He had only seen a baby, but by *faith, he saw the *Saviour. He had seen Jesus who would save his people from their *sins.

In death, Simeon would be at peace. In other words, all the troubles of this life would end and he would go to be with his *Lord.

The *Lord Jesus did not come only for *Israel. He came for people from all the nations in the world. God wanted all nations to hear the good news. God sent Jesus to save people in every nation from their *sins. He saves all who believe him. They must *repent of their *sins and they must trust him.

The structure of these verses is a typical *Hebrew poem. It says the same idea in two ways. So, in verse 29 both sentences show the same thing. Verses 30 and 31 are a couple. And in verse 32, the light to the nations and the honour and *glory for *Israel are a couple.

Verses 33-35 Mary and Joseph were aware of the things that Simeon had said about Jesus. But it astonished them that this man said such things. He had come to the *temple at that exact time. They could see that the *Lord had sent him. Now he spoke to Mary about the future of Jesus.

The *Lord Jesus will be a cause of division among people. They will be either for him or against him. Some people will refuse to accept him. They will be like people who fall (Isaiah 8:14-15). Such people have no hope of *salvation if they do not change their attitudes. But the *Lord will raise up the people who trust him. In other words, he will give them new life.

Jesus will show what God is like. Many people will refuse to believe this. And they will become his enemies.

Mary will see how Jesus dies (John 19:25). This will feel as terrible as a sword that cuts through her heart. As his mother, she will feel the pain of his death.

Verses 36-38 Asher was one of the 10 *tribes of *Israel that Assyria removed from the country called *Israel. Some people from those *tribes had remained in *Israel. Many people from these *tribes joined with Judah during the rule of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:1-11). Anna belonged to the *tribe of Asher.

Anna had been married for 7 years but her husband had died. For many years, she had been a widow. At this time, she was 84 years old. And she was praying in the *temple every day.

When Mary and Joseph had come into the *temple, Anna came to them. Maybe she was there as Simeon took Jesus in his arms. She saw the baby Jesus. She knew that he was the *Christ. She praised God. She spoke about Jesus to those people who waited for God to send the *Christ.

Verses 39-40 Mary and Joseph returned to their home in Nazareth. But this was not immediately after this visit to the *temple. They were in Bethlehem for a period of time. Then they went to Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:13-23). After Herod’s death, they made their home in Nazareth where Jesus grew up.

Jesus grew in body and mind as a boy and as a man. He was the Son of God; but he was a real man as well. God his Father watched over his development. The boy Jesus in the *temple – Luke 2:41-52 v41 Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the *Passover *feast. v42 When Jesus was 12 years old, they went to the *feast as usual. v43  When the days of the *feast were over, they started to go home. The boy Jesus stayed in Jerusalem but his parents did not know it. v44  They thought that Jesus was in the group of travellers. They went on their journey for a day. Then they looked for Jesus among their family and friends. v45  When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him there. v46  After three days, they found Jesus in the *temple. He was sitting there among the teachers. He was listening to the teachers and he was asking them questions. v47  His intelligence and his answers astonished all who heard him. v48  When his parents saw him, it astonished them also.

His mother asked him, ‘Son, why have you done this to us? Look! Your father and I have been very worried as we looked for you.’

v49 Jesus said to them, ‘You did not need to look for me. You should have known that I must be in my Father’s house.’ v50  But they did not understand what he said to them.

v51 Then Jesus went with them to Nazareth town and he obeyed them. But his mother kept in her heart all that had happened. v52 Jesus grew in wisdom and he became a mature man. God was pleased with him and so were the people.

Verses 41-42 God’s law said that *Jewish men should go to Jerusalem each year for the three main *feasts (Exodus 23:17 and 34:23). These *feasts were *Passover, *Pentecost and the *feast of shelters. If they could not go to all three *feasts, they made a special effort to go for *Passover. Joseph and Mary went every year for the *Passover *feast. Women did not have to go but many went with their husbands.

At the age of 13, boys become men in the *Jewish religion. At that age, they could take part as adults in the *feasts. It was usual for boys to go to the *feasts before that age. And they often went a year before. So, Jesus went with Mary and Joseph when he was 12 years old.

Verses 43-44 The *Passover *feast lasted 8 days. The first day was the *Passover when they killed the young sheep. Then there were 7 days for the *feast of bread without *yeast (Exodus 12:15; Leviticus 23:5-6).

At the end of the *feast, Mary and Joseph began the three day journey back to Nazareth. They went with a group of relatives and friends. They thought that Jesus would be with friends in the group. Often men and women walked in separate groups. Joseph may have thought that Jesus was with Mary. And Mary may have thought that Jesus was with Joseph. However, at the end of the day, they could not find him. They did not know that Jesus had remained in Jerusalem.

Verses 45-47 Mary and Joseph supposed that Jesus was still in Jerusalem. They were so worried that they hurried back there. After three days, or on the third day, they found Jesus. The first day was the journey from Jerusalem. The second day was the journey back to Jerusalem. On the third day, or the day after, they found Jesus.

Jesus was in the *temple with the teachers of religion. He listened to them and he asked them questions. Also, they asked him questions. At the age of 12 years, he astonished the people with his knowledge.

Verses 48-50 Mary and Joseph had not expected to find Jesus with the famous teachers. The way that people respected him astonished them. But Mary expressed the worry that she and Joseph had felt. She asked Jesus why he had done this to them.

This incident causes all kinds of questions in our minds. But Jesus gave them an answer that they did not understand. They should have known that God was Jesus’ Father, not Joseph. It was natural that Jesus should be in his Father’s house. Jesus had to do his Father’s work. There was no need for Mary and Joseph to worry. There was no need for them to look for him.

Verses 51-52 Jesus went home with Mary and Joseph. He was God’s son but he was also the son of Mary. So, he obeyed his human parents. Mary remembered all that had happened. And she thought much about these events.

Jesus grew into the perfect man. God was pleased with him and all the people respected him.

© 2010, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

November 2010

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