re 2.2

• Despite these differences, the message of both accounts is the same: Mary was a virgin, God worked through human beings to enable his plan for humanity to comoabout, Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, An angel announced Jesus' birth
• Comparing Matthew and Luke's Accounts

  • Luke's Account
  • Matthew's Account
• Luke's Account


  • Focuses on Mary's role in the incarnation
  • Tells the story of when the angel Gabriel visited Mary
  • The angel Gabriel came to announce God's plan of sending his Son into the world
  • The message was given to a young virgin
  • Mary has found favour with God
  • Gabriel's message is not just for Mary; it is a message for all Jewish people
  • The name chosen for the child is Jesus, which in Hebrew means "saviour"
  • Jesus is Son of the Most High', which is another way of referring to God
  • Mary's question: "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" is not a rejection of God's wishes but a request for more information
  • The response, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" means that Jesus is a unique gift from God
  • The power of God, his free gift or grace to the people, works through Mary to bring the Son of God into the world
  • God's wishes couldn't come about without both human involvement and human consent
  • Mary had the choice to accept the role of mother of Jesus or reject it
  • Mary's words, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word," show her willing but humble acceptance of the role God wants her to play
• Matthew's Account


  • Focuses on Joseph's role in the Incarnation
  • Tells the story of how Joseph was someone who is willing to obey God's plan, no matter what costs
  • When he first hears about Mary's pregnancy he wishes to make the situation easier for her by not exposing her publicly
  • Then he is informed by God's messenger that the child is of God and the child will be 'God with us'
  • For Jews it is the father's privilege to choose the name for his son, but here God has chosen the name: Jesus-"God saves"
  • Jesus is shown to be the Son of God, who is God present with his people as the one who saves
  • Jesus is also the fulfilment of the promises God made to his people through the prophets
  • The virgin birth stresses that while Jesus was fully human, getting his humanity from Mary, he was also fully God, 'conceived by the Holy Spirit'
  • Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy, a list of fathers and sons from Abraham to Joseph
  • When the list reaches Joseph the wording changes-it moves from "Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph" to "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born." This is the first indication that Jesus was not simply of human parentage
• Despite these differences, the message of both accounts is the same:
• Common messages in both accounts

  • Mary was a virgin
  • God worked through human beings to enable his plan for humanity to come about
  • Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
  • An angel announced Jesus' birth
• "You will concieve in your womb and bear a son and you will name him jesus"-luke
• "he will be great and be called the son of the most high"-luke
• "do not be afraid to take mary as your wife, for the child concieved in hee is from the holy spirit"-matthew
• "you are to name him jesus"
• "they shall name him emmanuel which means god is with us"-matthew