From Bad News to Good News

Luke 2:1-3 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
 
THESE words seem fairly simple. Orders are given; it’s time to pay the tax. But when you read these words, do you see the very bad news? More taxes are bad news for such poor Jews as Joseph and Mary.
    But the bad news goes deeper than money. It goes to the very soul of a nation. Rome controlled Israel. Israel’s people were subject to Rome’s intention to use Israel’s wealth to fund its domination and expansion.
    This passage also represents a point in history. Luke wants to give evidence of the time, day and month – October – when Jesus was born. The more deliberate he can be of the circumstances around that time, the more we can trust Jesus truly was born in Bethlehem.
    This also helps to confirm Jesus’ ministry time, his death, his resurrection and his ascension. One fact helps lead to another. True steps lead to the true God.
    The truth is, God turned the bad news into good news. The Father sent his Son into the midst of political oppression at just the right time. It may seem odd our Lord would come when Rome ruled. But it was the Sovereign LORD, who truly ruled. The LORD used Rome’s government as a means to spread the gospel into the world. The Roman Empire would be generally tolerant for a time of Jesus’ followers. Many new churches were founded within its borders. Acts 21-23 tells us Rome protected the apostle Paul when the Jews passionately tried to kill him. It was the Jews, who were the first persecutors of Christ’s church.
    In addition, Rome’s good roads and effective mail system would help transmit the gospel. Paul’s, Peter’s, James’ and others’ teaching letters were delivered to Jesus’ disciples in many towns and villages. Consider, also, that the oppressive nation Rome would later become one of the first nations to proclaim Christianity as an acceptable religion. In these ways, Rome, the “bad news nation” became a “good news nation”. God raises governments and deposes governments for his purposes.
   
Prayer: Lord, use our governments as a means of spreading the good news. Amen