Sunday School Lesson—The Savior is born

Sunday School Lesson

20 Dec 2015

The Savior is born.


A1 Text

B1 Luke 1:26-45

B2 Luke 2:1-7

A2 Outline

B1 Luke 1:26-45

C1 Jesus's birth foretold Luke 1:26-38

D1 The angel comes Luke 1:26-28

D2 The angel's message Luke 1:29-33

D3 Mary's question Luke 1:34

D4 Angel's answer Luke 1:35-37

D5 Mary's response Luke 1:38

C2 Mary visits Elizabeth Luke 1:39-45

B2 Luke 2:1-7 Jesus's birth

C1 Background of Jesus's birth Luke 2:1-3

C2 Journey to Bethlehem Luke 2:4-6

C3 Jesus born Luke 2:7

A3 Questions

B1 Luke 1:26--what does sixth month refer to? (Elizabeth's pregnancy).

B2 Luke 1:26--who is Gabriel?

C1 Archangel Daniel 8:16, Daniel 9:21, Luke 1:19

C2 Stands in God's presence. This might indicate greater authority. Two groups of angels are seen in God's presence at His throne.

D1 Seraphim Isaiah 6

D2 Cherubim Ezekiel 1 and 10

B3 Luke 1:27--Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Why was Joseph important?

C1 Descendant of King David.

C2 Promises made to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 1 Kings 8:25, Psalms 132:11, Luke 1:69

B4 Why Nazareth (Natsrat)?

C1 Home of Mary and Joseph. The existence of the town was in question for a number of years but archeology has shown its existence in the first century and earlier. See here and here.

C2 Prophesied. Read Isaiah 9:1.

C3 Why did God choose this city? It is not written.

B5 Was Mary really a virgin? Yes, because it is most reasonable. She would know. Her character was blameless. Others testify it so. Joe believed it. The angel told Joe that it was so. It is a fulfilled prophecy. Isaiah 7:14. Many translations use the term "young woman" in Isaiah 7:14, which would imply she may or may not be a virgin, but it does not have to be translated young woman. When the Septuagint was translated approximately 200 years before the Lord Jesus was born used the Greek word strictly for virgin--parthenos. See here and here.

B6 Does the angel's greeting in Luke 1:28 seem strange? Mary was troubled by his words (Luke 1:29). The Greek word for troubled is διαταράσσω which means acutely distressed, greatly disturbed. We might feel that way if we receive a letter with the return address of the IRS.

B7 In Luke 1:30 what might have Gabriel picked up on that this news started or distressed Mary. (body language and facial expression).

B8 Why did God pick Mary for this blessing in serving God?

B9 How many times is the future tense used in Luke 1:31-33? (Seven. They are "will conceive, will bear, will call, will be great, will be called, will give, and will reign").

B10 What is the significance of the name Jesus? It means "Yahweh saves", "Yahweh is salvation." Joshua of Old Testament fame has the same name (Joshua 1:1).

B11 What is the significance of the word "forever" in Luke 1:33?

B12 Is Jesus still "King of the Jews? Hebrews 2:8, 1 Peter 3:22

B13 Is Mary disputing with Gabriel in Luke 1:34? Compare Luke 1:18-20. Wilbur Pickering in his translation noted writes

Zacharias expressed doubt, but Mary simply requests some necessary information. She has understood that God wants her to be the Messiah's mother—she was doubtless highly intelligent and perceptive.

B14 Anything special about Jesus being called holy?

C1 The Greek word holy is ἅγιος. This means

hágios – properly, different (unlike), other ("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."

The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century was hagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios ("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord."

[40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different (distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]

HELPS Word-studies copyright C1987-2011 by HELPS Ministries. HelpsBible

C2 It has the means of sinless, separated from something (in this case separated from evil), and devoted to god (in this case YHWH).

B15 Is anything impossible with God (Luke 1:37)? Can God lie?

C1 Luke 1:37 in Greek is οτι ουκ αδυνατησει παρα τω θεω παν ρημα (Luke 1:37, Byz). "For not will be impossible with the God any word."

C2 So anything that God says will happen, will happen.

C3 I translate this as "Because with God every spoken word will not be impossible."

B16 What attitude does Mary have that we are must have? Luke 1:38

B17 How would you/I deal with something that seems impossible?

B18 What are somethings that we need God's help to do?

B19 How does the Holy Spirit help us? (He gives wisdom, He is sovereign, He comforts, etc.).

B20 Can we answer like Mary when we read something in the New Testament that God requires of us?

B21 Many calculate the journey from Jerusalem to Nazareth to be 5 days journey by walking.

B22 Does the activity of the baby in Elizabeth's womb have any bearing on abortion? Luke 1:41

B23 In Luke 1:42 Elizabeth calls Mary blessed. The Roman Catholics have at least for 1600 years called Mary, the Mother of God. Is this correct? Why or why not?

C1 Jesus is God. Mary gave birth to Jesus, so Mary is the Mother of God.

C2 Problem. Jesus has always existed. Psalms 90:2, 1 Timothy 6:15-16, Philippians 2:6-7, John 1:1

C3 Problem. Jesus is always superior to any human. (Mother would imply, at least for a while, to be superior).

C4 For further information see here, here,

B24 Most critics claim that the tax and census of Quirinius was in 6 AD, which would be too late for Jesus's birth. How to we reconcile this?

C1 Long after the conversion and death of Rahab, she was still referred to as the harlot. Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25

C2 At the time of Luke's writing, Quirinius was a common name. After Quirinius was governor, he would have been identified as governor to distinguish him from other Quirinius's.

B25 What is better God's plans or ours? What happens when our plans cannot, for whatever reason, happen? Do we somehow try to force it to happen or accept it for a better plan that God may work out later? Give some examples is your life?

B26 How do you/I react to changes in plans, delays in plans, plans that do not work out?

B27 Who is the giver of wisdom? God see James 1:5

B28 Who is the helper? John 14:26

B29 What is our duty to be when plans do not happen that way we wanted them to?