The Nativity Story

The Christmas season is fast approaching now. But it seems to have arrived earlier this year than normal (as it does every year). This year its early arrival is partially due to the fact that I have been studying the infancy narrative in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1-2) as part of my thesis. On several occasions I found myself humming Christmas carols as I read through commentaries and articles on the birth of Jesus and the angelic announcement to the shepherds. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” featured quite regularly. 

I found it incredibly fascinating to be able to spend several weeks really getting to know this part of Luke’s Gospel. What’s more, I was able to do so in relative isolation from the infancy narrative in Matthew, allowing the nuances of Luke’s telling of the story to really shine through. These two Gospels, Matthew and Luke, are the source of all the nativity scenes in Christian artwork, the cute Christmas productions and the numerous Christmas carols that sing of Jesus’ birth. By contrast, Mark begins his Gospel with the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus and John begins by telling of the Word of God and then moving on to John the Baptist’s ministry. Matthew and Luke don’t get around the John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism until their third chapters (John does appear in Luke’s infancy narrative, but not Matthew’s). 

However, even though Matthew and Luke narrate the same event, they do so in different ways and with quite different details. Below are the main events in each narrative:

Matthew

1)    Matthew begins his Gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, beginning with Abraham (Matthew 1:1-17).

2)    An angel appears to Joseph in a dream, instructing him not to divorce Mary, his betrothed, because her pregnancy is through the Lord and the son will be Israel’s saviour. Jesus is born (Matthew 1:18-25).

3)    A group of wise men come to Jerusalem looking for Jesus because they have seen his star and want to pay homage to him. King Herod sends the wise men to Bethlehem, where Jewish prophecy says the Messiah will be born, to find the baby and come back and tell him so he can get rid of this threat to his rule (though he doesn’t tell them that) (Matthew 2:1-8).

4)    The wise men find Jesus in Bethlehem and give him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are warned in a dream not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:9-12).

5)    Joseph is instructed in a dream to flee to Egypt with his family (Matthew 2:13-15).

6)    Herod has all the children in Bethlehem under the age of 2 massacred in order to protect his position as king (Matthew 2:16-18).

7)    After Herod’s death, Joseph is instructed in a dream to return to Israel. They go to live in Nazareth in Galilee because Herod’s son is ruling over Judea (where Bethlehem is) (Matthew 2:19-23).

Luke

1)    The birth of John the Baptist is announced by Gabriel to the priest Zechariah, while he is in the temple. Zechariah becomes mute as a sign of the truth of Gabriel’s words (Luke 1:5-25).

2)    The birth of Jesus is announced by Gabriel to Mary, a virgin from Nazareth engaged to be married to Joseph, a descendent of David (Luke 1:26-38).

3)    Mary goes to visit her relative, Elizabeth (Zechariah’s wife and John’s mother-to-be) and stays with her several months before returning to Nazareth (Luke 1:39-56).

4)    John the Baptist is born and Zechariah is able to speak again (Luke 1:57-80).

5)    Jesus’ parents travel to Bethlehem because of a Roman census. Jesus is born there and placed in a manger because there was no other room for him (Luke 2:1-7).

6)    Angels appear to a group of shepherds near Bethlehem and tell them that their saviour has been born. The shepherds visit the infant Jesus and spread the news about what they have seen (Luke 2:8-20).

7)    Jesus is presented at the temple where two faithful Jews, Simeon and the prophetess Anna prophecy about him. Jesus and his parents return to Nazareth (Luke 2:21-40).

8)    Jesus and his family come to Jerusalem for Passover. When they leave, Jesus stays behind and is found by his anxious parents several days later with the teachers in the temple court (Luke 2:41-52).

As can be seen from these two infancy narratives, there are considerable differences between the two. But when they are combined (with some details left out), they make up the Nativity story which we are all so familiar with due to its yearly recital by the children in most churches. In this combined rendition, Jesus’ birth is announced to both Mary and Joseph. They then travel to Bethlehem because of the Roman census and Jesus is born in a stable (because there was no room in the inn) and placed in a manger. The angelic host appears to the shepherds and they travel to Bethlehem. Three wise men appear following a star and bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh. Occasionally details about Herod are included.

Noticeably, in the combination of the two, large parts of each are left out. The announcement and birth of John the Baptist, the massacre of the infants of Bethlehem (not great topic for children) and the flight to Egypt and Jesus’ dedication in the temple are noticeable omissions.

Having spent the last month or so engrossed in the Lukan infancy narrative, I can’t help but wonder whether we lose more than we gain by combining to two stories into one each Christmas. Luke’s infancy narrative is a wonderfully coherent story, where the births of John and Jesus are placed alongside each other, with Jesus eclipsing John each time. John is born to an old, barren couple but Jesus to a virgin. John’s birth is celebrated by his parents’ neighbours and relatives. Jesus’ birth is celebrated by the heavenly host and announced to a group of shepherds. Jesus has two prophets speak about him in the temple. 

Matthew’s infancy narrative also has its own unique features. He regularly quotes from the Old Testament to support what is happening (while Luke only hints at Old Testament connections). Rather than angelic appearances, Joseph and the wise men receive their instructions in dreams. Herod features as a serious threat to God’s plan as he tries to protect himself by killing all the children under 2 years old in Bethlehem. This builds a real tension in Matthew that is absent from Luke where there is no immediate threat to Jesus’ life.

The point of all this rambling is that, while the traditional shape of the Nativity story is a great combination of the two infancy narratives, I think it lacks something of the carefully crafted nature of each individual narrative which were designed to highlight different ideas and perspectives. For example, in Luke, the rulers of the day – Herod, Augustus and Quirinius – are only mentioned in passing, while in Matthew, Herod is a major player. Joseph is central to Matthew’s account, while Luke tells the story from Mary’s perspective. 

With this in mind, I would encourage you to start with one of these two infancy narratives and spend some time reading through it carefully, noticing some of the nuances of the author and how it differs from the traditional telling of the Nativity story. When you have spent some time in one, move on to the other and see how much they differ. (Don’t be put off by the differences. After all, they are two different accounts of the same story, and as the traditional telling shows, they can be combined to make a coherent story as well.) 

I have spent some time in Luke 1-2 recently, so I am aware that I need to try to understand Matthew 1-2 better in the run up to Christmas this year. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” here we come again.