Why do Matthew and Luke have
DIFFERENT accounts of Jesus' birth?

Q. According to MATTHEW Jesus was born in a house in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:11). After his birth Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's plot to kill him (verse 13). After a period of time they decide to return to Bethlehem, but soon change their mind and travel to Nazareth instead to avoid danger (Matthew 2:22-23).

According to LUKE, however, Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth . They travel to Bethlehem because a census requires them to do so (Luke 2:4). While in Bethlehem Jesus is born, not in a house, but in a manger (verse 7). After Jesus' birth they wait for Mary to go through ritual purification, where afterwards they travel to Jerusalem to sacrifice two birds (verses 22-24). After the sacrifice they go immediately home to Nazareth (verse 39). Which record is correct?

(Submitted by: C. T. )

A. As always in the Bible, BOTH accounts are correct because they speak of two different time periods. The Luke account is the actual event of Christ's birth in the manger (Luke 2:1-39) .

The sequence is as follows: Mary completed nine months of pregnancy and gave birth to Jesus in a manger (Luke 2:6), because there was no room in the Inn (verse 7). The shepherds were told by an angel (no star or wise men) to go to the birth with Mary and Joseph present (verse 16).

The shepherds came and saw Christ's birth and left rejoicing. On the eighth day, Jesus was circumcised, and after forty days as the Law required (Leviticus 12:1-8), they left for Jerusalem to make an offering for the birth of Christ. After that, they returned to Galilee to their own city, Nazareth (Luke 2:39). This completes the actual birth of Christ. Wise men from the east (Magi) have yet to show up.

About a YEAR or so later, Mary and Joseph were back in Bethlehem to complete the census. Notice Matthew 2:1. Jesus was already born. The wise men were led by a star, and they came to King Herod the Great . Herod asked them what time did the star appear. It took the wise men or Magi , from the actual birth of Christ in Luke 2, OVER A YEAR before they reached Herod (A totally different time period from the birth of Jesus).

Continuing the account, Herod said to the Magi that after they see Jesus they were to let him know where he was located so that he (Herod) could worship Him (which was a lie, since Herod wanted Jesus dead). The star was still shining, and brought the wise men to Jesus, who at this time was A YOUNG CHILD and living in a house (Matthew 2:11). Also, note that Mary was only there with Jesus, no Joseph, as at the time of his birth in the manger (Luke 2).

After they saw the young child Jesus, they gave him presents and departed another way and did not tell Herod.

At this point Joseph was told by an angel to go to Egypt until Herod died. Herod got angry and killed all children under TWO years old (verse 16) because he knew Jesus was already a young child and not a baby!

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry;  and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from TWO YEARS OLD and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. " (Matthew 2:16, NKJV)

After Egypt, Joseph, Mary and Jesus went to Nazareth because Herod was dead. From there the life of Jesus resumes in Luke 2:40.

Matthew and Luke delineate two DIFFERENT events separated by a significant span of time. Luke writes of Jesus' birth in the manger and Matthew records the wise men (Magi) visiting and offering gifts to Jesus almost two years after his birth.