Luke 2:1-7 and Matthew 1:22-25

Continuing our Christmas series, I want us to look at the birth of Jesus today. A lot of churches will wait to talk about the birth of Jesus until Christmas Eve, but I want us to study it at the beginning of the month. There are two main reasons for this. First, the birth of Jesus scripturally and chronologically occurs before any mention of shepherds or magi. Some scholars believe that the shepherds and magi could have visited Mary, Joseph, and Jesus up to year after the birth, although I believe that number to be more modest due to the new family remaining in the manger (Luke 2:16 ESV). 

Secondly, I desire for us to view this season through the lens of the birth of Jesus. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, and we anxiously anticipate the arrival of Christmas day in the same way we anticipate the arrival of our Messiah. However, I think our fast-paced culture focuses a little too much on anticipation and excitement, exchanging our peace and rest for expectancy. There is nothing wrong with being excited for Jesus, but I want to fight against this social standard by equipping my readers with a proper lens for experiencing Christmas. Please open your Bibles to Luke 2:1-7 and Matthew 1:22-25. For a deeper study of these passages, open your copy of Take Every Passage to Prayer, Volume 2- The Gospels by Charles Wagner to pages 44-47. 

The Matthew passage that recounts Jesus’ birth is very short, basically confirming the vision that Joseph received and telling readers that Jesus would be called Immanuel. If you are a skeptical reader like myself, you might be wondering why Jesus was named ‘Jesus’ instead of ‘Immanuel,’ meaning ‘God With Us.’ It would have made more sense, as it would fulfill Isaiah 7. However, ‘Immanuel’ is closer to a title than a name in this context, similar to ‘Prince of Peace’ or ‘Wonderful Counselor’ given to us in Isaiah 9. Jesus is His name; ‘God With Us’ is His title. The text briefly mentions that Joseph refrained from sexual relations with Mary until after Jesus was born. Wagner theorizes on page 44 that this might have been so that “no 21st century talking head could tell us that Jesus’ biological father was Joseph.” 

The Luke passage that recounts Jesus’ birth is also short, but it gives us a lot more detail. The first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, required that everyone in Roman territory must return to their homeland in order to be taxed and registered, known as a census. Unfortunately, this census lined up with Mary’s due date, so her pre-labor days were spent traveling to Bethlehem with Joseph. While I have not been pregnant myself, I can imagine this journey was long and arduous. Fortunately, if Mary and Joseph knew the Hebrew Scriptures, they would know that the Messiah was prophesied to be born in Joseph’s hometown in Micah 5:2. Despite the surety of the prophecy, the specifics of Mary’s birth were not laid out in Micah. We can imagine the urgency, maybe even desperation, that Mary and Joseph experienced when Mary’s water broke. They might have searched for a safe and clean space for Mary to give birth, knocking on people’s doors, consistently being rejected by Joseph’s neighbors. Eventually time was running out, and Mary had to push. They settled in a manger, where she delivered the baby Jesus.

The text tells us that the couple wrapped the baby Jesus in swaddling cloths, which would have been readily available to them in a manger. Wagner discusses on pages 46-47 how shepherds and farmers would wrap lamps in strips of cloth in order to protect their delicate skin from being damaged. This would ensure that the lamb’s coat would grow to become perfectly white, without any scars or blemishes. In the same way, we can imagine baby Jesus swaddled in these cloths, the Lamb who will take away our blemishes and wash our sins as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18 ESV). 

During Jesus’ first minutes on earth, His purpose on earth was subtly revealed to us. How beautiful is it that the sinless, immaculate Savior would humble himself by manifesting as a helpless baby, wrapped in strips cloth so that His delicate skin would not blemish. How beautiful is it that this helpless baby would be the One to redeem the whole of humanity. How beautiful is it that the Lamb gave up His own swaddling cloths so that our wounds would be tended to. How beautiful is it that our stained fleece is made bright white through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ! Let us pray and rejoice in response to this good news!

“Let the just rejoice, for their Justifier is born.
Let the sick and infirm rejoice, for their Savior is born.
Let the captives rejoice, for their Redeemer is born.
Let slaves rejoice, for their Master is born.
Let free men rejoice, for their Liberator is born.
Let all Christians rejoice, for Jesus Christ is born. Amen.”

Saint Augustine