December 24, Christmas Eve
“The Holy Mystery of Christmas,” by Rev. Jill Howard
On Christmas Eve, I am always amazed at the two very different birth narratives found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Why are they so different? And how have we gotten them so mixed up into one story?
Let’s take a brief look at the big differences:
Matthew: The birth announcement to Joseph (not Mary!), the star, the wise men (we don't know how many there were), Jesus is found in a house after he is born (not a manger), and the wise men probably found him up to 2 years after his birth after they lost the star and had to find it again (they ended up in Jerusalem first and asked King Herod who consulted scribes and found the prophecy to say Bethlehem!) The wise men are also warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they do not go on to proclaim and celebrate Jesus' birth, besides the gifts he gets, unlike the shepherds in Luke who go on to proclaim the good news. Also, Mary and Joseph never travel to Bethlehem for a census, because they were supposedly living there, but left only to flee to Egypt when King Herod set a decree to murder all of the boys under age 2. Then after their flight to Egypt, they relocated to Nazareth (not Bethlehem because they were not out of the woods yet!) and stayed there. Not a very warm and fuzzy tale, is it?
Luke: The birth announcement to Mary, her trip to see Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph travel to Nazareth for a census. Jesus is laid in a manger (feeding trough) maybe in a cave, maybe a barn, but also possibly a house, (no mention of animals anywhere) but Mary would have been ritually unclean, and therefore, could not stay in the "inn" we see portrayed in the story, the shepherds get an announcement and visit Jesus (no mention of wise men or stars, etc) The shepherds then go off to announce and celebrate Jesus' birth to all who would listen (unlike Matthew's gospel where danger was ahead if it was celebrated)
Wow! It’s hard to tell which one is correct or what the real story is, isn’t it? I think that each story speaks to its own audience to which it was written at the time. Which story resonates more with you? I think the beauty of these stories is that we get two very different pictures of the Savior being born into the world- it is a divine mystery- a chance to discover again and again what images come to mind, what emotions would have been felt, and what speaks to us even today. Will you be like the wise men who are afraid to proclaim the Messiah’s birth? Or will you be like the shepherds who shout the good news to a world that needs to much to hear it?
Awesome God, speak to us again once more through Scripture. May we wrestle with the stories we read. May they inspire us to learn, to grow, and to see the many ways in which you speak to us. As we our Advent season comes to a close, may we enter into the world proclaiming the good news. Amen.
