Luke 2: the birth and childhood of Jesus

Why Bethlehem

Luke ties the birth to world history: a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed, while Cyrenius (Quirinius) governed Syria. Joseph, of the house of David, travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem, David's town, with Mary, who is expecting a child. She gives birth and lays the baby in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. The word may mean a guest room rather than a hotel; either way, the Son of David is born among the animals.

What did the angel tell the shepherds?

Shepherds were working people with little standing, and they are the first to hear the news. An angel tells them not to fear, for he brings good tidings of great joy, and in verse 11 names the child with three titles at once: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. A multitude of angels then sings glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.

The shepherds go with haste to Bethlehem and spread the word. Luke then turns to Mary in verse 19: But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Where everyone else talks, she keeps silent and thinks it over, a line many parents recognize.

What does “a sword shall pierce through thy own soul” mean?

Forty days after the birth, Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem, as the law of Moses required for a firstborn son. An old man named Simeon takes the child in his arms and sings a short prayer, known as the Nunc Dimittis, still said at Compline and Evensong. Then he speaks to Mary alone: the child will be a sign that is spoken against, and, in verse 35, Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also. It is the first shadow of the cross in Luke's Gospel, and the first of the Seven Sorrows remembered in the Catholic feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. The prophetess Anna, eighty-four years old, gives thanks in the same scene.

Twelve years old in the temple

The chapter ends with the family's Passover pilgrimage when Jesus is twelve. He stays behind and is found after three days among the teachers, listening and asking questions. He returns to Nazareth and is subject to his parents, and verse 52 sums up the hidden years that follow: And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, growing in grace before God and people alike. That quiet line makes a fine Holy Family print for a child's room.