The Birth and Early Days of Jesus: a Chronological and Logical Harmonization of Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2, John 1, and Galatians 4:4-5.
John 1:1-3, 14 The Word Made Flesh
In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning with
God. All things were made by him; and without him
was not any thing made that was made. And the Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
Matthew 1:18 The Virgin Birth Summary
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Ghost.
Luke 1:26-38 Annunciation (Angelic Birth Announcement to Mary)
And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And
the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly
favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou
among women. And when she saw him,
she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should be. And the angel said unto her,
Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And,
behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call
his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne
of his father David: and he shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then
said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And
the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And,
behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and
this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For
with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary
said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And
the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:39-56 Mary Lodges with Elisabeth (2 songs and 3 months)
And
Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a
city of Juda; and entered into the house of
Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to
pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and
she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And
whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come
to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy
salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And
blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance
of those things which were told her from the Lord.
And
Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his
handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and
holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear
him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath
scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the
rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance
of his mercy;
as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his
seed for ever.
And
Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Matthew 1:19-25 Annunciation (Angelic Birth Announcement to Joseph)
Then
Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a
publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto
him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee
Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And
she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall
save his people from their sins. Now all this
was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us. Then
Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and
took unto him his wife: and knew her not till
she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Luke 2:1-7 The Nativity of Jesus
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar
Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this
taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And
all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And
Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto
the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and
lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his
espoused wife, being great with child.
And
so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she
should be delivered. And she brought forth her
firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger;
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8-20 Announcement (A Host of Angels and Shepherds Making Haste)
And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and
they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped
in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And
it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the
shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this
thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a
manger. And when they had seen it,
they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this
child. all they that heard it wondered
at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But
Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her
heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was
told unto them.
Luke 2:21-38 Circumcision and a Visit to the Temple (Simeon and Anna)
And
when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name
was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in
the womb.
And
when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were
accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to
the Lord; (as it is written in the law of the
Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) and
to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A
pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And,
behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon;
and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And
it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death,
before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he
came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then
took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord,
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all
people;
a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy
people Israel.
And
Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And
Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is
set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall
be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce
through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
And
there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of
Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from
her virginity; and she was a
widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And
she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him
to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Matthew 2:1-12 The Visit of the Wise Men
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the
east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the
king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. And when he had gathered all the chief
priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ
should be born. And they said unto him, In
Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, And
thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among
the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my
people Israel.
Then
Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared. And he sent them to
Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye
have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship
him also.
When
they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in
the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy. And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down,
and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented
unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And
being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they
departed into their own country another way.
Matthew 2:13-18 The Flight to Egypt and Bloodshed in Bethlehem
And
when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a
dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into
Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young
child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the
young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and
was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Then
Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and
sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the
coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he
had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then
was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In
Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted,
because they are not.
Matthew 2:19-23 Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Journey to Nazareth
But
when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to
Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the
young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead
which sought the young child’s life. And he
arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of
Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did
reign in Judæa in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:
notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts
of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,
He shall be called a Nazarene.
Luke 2:39-40 The Growth of the Nazarene
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Galatians 4:4-5 Fulfillment and Redemption
but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,to redeem them that were under the law...
