Often when story accounts in the gospels don’t match, people will naïvely either discount the story altogether or use that instance to say the Bible doesn’t tell a congruent story. But what if we peeled back the layer of text to see those differences can actually bring Scripture into deeper harmony?
Since ‘tis the season, let’s use the story of Jesus’s birth as our example. The accounts in Matthew and Luke are not 100% the same. We’ve combined all the elements of the narrative accounts to tell the full Christmas story, so some people might not even realize there are certain omissions and insertions in each account. But their differences may be more intentional than you realize. Let’s look at a few pieces of the big picture to see what both narratives cover and what Matthew/Luke cover separately.
What both narratives cover:
- Mary was a virgin who the Holy Spirit fell upon to conceive Jesus (Matt. 1:18-20; Luke 1:34-35).
- Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father, was descendent from King David (Matt. 1:7,16; Luke 2:4).
- The child was to be named Jesus (Matt. 1:21; Luke 1:31).
- His birth had been prophesied in the Scriptures (Matt. 1:23 quotes Isa. 7:14; Luke 1:32 alludes to 2 Sam. 7, known as the Davidic Covenant).
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1, Luke 2:4).
What only one narrative covers:
- Mary was visited by an angel of the Lord to tell her God’s plan (Luke 1:28-38).
- Joseph was visited by an angel of the Lord to reassure him of God’s plan (Matt. 1:20-25).
- The shepherds were told by the angel to see the Messiah who had been born and lay in a manger (Luke 2:11-12).
- The magi (or wise men) traveled hundreds of miles to see “the King of the Jews” (Matt 2:1-12).
Next, we ask the age-old question: why? Why are some details separated like this, and some are not? It’s okay to question Scripture like this because God is so good to appeal to our curiosity. And in this case, the answer to this question helps us dive deeper into the Word!
What we first have to understand is that each of the four gospel accounts were written by particular people for particular purposes. Mark was focused on Jesus’s earthly ministry, teachings, and miracles. So, the birth narrative isn’t found in this account. John’s themes are centered on the essence of Jesus as God’s divine Son incarnate. His reference to Jesus’s birth was less on the historical context and more on the mind-boggling fact that Creator God would reveal Himself to creation in such an astounding way like taking on flesh.
Which brings us to the two that contain the birth narratives. Matthew was an eyewitness as a disciple, and he wrote for Greek-speaking Jews who would have been familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Luke himself was a Gentile who was close to Paul, and he wrote to Theophilus (meaning “loved by God”) to reassure this sort of universal reader that Jesus is really qualified to be the Messiah.
Context is king here. And while I’d love to walk us through every piece of context in both narratives, I know I only have so much of your attention. So, let’s look one specific differentiation in Matthew and Luke that would satisfy these purposes:
In Matthew 1:21, the angel told Joseph that Jesus would “save his people from their sins.“ But in Luke 1:32, there is no mention of sin. The angel told Mary that Jesus would be called “the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.“
Thread this together with me. If Matthew’s readers were more familiar with the Jewish Scriptures, they would recognize the allusion to Ezekiel 36:29 and 37:23. Those are the only places in the Old Testament that the Hebrew word yasha (to save, deliver, or rescue) is used in relation to sin. Short-term, God was referencing restoring His people from exile. But long-term, His people would be restored from the original exile of the fall through the Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
In Luke, if he was aiming to really boost Jesus’s resume, he would of course connect him to King David. In the Davidic Covenant, dynastic language is used. While awaiting the coming Messiah, the people expected Jesus to “revive” David’s dynasty. However, Luke makes it clear that Jesus is above human royal succession because His dynasty has always been and always will be. David passed away and left his kingdom, but Jesus came so that we might dwell with God in His kingdom forever. And how do we receive that kingdom? **Whispers**go back and look at the Matthew paragraph where it says He saves us from our sins. DO. YOU. SEE. THE THREAD? Just because the angel didn’t mention salvation from sin to Mary in the Luke account doesn’t mean Luke isn’t communicating Jesus as the Savior.
And just because there are certain omissions and insertions in the rest of the two accounts doesn’t mean Matthew and Luke aren’t telling the same story.
Dissecting the context of the narrative accounts like this in Scripture serves two purposes:
- We understand better the uniqueness of God’s appeal to humanity. Scripture exists in certain contexts, and the gospel story is such that it was meant to be on the move. Jews and Gentiles, Settled and Dispersed, Seeking and Skeptical, Ancient and Modern. The wonder of Scripture, and in this case the story of how God became flesh, appeals to one and all contexts. People grasp scriptural concepts differently, and God understood that when he inspired His writers.
- That uniqueness of Scripture has been bound together for a unified purpose. Scripture is God’s revelation of Himself and His redemptive plan for creation. Every prophet, every narrative, every genealogy, every letter, and every sermon from Genesis to Revelation is meant to give us glimpses into that glory.
When you’re reading the Christmas story this season, read Matthew and Luke together. Read them separately. Focus on a different part of the story every time you turn the pages. Thread those pieces together. Finally, bask in the knowledge that every word of this story shows that this Baby was born for you. He was born for me. He was born to save.
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For more resources on the story of Jesus’s birth or the incarnation as a doctrine, check out these resources from B&H Academic:
Two more resources that aided in writing this article are new and upcoming releases from B&H Publishing:
About Dakota Rice
Dakota Rice is a marketing strategist for B&H Academic. With her educational background in both theology and communication, Dakota’s passion is to foster in others the desire to know God more intimately through his Word. She has taught small group Bible study for over a decade and serves alongside her pastor husband, Jason, at Crossroad Baptist Church in Alabama.
