The birth of Jesus
1 At that time the emperor issued a decree for a census of the whole empire to be taken.
2 This first census was taken while Quirinus was governor of Syria.
3 Every one had to be registered in his own town.
So everyone set out for his own city;
4 Joseph too set out from Na zareth of Galilee. As he belonged to the family of David, being a descendant of his, he went to Judea to David’s town of Bethlehem
5 to be registered with Mary, his wife, who was with child.
6 They were in Bethlehem when the time came for her to have her child,
7 and she gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger, because there was no place for them in the living room.
The shepherds and the angels
8 There were shepherds camp ing in the countryside, taking turns to watch over their flocks by night.
9 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, with the Glory of the Lord shining around them.
As they were terrified,
10 the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the peo ple.
11 Today a Savior has been born to you in David’s town; he is the Messiah and the Lord.
12 Let this be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly the angel was surrounded by many more heavenly spirits, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest; peace on earth for God is blessing humankind.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go as far as Bethlehem and see what the Lord has made known to us.”
16 So they came hurriedly and found Mary and Joseph with the baby lying in the manger.
17 On seeing this they related what they had been told about the child,
18 and all were asto nished on hearing the shepherds.
19 As for Mary, she treasured all these messages and continually pondered over them.
20 The shepherds then returned giving glory and praise to God for all they had heard and seen, just as the angels had told them.
21 On the eighth day the circumcision of the baby had to be performed; he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
Jesus is presented in the Temple
22 When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the baby up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,
23 as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God.
24 And they offered a sacrifice as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
25 There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel,
26 and he had been assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord.
27 So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law.
28 Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God, saying,
29 “Now, O Lord, you can dismiss
your servant in peace,
for you have fulfilled your word
30 and my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you display for all the people to see.
32 Here is the light you will reveal to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child.
34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, “See him; he will be for the rise or fall of the multitudes of Israel. He shall stand as a sign of con tra diction,
35 while a sword will pierce your own soul. Then the secret thoughts of many may be brought to light.”
36 There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s home, she had been seven years with her husband, and since then she had been continually about the Temple, serving God as a widow night and day in fasting and prayer.
37 She was now eighty-four.
38 Co ming up at that time, she gave praise to God and spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
39 When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee.
40 There the child grew in stature and strength and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon him.
I must be in my Father’s house
41 Every year the parents of Je sus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary.
42 And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them according to the custom for this feast.
43 After the festival was over, they re turned, but the boy Jesus remained in Je rusalem and his parents did not know it.
44 They thought he was in the company and after walking the whole day they looked for him among their relatives and friends.
45 As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for him,
46 and on the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.
47 And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 His parents were very surprised when they saw him and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you.”
49 Then he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Do you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
50 But they did not understand this answer.
51 Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be subject to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favor.
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Comments Luke, Chapter 2
• 2.1 The emperor issued a decree. The Jews formed a small nation under the rule of the Roman empire, which included diverse peoples. The precision given by Luke presents a difficulty because Quirinus was appointed governor of Syria in the year 6 A.C. and Jesus was twelve at that time. Several explanations have been built, but very possibly Luke used a mistaken chronology in that place like in Acts 5:36. Luke is infallible as a witness of salvation, not as an historian.
Because of the census, Joseph and Mary had to leave their Nazareth home at the time the child was to be born. Joseph, a descendant of David, must have had relatives in Bethlehem, the city of David and of his family. Jesus may have been born in the house of one of those relatives.
The chalk hill on which the village of Bethlehem was built had many natural caves used as dwelling places by the not so rich. The cave where Jesus was born consisted of two rooms separated by a rock formation. The innermost room was probably used as a shed and stable. Since there was not enough room or privacy in the common room, Joseph and Mary settled in the area where the animals were kept.
Thus, it was foreseen by the Father that Jesus would be educated in a real home, where neither work nor bread would be lacking. In his birth, however, as in his death, Jesus would resemble the most abandoned.
She gave birth to her firstborn (v. 7). This term was used then to designate an only son, underscoring that this first son was consecrated to God (Ex 13:1). See also Rom 8:29; Col 1:15.
The liturgy of Christmas sings: “Happy mother of God! Today you gave birth to the Savior of all times, and giving birth, you remained a virgin.” In fact God was not too great for Mary: “From on high he sees the proud, but he becomes weak with the humble.”
• 8. With the necessary stages in the religious formation of humankind being over, God sent his Son on earth to introduce us to true religion. Now the angel proclaims peace and graciousness to humankind. See how much God loves us! Let yourselves be caught up in his love! Why continue to fear? Have you not understood that God became a child and that from now on he will be among us as a silent and defenseless child?
Let this be a sign to you (v. 12). They will recognize God who became poor for us in order to communicate his treasures to us.
They returned giving glory to God (v. 20). While the world was in darkness, some shepherds saw God. Why were they called to the manger? God delights in revealing himself to the poor, and Mary and Joseph had the joy to share with them a part of their secret.
With the birth of Jesus a new age begins (the final age as the apostles will say) in which, on one hand, people hope for the salvation of the world, and on the other they already enjoy this salvation. The shepherds are models for those dedi cated to contemplation. Following them, the Church will never be totally involved in works of mercy or human development, but instead, with its truest spirit, will continue to look upon Christ present in its midst, giving thanks and rejoicing in God.
• 19. Mary treasured all these messages (v. 19), because every event of her life was for her the way God revealed his plans to her, and all the more so now that she was living with Jesus. She wondered, marveled but was not confused, because her faith was beyond wavering. However, she too had to discover the ways of salvation slowly and painfully. She pondered on these things until the time of the Resurrection and Pentecost when all the words and deeds of Jesus became clear.
• 22. Mary and Joseph went to the tem ple to fulfill a ritual of the Jewish reli gion (Lev 12:8). Jesus being a firstborn male must be consecrated to God (Ex 13:1).
Simeon and Anna like Mary and Joseph belong to the “small remnant of Israel,” This minority of God’s people live their faith in humility and faithfulness to the prophets’ teaching: God knows how to make himself known to them.
What is the meaning of the sword that will pierce Mary’s soul? It indicates Mary’s grief upon seeing her Son die on the cross. It also signifies that Mary will suffer because she will not always understand what her Son does. The best-shared love will not prevent each from remaining a mystery to the other, and more so for God than for anyone else. God does not watch our fidelity from heaven, but rather seeks us (he tries us in the sense of asking us to reveal ourselves). The love of the Father will be Mary’s cross just as it would be for Jesus.
Christ is God’s light which enlightens people, but which also blinds and confuses them at times. He is a sign that is opposed, but this is a mystery – those who oppose him are not always the worst. There are some people who believe in Christ, but do not follow him. Unable to see his light they do not know that it condemns them. There are good people who do not believe because God wills that they seek the light their whole life long.
NAZARETH – ACHIEVING FREEDOM
• 41. During his Nazareth years Jesus discovers life as any child or youth of his age. He does not receive special education. Nor does he manifest extraordinary talents, other than perfect judgment to assess and evaluate everything according to God’s criteria.
Joseph passes on to him the faith of Israel; the Nazareth community, however insignificant, makes him a practicing Jew, subject to the Law. What was the deep experience of Jesus, how did the Son of God place himself in this world of humans, step by step, as he discovered it? Luke has given us but one instance that to him was significant as it had been for Mary herself.
At twelve an adolescent was to observe religious prescriptions, among them the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feasts. Seated in the shade of the Temple galleries, the teachers of the law used to teach groups of pilgrims and to dialogue with them.
It is on this occasion for the first time that Jesus disconcerts his entourage. Why have you done this? The Gospel highlights this misunderstanding: Mary reproaches Jesus and Jesus reproaches his parents. It then emphasizes the awareness Jesus has of his privileged relationship with the Father and his total availability for his mission. If the discovery of the Temple, heart of the nation, center of Israel’s religion, stirred new feelings in him, he could have asked permission or forewarned his parents. How could he remain two days without thinking his parents would be anxiously searching for him? He must have thought this suffering was necessary and conquered his liberty in a radical way before returning home with them. Jesus had to experience all of human life, sin excepted; in his own way he passed through the stages of psychological development. Instead of speaking of the lost child it would be more exact to say that the youthful Jesus found himself.
It might seem strange that Mary did not think to tell Jesus one day of his origin and who Joseph was for him. If we hold to this account, it is Jesus who takes the lead over Mary and Joseph and tells them himself whose son he is: I must be in my Fa ther’s house.
They did not understand that answer (v. 50). Mary had heard the message of the annunciation and knew that Jesus was the Son of God. She undoubtedly never thought that being Son of God would be what Jesus had just done. In the same way God oftentimes disconcerts us even if we know very well what he wants.
• 52. Luke does not mention anything more about the life of Jesus in Naza reth until he reaches the age of thirty, when he begins to preach. He was Joseph’s apprentice, and after Jo seph’s death became the carpenter of Nazareth. Joseph must have died before Jesus revealed himself, otherwise, when Jesus left home, Mary would have remained with Joseph (see Mk 3:31). Mary’s son was a man among people and later the Christian community of Naza reth would treasure things made by the carpenter Son of God.
Too often we read the Gospel as a “life of Jesus” and are astonished to find great blanks such as the thirty years of Nazareth. We forget that the written Gospel intended first of all to build a catechesis with the actions and words of Jesus, and not reconstitute his whole life.