Luke 2

Luke 1 recounts the announcements of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, along with the birth of John. Chapter 2 continues with the birth and childhood of Jesus. Among the canonical Gospels, the episode from Jesus' twelfth year appears only in this chapter.

Outline

• Verses 1–7 In accordance with the census decree of Caesar Augustus, Joseph travels with Mary to Bethlehem. There Mary gives birth to her firstborn son and lays him in a manger.
• Verses 8–20 An angel announces the birth of the Savior to shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night, and the heavenly host sings praise. After seeing the child, the shepherds return glorifying and praising God, and Mary keeps these things in her heart.
• Verses 21–24 On the eighth day after his birth, the child is circumcised and named Jesus. When the days of purification are completed, he is presented to the Lord in Jerusalem, and an offering of doves is made.
• Verses 25–35 In the temple, Simeon takes the child in his arms, praises God, and then prophesies to Mary.
• Verses 36–38 Anna, a prophetess who had been a widow for eighty-four years, speaks about the child.
• Verses 39–40 The family returns to Nazareth, and the child grows.
• Verses 41–52 When Jesus is twelve, the family goes to Jerusalem for the Passover. Jesus stays behind alone, and after three days his parents find him in the temple.

Key Verses

• Luke 2:10–11 "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" — the central verse of the Christmas message proclaiming the Savior's birth.
• Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest" — the song of the heavenly host, which was taken up into the church's worship as the Gloria.
• Luke 2:49 "wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" — the first words Jesus himself speaks in this chapter.

Characters and Places

• Caesar Augustus: the Roman emperor Augustus.
• Cyrenius (Quirinius): governor of Syria at the time of the census.
• Jesus, Mary, Joseph
• The shepherds: the first to hear the news of the birth.
• Angels: the angel of the Lord and a multitude of the heavenly host appear.
• Simeon and Anna: two elderly people who recognized the child in the temple.
• Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, Jerusalem, Temple in Jerusalem

Points for Reflection

• The census of Quirinius reported by Josephus is generally understood to have taken place after the death of Herod. Consequently, there are various interpretations of how to reconcile this chronology with the Gospel of Matthew, which places Jesus' birth during the reign of Herod.
• The text mentions only a manger and an inn. The date of the birth, a stable, and an ox and donkey do not appear in the text. The Magi belong to the account in Matthew 2.
• Traditions differ in their understanding of "firstborn" (verse 7). The Catholic and Orthodox churches confess the perpetual virginity of Mary and regard the term as designating the firstborn son in the legal sense of the Law. Protestants generally understand that Mary later had other children (Mark 6:3).
• In some manuscripts, verse 14 reads "good will toward men."
• Simeon's song of praise (verses 29–32) is called the "Nunc Dimittis," from its opening words in Latin, and is sung at evening prayer in the Anglican and other traditions.

In the Korean Church

This chapter is a standard sermon text for Christmas services. Church school Christmas pageants also typically center on the scenes of the shepherds and angels in verses 1–20. Verse 52 is often quoted as a church school motto for children's growth in faith.