By way of penance for the previous post, here’s something more serious, something that occurred to me this morning.

Rome declared that all the world should register so they could be taxed (Luke 2:1).

What’s the big deal? Rome counted the people. Locally they were counting the Jewish people, over whom Rome ruled there. Globally they were counting people from every tribe and nation over whom Rome ruled — virtually the entire known world at that time.

God superintends all counting. He forbade David to count the people (2 Samuel 24). And He ordained Rome to count the people (Luke 2).

Here’s the big deal. God added His Son to the population of the world, at the very moment when He ordained that the world would count its population.

Rome counted Jews, and Rome counted gentiles, but Rome’s rule would not last. At that very moment, the One whose kingdom will last forever entered the world, whose kingdom would extend beyond anything Rome imagined.

As the world was counted, God used a census to turn the spotlight on His Son, declaring, “As long as you’re counting, BE SURE TO COUNT THIS ONE!” — “…and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).”