The Birthday of a King

Bible Study Lesson for December 16

The four gospels we have tell the story of Jesus in four different ways. But they all teach us the truth about the same man. One way to think about the Gospels is to see them as sermons about Jesus. Each Gospel writer has a different lesson they want their readers to learn. Because each Gospel holds a specific lesson, there are differences in the way the writers tell the story of Jesus.

Matthew and Luke are the two Gospels with the story of Jesus’ birth. When we read these two accounts side by side, we see some similarities and some differences. Both Gospel writers included their details to help their audience learn the lesson. In both of these accounts, we learn about who Jesus is and why he was born.

In the stories of angelic visitation we learn that Jesus is the son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:35), and born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:34). These aspects of Jesus’s origin story are so important that they are central to our confession of faith. Christians may disagree about a lot of theology or how to do church, but we all agree on a few things at least. The “Virgin Birth” is one thing we all agree on. In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, scholar Ben Witherington points out that the miracle of Jesus’ origin should rightly be called the “virginal conception” rather than the “virgin birth” because Jesus’s birth happens naturally. The central miracle is nine months before Jesus’s birth in the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the willing Mary. Without the “virginal conception” by the Holy Spirit, Jesus would not be God. Both Matthew and Luke want their readers to be sure that Jesus is not just an important baby, Jesus is God made flesh.

In both gospels, signs and wonders accompany Jesus’s birth, which is fitting for the birth of a king. In Luke, an angelic chorus appears to a group of shepherds and sends them to find the newborn Jesus. In Matthew, a star appears in the sky, prompting some stargazing sages to go and find Jesus and his family. Luke’s emphasis seems to be on the importance of Jesus’s birth for common people. Matthew is emphasizing the royalty of Jesus. Together, we are reminded that Jesus is the King for everyone.

Matthew picks up the story with the visit of the wise men. They probably visited Jesus and his family some time after Jesus’ birth, which was during the reign of King Herod (Matthew 2:1). Herod the Great was the ruler of Judea from 47 BC until 4 BC. Late in Herod’s life he was paranoid, desperate to hold onto his power, and even had political opponents executed from his death bed, which certainly squares up with the Herod we see in this story. The story of Herod in Matthew culminates in the Slaughter of the Innocents (2:16-18). This passage shows the final climax of Herod’s paranoia-fueled rage, as he kills all the children around Bethlehem two years old and younger in an attempt to rid himself of a rival. Matthew exposes the how far Herod is willing to go to hold on to power. 

Christ’s birth presents a challenge to those who pretend to be on God’s side. Even from birth, Jesus reveals people’s true selves. The story in Matthew gives a clear example of how Jesus exposes the truth about people. As Luke  writes in his Gospel: “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed...” (Luke 2:34b-35a). Herod belongs to the long history of men who will do anything to hold onto power. From his birth, 

Jesus provokes people to reveal their true nature.

In a poignant and powerful metaphor, C.S. Lewis compared the Incarnation to the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy. As at D-Day, the risky invasion of the world by God signaled the beginning of the victory that would only become apparent later. In the angelic appearance to Joseph in Matthew, the angel tells Joseph to name the baby Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Speaking to Mary, the angel Gabriel in Luke emphasizes that this salvation will take the form of a kingdom “that will have no end” (Luke 1:33). At Christmas, we remember that our King has been born. God’s invasion of the world has begun, but has not reached final victory yet. Even though D-Day was a success, we still did not know when the war would be finally won. Much like those waiting for news of victory and an end to WWII, we are living in the in-between space. We know victory is coming, but we don’t know when. This Christmas season, we pray for the return of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and the final establishment of his Kingdom.