Question

Contrast Matthew’s visit to the Magi with Luke’s visit of the shepherds. How are they told about the birth of Jesus? What does the status of the visitors say about Matthew and Luke’s priorities?

Answer 1

In Matthew's Nativity, the angelic Annunciation is made to Joseph while Luke's is to Mary. Matthew's offers wise men and a star and puts the baby Jesus in a house; Luke's prefers shepherds and a manger. Both place the birth in Bethlehem, but they disagree totally about how it came to be there. In Matthew's narrative, King Herod in Jerusalem hunts throughout the region for the infant Jesus to kill him. In Luke's narrative, the child is publicly proclaimed in the very heart of Jerusalem by Simeon and Anna. Luke portrays Jesus' family observantly going to Jerusalem, but in Matthew they avoid the city. Whereas Matthew tells us about Herod, the wise men, the massacre at Bethlehem, and the flight to Egypt, Luke tells us about a different set of events altogether—events which involve Caesar, the shepherds, Jesus' presentation at the Temple, and Jesus' childhood in Nazareth.

Step-by-step explanation:

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