The Birth of Jesus

Augustus Caesar may have been called “First Citizen,” but he was actually an emperor. He ruled over Rome and all the land that Rome had conquered. No one questioned his decrees. He was in charge.

Augustus Caesar became famous for keeping the peace all over the Roman Empire. Everywhere in the Roman Empire, Roman law was followed. Roman soldiers kept villages and cities safe from enemy attack. There were no wars anywhere within the Roman Empire.

This time of peace and safety had a name—the Pax Romana. In Latin, this means “The Roman Peace.” All across the Roman Empire, people could live in safety, without worrying about invasion. They could work out in their fields, raise their animals, travel back and forth between Roman cities, and even sail on the Mediterranean Sea without being attacked.

During the time of this Roman peace, a baby was born in Judea, the land that was once called Canaan, and was now under Roman control. This baby would grow up to start a whole new religion. The Bible tells us about this baby in four books called “the Gospels.” Here is the story as it is told in the Gospel of Luke:

n the days when Augustus Caesar ruled over Rome, a girl named Mary lived in Nazareth. Mary was a Jewish girl who worshipped the God of Abraham. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, but the wedding was still months away.

One day, God sent an angel to Mary to give her a message.

“Mary, God is with you!” the angel said. “You will have a baby, and you will name him Jesus!”

“But I can’t have a baby,” Mary said. “I don’t even have a husband yet!”

“God will send the baby,” the angel answered. “He will be called the Son of God.”

When Mary told Joseph about the angel’s visit, he was amazed! But he agreed to marry her and help her raise the baby.

Just before Mary’s baby was born, Augustus Caesar ordered that everyone in the Roman Empire should be counted.

When they arrived in Bethlehem, the village was so full that they couldn’t find anywhere to sleep! Finally, they found a cave where animals were kept. Mary had her baby there, in the cave, in the middle of the night. They named the baby “Jesus,” just as the angel had said. Joseph wrapped the baby in clean linen cloths, and laid him in the feeding trough where the animals ate.

Now, just outside Bethlehem, there were shepherds spending the night out in the fields, watching over their sheep. When Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds. The angel shone with light, and the shepherds were afraid. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy. Today, a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! You will find him wrapped in linen cloth, lying in a feed trough.” Then a great company of angels appeared in the sky over the field where the shepherds were sleeping. “Glory to God in the highest!” they sang. “Peace on earth, good will to men!”

The shepherds were astounded! They hurried to the cave where the baby had been born. And after they saw him, they went out and told everyone what they had seen and heard.

Today, many people celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25. We call this day “Christmas.”