Written by Benoît Santos - Updated on Oct 28, 2024
Do you have curious children? Do they ask you pertinent questions about the birth of Jesus? Do you have difficulty narrating the Bible stories?
We are also once faced with this problem and we decided to search the archives to give you some answers. But first remember that:
The birth of Jesus was prophesied by a biblical prophet of the Old Testament: "A virgin conceived and gave birth to a son, and named him 'Immanuel' which means 'God with us'. And it is only later that this prophecy will be fulfilled and the son of God will set foot on the lands of Israel.
Discover in this article:
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Accessible details about the birth of Jesus
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The best way to satisfy your children
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The childhood of Jesus
If you want to know more about the story of Jesus' birth, here are several articles that might interest you:
- Was Jesus born in Bethlehem?
- Who were the Three Wise Men?
- All about Archangel Gabriel the divine message
- The origin of Christmas
- Christmas Prayers
Without further ado, let's start reading the article.
Before the birth of Jesus
The Gospel of John only states that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us in the fullness of grace and truth. Only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke give a more detailed account. All these things were fulfilled before and after Jesus was born . The second chapter of Matthew records that King Herod the Great wanted to kill the baby Jesus, thus fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy.
The Gospel of Matthew describes another group of men, the chief priests and scribes, who, although they knew the law and were of such high rank that even the king consulted them when he had doubts, seem to have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus . They knew full well that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem , but the angel of God informed the shepherds who were watching outside the city rather than these learned men. The Gospel of Luke presents the birth of Jesus in a different light. Matthew's Gospel was written for the Jews, who wrote about Jesus' genealogy going back to Abraham.
The Gospel of Luke, written for the Gentiles, describes the genealogy of Jesus Christ as going back to Adam, the common ancestor of humanity. Luke's Gospel emphasizes that Jesus' birth was prepared for all nations. It describes more personal events such as the shepherds, Simeon, and the prophetess Annas rejoicing at the sight of the baby Jesus.
The mother of Jesus.
The angel cites the pregnancy at an advanced age of Mary's relative Elizabeth as an example of what God will accomplish, and nothing is impossible. As soon as the angel left, Mary went to visit Elizabeth, who she believed was probably the only one who could understand her feelings at that moment. This event is described in the four gospels only by Luke, a physician who was able to notice something as subtle as the movement of a fetus. Mary saw many wonderful and incomprehensible things in the life of Jesus , which she always kept in her heart and thought about over and over again.
The family that Mary founded with Joseph was not very wealthy, as evidenced by the fact that when they presented the baby Jesus , it was with a young pigeon of a banded turtledove, and not with a sheep or a cow. In the temple, the pious Laodicean spoke of Jesus' future and told Mary that his heart would be cut out by a knife.
The birth of Jesus
According to the Bible, the Christian holy book, God decided that his only Son, Jesus Christ, should be born on earth, find a mother, and then live on earth, so that people could know God better, learn to love him, and learn to love one another better. The word "Christmas" means "celebration of Christ" and celebrates the moment when a young Jewish woman, Maria, gave birth to Jesus . "She will give birth to a male child, and you shall name the child Jesus , for he will save people from their sins." So Mary had to give birth to Jesus in a manger .
To commemorate the birth of Jesus , the next generation celebrated Christmas on December 25 and held Mass every year to mark the birth of Jesus. Although the exact date of Jesus' birth is not known, approximately 2,000 years ago, the calendar divided time by supposed dates in BC and the year 2000. For the first three hundred years after Christ, Jesus' birthday was celebrated on different days. Finally, in 354 AD, church leaders designated December 25 as the birthdate of Jesus Christ .
The Gospel of Luke.
When Mary was about to give birth, she was forced to travel with her husband Joseph to their ancestral home in Bethlehem, 150 km south of Nazareth, because of a census ordered by the Roman Emperor Augustus.
Learn more about was Jesus born in Bethlehem
To learn more about the place of Christ's birth, we invite you to come and discover our blog article dealing only with this subject:
KNOW IF JESUS WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM OR NAZARETH >>
The easiest way to tell your child about the birth of Jesus
Matthew and Luke both report that Jesus was born in Bethlehem . "The Gospel of Luke also mentions that Mary gave birth to Jesus in a manger , because there was no room for them in the inn." The original Greek word "άμ" is traditionally translated as "inn", but the original Greek word is used on two other occasions to describe the Passover meal by Jesus and his disciples.
For today's children, accustomed to a continuous and often too intense flow of information, it is not easy to understand the authentic spirit of Christmas .
For many of them it is just an opportunity to receive gifts and special attention, but it would be good to find a way to tell, even to the smallest children, the stories of the Child Jesus , in a simple and understandable way. We could try to make a fairy tale out of it, because all children love fairy tales, even those of today.
Once upon a time there was a carpenter named Joseph, who had a young and beautiful wife named Mary. The king of their country ordered that all the families living in his territories be registered and that their names be written on large lists by his officials. At this time, Joseph and Mary had to go to the city of Bethlehem and set out there, although Mary was expecting a child . 👼🏻🙏
But when they arrived in Bethlehem on a cold December night, no one offered them hospitality. The hotels and inns were all full. So Joseph and Mary took refuge in a stable, where an old ox was sleeping. It was there that Mary gave birth to her baby Jesus , and to keep him warm, she put him in the straw, where Joseph's ox and donkey warmed him with their breath.
The announcement of the news by the angels.
But they could not know that while they were caring for the little one, in front of the stable there was an angel of the Lord who flew to heaven to announce to the people that a very special child had been born , the greatest of all kings. Many shepherds went to the stable with their flocks to see this miraculous child and worship him.
The visit of the three kings.
And not only that. The news of this birth spread throughout the kingdom . In the eastern sky a magic comet appeared, which also guided three wise men to the place where the baby Jesus was born. The Magi arrived a few days later bringing gifts of precious gold, fragrant incense and sweet-smelling myrrh, gifts worthy of a great King, and all celebrated together the little Jesus who came into the world to bring joy and salvation.
The birth of Jesus is a pivotal event for Christians, one of the most solemn mysteries for humanity. Every year at Christmas , this anniversary is celebrated. But what do we really know about the Nativity?
The birth of Jesus is traditionally placed in the winter of 1 BC in a small town south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, where David, the second king of Judah and Israel, was also born. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, his putative father, were on their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem for a census when Mary went into labor.
As they had arrived in town late in the evening and could not find a place in a hotel, the two men were forced to seek refuge from the cold in a stable or, according to other versions of the story, in a cave, where a placid ox and the donkey on which they were traveling had warmed the newborn with their breath. This is how the nativity has been represented for two thousand years: a cave, a man, a woman, a little child lying in a manger, with only an ox and a donkey to warm him on his first icy night in the world.
This is not the place to examine the depth of this image, the theological significance of each element of this painting, depicted countless times by more or less renowned artists, re-proposed every year, in every home, by the Nativity, which has become an integral part of the tradition of every Christian family. What we want to study here is how the story of the Nativity is told in the Gospels, and how it has come down to us, in the version we all know.
The Nativity in the Gospel according to Matthew.
Of the four so-called canonical gospels, those that have become part of the canon of the Bible as books considered "inspired" by God and accepted by the Christian churches, only two speak of the birth and childhood of Jesus : the Gospel according to Matthew and the Gospel according to Luke . The other two gospels, that of Mark and that of John, begin to tell the life of Jesus when he is already a man and has begun his public ministry.
In particular, the Gospel according to Matthew begins by listing the genealogy of Jesus. It then examines the conception of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, and then speaks of the appearance of an angel to Joseph, who, believing he had been betrayed by the young bride, intended to repudiate her. He was dissuaded by the heavenly messenger, who also informed him of the divine origin of the child.
When Mary gave birth to the child , Joseph took care of him and named him Jesus. Matthew also describes the journey of the Magi, who came to worship the child, guided by a bright star. The same angel who appeared to Joseph warns the Magi to beware of King Herod, who, fearing that his throne would be usurped by this king of the Jews announced by a star, has all the children of Bethlehem under two years old killed.
The Nativity in the Gospel according to Luke.
Luke, on the other hand, places Jesus' genealogy more prominently as he begins his public ministry. He begins his Gospel by recounting the episode of the Annunciation: the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that by the power of the Holy Spirit she will conceive a son, who will be called Jesus. To overcome the young girl's disbelief, the angel shows her how her relative Elizabeth, already old and barren, is pregnant by the will of God and will give birth to John the Baptist.
The Gospel of Luke is very important because it shows us Mary's conscious choice to become the mother of the Savior . God does not force her, but she accepts, declaring herself the servant of the Lord. Then she visits Elizabeth in Jerusalem.
Luke recounts the birth of John the Baptist, then the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Joseph, a descendant of King David, goes with his pregnant wife to carry out the census requested by Caesar Augustus. When she arrived in Bethlehem, Mary was in labor and gave birth to the baby Jesus .
Unlike the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Luke also emphasizes the adoration of the shepherds who, warned by an angel, go to see the newborn baby, lying in a manger, and bring him gifts .
The Nativity in the History of Art.
The Nativity of Jesus has always been an object of interest and inspiration for artists. In fact, it is an episode so rich in meaning and symbolism that it represents a real challenge for painters and sculptors of all ages. This is why the history of Western art offers countless examples of immortal masterpieces that represent the birth of Jesus .
Think of Giotto's Nativity, a brilliant example of medieval art, in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, with its bare, rocky landscape, the harmony given by the colours of the sky and the Virgin's mantle.
Or the Nativity by Piero della Francesca, of Flemish influence, where the color of Mary's dress emerges brilliantly against the dull colors of the landscape and the other characters.
Also of great value is Sandro Botticelli's Mystical Nativity, dated 1501, perhaps the artist's last masterpiece. Compared to the artist's previous works, this painting shows a helpless perspective, rigid, unnatural and disproportionate figures, violent colours and nervous lines. The painting reflects the deep religious and personal crisis of the artist, but also of his time and his city, Florence, and is crossed by a strong symbolic and visionary value. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio also represented the Nativity in his own way, offering admirable interpretations that were much discussed by his contemporaries.
Nativity scene of the birth of Jesus.
In addition to the wide range of nativity scenes of all shapes and materials, suitable for all homes and situations, Holyart offers many representations of the nativity of Jesus. These are representations in wood, stone, cotton, porcelain, representing only the Holy Family: Jesus, Joseph and Mary.
This allows to distinguish the Nativity from the Nativity which, on the contrary, usually presents many other characters of the tradition. In our online store you will find a handcrafted Christmas nativity scene in hand-painted resin and a second small-sized Christmas nativity scene that can be an ideal furnishing accessory for your home, not only at Christmas, but also throughout the year.
This Christmas story for children is an ideal resource to read with our children and explain the origins of Christmas. In Guiainfantil.com we have developed a children's story that tells the birth of the Child Jesus so that your children can know the Christian tradition in a much simpler and more understandable way for them. We suggest you read this Christmas story about the birth of the Child Jesus as a family so that they understand what happened that night of December 24 many years ago.
The Angel Gabriel: his appearance to Mary.
Many, many years ago, God sent the Archangel Gabriel to visit Mary , a sweet Jewish girl. Gabriel had a message for Mary: "You will have a child and his name will be Jesus. He will be called 'Son of the Most High and will reign forever'. How is this possible?" Mary asked, "if I have not been with a man." And the archangel told her that this child was the son of God .
When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph looked for a place to stay, but they arrived too late and the entire inn was full. Finally, a kind man lent them his stable for the night.
Joseph gathered straw and made a bed for his wife. What neither of them imagined before they moved to Bethlehem that day was that it was the moment of the birth of the Baby Jesus .
The story about the origin of Christmas story with the baby Jesus.
This is how the baby Jesus was born , in a stable, and his mother, the Virgin Mary, placed him on a manger, the place where food was put for the animals. At nightfall, a star was born in the sky that lit up more than the others and was placed above the place where the child was.
Far away in the East, three wise astrologers named Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar knew that this star meant that a new king was about to be born.
The three wise men , whom we call the Three Wise Men, followed the bright star to the manger in Bethlehem to visit Jesus . When they arrived, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar searched for the manger and gave the Child gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Shortly after His birth, King Herod, frightened by the news that the Son of God had been born, ordered all babies to be killed. Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt and returned some time later when Herod died. They settled in Nazareth, where Jesus spent His childhood .
Today, just as the Kings of the East brought gifts to Jesus, on the night of December 24, Santa Claus, and on the night of January 5, the Magi, bring gifts to all the houses to commemorate the birth of the Child .
Christmas story for children
Do you want to tell your child the story of the birth of the baby Jesus? A biblical story that we have adapted so that your children can understand it better, in their own language and explained in a story.
You can read with your child this Christmas story , which is none other than the most important Christmas story for Christians . Thus, he can learn what the Bible says about the birth of the baby Jesus . A story about the origin of Christmas.
One night many years ago, the archangel Gabriel visited young Mary to announce that she was carrying in her womb the son of God, a child she was to name Jesus. Mary was surprised and asked him how this had been possible, if she had not known a man. But the archangel told her that it was possible, for the one who would be born would be the son of God .
Mary was afraid that Joseph, her fiancé, would not believe her story and that is what happened, but the archangel returned to announce the good news to Joseph, that is how she believed that the miracle had been accomplished and decided to stay by his side forever. Some time later, on a cold night of December 24, Mary and Joseph were going to Bethlehem to register the birth of their future son , as ordered by Emperor Caesar Augustus. Joseph was walking and with him his wife, Mary, about to give birth to their son, was sitting on a donkey.
When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph looked for a place to stay, but they arrived too late and it was all over. Finally, a good man lent them his stable for the night. Joseph gathered straw and made a bed for his wife. And an ox and a mule that were in the stable helped, with their breath, to warm the couple and the child who had just been born: it was the baby Jesus, the son of God who would save men.
Presumed story about the birth of Jesus.
That same night, with a clear and cloudless sky, a star that shone brighter than the others stood above the place where the child was. Far away, in the East, three wise astrologers named Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar, knew that this star meant that a new king was about to be born .
The three wise men, whom we call the Three Wise Men, followed the bright star to the manger in Bethlehem to visit Jesus. Once they reached their destination, Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar arrived at the manger and presented their offerings to the Child God: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Today, just as the Kings of the East brought gifts to Jesus, on the night of December 24th , Santa Claus, and on the night of January 5th and 6th, the Magi, bring gifts to every home to commemorate the birth of the Child Jesus .
The childhood of Jesus.
Your child may ask you what happened to Jesus next. You can explain that Jesus died on the cross to save all men and rose again on the third day. However, before the story of the adult Jesus, there is a story that is rarely told.
- Did you know he had brothers and sisters? According to the Bible, Jesus had a happy childhood in his village with his parents Mary and Joseph and his brothers and sisters.
- Every year, Jesus makes a long journey to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
- Also, he committed misdeeds, like many other children. One day, his mother and father did not find him, so they searched everywhere without finding him. They went to the city and there they found him, he was in a Temple and was talking to adult men, everyone listened to him with enthusiasm, he was a very wise boy who spoke to them about God and the Scriptures.
Children, being curious by nature, will ask you more questions about the birth and life of Jesus . This information will be very useful to you.
Jesus is said to have been born in 4 BCE.
Little is known about his childhood, apart from a few facts from the New Testament, such as the Temple episode.
King Herod, suspecting that the Son of God had been born , decided to kill all the babies born. Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt so that he would not be found. When King Herod died, Mary and Joseph returned to Israel, but they did not go to live in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born , but in a small village in Galilee called Nazareth.
As a young man, he began to travel through the neighboring villages carrying the word of God and began to have many disciples who loved to listen to him. In some of them, he performed miracles, such as turning water into wine or restoring sight to a blind man. Jesus had many disciples who listened to his word and 12 apostles who followed him wherever he went. They all knew him as the Son of God .
Although Christmas is currently a time of gifts, celebrations and family gatherings, the truth is that its origin actually responds to other historical factors involving the powerful Roman Empire, pagan rites and has little to do with the historical fact that they commemorate: the birth of the baby Jesus .
The Pagan Origin of Christmas
Although we normally associate the origin of Christmas with Christian myths and Catholicism, since it represents the birth of the baby Jesus ; in reality, this is a mistake, at least as we have accepted Christmas today.
It is precisely because of this doubt between pagan Christmas and Christian Christmas that there was a case in 1990 where the Solon school board decided to eliminate any representation of Christmas in any school setting, because it was a practice against the secular state of the city, that is, it did not respect the separation between Church and State.
The commission also lost the case because families objected to their children not being able to celebrate Christmas at school, arguing that the practice of Christmas was a secular act and part of every culture around the world.
The origin of Christmas is not Christian at all. As you read at the beginning of this article, the origin of Christmas is pagan . The first time we can hear about Christmas being celebrated on December 25 , it appeared almost two centuries after the birth of Christ . Thus, even after the birth of the baby Jesus , Christmas was still celebrated around the figure of Saturn that the Romans implanted.
The Romans celebrated the Roman Saturnalia which was nothing more than a festival representing the winter solstice and honoring the god Saturn. During this festival, the Romans were in turmoil and, for this reason, the few Christians who existed at that time, were opposed to these uncontrolled celebrations. It is thus said that Christmas came to replace the celebration of Saturn, king of the Sun, which in English is "sun", so it was taken as the birth of the Son of God , which in English is "son". All these gods were Nimrod, considered the father of the Babylonian gods.
Christmas gifts
The origin of this Christmas custom dates back to the Romans who, in the Saturnalia , also exchanged gifts among themselves. And as you guessed, no, it is not a tradition linked to Christianity either. Obviously, during this time we do not make offerings to God, but we make them to ourselves in the form of gifts, completely forgetting the figure of Christ. In fact, according to the Bible, birthdays should not be celebrated either, because they are, in the same way, selfish with God who gave birth to the human being .
As the Bible indicates, the time when the Magi offer gifts to the baby Jesus is what Christmas should truly be: a time to make offerings to Christ. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the King of the Jews born?” They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. They fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Christmas: why December 25?
The most consistent explanation of historians is that the origin of Christmas is linked to a series of decisions taken by the high command of the Christian Church in the third and fourth centuries. Among them, the most decisive is considered to be the motion of Pope Julius I in 350 to establish the feast of Christmas on December 25. The latter was decreed 4 years later by Pope Liberius.
The reason for choosing this date is linked to the need for the recently created official Christian religion to impose itself on the traditional Roman pagan cults. In December, in the large area occupied by the Roman Empire, the cult of Saturn, the god of agriculture, is celebrated. Saturnalia takes place from December 17 to 23, the shortest days of the year, then December 25 is considered the birth of the new sun . 🌞
The Christian church then chose December 25 as the birthday of Jesus as a strategy in its process of expansion, in which it systematically sought to absorb and merge its celebrations with the pagan rites of the various converted peoples.
The Christmas ritual has evolved over the centuries, what we celebrate today is very far from those first Christmases, and mainly responds to the original customs of the 19th century and the influence of consumer society.
The birth of Jesus Christ: a universal celebration day 🙏
Let's just remember that the name "Christmas" is an abbreviation of "Christ is the Messiah", which is the name of Jesus. Every year, on December 25, Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus and call it "Christmas" . Christmas is a religious holiday that we celebrate as the birth of Jesus , hence the name Nativity.
On this day, all Christian churches around the world hold special services. The exchange of gifts and the sending of Christmas cards make Christmas a day of universal celebration .
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Now you have all the knowledge about the birth of Christ. Now you can share your knowledge with your family and close friends who would like to know more about the birth of the Lord .
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