God's Gift: Unifying Christians Through Jesus Christ - Paper Sample

Introduction

The gospel of Christ is intended to bring Christians together in a way that they can identify themselves through the Messiah's life. "Christ is for everyone." The Authors of Mathew and Luke's gospel gave their accounts of the Birth of Jesus, and it is evident through their writings, that although they are talking of Jesus, their stories are different. In both reports, the depiction of characters and events is quite different, Mathew has Wiseman, the star, King Herod, and the killing of babies in Bethlehem. In contrast, Luke has a census, stable, angels, and shepherd. It is evident that the authors’ use of characters answers questions on 'who is Jesus? To whom did he come for?" biblical scholars have made observations that are not only The Nativity narrative in both accounts different but also the whole gospels.

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The contrasting events and characterization in the two books significantly bridge the Old and New Testaments as both events. However, different aims at portraying the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies concerning the expected Christ. In Mathew, Jesus is a King of the Jews, whereas, in Luke, Jesus came for the Jews and the Gentiles. These remarkable difference between the two gospels reflects the fact that the same essential events can be styled in vastly diverse ways, and an author selects and amplifies his materials when depicting a well-known event.

The Differences in the Two Gospels

Mathew’s writer starts the account with the genealogy of Jesus. He traces his ancestry from Abraham back to Joseph, whereas, in Luke's gospel, the genealogy appears later when Jesus is 30 years old, and the writer outlines the bloodline of Jesus from Joseph to Adam (King James Bible, 2017). In both accounts, Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus.

The annunciation of the birth of Christ portrayed by the author of Luke accounts for Angel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary in Nazareth and telling her she will conceive a son whom she will name Jesus (King James Bible, 2017). Whereas Mathew’s gospel does not talk of the annunciation of the birth, and neither does it mention Mary's visitation by the angel. It states that the birth of Jesus took place after Mary had been engaged to Joseph and was found pregnant by the spirit before they came together (King James Bible, 2017). Joseph wanted to divorce her, but then an angel of God appeared to him and gave him instructions to name the child "Jesus." In both accounts, the angel of God gave instructions concerning the name to be given to the child.

The birth of Jesus happened in Bethlehem in King Herod's days as per the gospel of Mathew. From the East arrived, the wise men asked, "Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?" (Mathew 2:2) (King James Bible, 2017). The writer tells of how the words of the wise men bothered King Herod and made his plot to kill the child, Jesus. As his ploy to trick the wise men into confirming the whereabouts of the born king of the Jews failed, he became furious and ordered the killing of male children who were two years or under (King James Bible, 2017).

In contrast to these accounts, Luke's gospel does not make an account of the wise men or the killing of the male children. However, it talks of the census that had Mary and Joseph leave Nazareth and go to Bethlehem as Joseph is of David's house. It is in Bethlehem where Jesus was born in a manger and was visited by the shepherd. “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see the thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us” (Luke 2:15) (King James Bible, 2017). These two accounts, however, illustrate that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

In Mathew's gospel, Joseph, an angel, appeared during his sleep and urged him to escape to Egypt, for Herod wanted to destroy the child. Joseph fled with his wife Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt and stayed there until Herod's death (King James Bible, 2017). In a dream, Joseph is advised to settle in Nazareth rather than Judea, where Herod's son rules. This flight, Mathew tells us, was prophesied in Hosea (King James Bible, 2017). The gospel of Luke does not give an account of the parents and child's flight to Egypt. However, it speaks of the circumcision of Jesus, which occurs on the 8th day after the birth of Jesus, and also the naming of the child to Jesus per Angel Gabriel's instructions (King James Bible, 2017). These events are not accounted for in the gospel of Mathew. The writers in both accounts reveal how Jesus' name came to be and also how he came to be a Nazarite, though the events and characters are differently presented.

In my view, the differences in the account of the birth of Jesus in Mathew and Luke elaborate on the audience the gospel writers intended to reach out to. For instance, Mathew's gospels have put so much effort into accounting prophecies and the dreams surrounding Christ's birth. In two chapters, five visions and five prophesies are fulfilled in such a way that it seems that the birth of Jesus was predetermined. This gospel shows Jesus to be the expected Messiah, who is the King of Jews. Therefore, much of Mathew's gospel is a fulfillment of prophecies, and the men dominated throughout history, as shown in the genealogy of Jesus.

In contrast, Luke's gospel depicts a structure controlled by the birth of John and Jesus and the varied responses of those around them during these births. It gives an account of events and the reaction of characters, unlike the gospel of Mathew, Luke's report does not exclude the female gender as the writer mentions Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary. Luke generally portrays the birth of the Messiah, who will be Christ for the poor and the wealthy individual; he depicts Christ as a messiah for both the Jews and Gentiles (King James Bible, 2017).

Historically Accurate Narrative

The writer of Luke’s gospel gives a detailed account of how events happening are connected. The author begins his intentions by writing a logical description so that Theophilus could be able to comprehend the events that had been achieved during the life and works of Christ (The Incredibly Accurate Dr. Luke, n.d.). He gives an incredible amount of historical information in his works and records events using the Roman Emperor's reigns. The writer fixed the birth of Jesus in the power of Emperor Augustus when Herod was the great king of Judea, and Quirinius was the governor of Syria (The Incredibly Accurate Dr. Luke, n.d.). His accuracy and understanding of the correct titles of prominent individuals he mentions also prove his works' accuracy. For instance, he is right to address Herod as a tetrarch since he was not endorsed to imperial prominence.

The description of how the census was conducted also proves the accuracy of Luke's gospel. The writer describes that the census was achieved by having every person enrolled at their place of origin. According to the edict prefect of Egypt, the census proved accurate, which states that it notifies individuals to return to their domestic hearths for the enrolment by the household to be held (The Incredibly Accurate Dr. Luke, n.d.).

Although biblical scholars have longed to explain the differences between Mathew's and Luke's gospel, focusing on the historical and cultural background. Luke's account gives accurate information about historical events, statements of leaders, and chronological events.

Conclusion

The accounts of the birth of Jesus in Mathew and Luke's gospel though different serve a significant purpose of depicting the holiness of the Messiah. They all show how the Greeks' historical prophecies were fulfilled through the events and characterization in their accounts. The two gospels do not complement each other, but they serve the intended purpose.

References

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.Kingjamesbibleonline.org

The Incredibly Accurate Dr. Luke. (n.d.). Ichthus. https://www.ichthus.info/luke/intro.html