 Bible
study: The True Story about the Birth of Jesus |
Introduction: Man-made religious tradition controls
and influences the behaviour and the pattern of thinking of an individual. However,
knowing the truth, which the Word of God brings across, can set a person free
from tradition and helps to correctly judge what the truth is.
For example: Usually during Christmas time, Christmas trees are bought and placed
in the living room with a small stable underneath. In the stable there are figures
such as 3 kings, shepherds, sheep, goats, cows, a manger with a baby, and Mary
with Joseph.
Tradition tells the Bible story in this way – that 3 kings from the Orient
came to Bethlehem and visited baby Jesus in the stable, also the shepherds etc.
| However,
from all of that, what is really true, what is tradition and what does the
Bible say? |
* A person has the option of different things when
they have taken tradition on and are guided by it.
* A person can either hold on to it, defend it and say: “That´s the
way it always was and we´re going to keep it that way.”“There´s
nothing wrong with it”, or a person can prove what he believes and practice
it.
* The truth is in the Word of God. No matter how a person decides, he will only
first be free from tradition when he chooses truth.
*Truth requires us to re-think. This change in the pattern of thinking of an individual
will be visible in our behaviour and conversation.
Please answer the following questions:
* What happened in Bethlehem?
* Who was born?
* Who visited the child in the manger?
* Who saw the star in the East and followed it?
* Where did they no longer see the star?
* What did the wise men do when they no longer saw the star?
* Who did they visit in Jerusalem and with whom did they speak?
* Where did the wise men from the Far East then go?
* What did the angel happen to say to the wise men?
* What did the angel say to Joseph in the dream?
* What did Mary with Joseph do and where did they go?
* How old was the child when they left Bethlehem?
* When did they bring baby Jesus to the temple for the dedication?
* Where did Mary and Joseph go thereafter?
* From which place did Mary and Joseph leave to go to Egypt?
The correct order of events of the
birth of Jesus:
1. The birth of Jesus takes place
in a stable in Bethlehem during the census of Caesar Augustus.
2. The shepherds on the fields of Bethlehem make their way to Mary in the stable
after hearing the angel´s message. They see the newborn baby laying in
the manger.
3. After the days of the cleansing, between 8 and 15 days, Mary and Joseph travel
to Jerusalem to the temple and present their child in order to dedicate him
to the Lord.
4. Afterwards they both return to Nazareth, and not to Bethlehem, in THEIR city,
there where Mary and Joseph live. Several months go by.
5. Wise men (not kings) from the
East appear there in Jerusalem and ask Herod where the newborn king of the Jews
is to be born. (an unknown number of wise men; nowhere is it written that there
were three, neither does the Bible mention any names; their names are unknown)
6. Herod calls the scribes and
finds out that the prophets refer to Bethlehem. As a result, Herod sends them
there; and asks them to inform him, after having found the child in Bethlehem.
7. They leave Jerusalem and make their way to Bethlehem. Outside of Jerusalem
they see the star again which leads them on. This star guides them to the house
of Joseph and Mary in Nazareth, and not into a stable in which the child is
supposed to be.
8. They worship Him and leave their gifts there. While they are sleeping overnight,
God speaks to them in a dream; telling them that they should immediately turn
around and no longer go back to Jerusalem because Herod is looking for the child
so that he can kill it.
9. Shortly after, an angel appears in a dream to Joseph in Nazareth und commands
him to flee to Egypt and to remain there. Being loaded with enough gifts, such
as gold etc. they seek the quickest way to Egypt (and stay there until Herod
dies)
10. Herod is wondering why the
wise men from the Orient have not yet returned to give him a report. He assumes
that the kings are in Bethlehem. Therefore, he decides to send soldiers to Bethlehem,
where the little child Jesus is supposed to be. He orders all the children that
are under the age of two to be killed. (Why was it not the children at the age
of 6 months or a year old?) The reason is that he found out roughly how old
the child must be. The exact age of the little child at this time is not given
in the Bible.
a. Herod probably received a list
of the people who were at Bethlehem for the census. It is very likely that the
baby Jesus was also recorded there.
b. The child Jesus was not among the murdered children, for he was already on
the way to Egypt, or perhaps they had already arrived there (by ship?)
c. After Herod died they returned to Nazareth. (rw)
here
to read the scriptures from the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:18-25 and chapter
2 and also Luke, chapter 2