Subsídio em inglês para a English Class, da Assembleia de Deus em Abreu e Lima/PE. The Birth of Jesus.

1. LESSON 2
April 12, 2015
The Birth of Jesus
Golden Text
“And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no guest room available for them”. (Luke 2:7)
Useful Practice
God revealed his love for mankind when he sent his son Jesus into this
world.
Scripture Reading
Luke 2: 1-7
2. 1- In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be
taken of the entire Roman world.
2 - This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of
Syria.
3 - And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 - So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to
Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of
David.
5 - He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to
him and was expecting a child.
6 - While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 - and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and
placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
General Objective
To show that the coming of Jesus Christ into the world is proof of God's
love.

2. Specific Objectives
I – TO PRESENT the birth of Jesus in the prophetic context,
II – TO KNOW how the birth of Jesus took place according to Luke.
III – TO EXPLAIN why the birth of Jesus occurred among the poor.
IV – TO SHOW the birth of Jesus within Judaism.
Introduction
Luke tells about the birth of Jesus, placing it into the context of the Bible
prophecies and Judaism in his days. The "prophetic silence," which had already
lasted for four hundred years, was broken by divine manifestations in Judea.
The fullness of time had come and the Messiah would now be revealed!
The birth of Jesus meant good news of great joy for all the people. The poor
and the pious would be the first to receive the news. Thus, God was showing
that the salvation provided by Him would reach all mankind.
I - THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN THE PROPHETIC CONTEXT
1. Poetry and prophecy. In the account of Jesus' birth there are two gorgeous
poems known in Christian theology as Mary’s Magnificat (Mary’s Song of
Praise), by Mary the mother of Jesus, and Zechariah’s Benedictus, by the priest
Zechariah (Lk 1:46-55, 67-79). These songs are of prophetic nature and as such
they contextualize the birth of Christ wthin the promises of God to his people.
Mary, for example, says that through the birth of Jesus, God remembered the
promises made to Abraham (Luke 1:55). On the other hand, Zechariah equally
states that such a visitation was the fulfillment of what God had promised to the
prophets in ancient times (Luke 1:70). The birth of Jesus was not, therefore,
about an event without any link to the Bible history. It was an event that took
place in the fullness of time and witnessed the fulfillment of the promises of
God (Gal 4:4)
2. The restoration of the prophetic Spirit. We have already noted that in
Luke's theology, the Holy Spirit has a special place. We find 17 references to
the Holy Spirit in the third Gospel and 54 in the book of Acts. This is a
significant thing if we take into account that Matthew alludes to the Holy Spirit
only 12 times and Mark 6 times. Luke focuses on the empowering of the Spirit
by showing that the prophetic gift, kept silent in the Intrerbiblical period, was
revived with the coming of the Messiah. It is not by chance that most of the
references to the Spirit, in this Gospel, occur in the first two chapters that report
the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:41,67; 2: 25-27).
II – THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS

3. 1. Zachariah And Elizabeth. In his account of the events leading up to Jesus'
birth, Luke says that the priest Zachariah had entered the "temple to burn
incense" (Luke 1:9). The burning of incense was part of the Temple ritual and
occurred in the morning and at twilight (Ex 30:1-8; 1 Kings 7: 48-50). It was
during one of these shifts that an angel of God appeared to Zachariah to let him
know that his prayer had been heard by the Lord and although his wife was no
longer fertile, she would bear a boy, whose name would be John (Luke 1:13) .
John the Baptist was born to be the forerunner of the Messiah, announcing his
mission. He would be the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" and would
precede the Lord, preparing the way for him (Luke 3:4.5).
2. Joseph and Mary. About six months after the birth of John the Baptist, the
angel Gabriel is sent to Nazareth, where Joseph and Mary, promised in marriage
to him, uesed to live. She was a virgin and was engaged to Joseph. The
announcement hat she would bear a child, without having any sexual
intercourse, made her apprehensive (Luke 1:34). The angel tells him that the
Holy Spirit would come on her and the power of God would overshadow her
(Luke 1:35). Here is the miracle of incarnation - The Son of God becoming
flesh, in order that, through this great mystery, we can achieve salvation. (John
1:1, 14).
III - THE BIRTH OF JESUS AND PEASANTS
1. The nobleness of the poor. It is easy to detect the importance that the poor
were given in the Gospel of Luke. On beginning his ministry, Jesus started by
saying the following words: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor”(Luke 4: 18). The poor were
part of the Beatitudes of Jesus (Luke 6: 20). The poor are those deprived of both
material and spiritual goods. In the announcement of Jesus' birth, an angel of
the Lord is especially sent to poor peasants who tended their flocks in the field.
Jesus came for all, regardless of social status. The son of God devoted full
attention to the minorities of his time: women, children, Gentiles, lepers, etc.
He got to be called a friend of publicans and sinners, because he was always
close to those most in need. As the Lord's Church, have we followed the
example of the Savior? As "salt" of the earth and "light" of the world we need to
reveal Christ to the poor and needy, because they will know the love of Christ
through our actions.
2. The Messiah's royalty. The angel's message announced to the shepherds
who were in the field was that in "the city of David, [...] the Savior, who is
Christ the Lord”, had been born (Lk 2:11). Luke recalls the fact that Christ was
born in Bethlehem, the city of David, thus fulfilling biblical prophecy (Micah
5:2). But the Messiah not only was born in Bethlehem, the city of David, but He
is also of royal descent, because he descends from David, as evidenced by his

4. genealogy (Luke 3:23-38)). But that was not all. Luke also gives details of how
the angel of God spoke of the Messiah's royalty to peasants! He is the Savior,
the Christ, the the Lord (Luke 2:11). These words uttered by the angel, besides
showing the Messiah's royalty, also highlight his divinity. Jesus is God made
man!
IV. - THE BIRTH OF JESUS AND JUDAISM
1. Pious Jews. Luke shows that the birth of Jesus took place under pious
Judaism. It occurs within the context of those who maintained the Messianic
hope. They are pious people who awaited the Messiah and when He revealed
himself, they immediately recognized him. At first, Luke quotes Zechariah, a
pious priest and his wife Elizabeth. The scripture underscores that both were
righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees
(Luke 1:6). Luke also presents Simeon, another pious Jew from Jerusalem, who
expected the consolation of Israel. It was revealed to him, by the Holy Spirit,
that he would not die before he saw the Messiah (Luke 2:25,26). Likewise, the
prophetess Anna, a devoted widow who continually prayed to God and fasted.
When she saw the baby Jesus, she gave thanks to God for Him and spoke of his
messianic mission (Luke 2: 36-38).
2. Sacred rituals. Luke puts Christianity into the context of Judaism, not as a
sect derived from it. Like any Jew of his time, Jesus submits to the rituals of the
Jewish religion (Lk 2: 21-24). As Perfect Man, He fulfilled all the law of
Moses.
CONCLUSION
We have already noted that Luke seeks to put the birth of Jesus into the
historical context. So he gives details about facts of world history by showing
that God was, is and will remain the Lord of history. It is within this history that
the prophecies are fulfilled.
The promised Messiah, unlike the Messiah expected by the Jews, was born in a
manger, not in a palace. The poor, not the rich, are invited to participate in his
Christmas. The logic of the Kingdom of God manifests itself differently from
that of the kingdom of men. All those who feel poor and in need are invited to
be part of it.