The Roman Empire

Jesus was born into a story.....

that intersects with mine and yours...



The geography of the story

Nazareth was a 3-4 day donkey ride from north to south……..I am sure the roads were crowded, people were not particularly happy, and I suspect it was not a real enjoyable ride for Mary – being 9 months pregnant……

See the road ways that are in the map…………


The family ties Joseph has to King David

This is a particularly important issue for those who track the identity of the savior………………….

Why geneology meant so much to people

So here is the historical setting

for the birth of Jesus –

How did the story of Jesus intersect with your story

One of the greatest gifts you can give this Christmas is telling your story about how you met Jesus....

The geography of the story

The Whole Roman world – The Romans gave little thought to anything outside their authority

All the world – is an expression used by the Romans to say our world matters more than anyone else’s

Basically the shoreline of the Mediteranean sea as well as France, Portugal, Spain and most of the British Isles …eventually

The Emperor Caesar Augustus

From 30 BC to 14 AD

A moderate as Ceasars go, defeated Richard Burton, I mean Marc Antony and became sole ruler of Rome

Had expanded enough……for now and turned his attention to several strengthening the empire in general

Was a great builder of roads, water systems and other types of infrastructure

Fortified the empire’s borders and gave a great deal of freedom to local rulers – and allowed them to be King in a sense of their areas of jurisdiction


The First Syrian Governor’s Census

Quirinius or Cyrenius was governor a while later – and given the less than detailed historical records of the time, it seems that this was the preparation for a new tax that was soon to be levied and was enacted later during the term of Quirinius - seems that once the foundation was laid for tracking people – he had a series of taxes enacted…….this is described as the first census - …..

This census registration referred to in the text was preparation for an expanded new tax system.
Ceasar must have had the support of local Jewish rulers for this registration because Rome taxed where you lived – and Israel was the one who had people register in their hometowns because ancestry mattered more to them than the comparatively mobile Roman population.

In Acts 5:37 we have a record of a revolt that occurred because of one of these tax events

Nazareth was a 3-4 day donkey ride from north to south……..

I am sure the roads were crowded, people were not particularly happy, and I suspect it was not a real enjoyable ride for Mary – being 9 months pregnant……

See the road ways that are in the map…………

Every household is given the opportunity

the idiom I mentioned earlier literally “every household” - that covers pretty much everybody.

there were no exceptions

Social upheaval creates opportunities

You can imagine how happy everyone was to be travelling to their hometowns,
the inconvenience,

the bitter taste that comes from paying tribute to an oppressive ruling government

And in the midst of all this aggravation and fatigue come opportunities to reach out to people with
the good news of Jesus


Trips take us out of the familiar

Usually leads us to process things differently,

Usually see things that are different than our normal rhythms of daily and weekly activities

The value of retreats for example -

get rid of distractions so we can hear from God clearly

unloading all you do

reloading what must be

(Illus. Navigators - How to spend a day with God)


Tense atmospheres lead to prayer

We lose our sense of self reliance, security, control – whatever you want to call it

We can gain an appreciation for something bigger than ourselves at work

Fear drives us to our knees………..

Mary has a chance to be a mother

I am still impressed with Mary – who submitted to God’s plan and then committed to cooperating with it with her actions…..

She didn’t have an abortion of convenience, expose the baby until it died so she wouldn’t be stuck in a cold stable with some whining infant to care for…, wasn’t complaining because the straw was damp, or the cows were making too much noise…...

Instead….in those first tender moments of life on earth for the savior of the world– the mother of Jesus carefully cleaned him, wrapped him, probably fed him, all the while dad was finding the cleanest hay and blankets to lay his step son in for the night……

Two people open to being by God – and my life will never be the same because of their humility before God……What is your attitude towards what you know God wants to do in your life?

(Illus. Casting Crowns song – Love moved first….)

Social upheaval creates opportunities

You can imagine how happy everyone was to be travelling to their hometowns,
the inconvenience,

the bitter taste that comes from paying tribute to an oppressive ruling government

And in the midst of all this aggravation and fatigue come opportunities to reach out to people with
the good news of Jesus


Trips take us out of the familiar

Usually leads us to process things differently,

Usually see things that are different than our normal rhythms of daily and weekly activities

The value of retreats for example -

get rid of distractions so we can hear from God clearly

unloading all you do

reloading what must be

(Illus. Navigators - How to spend a day with God)


Tense atmospheres lead to prayer

We lose our sense of self reliance, security, control – whatever you want to call it

We can gain an appreciation for something bigger than ourselves at work

Fear drives us to our knees………..

Mary has a chance to be a mother

I am still impressed with Mary – who submitted to God’s plan and then committed to cooperating with it with her actions…..

She didn’t have an abortion of convenience, expose the baby until it died so she wouldn’t be stuck in a cold stable with some whining infant to care for…, wasn’t complaining because the straw was damp, or the cows were making too much noise…...

Instead….in those first tender moments of life on earth for the savior of the world– the mother of Jesus carefully cleaned him, wrapped him, probably fed him, all the while dad was finding the cleanest hay and blankets to lay his step son in for the night……

Two people open to being by God – and my life will never be the same because of their

A savior sent at the fulfillment of time

The requirements necessary for this to occur had all fallen into place……
(Illus. A pear and peanut butter……it has to be just the right amount of time for everything to work well)

A savior sent with a humble beginning

The savior of the universe
his family tossed around by the greed of some local ruler who wanted more money out of his subjects
his mother in great discomfort for perhaps a 4 day journey
placed in a body – to go from no limits to experiencing the limitations of a human body

(Illus. Philippians 2 - Who, being in very nature[a] God,    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,    being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man,    he humbled himself    by becoming obedient to death—        even death on a cross!)

A savior went with a real family

A step father who would endure a lifetime of ridicule and questioning

A real history back to King David, welcomed by a mother and a father who would raise him, care for him, nurture, him, and watch him die for them.

A savior people choose to make room for

These wise men we know are part of the story,
the shepherds who heard from the angels,
John the Baptist gave his life to prepare us

A savior sent at the fulfillment of time

The requirements necessary for this to occur had all fallen into place……
(Illus. A pear and peanut butter……it has to be just the right amount of time for everything to work well)

A savior sent with a humble beginning

The savior of the universe
his family tossed around by the greed of some local ruler who wanted more money out of his subjects
his mother in great discomfort for perhaps a 4 day journey
placed in a body – to go from no limits to experiencing the limitations of a human body

(Illus. Philippians 2 - Who, being in very nature[a] God,    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,    being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man,    he humbled himself    by becoming obedient to death—        even death on a cross!)

A savior went with a real family

A step father who would endure a lifetime of ridicule and questioning

A real history back to King David, welcomed by a mother and a father who would raise him, care for him, nurture, him, and watch him die for them.

A savior people choose to make room for

These wise men we know are part of the story
the shepherds who heard from the angels,
John the Baptist gave his life to prepare us