The text for this lesson is Luke 2:1–20
Key Point
- A Savior is born to you! He is Christ the Lord.
- Law: Because of sin, I am afraid and helpless before God and deserve to die.
- Gospel: God sent His Son, Jesus, to save me from sin and death, and He makes me His own dear child through faith in Him.
Discussion Points
- At Christmas, you often see the phrase “Jesus is the reason for the season” on church signs and billboards. Read Luke 2:10–11. Who does the angel say is the reason for the season? Read John 1:1–4. How do we know that Jesus does not need a season for His own sake?
- In his Gospel, Luke eloquently and accurately portrays Jesus as a real man born within an actual historical context. How do we know that Luke was careful to keep his facts straight? Read Luke 1:1–4. What statements in Luke 2:1–2 provide the historical setting for this factual account? Why do you think Luke sets Jesus’ birth on the stage of well-known world history?
- King David was a shepherd from Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1, 11). The Bible tells us that the promised Messiah (also known as the Christ or Anointed One) would come from David’s household (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Why was it necessary that Jesus be born in Bethlehem? See Micah 5:2–5a. What group mentioned in Luke 2:8–20 are such fitting candidates to receive the Good News about the Messiah?
- Luke 2:11 says that the child who is born in Bethlehem is “Christ the Lord.” The Bible also tells us that the Messiah (the Christ) would be a successor to King David and would be very great. What did people commonly expect the Messiah to be like? See Luke 23:35, 39; Matthew 16:15–23; Acts 1:6. Where could they have looked for a correct understanding of what the Messiah would be like? See Isaiah 52:13–53:12.
- The angel in Luke 2:11 announced that a Savior had been born. Many Jews thought that the Messiah would be a secular savior who would defeat their enemies. What kind of savior are people looking for today? What kind of Savior is Jesus? See Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:77.
- Don’t the nativity scenes make you wish you were there? Don’t the Christmas carols paint such a lovely picture of the night when Jesus was born? Think how beautiful the angels’ song was! It would have been a glorious experience. But we have things even better than the shepherds. How?
