Luke 2:1-7

1. The setting of Jesus’ birth 2:1-7

In narrating John’s birth, Luke stressed his naming, but in his account of Jesus’ birth, he concentrated on its setting.

Luke’s brief account of Jesus’ birth emphasizes three things. He described the political situation to explain why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This set Jesus’ birth in a context of world history and anticipated His cosmic significance. Second, Luke connected Bethlehem with David to show that Jesus qualified as the Messiah. Finally, he presented Jesus’ humble beginnings and so introduced the themes of Jesus’ identification with the poor and His rejection.

Luke paralleled John and Jesus’ births as he did the announcements of their births, and he stressed Jesus’ superiority again. Zechariah announced John’s birth, but angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus.