Of the four Gospels only Matthew and Luke give us narratives of Jesus’ birth. Luke’s narrative is about three times as long as Matthew’s and therefore usually receives more attention. (If memory serves correct, even Charlie Brown quotes from Luke and ignores Matthew.) In this brief post I want to highlight a few of the similarities and differences in these birth narratives.
Similarities
- The names of the parents are Mary and Joseph (Mt. 1:18; Lk. 1:27)
- Joseph was a descendant of King David (Mt. 1:1; Lk. 1:27; 2:4)
- An angel foretells Jesus’ birth (Mt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:26-38)
- Mary was a virgin when she conceived (Mt. 1:18; Lk. 1:34-35)
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Mt. 2:1; Lk. 2:4-7)
- Herod the Great was king of Israel (Mt. 2:1; Lk. 1:5)
- Jesus’ family settles in Nazareth (Mt. 2:23; Lk. 2:39)
Unique Features in Matthew
- Joseph resolves to divorce Mary (1:19)
- An angel visits Joseph (1:20-21)
- The angel tells Joseph to name his son Jesus (1:21)
- Wise men from the east visit the family (2:1-12)
- The family escapes to Egypt (2:13-15)
- Herod slaughters the male children in Bethlehem (2:16-18)
- An emphasis on fulfilled prophecies (1:22-23; 2:5-6, 15, 17-18, 23)
Unique Features in Luke
- The angel Gabriel visits Mary (1:26-38)
- Mary’s song of praise (1:46-55)
- Angels visit the shepherds (2:8-21)
- Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple (2:22-38)
While skeptics look at the differences and say the stories can’t be trusted, believers notice that the stories agree on major points.
For more on Jesus’ life see the courses below:
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.
Nice summary Les!
Something my mentor told me years ago, but I only recently understood is the perspective/intended audience of each Gospel: Matthew writes for the Jews, describing Jesus as the promised Messiah—genealogy starts with Abraham as a result. Mark recounts Peter’s sermons, and is more concerned with Jesus as the humble suffering servant—no genealogy (what greater message of humility than no mention of lineage or legacy); whereas Luke writes a detailed historical account for Gentiles—Jesus is the Son of Man, Saviour of the world; not just the Israelites. Luke’s genealogy starts with Adam. John shows Jesus’ deity—his genealogy is simply “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”