Jesus’ Birth

Church of the Nativity

Cave Four at Qumran

Jesus as Born in Bethlehem Micah 5:2: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel."

Jesus as Born in Bethlehem Matthew 2:4-6 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” (Micah 5:2)

Jesus as Born in Bethlehem Targum Jonathan interprets this text as predicting the birth of the Davidic Messiah in Bethlehem: "And you Bethlehem-Ephrathah who are too little to be counted among the thousands of the house of Judah, from you in my name shall come forth the anointed one [Messiah] who is to be ruler in Israel and whose name has been called from eternity, from the days of old." Surprisingly, Micah 5:2 is not interpreted messianically in extant second-Temple Jewish texts, which may be simply an accident of history.

Jesus from the Line of David In both Matthew and Luke there is a stress on the Davidic descent of Jesus through Joseph (Matt 1:20; Luke 1:27; see Luke 2:4). Jesus' Davidic descent qualifies him in part to be the eschatological king from David's line. Jesus' Davidic Descent in Matthew and Luke

Isa 11: 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh — 3 and he will delight in the fear of Yahweh….10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Eschatological Davidic King (Messiah) in the Old Testament Jesus from the Line of David

4QpIsa (Isaiah Pesher) (4Q161 frgs. 8-10) gives the following interpretation of Isa 11:1-5: "[The interpretation of] the word concerning the shoot of David which will sprout [in the final days, since] with the breath of his lips he will execute his enemies and God will support him with the spirit of courage [...] throne of glory, [holy] crown and hemmed vestments [...] in his hand. He will rule over the people of Magog [see Ezek 38-39] [...] his sword will judge the peoples. And as for what he says, ‘He will not [judge by appearances] or give verdicts on hearsay,' its interpretation: [...] according to what they teach him, he will judge, and upon his mouth [...] with him will go out one of the priests of renown, holding clothes in his hand" (11- 24). Isaiah Pesher Jesus from the Line of David

Jesus as Born of a Virgin Luke 1:35 "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, so the holy one to be born will be called the son of God.“ Matt 1:20 "For what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

Matthew 1:21: "She [Mary] will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus as One Who Will Save his People from their Sins