Nativity of Jesus

Biblical Account

The account of Jesus' birth appears only in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Mark contains no birth narrative. The Gospel of John does not describe the birth itself but expresses the event through the theological declaration "the Word was made flesh" (John 1:14).

Matthew tells the story from Joseph's perspective.

• It includes a genealogy traced through Abraham and David (1:1–17).
• Joseph of Nazareth learns in a dream that his betrothed, Mary, has conceived by the Holy Spirit (1:18–25).
• Jesus is born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king, and the Magi come to worship him (2:1–12).
• The family flees to Egypt, and Herod has the boys of Bethlehem two years old and under put to death (2:13–18).
• After Herod's death, the family returns to Nazareth (2:19–23).

Luke tells the story from Mary's perspective.

• Gabriel announces the conception to Mary (Luke 1:26–35).
• Because of a census decreed by Caesar Augustus, Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem. There Mary gives birth and lays the child in a manger (2:1–7).
• An angel announces the birth to shepherds in the fields, and the shepherds come to see the child (2:8–20).
• On the eighth day the child is circumcised and given the name "Jesus." He is then presented at the Temple, where the family meets Simeon and Anna (2:21–38).

Background

Matthew places the birth in the time of Herod the Great. Because many scholars hold that Herod died around 4 BC, Jesus is often thought to have been born somewhat earlier. The exact date, however, varies among scholars. How the census under Cyrenius (Quirinius) mentioned in Luke 2:2 fits with other historical records has also long been debated.

Bethlehem means "house of bread" in Hebrew and was the hometown of David. The word "inn" in Luke 2:7 (Greek katalyma) can also mean a guest room, so interpreters differ on whether it was a commercial inn or the guest quarters of a private home.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Matthew presents the event as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Matthew 1:23 quotes Isaiah 7:14 and calls the child Emmanuel ("God with us") (Matthew 1:22–23). Matthew 2:6 quotes Micah 5:2 and identifies Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born.

Luke emphasizes a Savior who came in lowliness, as seen in the fact that the news was first proclaimed to shepherds (Luke 2:10–11). The New Testament epistles summarize the event in the words "when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman" (Galatians 4:4). The church confesses this as the Incarnation, the Son of God becoming man.

Interpretations and Debates

• Virgin birth: Most denominations confess without qualification the words of the Apostles' Creed, "born of the Virgin Mary." Some within liberal theology, by contrast, interpret it symbolically. The Hebrew word almah in Isaiah 7:14 means "young woman," and the Septuagint's rendering of it as "virgin" (parthenos) has also been the subject of discussion.
• Perpetual virginity of Mary: The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church teach that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life. Protestants generally do not accept this doctrine.
• Later additions to the story: The following elements are not found in the biblical text but come from later tradition or Christmas customs.
• That there were three Magi, that they were kings, and their names. Scripture says only that there were three gifts.
• A stable with an ox and a donkey. Scripture mentions only a manger.
• The shepherds and the Magi visiting together on the same night. Matthew records that the Magi entered a "house."
• The date of December 25. Scripture gives no date.

In the Korean Church

Christmas, December 25, is a public holiday in South Korea. Churches hold Christmas worship services, and on Christmas Eve they present Sunday school programs and nativity plays. Dawn caroling, in which church members went from house to house singing hymns before daybreak, was once widely practiced but has declined considerably. During the Christmas season, congregations sing hymns from the hymnal such as "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night, Holy Night." A growing number of churches also observe the four Sundays before Christmas as Advent.