"And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
Luke 2:3-5
Part 3
Yesterday: Joseph and Mary Went Through Difficult Events
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.”
Today: Joseph and Mary are in the lineage of David. This gives Jesus the legal right to David’s throne.
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…”
“(because he was of the house and lineage of David:).”
Why did Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem, the “city of David?” It was to obey the Roman Emperor and be registered. This new “taxing/census” sent both he and his wife to Bethlehem to register because they were of David’s lineage.
Joseph’s family line to David:
“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations” (Matthew 1:16-17).
Mary’s family line to David:
In Luke’s genealogy of Jesus, he begins with Jesus, and then “the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23). We note that “the son” is in italics; the words were not in the original text. We do know that Joseph’s father was “Jacob” (Matthew 1:16). Luke understood that Jesus was not the natural son of Joseph, “being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,” but He was born of Mary. Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli. In Jewish genealogies, women were not usually mentioned, but their husbands were listed in their place. These listed here are Mary’s people, from Jesus back to God, His Father.
Jesus, the Savior, is the “Seed of the woman,” He is that “new Prophet,” and He was the virgin-born Messiah, He is from David’s lineage. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is David’s seed. The Lord has promised this to King David,
“And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Samuel 7:12).
“And it shall come to pass when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom” (1 Chronicles 17:11).
“Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his throne” (Acts 2:30).[1]
“To be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child.”
Joseph, obeying the Roman edict, took Mary to Bethlehem, “David’s royal city,” to fulfill their obligation to the Roman law. It may not have been required by this ruling that Mary had to be there to register. Perhaps Joseph, her husband, could have done that for her. We have no way of knowing for sure. Still, we do know that in doing so, Mary and Joseph are in the exact place, “Bethlehem Ephrata,” at precisely the right time, “when the fulness of time was come.” Only God could have arranged the countless details of Jesus’ birth to match the prophets’ messages they had been proclaiming through the centuries. Believers, we marvel at the greatness of our God!
Indeed, “Christ the Savior is born!”
Quote: “The virgin birth of Christ is a key doctrine; for if Jesus Christ is not God come in sinless human flesh, then we have no Savior. Jesus had to be” (Warren W. Wiersbe).
[1] Compare these words from Peter’s sermon with Psalm 132:11. These promises from God to David are what is know as the Davidic Covenant. See Psalm 89:3-4, 34-37. See also 2 Samuel 23:5 and Isaiah 55:3.
[2] Wiersbe’s quote Downloaded: December 18, 2020. From: https://www.greatsayings.net/sayings-about-birth-of-jesus-christ/.