Don’t forget to leave a like and a comment at the bottom of the blog! This helps extend the vibe of Christ to more people!
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
19 Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly.
20 But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
22 Now all this has happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel,” which is, being interpreted, “God with us.”
24 Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself; and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
25 and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Where is he who is born the King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heart it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.
5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Isarel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from the exactly what time the star appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”
9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
There is a lot of details in Matthew’s story that Luke doesn’t include: the conversation between Joseph and the angel, the fact that Joseph was going to leave her, no mention of the census, the conversation between Herod and the Wise Men, and the gifts that the wise men bring. Why? The only thing that I’ve been taught as an answer is that Luke’s story was written to the Gentile, the non-Jewish audience. Matthew’s story was written to the Jewish people. Matthew would have included details for the Jewish audience that would have been connective to their history and their ancestry. Luke would have told the story in a way that made more sense for the non-Jewish audience, keeping the mainstream Jewish smbols, history, and all that out of the picture.
I want to go through and highlight those things that Luke didn’t:
These things I feel are both important to understand the historical context of the birth story, but also to help put some meaning on what it means for us today.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What key difference do you see between Luke’s and Matthew’s birth story? What does that mean for your understanding?
Joseph was a righteous man. In Jewish culture, being righteous was often shown through how you obey the law how committed you are to offer justice and mercy to those around you. Now, this is important when we get to the conversation between Joseph and the angel, so we’ll circle back to this.
Joseph not wanting to tarnish Mary’s image is an example of his compassion and mercy. By law (according to Deuteronomy 22:23-24), a betrothed woman who was found unfaithful could be stoned. Joseph chose a path that preserved Mary, their future child, and showed an example of the character of God. The betrothal was as binding as marriage was, requiring a formal divorce proceeding to break it. Joseph’s willingness to do so quietly was to avoid any public ridicule and potential punishment. It’s showing a way to love one’s neighbor according to God’s standards.
Joseph’s acts in this verse alone are a great example of how we should treat one another. When we’re cheated on, we often feel angry, hurt, and disappointed. In today’s culture, we’d want revenge. We’d put out passive aggressive posts on social media. We’d have public fights calling everything out for all to hear. We’d want to make that person hurt, like we hurt. Joseph didn’t want Mary to hurt. Joseph wanted to avoid the public humiliation and potential death that Mary would have faced for this situation. Joseph is like Jesus, taking the compassion of others over the strict adherence to the laws. There’s something to be said about that. Sometimes, laws were meant to be avoided. Laws don’t always get updated to meet the current societal standards. People often unnecessarily suffer as a result, so when we are able to check in with those that are suffering and extend compassion to them – we may be able to find a solution that avoids the lawful consequences. Joseph’s quietness reflects Jesus’ ability to look at the heart over outward appearances. We talked about how we often want to make our hurts public, but this time – we don’t. We deal with the tough emotions. We work through what we can behind closed doors. We create a path of peace, compassion, and respect moving forward. Jesus is our mediator and can help us do that far greater than most other people.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Society, as we see it, is not built for many marginalized demographics today. If there was one law you could create or remove to best represent God’s ability to love one another, what would it be and why?
The angel encourages Joseph not to be afraid to make Mary his wife. For Joseph, this would have brough fear and concern. Accepting this child and potential public scandal would have brought him some societal pressure. However, the child is from the seed of the Holy Spirit. Joseph would have remembered hearing about this from the scroll of Isaiah. (see Isaiah 7:14 about a virgin birth.) The birth of this Son continues the Davidic lineage, fulfilling another Jewish prophecy. This son is to be named Jesus. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Yeshua” or “Joshua” meaning the “The Lord is salvation” or “Yahweh saves.” Mary received these same instructions in Luke 1:31. Jesus would bring the messianic expectation of saving those in Israel and delivering them from their bondage to sin.
Marrying someone that was pregnant with a child that wasn’t yours was social taboo. Joseph could have been ridiculed, mocked, exiled, and more. He had a choice to make now. Hearing about who this baby would be, changed Joseph’s perspective, as we see in Matthew 1:24-25. Joseph was willing to see this through. He honors God through his obedience, touching back on Joseph being labeled a righteous person. We can learn something here. Following God may make us feel afraid. God’s ways are counter-cultural to the world’s ways. It can make us feel like an outsider to the world. People have a certain stigma when comes religion and Christianity, often being hurt by different Christians, pastors, and church bodies in the past in various ways. Following Christ can cause us to lose earthly opportunities. In Joseph’s case, he was willing to stick through potential risks of the world to follow God’s command. We must as well.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Hearing from God can lead us to do things that may make us uncomfortable. How do you deal with the discomfort from trying to follow God’s commands?
Matthew 1:23 describes what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 7:14. The term “virgin” was important in Isaiah’s prophecy, as it shows the divine nature of Jesus’ birth. In Jewish culture, the birth of a son was seen as continuing the family line and a blessing. This Son, however, would be the promised Messiah. This son will be named Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” This shows that God will come to live among His people.
Now if you have a keen eye, you will notice that there are two names here: Immanuel and Jesus. Joseph and Mary got the command to name him Jesus. Isaiah prophesied that he would be named Immanuel. It’s important to recognize that Jesus has many titles and names: Christ, Messiah, Savior, Immanuel, and more. Jesus will be everything and more for us, and to have all of this brought upon by a baby. This has prepared to get the best understanding of who Jesus will be.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Jesus has been called the king of kings, lord of lords, a mighty counselor and more. What is one of your favorite titles of Jesus and why?
The second prophecy comes from Micah 5:2 and 4. Bethlehem was the birthplace of David. Bethlehem is located about six miles south of Judah. Bethlehem’s connection to Judah was to show how the future Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah. Bethlehem was deemed a small and insignificant town but was elevated to a higher status due to the birth of Jesus. The ruler was the expectation of the future Messiah, able to lead and deliver Israel. This ruler would also be the shepherd, leading, caring and guiding His people. God was often known as the shepherd of Israel in the Old Testament, and leaders are called to shepherd His people. Jesus is known as the Good Shepherd, showing his spiritual leadership to His people, Israel, and all believers.
This little town of Bethlehem played a major role in the future Messiah. Bethlehem was more important than it might have realized from the start. There were prophecies that showed Jesus could come from the tribe of Judah, which resided in Bethlehem. The top king of Israel, David, was born here. This wonderous shepherd came from this small land. God uses all things for the fulfillment of His will. Even the imagery of seeing a shepherd taking care of its sheep can seem small and simple but provides an ultimate image as to what it means to be a shepherd. Jesus cares, guides, and protects us from all aspects of life. Leaders and people are called to do the same thing. We are all called to provide that same type of care, guidance, and protection to our community. How that will look will be different from person to person, but the fact of us going and doing the thing no matter what capacity shows us reflecting the light of Christ.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: These prophecies preview what the future Messiah will look like? What other prophecies have you read recently about Jesus best showcase who Jesus would be.
In ancient times, these gifts were customary when visiting a person of high status and royalty. Frankincense, used in priestly rituals, shows Jesus’s priest role and divine nature. Myrrh, often used for embalming, foreshadows His suffering and death. Gold was a symbol of kingship and wealth, acknowledging Jesus as King.
Now these are not typical gifts for a baby. Most people today would give gifts of diapers, clothes, toys, and more. However, these gifts were not gifts for the present, but the eternal. They offered the best of the best because they truly believed in the prophecies from the Old Testament. The best thing we can take away from all this is that we can give our best to God. Depending on who you talk to this, you’d be encouraged in a couple ways. Most older leaders would encourage the first 10% of your gross income to be given because it is the untouched earnings that are set apart for God himself. Some modern leaders would encourage you to give where you can when you can and volunteer your time and skills to the church. It can be overwhelming when you hear that you should give and volunteer and everything. How do you respond? In my opinion, I think you should give of yourself to the church financially and/or resourcefully. The church body can struggle to do various acts of mission work without the financial backing to support it. The same can be said for resources, they would often need people to help volunteer and work different events and prep for these events. However, if you can’t help in the church, go out and be the church. Go do the same things for your community, giving financially to help someone with groceries, rent, etc. Go out and work with someone to clean their home, do yardwork, etc. Invite them to have a conversation about the church, and about Christ, if they are open to it. Plant that seed of God’s love and compassion and allow Christ to do the work.
REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What gifts can you give to the church or to your community?
Next part: The Word Became Flesh || Curious About Christmas || Part 3
Nothing can sever us from God's love, yet we often let sin distort our connection…
Dare to defy societal norms that mold your identity. Embrace transformative renewal through faith, rejecting…
In Colossians 4:2, we are called to a fervent and vigilant prayer life, deeply rooted…
Psalm 34 assures us that when the righteous call out to God, He hears them…
Life is a journey of discovery, where we grapple with the pressure to decide our…
In a heartfelt reflection on Philippians 4:6-7, the author reveals their journey through anxiety and…
View Comments