Jesus' Birth

Read Micah 5:2, Matthew 1:18-2:23, and Luke 1:1-2:21

(I'm putting this online Saturday morning. I'm not at home and therefore don't have ready access to the extra-biblical information that I wanted to make available to you. I'll try to get it online late this afternoon when I'm home. - Jeff)

  1. What was the name of the man who was Caesar when Jesus was born?


  2. Consult an encyclopedia or some online source and see if can find when this man ruled.


  3. Who is identified as "governor of Syria" at this time?


  4. Consult an encyclopedia or in some online source and see if can find when this man was governor of Syria.


  5. According to the scriptures, why did Joseph and Mary go to Jerusalem at this time?


  6. Is the extra-biblical historical information about the time of the governorship of Quirinius (also spelled Cyrenius) what you would expect given that Jesus seems to have been born at that time?


  7. Was John, son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, born before or after Jesus?


  8. Luke keeps track of the months of Elisabeth's pregnancy. (For example, note Luke 1:24-25.) What month of Elisabeth's pregnancy was it when Gabriel spoke to Mary?


  9. Had Mary conceived a child yet when Gabriel spoke to her?


  10. What does this tell us about the relative ages of John and Jesus?


  11. Did Elisabeth and Mary know one another? If so, on what basis?


  12. Which account tells of the Shepherds who saw Jesus after he was born, and where did they see him?


  13. Which account tells of the wise men who saw Jesus after he was born, and where did they see him?


  14. Explain how the wise men found Jesus, and what Herod instructed them to do after they found Jesus, and why.


  15. Explain why they did not follow those instructions.


  16. Did the wise men visit Jesus immediately after his birth? What clue do you find as to how much time may have passed between the birth of Jesus and Herod's realization that the wise men were not going to help him find Jesus?


  17. Why did Joseph take his family to Egypt?


  18. In the reading for this lesson, Jesus' family is mentioned as being in the following places from beginning at the time of Jesus' birth: Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Egypt, Nazareth.