Hi, welcome to my Introduction to Christianity with Luke. I’m Brent Clark. In chapter two, we learn about:

• Jesus’ birth
• The patriarchs of Israel - Jesus’ ancestors
• Christianity as the fulfilment of prophecy

Luke 2:1-7: Jesus’ birth

Jesus’ birth date isn’t stated in the gospels.  The year is even uncertain.  The 25^th of December probably isn’t it, but Christians had been celebrating then at least decades before the Romans moved Solar Invictus to that date to distract from the growth of this new religion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Date_of_birth_of_Jesus

Sometimes, the 25^th of December coincides with the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which remembers the Maccabees overthrowing the Greek occupation around 200BC and cleansing the temple from defilement.  This is recorded in the Book of Maccabees, which has been included as extra reading (Apocrypha) in various Bibles.

It’d take 33 hours to walk around 157km from Nazareth to Bethlehem, so probably about 4 days.

Luke 2:8-20: The news is announced to shepherds

King David, Jesus’ ancestor, was a shepherd.  The Bible often presents God as a shepherd.  The word pastor, which we use for church leaders comes from the French and Latin word for shepherd – one who cares for the flock.

Note that the classic nativity scene is just all the actors from the play bowing at the end of the Christmas production.  The angels and Magi (kings) weren’t at Jesus’ birthplace, and no stable is mentioned, nor a donkey, nor a T-rex, but that kid sure looked cute 😊.

The Magi came probably two years later – according to Julius Africanus’ account around 200AD https://youtu.be/RpOV9KrEKiA. The text is available under this PDF file from page 128 (p134 of the pdf)

I picture an insignificant village, that was overrun with King David’s descendants who had to be there for the census.  There really wasn’t any room anywhere, so many camped out in the village square like refugees.  In this crowded scene, the new parents did their best to make a cradle out of an animal feed trough.

Luke 2:21-24: Religious laws fulfilled

As with John, Jesus was circumcised on the 8^th day.

When Jesus was 40 days old, Mary’s ritual uncleanness from Leviticus 12:2-8 was over, and they popped over the hill to Jerusalem to present him at the temple.

The ritual required a lamb to be sacrificed and a pigeon or dove.  But poor people would offer two pigeons or doves.

Luke 2:25-35: Simeon’s prophecy

Simeon was an old guy who had a personal relationship with God.  He was delighted to meet the baby Jesus. He’d studied the prophecies all his life and was told by God that he’d see the one who would fulfill his ancient promises.

Luke 2:36-40: Anna’s prophecy

Luke 2:41-52: Jesus is 12, hangs out in the temple

Even as a boy, Jesus understood his mission and relationship to God.  It seems strange that his parents didn’t notice he wasn’t with them, but they would have been travelling with a crowd of relatives, feeling secure that he’s hanging out with his cousins and being looked after by other aunts and uncles.

The full story of Jesus’ birth and childhood

Matthew writes a very different, complementary story about Jesus’ birth, while John provides a more mystical introduction of Jesus’ eternal origins.

John 1:1-5, 14	Jesus created all things and came to live among us
Luke 1:5-25	Gabriel announces John’s birth to Zechariah
Luke 1:26-38	Gabriel announces Jesus’ birth to Mary
Matthew 1:18-24	An angel reassures Joseph in a dream
Luke 1:39-56	Mary visits Elizabeth
Luke 1:57-67	John is born and circumcised
Luke 2:1-7	Jesus is born
Luke 2:8-20	An angel announces Jesus’ birth to shepherds
Luke 2:21-24	Jesus is circumcised then presented at the temple
Matthew 2:1-12	Wise men (Magi) visit and worship Jesus
Matthew 2:13-18	They escape to Egypt before Herod kills all the little boys
Matthew 2:19-23	Jesus returns to settle in Nazareth
Luke 2:41-52	Jesus stays behind at the temple, aged 12

Prophecy fulfilled

Christianity is all about the fulfillment of ancient prophecies.

Way back in the garden of Eden, God promised in Genesis 3:15 that the woman’s child would crush the serpent’s head as the serpent bruises his heal. God’s saying, “the woman’s child”, infers the virgin’s birth. When Jesus was executed on the cross, the wickedness of this world pierced his heal as its power was being crushed by Jesus’ sacrifice.

God’s promise of this savior, which we transliterate from Hebrew’s מָשִׁיחַ (Mashiach) as Messiah, or Greek’s Χριστός (Christós) as Christ, weaves a thread through the Jewish scriptures, which we call the Old Testament. He was to be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and King David.

Abraham	Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse. Through you every family on earth will be blessed
Isaac	Genesis 17:19 God replied, “No! Your wife Sarah will give you a son, and you will name him Isaac [He Laughs]. I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.
Jacob	Genesis 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust on the earth. You will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. Through you and through your descendant every family on earth will be blessed.
Judah	Genesis 49:10 A scepter will never depart from Judah nor a ruler’s staff from between his feet until Shiloh comes and the people obey him.
David	2 Samuel 7:12 When the time comes for you to lie down in death with your ancestors, I will send one of your descendants, [one] who will come from you. I will establish his kingdom. 13He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

He would be born of a virgin and called Immanuel, which means “God is with us”. He’d be born in Bethlehem, come out of Egypt, and grow up in Nazareth.

Born of a virgin	Isaiah 7:14 So the Lord himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel [God Is With Us].
Born in Bethlehem	Micah 5:2 You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah’s cities. Yet, from you Israel’s future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
Come out of Egypt	Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt.
Grow up in Nazareth	Isaiah 11:1 Then a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit. (branch = נזר = nzr)

Blessing

I pray that God would richly bless you as you continue to learn to understand what Christianity is all about.

I pray that you’ll be blessed this week

Shalom. We’ll see ya later.

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