There was not much peace at the time of Jesus’ birth. After all, the “Pax Romana” or Peace of Rome blanketed the known world in war and bloodshed. How else could Rome impose its rule on various lands whose people longed for independence and freedom?
Here’s a telling account of the Roman “Peace” in the form of a summary of Adrian Goldsworthy’s recent book by Yale University Press titled Pax Romana. The Pax Romana was:
the famous peace and prosperity brought by the Roman Empire at its height in the first and second centuries AD. Yet the Romans were conquerors, imperialists who took by force a vast empire stretching from the Euphrates to the Atlantic coast. Ruthless, Romans won peace not through coexistence but through dominance; millions died and were enslaved during the creation of their empire.
Pax Romana examines how the Romans came to control so much of the world and asks whether traditionally favorable images of the Roman peace are true. Goldsworthy vividly recounts the rebellions of the conquered, examining why they broke out, why most failed, and how they became exceedingly rare. He reveals that hostility was just one reaction to the arrival of Rome and that from the outset, conquered peoples collaborated, formed alliances, and joined invaders, causing resistance movements to fade away.
As noted in the book summary above, Rome was quick to put down any rebellions, and so would the Roman Empire’s regional rulers. Thus, it should not come as a surprise that news of Jesus’ birth filled many inhabitants of the land with anxiety. For example, the report from the wise men to Herod that the King of the Jews had been born troubled Herod–Rome’s puppet king in Judea–and all Jerusalem. Here’s the Gospel of Matthew’s account of their response:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2:1-3; ESV).
Matthew’s account goes on to reveal that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and that Herod had all male children two years and younger in Bethlehem and the vicinity killed as a result (Matthew 2:16-18). The Gospel account also makes known that Jesus escaped death because an angel appeared and told Joseph to take his wife and child and flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath (Matthew 2:13-15).
In view of the preceding account of Herod and the wise men (which no doubt took place a while after Jesus’ birth), as well as the Pax Romana, it might come across as a bit surprising and ironic that God’s angels would proclaim peace to the shepherds tending their flocks the night of Jesus’ birth:
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 among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:13-14; ESV)
Even the occasion for Jesus’ birth was anything but peaceful. Caesar Augustus, the Roman Emperor, had ordered a census of the known world so as to impose taxes on his subjects throughout the empire to enrich Rome and strengthen his military’s grip on the nations. So, Joseph and Mary had to return to their ancestral town of King David to be accounted for, even though Mary was ready to give birth to Jesus (Luke 2:1-7). I doubt Joseph and Mary experienced much peace along the way, as they sojourned in the midst of fellow travelers hurriedly on their own way to their ancestral homes to be registered. Joseph and Mary even had to take shelter among farm animals, and place their newborn son in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7).
Peaceful circumstances? Hardly! But Joseph and Mary did experience God’s peace in the midst of their overwhelming ordeal. After all, they knew God was leading them and that there is no better place than to be in the center of God’s will. So, the angelic host’s declaration to the shepherds about peace being among those on whom God’s favor rests no doubt would have resonated with Jesus’ parents (Luke 2:14).
Let’s take a closer look at the declaration. It does not simply account for God’s peace for his favored subjects, but also God’s exalted status: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14; ESV) God reigns over all empires and nations. While it was taken as a given in Rome that Caesar was a god, the Bible begs to differ. While no ruler reigns apart from God’s will, that does not mean everything an emperor or king does meets with God’s favor. Certainly, God orchestrated plans and events so the census would lead Joseph and Mary to the predestined place of the Messiah’s birth–Bethlehem, the city of David (Matthew 2:3-6; cf. Micah 5:2-3). Caesar had no idea. Herod only found out as a result of the wise men’s appearance and inquiry, and because of the scholarly report that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Try as he might to kill the Christ, he could not outwit God, who reigns in the highest!
Circumstances cannot and will not get the better of God, or his Messiah. As the Hallelujah Chorus proclaims, “He shall reign forever!” Seemingly invincible and immortal Caesars come and go, as do their puppet kings like the Herods, but God and Messiah Jesus will rule forevermore.
Today marks the fourth Sunday of Advent. The fourth candle on the Advent wreath is often called the Angel’s Candle, and is taken to signify peace in keeping with the angelic host’s declaration: “‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'” (Luke 2:14; ESV) So, as we celebrate this gospel account today, what bearing does it have on us here and now?
As you go about taking care of last minute Christmas shopping and preparing for Christmas festivities, or as you sit alone viewing anxious news reports across the globe, know that God’s peace does not come about through normal means. Nor does God’s favor rest on supra-ordinary types. Rather, God’s peace comes to us through this baby lying in a manger in the midst of imperial oppression old and new. This same peace falls on shepherds tending their flocks by night. Empires will come and go, and with them their turbulent rule. But Jesus’ peaceful kingdom will reign in human hearts and across the known and unknown world someday. He will reign forever! Take heart. Experience peace in view of him and his kingdom rule this day.
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