The Messiah was promised long ago, from Eden in fact (Genesis 3:15), and Moses also foretold of the coming of one like him (Deuteronomy 18:15), and to whom Israel must listen or judgment would follow. It seems to me that, if the Jewish elite were really interested in worshiping and obeying God, they would have taken these things seriously, but they didn’t. And, this is what I believe Luke was showing Theophilus in the birth account of Jesus. Notice in Luke 2:1-20 that the great and powerful were caught by God completely unawares! But did this hinder God? Does God need the power of great men to move the world for his purposes? No, indeed, God’s own power is seen better and appears more glorious when it is expressed through weakness (2Corinthains 12:9). The powers of this world do not impress God, and I believe Luke is showing Theophilus that the Gospel, being a “grass roots” movement, so to speak, has become more powerful than is possible for him to eradicate. Moreover, since it is evident that it moves through the power of God and not of man, he needs to reconsider the action he has taken concerning persecuting the followers of Jesus.
The fact is, it may be a personal embarrassment for Theophilus and the high priesthood nobility in Jerusalem to admit that they knew nothing of Jesus’ coming until his public ministry. The angels announced the birth of the Messiah to shepherds! Now there is one of the most unlikely group of witness one could hope to find. Yet, God chose them instead of the priesthood at Jerusalem. Why? This is a question Theophilus would have to answer by looking at his own heart. What was he doing at the very time Luke wrote his Gospel to him? Wasn’t he persecuting the very work of God, the beginning of which was announced by lowly shepherds? Would the high priesthood at the time of Jesus birth have done differently? Certainly Herod sought to kill Jesus, and the priesthood told him where he was prophesied to be born.
Notice the example of the shepherds. They received the word of God from the angels. They didn’t necessarily believe was said outright, but proved what was told them by going to where Jesus had been born. Once they saw Jesus just as they were told they would find him, they told others what they then believed in their hearts. They found the heavenly word was true and became the messengers of heaven on earth. I believe Theophilus would have recognized Luke’s implication that the High Priest and leader of the Jewish people should be the leading “messenger” of God. However, he was, in fact, the persecutor of those very messengers of heaven.
I think that the manner in which the Messiah and Savior of the world came is worthy of note, and Theophilus could not have missed it, being the judge of Israel. The angels told the shepherds that the Messiah’s coming was reason for great joy rather than fear, and his coming was for all people, in other words, not just for the Jews! However, his coming was to the Jews, specifically to the house of David—that is, Jesus is the King of the Jews! And, his coming to earth was for our peace, and the good will of God was extended toward all men!
This is the message of the Gospel, but as I said above, God is not impressed with the power of men. He doesn’t have to use it to move the peoples of the world. The fact is the power of men cannot prevent God from accomplishing his purpose among us. We either cooperate or we don’t and are judged thereby. The place of Jesus’ birth was predicted in Micah 5:2, and it was accomplished through very ordinary mundane affairs. The current emperor was celebrating his silver jubilee in February of 2 BCE. So, he had all the peoples of the world enroll and announce their collective blessing and allegiance to his authority. People did this by going to the cities where their records were kept and swore allegiance by signing their names. Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem, because they were of the house of David, and Herod had kept a keen eye upon those who might be competitors of his authority. Jesus’ birth occurred while his parents obeyed the Emperor of Rome and according to the will of God’s enemy, Herod!
Therefore, under the very eye of the enemy, Jesus, the King of the Jews, was born. God performed his will that he announced ages before, but it went unnoticed by the men in power—that is, until it was too late. Luke was showing Theophilus, he needed to repent of the course he had taken against his King. Jesus’ coming was for peace and good will from God toward him, but, if he didn’t change the course of his priesthood, he would be judged, just as Herod was also judged.
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