Birth of Jesus

Think about that. A Harlot, a Canaanite and a liar. You wouldn’t think she would have much chance of making the list, but there she is.

Many people know King Herod as the villain of Christmas. What do we know about this tyrant from history?

For generations the promises were repeated—from father to son, from mother to daughter, from family to family, from the older to the younger, and Jewish children were taught to pray for the Messiah’s appearance. By the time you get to the first century, you have all these centuries of expectation built up.

The objection is vigorously urged that Herod was a rex socius — an allied king, and that all taxes in his dominion must, therefore, have been levied by himself.

As we read we grow familiar with Roman armies, with cohorts, legions, and bands; with captains, centurions, and soldiers. We meet with seven centurions.

The three great world forces when Jesus came were the Roman, the Greek, and the Hebrew.

Herods by the dozens sit in the pews of many churches today.

Several things may be gathered out of Luke 2:1-7 that reveal to us that it was the proper time for the Savior to come.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, certainly deserves our admiration for her faithful obedience to God. But should we pray to her as an intercessor?

To find examples of wise, godly reactions to disappointment, you’re more likely to turn to Psalms than to Matthew. But the very first chapter in the New Testament tells the story of an upright man’s reaction to painful and disheartening news.

What a scandal. . . A respected local carpenter is engaged to a young peasant woman when all of a sudden, she turns up pregnant!

Learn the birthday and birthplace of Jesus as we explore notable biblical and historical evidence along with scholarly speculation regarding the miraculous birth of Christ. Let’s explore whether Jesus was really born on Christmas Day in the little town of Bethlehem!

Did you know that for centuries Passover lambs were raised in Bethlehem? How fitting that Mary's Lamb, God's perfect Lamb, the Lord Jesus, would be born there!

God had prepared all of history from the beginning; he had set the stage for the entrance of his Son into the world at Bethlehem.

When we try to wrap our minds around this reality, one of the questions that arises is what was Jesus doing before he was born in Bethlehem? While the Bible does not provide an exhaustive answer, it does give us some indications.

We were on our way to a certain judgment, but God sent Jesus. Because of His death and His shed blood, we have now been reconciled with God.

The Shepherds of the Christmas story give us such a profound lesson.

Imagine the shepherds from the first Christmas night going home and trying to get some sleep after having a visitation from angels.

The birth of a king's son is generally made an occasion of public reveling and rejoicing. The announcement of the birth of the Prince of Peace was made privately.

In Matthew 2 there's an incident recorded which is entirely passed over by the other Evangelists, but which is peculiarly appropriate in this first Gospel.

Three men came from the East and bring some “fighting words” to King Herod.

The order of events following Christ's birth to the time He went to reside at Nazareth is much disputed. The chief point of controversy is respecting the time of the visit of the Magi.

The wise men who came from the East were men of great importance, VIPs.