In this radio interview Marcus discusses the two gospels that report on the Birth of Jesus and his book The First Christmas.
Mathew’s story is much shorter if you remover the genealogy at the beginning the story takes up only thirty one verses. Luke takes one hundred and forty verses, basically four times as long. Mathew’s story contains four wise men and a star. Luke’s gospel does not contain either of those elements, instead the glory of God filling the night sky with angels singing to shepherds. Another difference between the two gospels, Mary, Jesus and Joseph live in Bethlehem in Mathew’s gospel while in Luke’s gospel they live in Nazareth so Jesus is born during the course of their travels for the census. Luke’s story is filled with what are called canticles, meaning hymns or songs. If it were to be performed as a pageant it would be a musical where Mathew has no music at all.
Many scholars see the differences in these two stories as evidence that they are not factual but intended as stories for us to find meaning in. Marcus uses the phrase parabolic overture to describe these stories. Most Christians agree that the stories of Jesus are parables and are not historical accounts of actual events, it would follow that his disciples would also make use of parables in their own teachings. Secondly, overtures, meaning that it is preparing us for the stories that follow by giving us the central theme. Yes, we think Jesus was born but we do not think the gospels were intended to give us a factual telling of the circumstances of Jesus’s birth.
When looking at the political context Jesus was born into, the language of the gospels becomes politically pointed. Cesar Augustus had titles of Lord, Son of God, Savior of the World, and the One Who Has Brought Peace On Earth using this same language to talk about Jesus was tantamount to treason and very anti-imperial. The gospel of Luke uses these titles most fully. These titles were found on coins and tablets making these titles as omnipresent in that era as advertising is in this era. Luke’s use is very deliberately anti-imperial and intentionally undermines the basis of the contemporary roman religion. Mathew’s gospel plays the narrative differently. King Herod is portrayed as a new pharaoh and much of his behavior echos the behavior of the pharaoh during the birth of Moses. King Herod ruled by appointment to the head of the Roman church. Marcus argues that the stories of Gandhi and Martin Luther King lose much of their power without the context of British imperialism or American history of slavery, the same is true with the story of Jesus and the Roman empire. To use the title of Lord for anyone but Cesar was high treason to see the phrase “Jesus is Lord” so frequently in the stories of Jesus was very edgy and controversial at the time.
Both Mathew and Luke begin with a long genealogy of names, the genealogies differ from each other. The chapter that talks about the significance of these is titled ‘Genealogy Begets Destiny’. The emperors of Rome all had genealogies that tied them to Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, and therefore divine conception. Mathew traces Jesus back to Abraham the founder of the Jewish people. Luke begins his genealogy with Adam the father of human kind in anticipation of Christianity spreading to the gentiles and non-Jewish people.
In Mathew Josef receives the announcement that Jesus will be a divine birth in Luke the announcement comes directly to Mary. Mathew and Luke treat Mary and Josef very differently; Mary is almost invisible in Mathew’s gospel, she neither speaks nor receives any divine revelation. In Luke, Josef neither speaks nor receives any divine revelation. Luke’s gospel contains more women and their roles in early Christianity than any other gospel, her importance here paves the way for the other important women in his gospel.
Both Luke and Mathew talk about Jesus being of divine conception this directly challenges the contemporary Roman imperial theology. Cesar Augustus was considered to be conceived by the god Apollo in the womb of his mother thus making him a divine conception. Claiming that Jesus was similarly conceived tries to make him equal to the roman emperor.
In the second part of this interview, Marcus explains the significance of Jesus being born in Bethlehem. Historically it seems likely Jesus was actually born in Nazareth but theologically Mathew and Luke place Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem because that is the city of David and in traditional Judaism the messiah would be descended from David. Saying that Jesus was born in Bethlehem is making a statement about his legitimacy as a messiah. The evidence in favor of Jesus being born in Nazareth comes from his being named in earlier gospels as ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ The contemporary convention for naming someone was to use their given name followed by their birth place.
Mathew tells the story of the Magi. The story has two meanings, on the one hand, the wise men are from the east so they are non-Jewish gentiles. This is Mathew’s way of anticipating that Jesus is the light and the way for not only the Jews but also non-Jewish people as well. The other meaning for the wise men is to provide a way for Herod to learn about the birth of Jesus as the king of the Jews and to mirror the Pharaoh’s attempts to kill Moses in order to draw connections between Jesus and Moses. The story of the Magi is also anti-imperial because the Magi do not report back to Herod on the whereabouts of Jesus. Another important part of the Magi story is the magic star that guides them. It is a representation of the archetype of light in the darkness and shows how the whole story of Jesus is one of light coming into the darkness. The day of celebrating for celebrating Christmas was chosen to be the winter solstice because in the northern hemisphere, where the decision was being made, this is the darkest day of the year and the day on which light begins to return to the land. Additionally saying Jesus is the light of the world counters the Roman imperial image of the emperors being decedent from Apollo the God of light. There is also the religious context of light representing enlightenment.
These Christmas stories are very much about peace on earth. Many Christians have individualized this to mean peace of mind but in Jesus’s time the Roman empire had claimed to have achieved peace through violence. Jesus hoped to achieve peace through social justice and a deep commitment to non-violence.