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The Birth of John the Baptist and Jesus

We said in the introductory session that Jesus knew—and virtually shouted to Jews with "ears to hear"—that he was God’s promised Messiah . . . the savior of mankind. We heard a lot of Messiah-talk last week as we discussed the conception of John the Baptist and Jesus. We’ll hear more this week as we discuss their birth. Like that old line from the Brady Bunch: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia" . . . the theme of Luke 1 and 2 seems to be: "Messiah, Messiah, Messiah."

Since the birth narratives of both John the Baptist and Jesus are familiar stories, we’ll focus on some of the not-so-familiar underlying cultural themes.

John is born in the hill country of Judea—traditionally Ein Karem—soon after (or just before) Mary returns home to Nazareth. As we know, his father Zechariah has been mute for the full term of the baby . . . a punishment—or a sign, if you please—because he failed to believe the proclamation of the Angel Gabriel that he and his wife Elizabeth would conceive a son in their old age.

John is circumcised on his 8^th day. This rite—which Jews call the "Brit Milah" or "Bris"—has been performed on all Jewish males since the time of Abraham, to mark a boy’s entrance into the covenant between God and the Jews (cf Gen. 17:9-14). It’s so important that it must be done on the 8^th day after birth—even if that day is a Sabbath . . . or even Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. A baby boy is given his name during the circumcision ceremony. This is a significant lifecycle event, because Jewish tradition places importance on names both as links to previous generations and hopes for future generations. (Cf http://judaism.about.com/library/3_lifecycles/bris/blbrit.htm) This attitude is typical throughout the Middle East; Arab friends have told me that if you know a man’s name, you know a lot about him: his town, family, religion, etc.

So consider the circumcision of John (1:57-63) in that context. Friends and relatives gather around Zechariah and Elizabeth and the baby—and the priest or rabbi performing the ritual. In this gaggle of traditional Jewish mothers and grandmothers, there is no shortage of opinions about the choice of a name: Aunt Esther thinks he should be named after Uncle Simeon, but Aunt Hannah has compelling reasons to name him after Uncle Benjamin. The noise level gets higher and higher as they argue back and forth. The majority seem to be agreeing that the baby should be named after his father, but his mother Elizabeth raises her voice to be heard over the din of everyone-talking-at-once . . . and what she says brings a stunned silences: "No! He is to be called John" (1:60). The well-meaning neighbors and relatives quickly recover: "(None of) your relatives has that name" (1:61); "tell her, Zechariah" (cf 1:62). The mute Zechariah asks for a writing tablet, and delivers the verdict: "His name is John" (1:63).

Immediately Zechariah is able to speak, and praises God. He’s "filled with the Holy Spirit" (1:67) in the manner of Old Testament prophets—as Elizabeth had been when she heard Mary’s greeting (1:41). Then he delivers his prophesy: "You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him" (1:76). Note the similarity between 1:17 and 1:76-77; Zechariah got the message from Gabriel that John is the forerunner of the Messiah. Then Zechariah prophesies about salvation and fulfillment of God’s promises to the Jews through His promised Messiah, the son of David.

Notice especially what is said in 1:65-66:

1. This is such a dramatic story that a lot of people heard about it: "Throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things" (1:65).
2. The people believe John is a special child, because "the Lord's hand is with him" (1:66). With the high Jewish Messianic expectation at this time, this must mean the people believe John is—or is associated with—the Messiah.

Everything recorded about John’s life for the next 30 years is in 1:80: "The child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel." According to tradition, Zechariah and Elizabeth died when John was a child, and he was raised by the Essenes in a desert settlement—perhaps in Qumran, where he may have used the Dead Sea Scrolls as his bible. Nevertheless, in light of 1:65-66, it’s highly likely John’s relatives wanted to make sure he was well cared for and received a proper Jewish upbringing because of his anticipated Messianic connections.

Now the scene shifts to Rome . . . where Augustus Caesar came to power in 31 BC, after the murder of Julius Caesar and the defeat of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra. Augustus is arguably the greatest Roman emperor, and he established the "Pax Romana" which so greatly contributed to the spread of the gospel throughout the 1^st century. Around 9 BC, Augustus began taking a periodic census of his subjects: requiring registration of land, livestock, slaves, and other possessions for taxation purposes. The taxpayer had to personally submit the necessary data in the communities where their properties were located; this allowed the Romans access to the actual goods in case the taxpayer did not have sufficient currency to pay his taxes.

The taxation census discussed in Luke 2 happened in the 6-4 BC timeframe discussed last week, because it "was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria." It required Joseph and his 9-months-pregnant wife Mary to travel the 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register. As someone who "belonged to the house and line of David," Bethlehem was Joseph’s ancestral home: the land was assigned by God to the tribe of Judah after the Israelites escaped from Egypt over 1000 years earlier (cf Josh 15). Joseph probably owned property in Bethlehem and had family there.

700 years earlier the LORD had proclaimed—through the prophet Micah (cf Micah 5:2)—that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Notice how God uses a tax by a pagan Roman emperor to bring Mary to Bethlehem to fulfill this prophesy!

The image of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem alone and finding "No Vacancy" signs at all the inns is a key part of the Christmas legend. However, it may be more likely they journeyed with other Nazarenes who owned property in Bethlehem.

Furthermore, we now believe the Greek word "kataluma"—translated "inn" (2:7) ever since the KJV in the 17^th century—should really be translated as a "guest room" of a private home. Homes of the lower and middle classes in the hill country of Judea were often built over caves, with the cave functioning as a basement where livestock were kept. Thus Joseph and Mary may have stayed with relatives upon their arrival, but the influx of visitors filled the "guest rooms," and they were forced to lodge in the cave beneath the house. After His birth, Jesus was placed in a manger used to feed the livestock. Much less romantic than the legend, but perhaps more accurate.

The appearance of an angel to shepherds in the fields is another familiar part of the Christmas story, but carries more significance than we usually realize. Hired shepherds were not just among the lower classes of society . . . they had a reputation for embezzling from the flocks under their care and were thought of as "shady characters." (Jesus alludes to this in the Good Shepherd Discourse, Jn 10.) God's choice to proclaim the Messiah's birth to hired shepherds shows not only great empathy for the lowest levels of society . . . but also demonstrates that God calls and welcomes repentant sinners.

And the text carries a subtle message that most Jews of Jesus’ time probably failed to recognize. The shepherds in Bethlehem—only 4 miles from Jerusalem—may have been in charge of temple flocks, sold as sacrifices at Passover and other times. This foreshadows the ultimate purpose of Jesus: to die as the Passover lamb of God. (And that analogy applies even if the shepherds were not tending temple flocks!)

Indeed, it is clear from the angel’s words to the shepherds that the Messiah has been born. Not only are words like "savior" and "City of David" used, but the angel spells it right out: the baby is the "Christ"—Christos—the Greek word for "Messiah."

After the angels leave, the shepherds hurry to Bethlehem, and find Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Then they "spread the word" (2:17) about seeing the angels and the newborn Messiah. This is similar to the story of John the Baptist . . . except for the credibility of the witnesses. With John the Baptist, "people were talking about all these things throughout the hill country of Judea" (1:65) . . . but people were only "amazed" at what the shepherds said (2:18)—perhaps wondering if their story was really true.

The story of the shepherds also gives us a clue about the time of Jesus’ birth. The early church fathers did not specify the day Jesus was born. December 25 was designated around 360 AD . . . and was probably chosen so pagan converts to Christianity could still have a festival 4 days after the winter solstice. In fact, the winter months would not be a good time for Rome to hold a tax census, because of cold, rain, and muddy roads. Moreover, finding shepherds in the grain fields indicates the wheat harvest was finished, because only then were shepherds allowed to take their flocks into the fields to eat the stubble and fertilize the ground. (Bethlehem means "house of bread," and grain was more important to the local economy than shepherding.) This suggests the birth of Jesus occurred late June through late August. This would also be a much better time for a tax census, because people had money from the grain harvest, the weather was good for travel, and planting had not commenced for the winter crop.

When Jesus is eight days old, he is circumcised—just as John the Baptist had been—and he is given the name Gabriel specified (1:21). Thirty-three days later, Mary underwent the purification rites detailed in Lev 12. Around 5 BC this meant she was required to go to the temple, bathe in running water—called "living water"—in a ritual bath called a "mikve," then present two offerings to a priest.

God also required consecration of every firstborn son (cf Ex 13:2,12; 34:19-20). This tradition goes back to a time before there were priests . . . before God took the tribe of Levi as a clergy in place of firstborn sons (cf Nu 3:12). Therefore, around 5 BC, firstborn sons were presented to God as a ritual, then redeemed with an offering.

Mary and Joseph perform all these required tasks. They seem to be a couple very faithful to God . . . careful to follow all of God’s laws (1:39). This is surely the example set for Jesus as he grows up . . . and which no doubt is one of the reasons he acts in an apparently disobedient manner during his Bar Mitzvah—as we will learn next week.

Mary’s offering confirms that she and Joseph were very poor (1:24). The required offerings were a lamb and a dove or pigeon. Only if the family could not afford a lamb were two doves or two pigeons allowed (Lev 12:8), and I believe Mary and Joseph would surely have brought a lamb if they could have done so.

The web site has photos of two of the most exciting things a Christian can see in Jerusalem . . . the actual steps Mary and Joseph walked to take baby Jesus to be consecrated to God . . . and one of the mikve baths at the top of these steps—baths Mary would have used for her purification. These have been excavated relatively recently.

The last story in this lesson happens when Mary and Joseph enter the temple with Jesus. There they encounter two elderly Jewish prophets: Simeon and Anna. Simeon is an old man . . . and though not described as a prophet, it’s mentioned three times that the Holy Spirit is upon him (1:25-27). In this time of Messianic expectation in Israel, the Holy Spirit has revealed to Simeon that he will see the Messiah before he dies . . . and Simeon realizes this promise is fulfilled when he sees Jesus! Then he prophesies . . . praising God for bringing salvation to everyone—not just Israel, but to Gentiles as well. Simeon also reveals that the Messiah will not be welcomed by Israel, but will cause a great split among the Jews—bringing salvation to some, and damnation to others. He will be defamed, causing great hurt to his mother.

The second prophet is Anna (1:36), who thanks God and proclaims Jesus as Messiah "to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (1:38)—which means all the Jews.

How do Mary and Joseph react to such adoration of their son? The bible makes it appear they react matter-of-factly . . . confident of Gabriel’s proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. The bible says Mary "pondered in her heart" (2:19) the shepherds’ visit, and that Mary and Joseph "marveled" at Simeon’s prophesy (2:33). I think they "marveled" mostly that God through the Holy Spirit had told so much about Jesus to so many people!

This lesson closes with the following:

We might wonder: how could any human parent raise the Messiah, the Son of God . . . born sinless and forever that way . . . and with full knowledge of this beforehand. That would be a challenge! But these two verses make it appear that as Mary and Joseph remained obedient to God’s law—and as the grace of God was upon Jesus—everything worked out; and they reared Jesus such that he became strong and filled with wisdom.

These first two lessons have covered only about 16 months . . . but next week we’ll fast forward about 12 years for a snapshot of Jesus at what is probably his Bar Mitzvah: when he becomes a man in the eyes of the Jewish religion, and his zeal for God leads to apparent disobedience of his parents. Then we’ll fast forward another 17-18 years when—at age 30—John the Baptist emerges from the desert and begins "preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (3:3). Then we’ll see the cousins, John and Jesus, meet—perhaps for the first time—as Jesus comes to be baptized by John.