Matthew’s Birth Narratives Are Not Important Matthew’s Birth Narratives Are Important
Matthew’s account contradicts Luke’s, and the incompatibility of the They have historical basis, as they are set in geographically factual places and
two accounts means that they can’t be trusted. It is unlikely that Jesus The Messianic Secret feature real people, suggesting that they are true and reliable. They don’t
was born in Bethlehem, as in John, Jesus does not refute the claims that Wrede suggested the theory of the messianic secret in Mark: that Mark include many unbelievable events, with only one miraculous event of the virgin
he cannot be the Messiah because he is not from Galilee. Liberal had Jesus trying to keep his Messiahship a secret. Jesus silenced the birth, which could be due to a mistranslation, and the angels in Joseph’s dreams.
Christians take a preterist viewpoint of the proof tests, so they aren’t demons who knew him, tells the people he healed not to tell anyone The only improbable event is the murder of the children; however, Herod did
powerful as they only describe events of their own time, and nothing is about him, speaks in parables to make his message harder to murder his family, and the lack of historical records can be explained by the small
revealed about Jesus’ identity. understand, and the disciples don’t understand his identity. Thus, Jesus’ size of Bethlehem, ‘the murder of a few infants in a small village is not on a scale
words and actions are not historical, but a theological device. Other to match the more spectacular assassinations by Josephus’ (France), giving them
scholars argue that the messianic secret is historical, as the reason for value and importance. Fundamentalist Christians argue that they prove that
The Escape to Egypt Jesus was the Messiah as they take a futurist viewpoint of the proof tests, so
Jesus’ secrecy was that he didn’t want his message to be misunderstood
In this passage, Joseph has another dream warning him to take his Jesus fulfils the prophecies of Isaiah, Micah and Hosea. They reveal that Jesus
as a political challenge. Hooker agrees with Wrede that Mark used the
family to Egypt as Herod aimed to kill Jesus. Herod and his soldiers was a prophet and a king, that the gentiles would accept him and that the Jews
messianic secret to explain the failure of the disciples and the religious
attack and kill all of the young boys in Bethlehem. would reject him, ‘the beginning of the story hints at the ideas that will be made
authorities to understand Jesus’ Messiahship, but argues that it is
How is Jesus shown to be the Messiah? plain at the end’ (Hooker). Brown argues that they have theological significance
possible to see the motif of secrecy as a historical element as Jesus
Matthew references the proof text Hosea, ‘and so was fulfilled what the and were important in reassuring gentile Christians that Jesus was truly the
wouldn’t have wanted to distract from his message about the Kingdom
Lord had said through the prophet: “out of Egypt I called my son”’, Messiah, ‘an attractive drama that catches the imagination’ (Brown).
of God.
referencing the eventual return of Jesus from Egypt. He also references
the proof text Jeremiah, ‘what was said through the prophet Jeremiah
was fulfilled: “a voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because The Magi Visit Jesus
they are no more”’, suggesting that the death of the boys in Bethlehem In this passage, the Magi recognise Jesus as the Messiah and bring him gifts. Herod catches them on their way and instructs them
fulfils this. Jesus’ escape mirrors ancient history where Joseph was taken to tell him where to find Jesus, but they are warned in a dream not to. Prophecy Regarding
to Egypt, and the massacre mirrors the story of Moses and Pharaoh How is Jesus shown to be the Messiah?
Matthew references the proof text Micah, which had said ‘but you, Bethlehem Ephrathah… out of you will come for me one who
the Messiah
ordering for the slave children to be killed, showing Jesus as the second
Moses. will rule over Israel’, it was a well-established idea that the Messiah would be from the house of David, and as David was from
Controversy over claims Bethlehem, the Messiah would be from there, so by being born in Bethlehem, Matthew identifies Jesus as the Messiah. By
A preterist interpretation of Hosea suggests that he was talking about having him visited by gentiles, he fulfils the Isaiah, that the Messiah will bring universal salvation and be ‘a light for the gentiles’.
Moses who saved the Israelites in the past, and how God would do the The magi offer ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’, representing the three roles of the Messiah as king, priest and suffering servant.
same for them in the face of the current Assyrian threat. A preterist Controversy over claims The Line of David
interpretation of Jeremiah suggests that he was talking about Jewish It is strange that the magi ask Herod where to find the Messiah, as it was well-established that the Messiah would be born in In Old Testament times,
mothers of his own day who were mourning the exile of their sons in Bethlehem. Matthew may have contrived Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem due to the embarrassment around Jesus’ Galilean kings were anointed to
Babylon. background. signify that God had chosen
them, so the term Messiah
described the person who
The Return to Nazareth Joseph Accepts Jesus as his Son would restore God’s
In this passage, Herod dies, and Joseph is told In this passage, Joseph plans to divorce Mary after learning of her pregnancy, however an angel appears to him in a dream and convinces him to accept kingdom as it was at the
in a dream to return to Israel, but as he was Jesus as his own son. time of David, whose rule
afraid of new ruler Archelaus, he settles in How is Jesus shown to be the Messiah? was a golden age. David was
Nazareth, Galilee, not Bethlehem. Matthew references the proof text Isaiah, ‘all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “the virgin will conceive and give birth to promised that one of his
How is Jesus shown to be the Messiah? a son, and they will call him Immanuel”’, which is fulfilled when Mary conceives. Joseph is referred to as ‘Joseph, son of David’, fulfilling the prophecy that offspring would rule
Matthew references the proof text Isaiah, the Messiah would be descended from David because of the promise God made to him, ‘your house and your kingdom will endure forever’. forever and establish God’s
which said that the Messiah would be a Controversy over claims kingdom, so the Jews
branch (ne-tzer) of Jesse, the father of King A preterist interpretation of Isaiah suggests that he was talking about the future birth of prince Hezekiah to King Anaz and his new, young wife. Neither expected a kingly Messiah
David. By settling in Nazareth, Jesus becomes Jesus not Hezekiah were called Immanuel, however Hooker claims that ‘the child who is about to be born will be known as Immanuel in the sense that in who would be a descendent
a Nazarene, which is similar to the word ne- later days men and women will say that through him God was them them’. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah was ‘almah’ meaning young woman, but when of David.
tzer, making him a branch of Jesse, ‘so was translated into Greek, ‘parthinos’ was used, meaning virgin, so perhaps Matthew misinterpreted Isaiah’s prophecy.
fulfilled what was said through the prophets,
that he would be called a Nazarene’. By
settling the family in ‘the district of Galilee’, The Suffering Servant of Isaiah
Jesus is depicted as the saviour of the world The servant is the chosen one of God, whose mission is to bring glory to him. They will commit the atoning sacrifice and be despised and rejected but obey to the point of death. The suffering
as Galilee was culturally diverse. is part of God’s plan to atone for the sins of transgressors. Parallels can be drawn between Jesus and the suffering servant: both are ordinary men, both are despised and rejected, both are
Controversy over claims wounded and chastised, they do not protest or defend themselves, and they are punished for the wrongdoing of others. The New Testament writers believed that Isaiah was a Messianic
Matthew’s claim ‘so was fulfilled what was prophecy that that Jesus was the fulfilment of it, but there is debate over whether it was Jesus who aligned himself with the suffering servant or the early church to explain why the Messiah
said through the prophets’ is odd, as was put to death. The traditional view is that Jesus knew himself to be the servant, evidenced by his reference to being ‘numbered with the transgressors’, using Isaiah 53 when telling the
nowhere did the prophets say that the disciples that he must be killed, and states ‘for even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’. Hooker argued that the early church was
Messiah would be from Nazareth. responsible as the Jewish interpretation didn’t reference the atoning nature of the servant’s death, and the idea of the atoning sacrifice is linked to Paul.
