JESUS CHRIST’ NATIVITY STORY

MATTHEW AND LUKE PRE SENT US JESUS’ GENEA LOGY IN THE BEGINNIN G OF THEIR GOSPEL. MATTHEW’S BOOK OF GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST BEGINS WITH ABRAHAM AND FINISHES WITH JESUS (MT 1,1 –17). MATTHEW FOLLOWS THE GENEALOGY OF JOS EPH, WHO IS MENTIONE D AS MARY’S HUSBAND. MATTHEW AND LUKE TEL L US THAT JOSEPH’S F IANCÉE IS MARY. A YO UNG GIRL AND A CARPENTER ARE CHOSEN BY GOD TO BE THE EAR THLY MOTHER AND FOST ER-FATHER OF HIS ETERNAL SON. GOD CHOOSES SIMPLE AND POOR PEOPLE FOR JESUS AS EARTHLY PARENTS. WE CANNOT READ TOO M UCH IN MATTHEW’S GOSPE L ABOUT THE BIRTH IT SELF, IT IS JUST MENTIONED THAT IT HA PPENED IN BETHLEHEM OF JUDEA DURING THE REIGN OF HEROD THE KING. CONTINUING MATTHEW’S STORY THE LORD’S ANG EL INSTRUCTS JOSEPH IN DREAM TO MAKE THEIR ESCAPE WITH JESUS AND MARY IN EGYPT FROM THE MURDEROUS ANGER OF HEROD. THIS IS ALSO A FULFILLMEN T OF AN OLD TESTAMEN T PROPHECY: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SO N” (HOS 11,1). HEROD THE GREAT, THE BLOODTHIRSTY KING DIES AND THE ANGEL OF GOD APPEARS THIS TIME IN EGYPT TO JOSEPH I N HIS DREA M TO DIRECT HIM TO R ETURN HOME. MT 2,20 REMINDS US OF THE SAME EPISODE IN MOSES’ STORY (EX 4,19). JESUS RETURNS FROM T HE EXILE TO THE PROM ISED LAND, BUT HE CA NNOT SETTLE DOWN IN JUDEA, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY, IN H IS NATIVE VILLAGE, B UT HE HAS TO GO TO THE BORDER OF THE COUNTRY, TO THE HALF PAGAN GALILEE. IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE AND IN HIS OWN LAND THE MESSIAH WILL BE ALWAYS A STRANGER, AND HE WILL LIVE AS AN OUTCAST.

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