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INTRODUCTION
We can find the birth or infancy narratives prominently in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Both, Matthew and Luke devote the first two chapters to the infancy narrative of Jesus Christ. And they did not know each other when they wrote their gospel.
THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST FORETOLD (INFANCY NARRATIVES)
Luke 1:5-38
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Luke 1: 18 – 38
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
THE BIRTH OF JESUS FORETOLD – INFANCY NARRATIVE IN LUKE
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
INFANCY NARRATIVES IN MATTEW AND LUKE
Remember, Mark wrote his gospel first but he did not write about the infancy narratives. Both of them depended on Mark to write their gospel, yet both of them brought out 2 chapters of their gospels to the infancy narrative that tend to have 10 things in common according to Raymond Brown.
SIMILARITIES IN INFANCY NARRATIVES
Both the gospels mention Mary and Joseph as engaged. “Betrothal” here means legal engagement. They are not staying together because of the age of the woman. Both Matthew and Luke record that.
Joseph, The Foster Father Of Jesus Was A Descendant Of David. According to the Messianic prophesies, the Messiah should come as a descendant of David. So everything is happening according to the Messianic prophesy of the Jewish tradition.
In Both Accounts, An Angel Announces The Birth Of Jesus As Forthcoming. We know this angel to be angel Gabriel. In the world of Luke, angels speak to human beings. They provide divine messages and humans will be able to come to terms with the fact that indeed the spiritual being speaking to them is speaking from God and yes what they say will come to pass. In Matthew and Luke, an angel speaks of the coming of Jesus.
In Matthew And Luke Mary’s Conception Will Be A Miraculous Conception.
Mary’s conception is by The Holy Spirit’s work.
This never took place. A virgin never became pregnant because of the Holy Spirit’s Work. Ancient traditions from Greece and the Romans say that a spiritual being can help a woman to be pregnant and give birth to a child. But there was no 100% conception of the child by the mythological spiritual agent. Both gospel writers record the 100% conception and birth of a child by a virgin.
6. Both, Matthew And Luke mentioned that the angel Gabriel directing the Name as Jesus – YAHWEH Saves in the infancy narratives.
7. Both Record That Jesus Will Be The Saviour Of The World.
8. The Birth Will Take Place Before The Married Couple Consummate Their Marriage.
10. Both Record That The Child Was Born In Bethlehem. Matthew 9:1,. Luke 2:4-6
11. Both mentioned that the Child grew up in Nazareth. Matthew 2:23, Luke 2:39
Both Matthew and Luke tell these 10 things about the birth of Jesus.
4 THINGS THAT ARE QUITE DIFFERENT IN THE WAY MATTHEW AND LUKE PUT THE STORY OF JESUS’ BIRTH – THE INFANCY NARRATIVES
Angelic Message: Angel Speaks To Joseph In Matthew. In Luke, The Angel Speaks To Mary.
Annunciation: In Matthew, the Magi from the East heard about Jesus’s Birth. They are prominent ones in the society. In Luke, the Shepherds heard about Jesus’ Birth and they are inferior in the society.
Genealogy. Matthew’s Genealogy Begins With David And Abraham. Luke’s Genealogy Begins with Adam, The Father Of All Humankind. So Luke emphasizes that Jesus Is The Saviour Of All Mankind.
Mathew: Wise men. Luke: Elizabeth & Zachariah, Shepherds.
Matthew reports the wise men. Luke Reports Of Elizabeth And Zechariah, Jesus Lost At The Temple.
So both these Gospels are so unique and give us a good insight into the birth of Jesus.
ZECHARIAH AND ELIZABETH IN INFANCY NARRATIVES
Luke 1:5-7
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
1. ZECHARIAH WAS A PRIEST
As a priest, he was expected to marry a wife who in most cases would also come from a priestly lineage.
2. ELIZABETH IS FROM A PRIESTLY LINE
Luke says Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. Zechariah married a virgin who came from a family of priests.
3. THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS
They were faithful followers of YAHWEH in the second temple of Judaism. They were both righteous before God. They were blameless, following all the commandments and statutes.
4. THEY WERE CHILDLESS
But they had a challenge, they were childless. Elizabeth was barren not because they were in sin. Elizabeth was barren not because she was suffering punishment from YAHWEH. But she was barren.
If you remember the stories of Sarah, Rebecca, and Hannah in the OT, they suffered reproach from society. Though they were tall figures in their time, they did not have a child. Zechariah was a priest, blameless, and righteous, but they did not have a child.
The Priesthood of Israel was divided into 24 courses, each providing temple service for one week, twice a year (1 Chronicle 24:1-19). Abijah is identified as the eighth division of the priesthood in 1 Chronicles 24:10. Mark Staruss, ZIBBC 326
Here Luke is telling us about the Messianic Mission. Luke is going to locate the origin in the temple. Something is going to begin in the temple, in the heart of Judaism.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLE IN LUKE 1 – 2 FOR THE INFANCY NARRATIVE
40% of the narrative in the first two chapters of Luke are situation in the temple. The temple is the scene in which a lot of these events are going to take place.
1. THE TEMPLE IN CHAPTERS 1 – 2 IS A PLACE OF GOD’S ABODE
It is where God dwells God encounters people, and the Spirit of working. Some will be waiting in the temple expecting the Messiah to show up. Narratives center around the temple in chapters 1-2 which is the heart of Judaism.
2. PEOPLE MET GOD AND GOD WOULD MEET PEOPLE IN THE TEMPLE
Characters like Anna are going to encounter the baby Jesus. Simeon is going to encounter the baby Jesus.3
3. THE TEMPLE IS ALSO A PLACE OF INSTRUCTION
They instruct the Torah in the temple.
4. THE TEMPLE IS A PRAYER AND PURITY
Zechariah himself would be leading prayer and will be told that the people will be praying while Zechariah goes in there to perform his duty.
5. THE TEMPLE IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE END-TIME PROPHECIES ARE UNFOLDING
The whole coming of Jesus into our world and how this story is going to play out in our world is part and parcel of what God is doing with his covenant people, the Jews. Now the Gentiles will become part of what God is doing as well.
ZECHARIAH’S ENCOUNTER WITH GOD LUKE 1: 18 – 25
Luke 1:8-10
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
1. ZECHARIAH WAS PERFORMING HIS PRIESTLY DUTY
Zecharaiah went into the temple to perform his duties. Two weeks a year his division has to serve in the temple. Something spectacular happened in that moment. While doing his duty he will have some divine encounters.
Luke 1:11-13
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
2. THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED TO HIM WITH A MESSAGE
The whole idea is that when people encounter God, they begin to realize that they are nobody. There is fear and awe. We saw that with Isaiah, and we saw that with Moses, and other characters of the OT. Here we see the temple. As soon as Zechariah encounters the angel, fear comes upon him. You will see that again and again. Mary experiences that when she encounters the angel. When others encounter the angel they experience fear.
Friends, Zechariah experienced something that was unexpected. Imagine, he had been in that temple many times before to perform his duty. It has never happened before, there is no precedence.
3. THE FIRST WORDS WERE “DO NOT BE AFRAID”
The angel tells him something that is remarkable:
Luke 1:13
13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Do not be afraid. When people encounter God, they will come to terms with who they are and they will be in fear and awe and reverence. God will speak through his angels or his means, “Fear not.”
“Fear not – Do not be afraid.” Be Courageous.
Your prayer has been heard.
GOD WILL GIVE ZECHARIAH JOY AND DELIGHT BECAUSE OF JOHN
The child will be born and his name will be called John.
The angel gave specific information to Zechariah.
GABRIEL’S MESSAGE TO ZECHARIAH
Elizabeth, The Woman Who Is Barren At Old Age Will Bear A Son. Luke 1:13
The Son Shall Be Called John. Luke 1:13
Nazarite Tradition. No Wine Or Grape Alcohol. 1:15, Num. 6:3, Judges 13:2-5.
He Will Be Filled By The Holy Spirit. Luke 1:15
He Will Be In The Spirit And Power Of Elijah. Luke 1:16-17, Mal. 4-5
CROWD – PRAYING, WAITING OUTSIDE, WONDERED AND REALIZED HE COULD NOT SPEAK
When Zechariah came out, they realized he could not speak.
Imagine the talks of the people praying as they realize Zechariah is not able to speak the priestly blessing. The priest has come back alive. He does not have any particular physical defect but he cannot speak. What is going on?
The angel appears to be a man here. But the angel appears to be a woman too. Gabriel appears to Zechariah, later Gabriel appears to Mary.
MARY’S ENCOUNTER WITH GOD – INFANCY NARRATIVE
Mary will be in her teens. You may think that teenagers are too young.
ILLUSTRATION
Until 1929, there was child marriage in India. In 1891, British revised the girl’s age of consent for marriage to 12 from 10. The census of 2001 states that 1.4 million girls married in India between the age of 10-14, and 11.3 million girls married between the age of 15-19. Later, the British made the minimum age for girls to marry at 14 and 18 for boys.
Mary was old for a 1st-century girl to be engaged. She had an encounter with an angel.
THE MESSAGE OF THE ANGEL TO MARY – INFANCY NARRATIVE
Luke 1:28-38
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Imagine Mary heard this and she was terrified. The angel said, “Do not be afraid.”
ANNUNCIATION OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS TO MARY – INFANCY NARRATIVE
She Will Have A Son And Name Him Jesus – 1:31
The Child Will Be Son Of God (Ps. 2:7) And Assume The Throne Of David – 1:32-33 (2 Sam. 7:13-16)
Pregnancy Will Be Of The Holy Spirit – 1:35 (Ex. 40:35, 1 Kings 8:10, Hag. 2:6-9).
A Sign – She Will Hear Of Miraculous Conception Of Elizabeth – 1:36-37
Mary Will Be Called Full Of Grace, Highly Favoured.
She is already 6 months into her pregnancy.
COMPARISON OF MARY AND ZECHARIAH
By Timothy Johnson From the Gospel Of Luke
Zachariah Mary
Zachariah was a priest, doing duty in the temple and teaching the Torah. Mary holds no official position among the people.
Righteous in terms of observing the Torah. Not described as righteous in terms of observing the Torah.
Zechariah is in a powerful position. Mary is powerless.
Zechariah is old, and respected. Mary is young in a world that values age.
Zechariah is a man. Mary is a female in a world ruled by men.
She is poor in a stratified economy.
She has no husband or child to validate her existence.
If Mary was highly favoured shows Luke’s understanding of God’s activity as surprising and often paradoxical, almost always reversing human expectations as we read the infancy narratives. Timothy Johnson, Gospel of Luke; 39
Luke did Mary’s portrayal in 5 significant ways.
PORTRAIT OF MARY BY LUKE
Favored By God, 1:30
Thoughtful, 1:29, 2:19, 31
Obedient, 1:38
Blessed For Believing, 1:45
Torah Observer, 2:22-51
THE TIMING AND BALANCE OF POWER
Jesus comes in a very, very humble way. He inaugurated His Kingdom when He came.
Compare to the then powers when Jesus came.
King Herod: Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea…
Rome: Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus (Octavian) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
King Herod: He was half Idumean, and felt very, very insecure. He bribed the people by building the temple, building a very massive port in Caesarea, to show that he was great. Now he hears that the expected Messiah of the Jews is born. Think about it in terms of balance of power.
It is in this power context that Mary receives the message from the angel. Mary has this specific prophetic language in the message delivered. His Name is Jesus and He will reign.
Luke 1:37-38
37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
TWO KEY FIGURES SURROUNDING THE BIRTH OF JESUS (INFANCY NARRATIVE): TWO WOMEN – ELIZABETH AND MARY
Two women are going to be the remarkable vessels of two key figures that will fulfill the Messianic prophesies. One says a prophet in the spirit of Elijah will come, the other says, the Messiah will come from the Davidic lineage.
The idea is that the Spirit will help the woman to be pregnant. Plato was the child of Periction by Apollo. This is to add some kind of divine status to the power of the person. But all these people
Luke 1:39
MARY’S VISIT TO ELIZABETH
1: 39 – 56
Elizabeth Takes Unworthy Posture In Questioning.
Referred To Jesus As Lord.
Elizabeth Knew Mary Would Be The Mother Of The Messiah.
God’s Act Will Be In Fulfilment Of The Messianic Prophesy, OT (Isaiah 41:8, 42:1, 44:21).
Mary Remains With Elizabeth For About 3 Months.
Jesus Christ is not only told by the angel.
Jesus is not only experienced by the teenage girl, Mary by her pregnancy.
Even a relative in a distant hill country, Judea, is now giving a prophetic tradition.
Elizabeth comes from a priestly line of Aaron, but we have no history of her being a prophet. But here she is prophesying and testifying to the status of the baby in the womb.
John will be born and we will see a lot of things playing out in the life of John the Baptist followed by what will be going on in the life of the Messiah.
Here in the first part of the infancy narrative, we find:
Both the women got the news about their pregnancy.
Zechariah in the temple and Mary in Nazareth. They will all be pregnant. The angelic visitation is real in both cases. The same angel will visit and man, Zechariah, and the same angel will visit a woman, Mary in two different places. The way the events are juxtaposed by Luke is beginning to show how an Elijah-like personality is just coming at the right time, within that connection of the wider family tradition that will be leading to the birth of the Messiah who is going to shape the rest of the story from Luke 3.
Here in the first part of the infancy narrative, Luke is showing the agency of spiritual begins and human responsibility and obedience. In Luke’s world, angels will speak, the Spirit will work with people, and people are enabled and empowered to speak prophetically. Gender did not matter, in fact, it happened with men and it happened with women. God is doing something in the world and that is going to shape the narrative of the Kingdom of God that Theophilus should know about and the rest of the world should know about.
Enncounter this Mighty God and Jesus said about Him “With him all things are possible.” He is able to make the impossible happen because he is God and we are not. As we learn about Jesus, it is our prayer that we can make this world a better place and be the people that God wants us to be.
LIFE PRINCIPLES FROM LUKE 1
God Speaks, God Works But There Is Human Responsibility And Obedience.
God’s Activity As Surprising And Often Paradoxical, Almost Always Reversing Human Expectations.
The Holy Spirit Will Work With People.
Gender Does Not Matter With God.
God Hears Our Prayers.
Fear Not – Be Courageous.
God Will Give Us Joy.
