Description of the infancy of Jesus

- The infant narratives convey the message of salvation, with Jesus' death and resurrection
serving as its central theme. They are written from the perspective of belief in the resurrected
Jesus.
Historical Background of the infancy of Jesus
- The annunciation
- The birth of Jesus
- The visit of the wise men from the east
- The flight to Egypt
- The rites of childhood
Sign, Symbols and actions….
- the announcement to Mary that she was God's mother
- the visit to her cousin Elizabeth
- the news that ''there was no place for them at the inn;'' The shepherds and the angels and the
birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
- the visit of the wise men from the east; the moving of the holy family to Egypt to escape Herod
- the return to Nazareth
- the finding of the child Jesus at the temple among the teachers and doctors of the law
Purpose…..
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Diff ways..
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Facts about the birth and childhood of Jesus

1. Jesus gets his name from an angel

“The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with
you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will
conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be
called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he
will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end’” (Luke 1:28–33)

2. Jesus is a common first-century name

If God was going to become a human, you’d think that He’d choose a powerful and rare name.
That’s just not the case. The name “Jesus” was the John Smith of the first-century. When Christ
walked on the earth, He didn’t chase after prominence—and that’s even demonstrated in the name
that He chose.

But that doesn’t mean that Jesus’ name is meaningless. Hidden in that common name is the truth
that “Yahweh saves.”
3. Jesus last name wasn’t Christ

We hear “Jesus Christ” so often that it’s easy to think that Christ is Jesus’ surname. It’s not. In first-
century Palestine, people didn’t have last names. People identified others by referencing their
parents:

“They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he
now say, “I came down from heaven”’?” (John 6:42)

Christ comes from the Greek for Christos, which means “anointed one.”

4. Jesus probably wasn’t born on December 25

The entire world celebrates Christ’s birth on December 25, but is that His actual birthday? Probably
not.

Early Christian leaders like Hippolytus and John Chrysostom began observing Christ’s birth on this
date. Over time it became the accepted date for celebration, offering an alternative to many pagan
festivals happening at this time.

Many scholars question the accuracy of this date, and doubt the shepherds would be out with the
sheep at night during the coldest time of the year. Looking at the conception and birth of John the
Baptist, many believe Jesus was probably born in the fall.

5. Jesus probably wasn’t born in 1 A.D.

Jesus’ significance is seen in how His presence divides history. Today we see history through the
lens of B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (anno Domini “in the year of the Lord”). The only problem is
that Jesus was probably born before 4 B.C.

Herod is the main reason that many scholars believe Christ was born earlier. Most believe Herod
died in 4 B.C. And since he played such a big part in Christ’s birth story (Matthew 2), Jesus had to
have been born before this date.