Bill Crews

Both Mark and John skip over the birth and youth of Jesus  as well as the birth of John the baptizer.  Mark begins his account with the ministry of John the baptizer, followed immediately by the ministry of Jesus.  After a prologue (Mk. 1:1-18) in which  he emphasizes the eternality and deity of the one who became Jesus Christ, John does the same.

Matthew begins his account with the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham through David (1:1-17).  Then he give a brief account of the birth of Jesus with the focus on Joseph.  Mary is already with child, and an angel appears to Joseph to explain and tell him what he is to do -- we are not told where Joseph was living at the time.  The marriage proceeds, and the child is born (Matt. 1:18-25).  The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea is followed by the visit of the wise men from the east.  Matthew also tells of Joseph with Mary and Jesus fleeing into Egypt and staying there until the death of Herod the Great, of Herod's order to kill all the "male children" two years old or younger in and around Bethlehem, of the return of Joseph, Mary and Jesus to Judea, and of their going to Nazareth of Galilee.

Luke gives the background of the birth and then tells of the birth of John (who would become the baptizer).  While he has nothing to say about the appearance of the angel to Joseph, the visit of the wise men, Herod's attempt to slay "the young child" Jesus, or the flight to and sojourn in Egypt, he, with the focus on Mary, has more to say about the background of the birth of Jesus, the actual birth of Jesus, and the events that closely followed the birth of Jesus.

Here Are The Events In Chronological Order:

1. John's Prologue: -- Read Jno. 1:1-18.  Jesus is the Word that became flesh and dwelled among men.  That Word was in the beginning with God and was God.  All things were made ("Jehovah's Witnesses" falsely teach that He was the first thing that was made or created) were made through Him.  He came to make God known to man and to reveal the grace and the truth.

2. An Angel Appears To Zacharias: --

Read Lk. 1:5-25.  In the temple at Jerusalem the angel Gabriel appears to the priest Zacharias to inform him that his wife Elizabeth will conceive and bear a son whom they are to name "John."  That child will become the man who in the spirit and power of Elijah will prepare the Jewish people for the Lord.  She conceives and hides herself for five months.

3. An Angel Appears To Mary: -- Read  Lk. 1:26-38.  At Nazareth of Galilee the angel 

Gabriel appears to a virgin named "Mary" who was betrothed to a man named "Joseph" to inform her that she has been chosen by God to conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit.  She is told of the great role to be played by that child and that she is to name him "Jesus."  She is also told that her kinswoman Elizabeth is now in her sixth month with child.

4. An Angel Appears To Joseph: -- Read Matt. 1:18-24. At Nazareth of Galilee an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph who has learned that Mary, his betrothed, is with child and is considering putting her away privately.  Joseph is told of Mary's miraculous conception, instructed to proceed with the marriage, and told why the child is to be named "Jesus."  Joseph marries Mary. This event may have occurred after the next event took place.

5. Mary Visits Elizabeth: -- Read Lk. 1:39-56.  Mary leaves Nazareth and goes to the hill country of Judea to the town where Elizabeth lives.  She stays there three months and then returns to Nazareth.  (Actually, the marriage of Joseph and Mary may belong here).  (If Elizabeth was six months along, when the angel

appeared to Mary, and Mary visiting Elizabeth and staying three months, would indicate that maybe Mary was with Elizabeth when John was born, JWS),

6. The Birth Of John: -- Read Lk. 1:57-65.  We are told of the birth of Elizabeth's son and of his being named "John."

7. The Birth Of Jesus: -- Read Lk. 2:1-7.  Joseph and Mary journey from Nazareth of Galilee to Bethlehem of Judea to be enrolled in the census ordered by the emperor Augustus.  There Mary gives birth to her baby (apparently in a stable because there was no room in the inn), wraps him in swaddling clothes and lays him in a manger (a feeding trough).  (Matt. 1:25 also goes with this passage.

8. The Visit Of The Shepherds: -- Read Lk. 2:8-20, which tells of the visit of the shepherds that very night to see the babe in a manger.

9. Jesus Is Circumcised And Named: -- Read Lk. 2:21.  Joseph and Mary apparently stay at Nazareth, finding a house for that purpose.  When Jesus eight days old, He is circumcised and given the name "Jesus."

10. Joseph, Mary And Jesus Go To Jerusalem: -- Read Lk. 2:22-24.  When Jesus is forty days old, they take Him to the temple at Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord as their first-born son and to offer the required sacrifices for Mary's cleansing.

11. Simeon And Anna See Jesus: -- Read Lk. 2:25-39.  While Joseph, Mary and Jesus are there in the temple, they encounter the righteous and devout Simeon (who holds the infant in his arms) and the aged prophetess Anna.

12. The Visit Of The Wise Men: -- Read Matt. 2:1-21.  Joseph, Mary and Jesus apparently returned to Bethlehem and the house where they were residing at the time.  A few or more months had passed.  Then we are told of the visit of the wise men from the east (they are not identified as kings, nor is their number given).  Following a star, they go first to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem where they find "the young child" (no "babe" -- eight times in this section of Scripture Jesus is called "the young child") in a "house" (not still in the stable or a manger).

There follows their flight into Egypt, Herod's order to slay all male children (in and around Bethlehem) two years old and under (according to the time the wise men first saw that guiding star in the east), the death of Herod, and the return of Joseph, Mary and Jesus to Judea.

13. Joseph And Mary And Jesus Return To Nazareth: -- Read Matt. 2:22,23; Lk. 2:39b.  It is then that Joseph and Mary go back to Nazareth with their son Jesus.

Friend:  the traditional "Christmas Story" is a garbled version of the Biblical account which most people will never read or hear in their entire lives.  Please read the passages given above for yourself and get others to read this article and those passages.