SON OF A GOD, HIGHEST PRIEST, WORTHY OF REVERENCE?

SON OF A GOD, HIGHEST PRIEST, WORTHY OF REVERENCE?
“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”

Luke 2:1 Now it came about in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all were proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register, along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 And it came about that while they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

CAESAR AUGUSTUS.
The titles above were used in reference to the man who introduced PAX ROMANA – Roman Peace- to the world during his time. Pax Romana was a strange concept for a world that had thought of war as a way of life. The Romans thought of peace not so much as the absence of war but of the absence of able enemies. Peace, to the Romans, was achieved by defeating every possible opponent to the point that waging a war against the Romans becomes impossible.

Caesar Augustus is considered as the greatest of all the Roman Emperors. He achieved PAX ROMANA by using the old method of defeating his opponents but he added something that was not known to many during those times: He established a coalition (they may not have used the word but the concept is the same) of powerful and able warlords/rulers with him as the absolute sovereign. He was not PRIMUS INTER PARES (first among equals) for no one was his equal. He was the ruler with the highest and final authority. Pax Romana was important to the life of the early church.

Jesus the Christ was born when the world’s most powerful man ruled the world’s most powerful empire. His name? Gaius Octavius but most popularly known as Caesar Augustus. Who was he and how did he become the most powerful man of his time and a man whose rule was greatly significant in relation to the birth of the Savior?

Julius Caesar was the general who made the Roman Empire the great Empire that it once was. However, it was Caesar Augustus who made the Roman Empire the greatest and the most powerful of all. The two were relatives and their lives were intertwined to such a degree that one cannot speak of the other without talking about the other one.

Julius Caesar had a sister named Julia who became the mother of Atia, who, in turn, gave birth to her son named GAIUS OCTAVIUS. Gaius’ father died when he was very young and it was Julius Caesar, his Grand Uncle who provided him with fatherly attention and protection. Under Caesar’s guidance and influence, Gaius studied and started rising in power. At the age of 16, he became a member of the very important Board of Priests. Later, he would become the Highest Priest, the chief of the religious life of the Empire. He was soon sent to what is now Albania where he did his Academic and military studies.

When Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, most people probably thought of General Marc Anthony, Julius Caesar’s closest ally among the Roman Generals, as the next ruler. However, when Caesar’s will was opened, it became known that Caesar had designated Gaius, his grandnephew as his heir. Only 18 years old, Octavius went back to Rome and learned that Julius Caesar had declared him as his son and had appointed him as principal heir. Hearing of this, Brutus and Cassius, the killers of Julius withdrew from Rome and Octavius soon won the loyalty of many of the troops.

His prestige grew that in 42 BC, he was acknowledged as the divi filius or son of a god`, Julius Caesar being already considered a god. This title was apparently important for him because when his power grew, more and more, he would identify himself as “CAESAR, SON OF A GOD”.

Octavius had many enemies for control of the great Roman Empire. His greatest challenger was Marcus Antonius (Mark Anthony), who was Julius Caesar’s chief lieutenant. By sheer cunning and excellent political as well as military strategy, Octavius defeated all his enemies. The last major conflict was with the combined forces of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra of Egypt. By 31 BC, Mark Anthony and Cleopatra had lost and in 30 BC, both Cleopatra and Mark Anthony ended their lives after Caesar Augustus captured Egypt.

When Caesar Augustus, the son of a god, was finally in complete control of the empire, he ordered a number of censuses to be taken. In one of those censuses- where he required everyone to return to the village of his ancestors, Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem where Jesus was born, fulfilling with precision the prophecy made about the Christ. Without realizing it, Caesar Augustus became God’s instrument in the fulfillment of this prophecy. Let’s make a comparison of the titles of the two kings, one earthly and another heavenly but both having to do with the lives of people on earth.

Caesar Augustus Jesus the Christ
Son of a god Son of God
Pontifex Maximus The High Priest. Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Worthy of reverence (Augustus) Holy One. John 6:69 "And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."
Emperor King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Rev 17:14
"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
Wants to know who his people really are thus the Census Already knows his people quite well even before they come to know Him. John 10:14-16 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they shall hear My voice; and they shall become one flock with one shepherd.
Gave his people PAX ROMANA- Roman peace Gives His people heavenly peace or the peace that the world cannot give. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Died in 14 AD Died in 33 AD
Remained dead Resurrected and went back to heaven

There are several important lessons we can learn from this article. The most important one is from and in this story we see that GOD IS FIRMLY IN CONTROL even when men seem to be control. Even when people rise to prominence in this world, they may be doing something to fulfill God’s plans even if they themselves do not know anything about it. God is still in control.

Mary became pregnant at that the time the Census was being taken and Joseph had to take Mary to Bethlehem for the Census – not for the birth of the Lord- but it was there that Jesus was born. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy. God is in control.

Caesar Augustus had a favorite vassal king in Palestine by the name of Herod the Great. Herod was so disturbed about the coming of the Magi who told him about a King of the Jews and he ordered the baby to be located and failing in that task, he ordered babies to be slaughtered. This series of events prompted Joseph to bring his family to Egypt, to come back later after Herod had died. This was also a fulfillment of the prophecy. Matt 2:14 And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Out of Egypt did I call My Son." God is in control.

Another important lesson in this story is how God uses both believers and unbelievers and how God arranges events to generate the fulfillment of His plans for His people. Gaius Octavius grew up as a frail and seemingly weak man. He was not very promising. But he turned out to be the greatest of all the Roman Rulers and it was that position of power that allowed him to order a global census. The census became the direct instrument for the fulfillment of the prophecy about where the Messiah was to be born. God is in control and He will see to it that His plan for His people is fulfilled to the full.