Luke 2:4
So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David.
So Joseph also went up
The phrase "went up" is significant in the biblical context, as it often denotes a journey of spiritual or religious importance. In Jewish tradition, going "up" to Jerusalem or any significant place often implies a pilgrimage or a journey towards fulfilling God's purpose. Joseph's journey is not merely geographical but also spiritual, as he is participating in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan. The Greek word used here, "anabainō," can mean to ascend or rise, indicating the elevation in both physical and spiritual terms.

from Nazareth in Galilee
Nazareth, a small and seemingly insignificant town in Galilee, is where Joseph and Mary resided. Galilee was a region often looked down upon by Judeans, yet it is from this humble place that the Savior's earthly parents hail. This highlights God's tendency to use the humble and lowly to accomplish His divine purposes. The mention of Nazareth fulfills the prophecy that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene, emphasizing the fulfillment of Scripture in Jesus' life.

to Judea
Judea was the southern region of ancient Israel, where Jerusalem and the temple were located. This journey from Galilee to Judea signifies a movement towards the heart of Jewish religious life. It is a journey towards the fulfillment of prophecy and the birthplace of the Messiah. The historical context of Judea as a center of Jewish worship and prophecy underscores the significance of Jesus' birth in this region.

to the City of David called Bethlehem
Bethlehem, known as the City of David, is rich in biblical history. It is the birthplace of King David, Israel's greatest king, and the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah (Micah 5:2). The name "Bethlehem" means "house of bread," which is fitting as Jesus, the Bread of Life, is born there. The connection to David emphasizes Jesus' rightful place in the Davidic line, fulfilling the covenant promises made to David about his descendants.

because he was of the house and line of David
Joseph's lineage is crucial in establishing Jesus' legal right to the throne of David. The phrase "house and line of David" underscores the fulfillment of God's promise to David that his kingdom would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:16). This lineage is not just a matter of heritage but a testament to God's faithfulness in keeping His covenant promises. The genealogical connection to David is essential for identifying Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one who would reign eternally.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Joseph
A righteous man, betrothed to Mary, and earthly father of Jesus. He is obedient to God's guidance and fulfills his role in the divine plan.

2. Nazareth
A small town in Galilee where Joseph and Mary lived. It is significant as the place where Jesus grew up, fulfilling the prophecy that He would be called a Nazarene.

3. Judea
The region where Bethlehem is located. It holds historical and prophetic significance as the land of the tribe of Judah.

4. City of David (Bethlehem)
The birthplace of King David and prophesied birthplace of the Messiah. It is a small town with great historical and theological importance.

5. House and Lineage of David
Refers to Joseph's ancestral line, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would come from David's line, emphasizing Jesus' rightful claim to the throne of Israel.
Teaching Points
Obedience to God's Plan
Joseph's journey to Bethlehem demonstrates obedience to both civil authority (the census) and divine prophecy. We are called to trust and obey God's plan, even when it requires sacrifice or inconvenience.

Fulfillment of Prophecy
The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem fulfills specific Old Testament prophecies, reinforcing the reliability and divine inspiration of Scripture. We can trust God's Word and His promises.

God's Sovereignty in History
The events leading to Jesus' birth show God's control over history. He orchestrates events to fulfill His purposes. We can find comfort in knowing that God is sovereign over our lives.

Significance of Humble Beginnings
Jesus' birth in a humble setting in Bethlehem reminds us that God often works through the lowly and unexpected. We should not despise small beginnings or humble circumstances.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Joseph's obedience to travel to Bethlehem despite the circumstances challenge us in our own obedience to God's leading?

2. In what ways does the fulfillment of prophecy in Jesus' birth strengthen your faith in the reliability of Scripture?

3. How can understanding Jesus' humble beginnings in Bethlehem influence our perspective on success and significance in our own lives?

4. What does the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem teach us about God's sovereignty and His ability to work through historical events?

5. How can we apply the lesson of God's faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to our current life situations and challenges?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Micah 5:2
This Old Testament prophecy foretells that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, connecting Jesus' birth to the fulfillment of prophecy.

Matthew 1:1-16
The genealogy of Jesus, which traces His lineage through David, affirming His rightful place in the Davidic line.

1 Samuel 16:1-13
The anointing of David as king, establishing Bethlehem as the City of David and foreshadowing the coming of the Messiah from David's line.
Birth of the Son of GodKuchler.Luke 2:4
Christ Born in Bethlehem W. Burkitt, M. A.Luke 2:4
Christmas a Children's FestivalFlorey.Luke 2:4
Christ's Birth in an InnMatthew Henry.Luke 2:4
Christ's Birth in BethlehemFuchs.Luke 2:4
Christ's Lowly BirthJ. J. Van Oosterzee, D. D.Luke 2:4
Christ's Threefold BirthF. W. Krummacher, D. D.Luke 2:4
Description of BethlehemG. Geikie, D. D.Luke 2:4
Illustrious Pedigree in ObscurityG. Geikie, D. D. Luke 2:4
Subsidiary LivesR. Robinson.Luke 2:4
The Birth of Jesus the New Birth of the Human RaceJ. J. Van Oosterzee, D. D.Luke 2:4
The Church of the NativityG. Geikie, D. D.Luke 2:4
A Political Era Associated with High Religious ExperienceJ. Parker, D. D.Luke 2:1-7
God OverrulesDe Boylesve.Luke 2:1-7
God's Time ArrivesVan Doren., Van Doren.Luke 2:1-7
Historical Difficulties of the CensusArchdeacon Farrar.Luke 2:1-7
The Birth of Jesus ChristG. D Boardman.Luke 2:1-7
The Child and the EmperorDean Stanley.Luke 2:1-7
The Empire of Rome and the Stable At BethlehemCanon Vernon Hutton, M. A.Luke 2:1-7
The Savior's Birth and Type Angel's SermonR.M. Edgar Luke 2:1-20
People
Anna, Aser, Asher, Augustus, Cyrenius, David, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Phanuel, Simeon
Places
Bethlehem, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judea, Nazareth, Rome, Syria
Topics
Belonged, Bethlehem, Beth-lehem, David, David's, Family, Galilee, Joseph, Judaea, Judea, Line, Lineage, Nazareth, Town
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 2:4

     2078   Christ, sonship of
     2312   Christ, as king
     2540   Christ, genealogy

Luke 2:1-20

     2515   Christ, birth of

Luke 2:1-40

     5652   babies

Luke 2:3-4

     5586   town

Luke 2:4-7

     2206   Jesus, the Christ
     2421   gospel, historical foundation
     5663   childbirth

Luke 2:4-16

     5099   Mary, mother of Christ

Library
December 25. "I Bring You Glad Tidings" (Luke ii. 10).
"I bring you glad tidings" (Luke ii. 10). A Christmas spirit should be a spirit of humanity. Beside that beautiful object lesson on the Manger, the Cradle, and the lowly little child, what Christian heart can ever wish to be proud? It is a spirit of joy. It is right that these should be glad tidings, for, "Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people." It is a spirit of love. It should be the joy that comes from giving joy to others. The central fact of Christmas is
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Was, Is, is to Come
'... The babe lying in a manger...'--LUKE ii. 16. '... While He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven...'--LUKE xxiv. 51. 'This same Jesus... shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go...'--ACTS I. 11. These three fragments, which I have ventured to isolate and bring together, are all found in one author's writings. Luke's biography of Jesus stretches from the cradle in Bethlehem to the Ascension from Olivet. He narrates the Ascension twice, because it has two
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Boy in the Temple
'And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me! wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?' --LUKE ii. 49. A number of spurious gospels have come down to us, which are full of stories, most of them absurd and some of them worse, about the infancy of Jesus Christ. Their puerilities bring out more distinctly the simplicity, the nobleness, the worthiness of this one solitary incident of His early days, which has been preserved for us. How has it been preserved? If you will look over
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Simeon's Swan-Song
'Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: 30. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.'--LUKE ii. 29,30. That scene, when the old man took the Infant in his withered arms, is one of the most picturesque and striking in the Gospel narrative. Simeon's whole life appears, in its later years, to have been under the immediate direction of the Spirit of God. It is very remarkable to notice how, in the course of three consecutive verses, the operation of that divine Spirit
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Shepherds and Angels
'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. 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. 11. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Angel's Message and Song
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the LORD . And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

December the Nineteenth the Sun of Righteousness
"A light to lighten the Gentiles." --LUKE ii. 25-40. That was the wonder of wonders. Hitherto the light had been supposed to be for Israel alone; and now a heavenly splendour was to fall upon the Gentiles. Hitherto the light had been thought of as a lamp, illuming a single place; now it was to be a sun, shedding its glory upon a world. The "people that sat in darkness" are now to see "a great light." New regions are to be occupied; there is to be daybreak everywhere! "The Sun of Righteousness
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

December the Twenty-Fifth Christmas Cheer
"Good will toward men!" --LUKE ii. 8-20. The heavens are not filled with hostility. The sky does not express a frown. When I look up I do not contemplate a face of brass, but the face of infinite good will. Yet when I was a child, many a picture has made me think of God as suspicious, inhumanly watchful, always looking round the corner to catch me at the fall. That "eye," placed in the sky of many a picture, and placed there to represent God, filled my heart with a chilling fear. That God was
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Religious Joy.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."--Luke ii. 10, 11. There are two principal lessons which we are taught on the great Festival which we this day celebrate, lowliness and joy. This surely is a day, of all others, in which is set before us the heavenly excellence and the acceptableness in God's sight of that state which
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Wilderness: Temptation. Matthew 4:1-11. Mark 1:12, 13. Luke 4:1-13.
The University of Arabia: Jesus' naturalness--the Spirit's presence--intensity, Luke 2:45-51.--a true perspective--- the temptation's path--sin's path--John's grouping, 1 John 2:16.--the Spirit's plan--why--the devil's weakness--the Spirit's leading--a wilderness for every God-used man, Moses, Elijah, Paul. Earth's Ugliest, Deepest Scar: Jesus the only one led up to be tempted--the wilderness--its history, Genesis 13:10-13. 18:16-19:38.--Jesus really tempted--no wrong here in inner response--every
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

Joy Born at Bethlehem
In our text we have before us the sermon of the first evangelist under the gospel dispensation. The preacher was an angel, and it was meet it should be so, for the grandest and last of all evangels will be proclaimed by an angel when he shall sound the trumpet of the resurrection, and the children of the regeneration shall rise into the fullness of their joy. The key-note of this angelic gospel is joy--"I bring unto you good tidings of great joy." Nature fears in the presence of God--the shepherds
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

"Nunc Dimittis"
We shall note, this morning, first, that every believer may be assured of departing in peace; but that, secondly, some believers feel a special readiness to depart now: "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace;" and, thirdly, that there are words of encouragement to produce in us the like readiness: "according to thy word." There are words of Holy Writ which afford richest consolation in prospect of departure. I. First, then, let us start with the great general principle, which is full of comfort;
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Christ About his Father's Business
But now I shall invite your attention, first, to the spirit of the Saviour, as breathed in these words, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" and then, secondly, I shall exhort the children of God, with all the earnestness which I can command, with all the intensity of power which I can summon to the point, to labour after the same spirit, that they too may unfeignedly say, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? " I. First, then note THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST. It was
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

The First Christmas Carol
Let us turn aside, having just thought of angels for a moment, to think rather of this song, than of the angels themselves. Their song was brief, but as Kitto excellently remarks, it was "well worthy of angels expressing the greatest and most blessed truths, in words so few, that they become to an acute apprehension, almost oppressive by the pregnant fulness of their meaning"--"Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men." We shall, hoping to be assisted by the Holy Spirit,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Christ's Boyhood
LUKE ii. 52. And Jesus increased in wisdom, and in stature, and in favour both with God and man. I do not pretend to understand these words. I preach on them because the Church has appointed them for this day. And most fitly. At Christmas we think of our Lord's birth. What more reasonable, than that we should go on to think of our Lord's boyhood? To think of this aright, even if we do not altogether understand it, ought to help us to understand rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

The Christ Child (Christmas Day. )
LUKE ii. 7. And she brought forth her first-born Son, and wrapt him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger. Mother and child.--Think of it, my friends, on Christmas day. What more beautiful sight is there in the world? What more beautiful sight, and what more wonderful sight? What more beautiful? That man must be very far from the kingdom of God--he is not worthy to be called a man at all--whose heart has not been touched by the sight of his first child in its mother's bosom. The greatest
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Music (Christmas Day. )
LUKE ii. 13, 14. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. You have been just singing Christmas hymns; and my text speaks of the first Christmas hymn. Now what the words of that hymn meant; what Peace on earth and good-will towards man meant, I have often told you. To-day I want you, for once, to think of this--that it was a hymn; that these angels were singing, even as
Charles Kingsley—The Good News of God

Of Having Confidence in God when Evil Words are Cast at Us
"My Son, stand fast and believe in Me. For what are words but words? They fly through the air, but they bruise no stone. If thou are guilty, think how thou wouldst gladly amend thyself; if thou knowest nothing against thyself, consider that thou wilt gladly bear this for God's sake. It is little enough that thou sometimes hast to bear hard words, for thou art not yet able to bear hard blows. And wherefore do such trivial matters go to thine heart, except that thou art yet carnal, and regardest
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Birth of Jesus.
(at Bethlehem of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 1-7. ^c 1 Now it came to pass in those days [the days of the birth of John the Baptist], there went out a decree [a law] from Cæsar Augustus [Octavius, or Augustus, Cæsar was the nephew of and successor to Julius Cæsar. He took the name Augustus in compliment to his own greatness; and our month August is named for him; its old name being Sextilis], that all the world should be enrolled. [This enrollment or census was the first step
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Circumcision, Temple Service, and Naming of Jesus.
(the Temple at Jerusalem, b.c. 4) ^C Luke II. 21-39. ^c 21 And when eight days [Gen. xvii. 12] were fulfilled for circumcising him [The rite was doubtless performed by Joseph. By this rite Jesus was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. ii. 16, 17); that is, he became a member of the covenant nation, and became a debtor to the law--Gal. v. 3] , his name was called JESUS [see Luke i. 59], which was so called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke i. 31.] 22 And when the days of their
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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