Jesus Shares Our Humanity (preaching resource for Christmas 1: 12/29/24)
This exegesis of Luke chapter two provides context for the RCL Gospel reading on Christmas 1 (12/29/24). Insights are drawn from vaious sources, including Warren Wiersbe ("Bible Expository Commentary") and I. Howard Marshall ("New Bible Commentary"). "The Child Jesus in the Temple" by Jan Steen (public domain via Wikimedia Commons) Introduction In the second chapter of his Gospel, "beloved physician" Luke gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ early life as newborn baby, infant, and youth. Luke shows how Jesus, at each of these life stages, shared fully in our humanity. In doing so, he beat back our fallen nature and the temptations it brings. At every point, Jesus (in his vicarious humanity, and by the power of the Spirit) was re-creating our humanity. As God (divine) incarnate (sharing fully our humanity), Jesus not only is with us , but as one of us is radically for us . Joy to the world—the Lord is come! 1. Jesus, the newborn baby Luke shows how the