“The Greatest Story Ever Told”
Jack Carter, Pastor Emeritus
City Church, Corpus Christi, TX

The New Testament contains two narratives of the birth of Jesus: Matthew’s 1:18-2:23 and Luke’s 1:5-2:40. They essentially tell the same story, yet each has unique elements as they tell the story. Matthew’s account focuses more on Joseph, while Luke focuses on Mary. Both writers tie the birth of Jesus to the Old Testament in such a way as to reveal the unity of God’s plan of salvation.

A child named “Emmanuel,” “God with us” is born of a virgin and given the particular name “Jesus,” meaning “Savior,” who will save His people not from a military threat, but “from their sins.” For Matthew, Jesus is the new Moses, clearly providing an identity for Jesus rooted in a fundamental continuity with Israel, led by Moses in deliverance from bondage. Jesus vindicates the “old covenant” given in God’s revelations through Moses, while bringing the “new covenant” and completing the “old.”

Matthew also looks back and sees Jesus as the Davidic King. Jesus, not Herod, is both the legitimate heir to David’s throne, born to be King, but also Son of God, great David’s greater Son. Jesus is truly the Shepherd-King.

Luke emphasizes Abraham and God’s story of salvation found in him, with Jesus’ reign the true “seed of Abraham.” Not only does Luke mention Abraham explicitly in Mary’s Magnificat, Luke 1:54-55 says of God, “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Also in Zechariah’s prophecy (1:73-75) “…the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”

By these means and others, Luke presents God as personally orchestrating events to continue the one true story of God’s great mercy toward all men, a story that leads through covenant promises to the coming of King – Savior – Son Jesus, God in Christ, God incarnate, for the purpose of saving us from our sins and bringing many sons to glory, transferring them out of darkness into the very kingdom of God, God’s active rule, as we joyfully and gratefully declare, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”