Articles
The Birth Of Jesus - Luke 2
The Birth Of Jesus - Luke 2
With the reading of the gospels, I have made it a habit to note what is revealed in each chapter concerning the person and being of Jesus. Here are some notes from Luke 2.
· He was born - hence he came in the flesh (7, 11).
· He hence grew as a child and became strong and filled with Wisdom (40).
· He was born in Bethlehem of Judea (4).
· He was born in the linage of David the King (4).
· He was born to be a Savior (11).
· He was born to be the Christ - the promised Messiah of the OT prophets (11), and hence was recognized the Lord's Christ (26).
· He was born to be the LORD (11).
· His name was called Jesus, as given by the angel before He was conceived (21).
· The angels of the Lord announced His birth (9).
· There was rejoicing by the multitude of the heavenly host at His birth (13).
· The shepherds glorified and praised God for having seen Jesus (20).
· He was born under the Law of Moses - hence was circumcised on the 8th day (21) and was present to the Lord as a 'first born' (7, 22-24, 39).
· He was the salvation that God had prepared (30).
· He was a light for revelation to the Gentiles (32).
· He would be the cause of the FALL of many in Israel, as well as for the rising of many (34).
Such birth was a historical event and the recorded details include those who were ruling at the time, the place of his home AND the place of his birth, the names of the parents, the Jewish details (circumcision, law, David, Moses, temple, sacrifice), and prominent people of that time (i.e., Simeon and Anna).
I am thinking that Luke indeed has "followed everything closely for some time past" (1:3). Such details would have been knowable and checkable to those like Theophilus who first heard them. While the exact situation of Quirinius and the details of which census it was have become difficult for moderns to ascertain, such was apparently NOT a problem for those who first read this book.
We, with them, can thus know the certainty concerning the birth of Jesus (cp. 1:3).
Hugh DeLong
