The Birth of Jesus
Luke fixes the birth to a census under Quirinius and a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral town. There is no room in the guest quarters, and the child is laid in a feeding trough — the one detail the angel gives the shepherds as the sign by which they will know him.
The shepherds matter to Luke's telling. Herding was low-status work, and they are the first to be told; they leave the flocks, find the family, repeat what they were told, and go back glorifying God, while Mary treasures it all and turns it over in her mind.
Matthew tells it from Joseph's side — the decision not to expose Mary publicly, the dream, and the name Emmanuel, God with us. The traditional date of 25 December is a later Church convention, and the year is generally reckoned a few years before the calendar that was named after it.
Where in scripture
[2] But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times. [3] Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel. [4] He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth. [5] He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men.
Micah 5:2–5
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. [19] Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly. [20] But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take to yourself Mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. [21] She shall give birth to a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.” [22] Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, …
Matthew 1:18–25 — opening verses
[1] Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. [2] This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. [3] All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city. [4] Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David; [5] to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant. [6] While they were there, the day had come for her to give birth. [7] She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn. …
Luke 2:1–20 — opening verses
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
