Colleen Siedlecki
Dashona Holoman
April 13, 2000
Edited by Sheila E. McGinn, Ph.D.

LK 2:4-7

There are no textual critical issues regarding our passage. There are no references given that would enhance the process of determining the most reliable reading for this pericope. Luke does have some parallels to Matthew's gospel. They both refer to Joseph and Mary as Jesus' parents and also place them in Bethlehem at Jesus' birth. Other than these similarities, the two gospels greatly differ on the details of their infancy narratives. Luke describes the birth of Jesus very briefly. He explains how Joseph and Mary traveled from Galilee to Nazareth to Judea to Bethlehem to be enrolled. This had to be done because of the decree from Caesar Augustus that everyone be enrolled in the city of their lineage. Luke also says that Mary was betrothed to Joseph and with child when they arrived in Bethlehem. While they were there it became time for Mary to give birth. Luke says that she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in an inn. The innkeeper is never mentioned in the pericope. Lk 2:1-7 describes the setting of Jesus' birth in the context of Caesar Augustus' census. Only verses six and seven are devoted to the birth itself. Luke's emphasis is on the humble nature of Jesus' birth. "With few words Luke hints that Jesus was born in an animal stable, since he was laid in a manger or feed trough" (Gardner 337). This description is important to Luke because it will appeal to his audience.

These parallels are significant because we are trying to discover the most reliable reading of a text. Therefore if more than one gospel includes specific information then there is the possibility of it being true. Through the parallels we are able to see how Luke structures his gospel. The structure of the account suggests that "Luke interprets the significance of the birth in relation to world history, the context of the angelic announcement, and the visit of the shepherds" (Keck 62). Luke writes for a specific audience in mind and therefore his story will be accessible to these people. The parallels between the gospels are useful in determining if a passage is historical or not. If the same story shows up in many sources and sounds the same, or if the same idea shows up in different forms and multiple times then it may be believed to be factual.

Luke's gospel was "probably written in the 80s of the first century A.D., his story addresses the church at large and does not seem to reflect the specific concerns of any particular group of people or the situation in any particular geographic location" (Gardner 336). Luke uses the reference to Caesar Augustus and the census in order to shape his story. Luke says that everyone had to return to the city of their lineage under Caesar Augustus' rule; this shapes the gospel story to include "events" and rulers of the time. Also Augustus "was widely acclaimed as a bringer of peace. By relating Jesus' birth and the accompanying angelic announcement of 'peace on earth' to Augustus's decree, Luke is able subtly to proclaim that the true bringer of peace was not Caesar Augustus but Jesus the Savior" (Keck 63). It was important for Luke to convey to his audience that they should be worshipping Jesus not Caesar. Also because of the census, Joseph had to return to Bethlehem, allowing Luke to explain how it was that Jesus was born there. This also shows that Jesus was a descendent of David and was born in the "city of David." Luke says that Jesus was born in a manger, this may suggest that he was writing for people who would be able to relate to the setting of the story. Since Matthew wrote for a more sophisticated audience his infancy narrative has Jesus being born in a house. Luke's detail about the manger may emphasize the humbleness of Jesus, "but interpreters have often read it as foreshadowing the failure of humanity to receive the Lord" (Keck 63). Because how could the son of God have been born in a manger and not a castle?

Key terms in our passage would begin with all the places Joseph and Mary traveled through: Galilee, Nazareth, Judea and Bethlehem. These are significant because it tells us the location of Jesus upon his birth. Bethlehem is especially important because it is the "city of David" and emphasizes Jesus' lineage to David. Also it would be important to know that when Luke says "enrolled" he is speaking about Caesar Augustus' census, where he wanted a record of everyone in the world. Joseph and Mary had to enroll so that they would be on this record. The word "betrothed" is significant because the reader needs to know that Mary was promised to marry Joseph. They were not married at the time Jesus was conceived and this was considered adultery. Also when he says Mary was "with child" signifies she was pregnant. Luke also points out that Jesus was Mary's "firstborn" son. It is said that "if the first, not the only; if the only, not the first" (Keck 63). This term may mean that Jesus had siblings. Other key terms would be "wrapping in swaddling cloths." This was a common practice which demonstrated maternal care and was done to keep the child's limbs straight. The term "manger" is significant. It was a feeding trough that Jesus was placed in. The "inn" refers to a place where travelers could spend the night, a guest room in a house, or the sleeping area in a single-room peasant home.

The central idea of this pericope is to show that the son of God was born in such a humble, simple way. Luke believed it was important to place Jesus' birth in this way so it could give hope to all people (no matter what their class was). He wanted to convey to them that Jesus was not a God like they thought Caesar to be, but a God who was accessible to all people. He wanted to show how this great man, the son of God could come from the most unlikely place. For Luke, Jesus is the one who reconciles humans with each other and with God. Forgiveness of sins and debts is important to Luke. It was also important for Luke to tell his audience about the virginity of Mary. She was betrothed to Joseph but they had not been together. This shows the miracle of how Jesus came into being.

The authors aim in this passage is to make Jesus out to be a humble person, and he does this with the circumstances surrounding his birth. He was not born into wealth. He could have come in all grandeur and glory of the upper world, but he did not. He was born poor for our sake. Because of the circumstance of Jesus birth and the way that he grew up and his affiliation with the poor is suppose to help the audience to better understand Jesus and to better understand his teachings and his alignment with the poor. The passage suggest that since we are followers of Jesus we all should all be as humble as he was.

The author in this passage does not indicate that Joseph had any wealth or that he and Mary ever lived in a house, which makes it seem as though they are poor travelers. This enables the audience to believe that because they were poor Jesus would also be poor and would remain in that state throughout his life. The fact that Luke says that Jesus was born in a manger would appeal to a contemporary audience because of the situations that many people live in today and the situations that many people are exposed to in today’s society such as poverty and homelessness. However a contemporary’s understanding of this passage may be difficult because of the fact that Jesus is from the house of David and because of this there should have been no reason why Joseph should not have had some type of wealth.

A Catholic interpretation might be different than my take in that they may not see Jesus and his parents as being poor at all. However they may see them as being rich because they were blessed in receiving the job of caring for an individual that was going to bring salvation to the word through his preaching and healing. They may have not been rich in material things, but they were rich spiritually.

Works Cited

Gardner, Joseph. Complete Guide to the Bible. New York: The Reader's Digest Association, 1998.

Keck, Leander. The New Interpreter's Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.