Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
Think about where you are in the chain of command today. That actually may depend on what context we are talking about because authorities do overlap. God has ordained the home, the government, and the church, and it may well be that you fit in different places in the chain of command in those various settings. For instance, I am a father, a church member, and a citizen. Those are different contexts when it comes to authority.
Having said that, think about where you fit in the chain of command. Now, think about where God fits in the chain of command. The answer is that God is over all. That is also true of God the Son. In Luke 2 we are reminded that the Lord Jesus is the Savior, the Christ, the Lord, the consolation of Israel, the light of the Gentiles, and the glory of Israel. Yet, the entire setting of this Christmas story is the submission of Jesus on the earth.
Luke 2:1 says, “And it came to pass in those days, there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” Now, we all go home for Christmas and Joseph went to his ancestral home for Christmas, but Jesus was literally away from His heavenly home for Christmas. He rules all and His kingdom is not of this world, yet He was born in Bethlehem because God ordained it should be so. Practically speaking, He was in Bethlehem to be taxed by Caesar Augustus. So, from the very beginning, the very place of Jesus birth is to some extent informed by submission, in this case to governmental authority.
Verse 22 says, “And when the days of her [Mary’s] purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him unto Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord.” So, here is Jesus very early on, and Mary is taking Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord because it was part of the Law of Moses. This is mind blowing! Jesus is the Savior, the Christ, and the Lord, yet He was presented to the Lord in submission to the Law of Moses.
Verse 51 says, “And he [Jesus] went down with them [Mary and Joseph], and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.” Jesus said that He was there to do His Father’s business. That was not a reference to Joseph, yet His Father’s business included a voluntary subjection to Joseph and a young Jewish maid. That is amazing! In other words, Jesus submitted more gladly to authorities on this earth when He is the Absolute Authority than I tend to be when I am certainly not the absolute authority.
The upshot of all this is that the Ultimate Authority has given us an example of the ultimate submission. Who is He? He is God. How did He come? He came in submission. Let me suggest to you that the only way for you to teach submission is to show it. Oftentimes a preacher preaches on submission, the context is that people should be in submission to him. This same is true of teachers when they teach about authority or parents when they speak about authority. I am certainly not saying that is wrong. We should preach, teach, and talk about submission, but all those things are not as strong coming from a person who is expecting submission as from a person showing submission. That is exactly what Jesus did.
Are you showing submission? You may be in authority, but everyone has someone to whom they answer. If we are in submission to God, we will be in submission to the authorities He has placed in our life. Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority, yet He came in complete submission to the Father and as an example to us.