ROBERT MUGABE

SCHOOL OF
EDUCATION AND
CULTURE

NAME: RUDO KUHUDZAI

REG NUMBER: M225197

COURSE CODE: TDSF 211

COURSE NARRATION:

LEVEL: 2:1

PROGRAM: BED SECONDARY (PRE-SERVICE)

QUESTION: Compare and contrast the infants’ narrative in the gospel of Mathew and Luke.

LECTURER: DR KAYELA

MARK:

COMMENT:

DUE DATE:

EMAIL: rudorue@gmail.com
Matthew and Luke were both evangelists. They both helped to spread the Gospel, the good news
of Jesus. Their telling of the Gospel is very similar, yet very different at the same time. They are
similar because they both tell the same story. Meanwhile they are different because the events
aside from the fact that Jesus was born are all very different. Specifically, the infancy narratives
differ in particular ways that may cause the audience to question which infancy narrative is more
correct. This essay will compare the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke and will show how
the infancy narrative of Luke previews the themes of Luke’s Gospel.

Infant narrative is the term applied to the accounts of the birth and early life of Jesus as given in
Matthew 1.1-2.23 and Luke 1.5-2.52. Written from the perspective of faith in the resurrected
Jesus, the infancy narratives communicate the message of salvation, the centerpiece of which is
not Jesus’ infancy itself, but his death and resurrection (Schamadeke, 2020).

The infancy narrative of Matthew occurs in the first two chapters of Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew
begins with “The Genealogy of Jesus”. Similarly, Luke’s Gospel contains Jesus’ Genealogy as
well. But, unlike Matthew, Luke includes the genealogy in the third chapter of Luke’s Gospel.
The Genealogy is perhaps more important to Matthew because it serves as evidence of who Jesus
is and why he would be significant (Benedict xvi, 2012). On the bible genealogy is evidenced by
Matthew 1 vs 17 says, “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen and from
David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations and from the carrying away
into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” The genealogy is specifically placed before
any of the miracle events. Luke put Jesus’ Genealogy in the third chapter after the infancy
narrative (Brown, 1993). For instance, Luke 3 vs 23-38 gave full information concerning the
Genealogy of Jesus. Regarding to the information given on this paragraph it is clear that, both
infants’ narratives of Matthew and Luke contains genealogy of Jesus though differs looking on
the citations.

Luke begins with the infancy of John the Baptist in contrast Matthew doesn’t include John the
Baptist’s infancy narrative at all. John the Baptist’s birth was a miracle as well as Jesus’ birth.
According to Olson (2012), the structure in Luke’s Gospel starts “chapters one and two with
parallel description of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus”. This could be a preview to
Jesus’s birth, which would explain why Luke would want to include John the Baptist’s birth.
Luke is emphasizing that Jesus’s birth was foreseen. John the Baptist is also the one to baptize
Jesus later in the Gospel. And this event of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist is told in
both Mathew and Luke.

The fact that, Jesus first saw the sun physically on this earth in Bethlehem is written in both
Mathew and Luke hence there is a similarity between these two gospels in their infant narratives.
This is evidenced by Mathew 1 vs 25 which reads, “And knew her not till she had brought forth
her firstborn son and called his name Jesus.” In Luke 2 vs 6, 7, “And so it was that, while they
were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her
firstborn son, and wrapped him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn
(Allison, 2005). Regarding to the verses given above it is clear that Matthew and Luke are same
in the fact that they showed the information about the beginning of infant age of Jesus in
Bethlehem. But, otherwise the two accounts differ somewhat in Matthew, Jesus is apparently
born in Joseph’s house (2 vs 11); in Luke he is born in a stable (Allison, 2005). Matthew informs
us about the visit of the shepherd or about the census that brought Joseph and Mary from
Nazareth to Bethlehem but in Luke the family returned to Nazareth (Luke 2 vs 39). According to
Hamilton (n. d), this conflicting evidence has led some to question the historical basis of Jesus’
birth in Bethlehem.

The structure of Matthew’s infancy narrative is best outlined in four sections. In their order these
sections are genealogy of Jesus in three groups of 14 generations reading Mathew 1 vs 1-17, the
annunciation to Joseph in an angelic dream message that Jesus was conceived through the Holy
Spirit reading 1 vs 18-25, the homage of the magi to the newborn king of the Jews reading
Matthew 2 vs 1-12 as well as the he escape from Herod the Great and resettlement in Nazareth
Matthew 2 vs 13-23. Also, included in Matthew’s narrative are five “fulfillment passages” which
establish that Jesus is rooted in Israel’s story (Keener, 1999). These are shown on Matthew
chapter 1 vs 22-23, Matthew chapter 2 vs 5-6, Matthew chapter 2 vs 15, Matthew chapter 2 vs
17-18 as well as Matthew chapter 2 vs 23. Nevertheless, Luke’s infancy narrative is structured in
terms of parallel presentations of the origins of Jesus and John the Baptizer. This comparison
actually represents what could be called a step parallelism since Jesus is always depicted as
superior to the Baptizer. Thus, John is hailed as Prophet of the Most High, while Jesus is
announced to be Son of the Most High. The narrative’s paired scenes are the announcements and
signs given about the births of John the Baptizer and Jesus, and matching scenes about their
births and naming. Also, looking on structure, infancy narrative proper is followed by a scene of
Jesus in the Temple at age twelve, by the scene of Jesus’ baptism by John, and then by a
genealogy (New Revised Standard Version Bible, 1989). Luke’s genealogy is different from
Matthew’s not only in terms of the individuals named but it also runs in the reverse direction
from Joseph all the way back to Adam.

In Matthew’s infancy narrative, Joseph is the primary character. Like his namesake in Genesis
chapter 37, he receives messages in dreams and must make decisions based on these messages.
Mathew is in contrast with Luke who indicated that, it is Mary who receives a divine message
and must choose. An angel tells Joseph in a dream that the pregnancy is through the agency of
the Holy Spirit. Joseph is instructed to name the child Jesus. Importantly, such a naming has
significance in law. It makes Joseph the legal father of Jesus, thus affirming the Davidic descent
so important in Matthew’s genealogy (New Revised Standard Version Bible, 1989).

The book of Luke disclosed the information about the relationship between Jesus and the
Baptizer. In a scene that links the announcements of the births to the births themselves, Mary
visits her kinswoman Elizabeth. She discovers that the sign given by Gabriel about Elizabeth’s
pregnancy is indeed correct. Luke is the only New Testament author who establishes a blood
relationship between Jesus and the Baptizer (Schmadeke, 2020). This statement indicates that,
neither Matthew nor any other gospels exhumed such information about the relationship between
the son of God and the Baptizer thus there is difference between Matthew and Luke’s narratives.
Elizabeth addresses Mary as the mother of my Lord reading Luke 1 vs 43 and blesses her as one
who believed what God told her as it is written on Luke 1 vs 45. This continues Luke’s
presentation of Mary as worthy of admiration, not so much because she was Jesus’ mother, but
because she models discipleship.

Another difference is seen on the way in which Matthew and Luke outlined the infant events.
Spelt out more fully, while Luke tells us about Caesar and the census, Matthew tells us about
Herod and the massacre of infants at Bethlehem. The information about the slaughtering of
Bethlehem’s children is presented on Matthew chapter 2 vs 16 (Paul, 2021). While Luke tells us
about the shepherds, Matthew tells us about the (star struck) wise men and their gifts and while
Luke has Jesus at the Temple and/or Nazareth, Mathew has Jesus’s family flee to Egypt. Luke
presents information about Jesus’s childhood in Nazareth.
Given the information above, it is clear that, Matthew and Luke are gospels which are similar
and in some cases difference looking on their infant narratives. For example, the structures of
both gospels differs, the events are presented in different ways and some events differs.
Notwithstanding, Matthew and Luke give same information about infant narrative especially
when we look on the beginning of Jesus’s infant ages.
REFERENCES:

Allison, D. C. (2005). Studies in Matthew: Interpretation past and present. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Academic.

Brown, R. E. (1993). The Birth of the Messiah: A commentary on the Infancy narratives in the
Gospel of Matthew and Luke. New York: Doubleday.

Hamilton, W. (n. d). The Modern Reader’s Guide to the Gospels. Chapter 1; The infancy
Narrative in Matthew. Religion Online.

Keener, G. S. (1999). A commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

New Revised Standard Version Bible (1989). Division of Christian Education of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All
rights reserved.

Olson, C. E. (2012). Further details about Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives. The
Catholic World Report.

Paul, I. (2021). Why do Matthew and Luke offer different birth narratives? Psephizo.

Pope Benedict xvi (2012). Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives. United States: Image
Books.

Schmadeke, P. (2020). The Infancy Narratives More than Baby Jesus. McGrath Institute for
Church Life.