Matthew and Luke both tell the story of Christ Jesus’ birth, and reading these Gospels side by side enriches and deepens the Christmas season. The two writers use different material to tell their stories and have different perspectives. Both are focused on the appearing of the Messiah, and their insights into the significance of this event show the nexus between Truth and history. These narratives point us away from the trappings of materialism that tend to surface at this time of year—leading us to the power of the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy among the people of Israel.
The other two New Testament Gospels, Mark and John, do not include birth stories about Jesus. Mark begins immediately, and John, after a prologue, with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at the opening of his public ministry, when Jesus is about thirty years old. Mark is probably the oldest Gospel, and Matthew and Luke depend on it for much of their story, but not for infancy narratives about Jesus. In fact, it seems that these Gospels draw their material about the early life of Jesus from two different sources. Reading them side by side is less like putting a puzzle together (not all the pieces fit neatly), than it is like creating a mosaic of contrasting and corresponding ideas that result in a surprising and beautiful living panorama.
Before you read any farther, try reading the two accounts—in both Matthew and Luke, chapters one and two. Take note of words or passages that raise questions, or that confirm your convictions, that seem important, or that seem—well, even irrelevant!
