OUR CHRISTMAS STORY HARMONIZING THE NARRATIVES OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS

THREE FACES OF BIRTH • WE DO NOT HAVE A SINGULAR STORY OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS; WE HAVE THREE OF THEM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: • CAN YOU NAME THEM? • MATTHEW • LUKE • ???

THE ROMANTIC • LUKE 1-2: THE MOST POETIC OF THE STORIES, THE ONE THAT GIVES US “GOOSIES” WHEN WE READ OR HEAR IT— – We find in Luke’s narrative: • • • • • •

Angel Gabriel Canticles (hymns, psalms of praise and thanksgiving) Fidelity and Veneration for Mothers Manger and Mooing Shepherds And more Angels—a “heavenly host!”

THE PRAGMATIC • MATTHEW 1-2: THE LEAST CONCERNED WITH THE ACTUAL BIRTH OF JESUS, MORE ON THE SYMBOLISM OF THE EVENT— – WE HAVE: • • • • • •

Genealogy of Jesus An “Angel of the Lord” Men as the dominant characters Dreams-Fears-Revelations-Fulfillment sequences Genocide Direct references to Hebrew Scriptures

and the SYMBOLIC • REVELATION 12: VISION OF A WOMAN ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH TO A CHILD “WHO IS TO RULE ALL THE NATIONS,” BUT A DRAGON WAITS TO DEVOUR THE CHILD. • INTRIGUING, HUH? FOR ANOTHER CLASS, BUT HINT: THE DRAGON IS ROME.

MATTHEW AND LUKE • THE POINTS OF AGREEMENT: – DECLARATION BY AN ANGEL – MARY AS A VIRGIN, ENGAGED TO JOSEPH – CONCEPTION OF JESUS AS A DIVINE ACT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT – JESUS BORN IN BETHLEHEM – IMAGERY OF “LIGHT” – GOD’S PROMISES ARE, AND WILL BE, FULFILLED, THROUGH JESUS, the “DAVIDIC MESSIAH” – NUMBERS HOLD IMPORTANT SYMBOLISM

NOW THE FUN BEGINS… • COMPARING THE TWO STORIES: LET’S SEE HOW THEY MATCH UP!

here the Class divides and studies the two versions in the Gospels in groups See what you missed???

THE GOSPEL WRITERS’ DISCONNECTION • WHOA! THESE STORIES ARE SO DISSIMILAR! • WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

SACRED TRUTH VS. FACTUAL TRUTH • WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE IN THE BIBLE. THIS IS OUR MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT OUR SACRED TEXT: • IT IS NOT HISTORICALLY RELIABLE, BUT IT HAS ENDURING TRUTH and SPECIAL MEANING IN OUR LIVES

FOR EXAMPLE, IN LUKE • CAESAR AUGUSTUS HAD NO REQUIREMENT OR ABILITY TO ORDER A CENSUS TAKEN OF THE ENTIRE ROMAN EMPIRE.

IN THE YEAR 6, • ROME REMOVED ARCHELAUS (SON OF HEROD, AFTER HEROD’S DEATH IN 4 C.E.) AS PUPPET RULER OF JUDEA, AND ORDERED A TAXATION REGISTRATION FOR THAT SOUTHERN DISTRICT, UNDER QUIRINIUS, THE SYRIAN GOVERNOR.

THE NUMBERS DON’T ADD UP • HEROD ORDERS THE KILLING OF CHILDREN BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 4 CE • JESUS IS ALREADY ALIVE

• QUIRINIUS DOES NOT TAKE THE CENSUS UNTIL 2 YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF HEROD, IN 6 CE

AND NEITHER DOES THE HISTORY • THE CENSUS WAS TAKEN IN ONE’S OWN LIVING QUARTERS • JOSEPH AND MARY LIVED IN THE DISTRICT OF GALILEE, AN AREA UNOT UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF QUIRINIUS • MARY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE CENSUS, AS IT ONLY INVOLVED THE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD (MALE, IF THERE WAS ONE)

SO WHAT?? • LUKE’S PURPOSE WAS TO OFFSET JESUS FROM THE SELF-DECLARED “LORD” AND “SAVIOR OF THE WORLD,” CAESAR AUGUSTUS. • LUKE WANTED TO POSITION THE JESUS STORY IN THAT HISTORICAL CONTEXT SO AS TO SHOW JESUS AS THE TRUE “SON” OF THE TRUE “GOD.”

LUKE’S PURPOSE • LUKE’S GOSPEL IS A TESTIMONY OF FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO JESUS CHRIST, THE PROMISED MESSIAH, THE DELIVERER OF ALL PEOPLE FROM THE FRAUD AND OPPRESSION THAT WAS ROME. • Emphasis on women (Elizabeth, Mary) • Emphasis on other marginalized persons (eg. Shepherds—King David was a shepherd) • Emphasis on the Holy Spirit as the active presence of God

LUKE’S THEMES • JOY—ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN • PEACE—ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, THROUGH JUSTICE, NOT THROUGH VICTORY • FOR ALL PEOPLES OF EARTH, A NEW WAY OF LIVING, A NEW WAY OF JUSTICE IN THE WORLD

AND FOR MATTHEW… • JESUS IS THE RENEWED, DEFINITIVE MOSES FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE. • AS THE “INSIDERS” ALREADY ACCEPTED JESUS AS THE PROMISED MESSIAH, MATTHEW WAS ALSO WRITING A TESTIMONY CLAIMING ISRAEL’S TRADITION FOR HIS STORY OF JESUS

HARMONIZING THE STORY • CHRISTIAN TRADITION HAS BLENDED THE CHRISTMAS STORIES OF MATTHEW AND LUKE, SO THE NARRATIVE NOW HAS SHEPHERDS AND THE MAJI VISITING THE CHRIST-CHILD, IN BETHLEHEM, IN THE MANGER, UNDER THE STAR. • AND I, FOR ONE, LOVE IT.

FIVE • MATTHEW and LUKE USE NUMEROLOGY TO EXPRESS THEIR THEOLOGY. The number “5” in Matthew harkens the reader back to the Pentateuch, the Law of Moses. • 5 ACTS IN HIS PAGEANT • 5 DREAMS IN HIS NARRATIVE—and 5 actions taken immediately thereafter

• 5 PROPHETIC FULFILLMENT STATEMENTS—”All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet…” • Calls Jesus “Messiah” five times in the narrative and refers five times to Bethlehem, the City of David

SPIRITUAL PERFECTION • 14 X 3 GENERATIONS IN HIS GENEALOGY—7 IS SPIRITUAL PERFECTION, DOUBLED IN THE STORY OF JESUS (FROM THE STORY OF MOSES). 3 IS DIVINE PERFECTION. • SEVEN X 2 X 3—get it??

LUKE’S LOVE OF “3” • THREE GIFTS BROUGHT BY THE MAGI—GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH. (Magi were persons with knowledge outside of the common reality—savants, sages, mystics) • THREE HYMNS OF ADORATION—Mary’s “Magnificat,” Zechariah’s “Benedictus,” and Simeon’s “Nunc Dimittis”

The Gospel Narratives as Parable • A parable is a narrative metaphor whose truth lies in its meaning. Its lack of factual placement in history is not troublesome, because it’s not the point of the story. • The Gospel stories may be seen as parables about Jesus, subversive stories that challenged the conventional belief system of his day— how things are and how we might live.

The Gospel Birth Stories as Overtures • An overture suggests the metanarrative that is about to enfold. It is not the story itself. • The birth narratives signal the significance of the story of Jesus’ ministry to follow. • If understood in this way, the missing years of Jesus’s life melt away in importance, because in all four Gospels, the core story begins with John’s baptism of Jesus.

OVERT AND SUGGESTED • MATTHEW OVERTLY USES THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES AS PROOFS OF HIS FULFILLMENT PROPHECIES • LUKE ONLY SUGGESTS EARLIER BIBLE REFERENCES (SUCH AS MARY’S “MAGNIFICAT” AS SUGGESTIVE OF HANNAH’S HYMN OF THANKSGIVING UPON THE BIRTH OF HER CHILD, SAMUEL

“LIGHT” AS A CONSISTENT METAPHOR • BOTH LUKE AND MATTHEW USE FORMS OF THE WORD “LIGHT” TO DESCRIBE THE MESSIAH, THE CHRIST, IS A CONSISTENT THEME • THIS METAPHOR IS USED THROUGHOUT PAUL’S LETTERS, IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, AND IS PRESENT ALSO TO DESCRIBE GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

FOR NEXT CLASS • JANUARY 4TH: God Saves a People: The Exodus-Pattern of God’s Saving Acts • READ pp. 25-30 in Kerygma, including the Bible passages listed.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! • GO BRONCOS! • BEAT THE BOLTS!!