Luke 2: 1 14 Birth Of Jesus

Target year level: Year Five

Scripture text

Introduction

The Gospel is the first of a two-part work, Luke-Acts. Luke-Acts is sometimes thought of as a novel in two parts. The Gospel gives an account of the life and mission of Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of the rapid expansion of the early church. The two books were probably written in the latter decades of the first century.

Even though the works are anonymous, authorship is traditionally attributed to Luke. Today, many scholars accept that the author was an inhabitant of Antioch in Syria and a companion of Paul. Luke was writing for Greek speaking, Gentile(non-Jewish) Christians. Luke’s interpretation of events is influenced by his desire to show how Christianity is compatible with citizenship in the Roman Empire, that is, how one can believe in Jesus and, at the same time, be loyal to (if not worship) the emperor.

The author paints a portrait of Jesus who is the fulfilment of God’s promises to Israel. The promises are fulfilled in unexpected ways, in that they include everyone: Jews and gentiles, men and women, tax collectors and outcasts.

Luke draws Jesus as hospitable and caring for the poor and the marginalised. Mary and a number of women disciples play an important part in the gospel.

For further information, see the Teacher Background information, Who Wrote the Gospels and When? and the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), Introduction to Luke.

World behind the text

Luke lived in Antioch in Syria (now Turkey) which was an important centre in the Roman Empire. Also, Antioch was one of the earliest centres of Christianity and it was there that the followers of Christ were first called Christians. The city had a pluralistic society and the Christians who lived there were both Jews and gentiles. There were tensions between the two groups, who disagreed about how to be faithful followers of Jesus: the Jews believed it essential to follow traditional devotions and practices, including circumcision, Sabbath observance as well as dietary and purity regulations; the gentiles, on the other hand, saw no need for these old ways.

The destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans was a major blow to the confidence of both groups. This catastrophe shook their faith in the God of Israel, who made so many promises to the chosen people and whose Kingdom was proclaimed by Jesus. So, it was important for Luke to write about Jesus in a way that showed that he was the fulfilment of God’s promises.

In the infancy narrative, Luke is consciously making connections between the history of Israel, especially the prophets, and the birth of Jesus. His aim is to show that Jesus follows in the long line of Israel’s prophets and that he is the fulfilment of God’s promises. However, because Luke’s audience was the gentile group, his vision of God’s promises encompassed a wider group than the traditional ‘chosen people.’ God’s kingdom was for all.

World of the text

There is one main idea in this text: that Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfilment of God’s promises. The Roman details (vv. 2-3) are not historically based: Quirinius was not governor of Syria at this time and there is no evidence to show that there was a wide-reaching census during the reign of Augustus. Luke seems to have used the census as a literary device to get Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem – the city of David, which is the traditional place for the Messiah to be born (Micah 5:1-2).

The details about the birth (vv. 6-7) echo the life of King Solomon (Wisdom 7:3-4), in which the king is born not into fame and superhero status, but to ordinary human circumstances. Jesus is not born to a throne, but ‘laid in a manger.’ These parallels with the tradition support the prophetic lineage of Jesus in Luke’s gospel.

Luke’s focus is wider than Jewish tradition, however. The Roman details add a universal layer of meaning. To Luke’s original, gentile audience, the birth of Jesus clearly had implication for the whole of their known world: Jesus was not just a saviour for the Jews, but for everyone.

This part of the infancy narrative describes the birth of Jesus and introduces some heavenly characters and, by contrast some very prosaic characters: angels and shepherds. The contrast is striking. Luke’s reference to shepherds here makes a connection back to the story of King David, who in his youth was a simple shepherd. Jesus’ heavenly credentials are established by the angels. However, like King David, the Messiah is not born into pomp and circumstance, but into the midst of ordinary human life – even poverty, as signified by the manger. The angels also tell us that Jesus is the conduit for God’s promise of peace.

World in front of the text

The song of the angels, ‘Glory to God the highest and on earth peace . . .’ has been integrated into the Gloria, a hymn which is sung at the beginning of Eucharistic liturgies. Glory is a heavenly quality and an integral part of God’s nature. Glory is also a heavenly gift to the world, manifest in peace. Receiving this gift of peace is not automatic, however. The gift requires our loving response, for example, the ‘yes’ of Mary at the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38). In Luke’s infancy narrative, Mary is first among the disciples and a woman who embodies God’s gift of peace.