One
event and two stories
The New Testament contains two Christmas
stories, not one. They appear in Matthew 1–2 and Luke 1–2. They have some
points in common. But there are many differences in their characters, plot,
messages, and tone.
In the familiar version of the Christmas
story, Mary and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Because there was no
room in the inn, the baby Jesus is born in a stable and placed in a manger. His
humble birth is celebrated by choirs of angels and shepherds, and he is given
precious gifts by the mysterious Magi. This version freely blends material from the two biblical
accounts. It has become enshrined in Christmas carols and stable scenes as well
as the liturgical cycle of readings during the Christmas season.
Matthew wrote his Gospel in the late first
century CE, perhaps in Antioch of Syria. He was a Jewish Christian writing
primarily for other Jewish Christians. He wanted to show that the legacy of
biblical Israel was best fulfilled in the community formed around the memory of
Jesus of Nazareth. Now that the Jerusalem temple had been destroyed and Roman
control over Jews was even tighter, all Jews had to face the question: how is
the heritage of Israel as God’s people to be carried on? Matthew’s answer lay
in stressing the Jewishness of Jesus.
This setting helps to explain why Matthew
told his Christmas story as he did. He begins with a genealogy that relates
Jesus to Abraham and David, while including several women of dubious reputation
who nonetheless highlight the new thing God was doing in Jesus
In his Christmas story Matthew wants us to
learn who Jesus is (Son of Abraham, Son of David, Son of God) and how he got
from Bethlehem to Nazareth. Thus he establishes the
Jewish identity of Jesus, while foreshadowing the mystery of the cross and the
inclusion of non-Jews in the church. The tone is serious, somber, and
foreboding.
Luke wrote his Gospel about the same time
as Matthew did (but independently), in the late first century CE. He composed
two volumes, one about Jesus’ life and death (Luke’s Gospel), and the other
about the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome (Acts of the Apostles).
Luke portrays Jesus and his family as
observant with regard to Jewish laws and customs. At the same time, there are
subtle “digs” at the Roman emperor and his clams to divinity. The narratives
are punctuated by triumphant songs of joy
The Birth of Jesus Christ
Matthew 1:18-2:23 English Standard Version
(ESV)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ[a] took
place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before
they came together she was found to be with child from
the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put
her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these
things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save
his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had
spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the
virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God
with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to
a son. And he called his name Jesus.
The Visit of the
Wise Men
Now after Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men
from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born
king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship
him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he
inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem
of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of
Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod
summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had
appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for
the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and
worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold,
the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest
over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced
exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with
Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being
warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by
another way.
The Flight to
Egypt
Now when they had
departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until
I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he
rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and
remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had
spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Herod Kills the
Children
Then Herod, when
he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent
and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were
two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the
wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard
in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she
refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
The Return to
Nazareth
But when Herod
died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for
those who sought the child's life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and
his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was
reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there,
and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went
and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets
might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
The Christmas story from Luke
Luke 2: 1-21, from The Living Bible,
Paraphrased.
“About this time Caesar Augustus, the Roman
Emperor, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the nation. (This
census was taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
Everyone was required to return to his
ancestral home for this registration. And, because Joseph was a member of the
royal line, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient
home---journeying there from the Galilean village of Nazareth. He took with him
Mary, his fiancée who was obviously pregnant by this time.
And while they were there, the time came for
her baby to be born; and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped
him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them
in the village inn.
That night some shepherds were in the fields
outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel appeared
among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They
were badly frightened, but the angel reassured them.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you the
most joyful news ever announced, and it is for everyone! The Savior—yes, the
Messiah, the Lord---has been born tonight in Bethlehem! How will you recognize
him? You will find a baby wrapped in a blanket, lying in a manger!”
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast
host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven,” they
sang, “and peace on earth for all those pleasing him.”
When this great army of angels had returned
again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on! Let’s go to
Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has
told us about.”
They ran to the village and found their way
to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, ling in the manger. The shepherds
told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this
child. All who heard the shepherds’ story expressed astonishment, but Mary
quietly treasured these things in her heart and often thought about them.”
Then the shepherds
went back again to their fields and flocks, praising God for the visit of the
angels, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had told them.
Eight days later,
at the baby’s circumcision ceremony, he was named Jesus, the name given him by
the angel before he was even conceived.