Lesson 2. The birth of Jesus

• Religious education
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)
• BTEC, GCSE

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Les 2.

The birth of Jesus

Attention! This lesson contains attachments.

During this lesson, you can allow the students to continue working on their birth announcement.

This lesson is about Luke 2.

Solve the puzzles!

Solution: At Christmas, we celebrate the birth of a king.

Learning Objectives

• You can describe who the main figures are in the story of the birth of Jesus.
• You can explain what the message of the angel to Mary was.
• You can explain what it meant for a woman in that time to be unmarried and pregnant.
• You can describe Joseph's role in the story and explain why his decision to support Mary was important in the culture of that time.
• You can explain what the role of the shepherds is in the story and why they were the first to hear the news of Jesus' birth.
• You can describe what the angels say to the shepherds and why their message was important.

Nothing is as ordinary as being born. And nothing is as special either. Take the birth of Jesus, for example. His mother, Mary, was already expecting when she was still engaged to Joseph.

1

Joseph was very troubled by this: was this his child or someone else's? It just couldn't be his. He loved Mary, and Mary could rely on him.

2

The thought that all kinds of people would speak ill of her... He couldn't bear to think of it!

3

Mary meant everything to him. "You two are an unforgettable couple," the family often said. That's why he planned to quietly divorce her.

4

Then perhaps there wouldn't have been so much talk about Mary, and it would have hurt less. The child could then have been born somewhere in a remote corner of the city.

5

During the day, he kept worrying about it, and at night he slept poorly. In a dream, an angel told him: 'Joseph, this child is not what you think. 

6

This child is very special, this child is truly the plan of God Himself. It should not be born somewhere in a backstreet and remain unknown.

7

You have to take care of that. You must marry Mary.  Everyone should know. Make it a beautiful celebration.

8

And when the child is born, you must give it a name as a father. If they ask, 'What is its name?' you say, 'Jesus.' That means: 'God will save.'

9

After that dream, he had to think of a text that was also read in the synagogue. It was the words of the prophet Isaiah: "A young woman, she is pregnant, she will have a child, a son. He will be given a special name: Immanuel. That means: 'God with us.'

10

A young woman, Mary.

 God with us (Immanuel) 

God still hasn't had enough of the people, thought Joseph. 

He was now certain of it.

11

In the Time of Mary and Joseph, about 2000 years ago in ancient Israel, marriage and engagement (also known as "betrothal" or "bride price") were formal processes with several important steps. Marriage was more of a social and legal contract than a romantic bond as we often think of today. Engagement was a formal and serious commitment, which was often considered binding.

The Engagement Process in the Time of Mary and Joseph:

Engagement (Erusin): In the time of Mary and Joseph, engagement was an official contract between two families. This was often arranged by the parents of the groom and the bride. It was a legal and religious step, taken much more seriously than today. Once the engagement was concluded, the two individuals were considered legally as husband and wife, even though they did not yet live together. This was a binding contract, and breaking it would be considered a divorce.

Period of Engagement (Between Erusin and Nissuin): The engagement period between the contract (Erusin) and the actual marriage (Nissuin) usually lasted about a year. During this time, the girl stayed with her parents, and the marriage was often not physically consummated. Mary was probably a young woman, and Joseph was likely a man who had reached an age where he was considered responsible and serious in his community.

Marriage (Nissuin): After the engagement period, the actual marriage ceremony took place, and the couple began living together. The bride was transferred from her father's house to her husband's house. This was the moment when the marriage was fully recognized.

In summary, engagement at that time was a much more serious and formal process than it is today. Mary and Joseph were officially connected, and it was considered irreversible, even though they had not yet lived together. Therefore, the situation of Mary's pregnancy was an extraordinary event, both in their personal lives and within the religious context of their time.

1. Who are the main people in the text?

2. What was Joseph's plan before he had the dream?

3. What did the angel tell Joseph in his dream?

4. What does the name "Jesus" mean according to the angel?

5. How do you think the family of Joseph and Mary would react to the situation?

6. What can we learn from Joseph?

In the Time of Mary and Joseph, in the 1st Century in Ancient Israel, Society was Strongly Influenced by Religious Laws and Cultural Norms that Determined Rigid Behavior and Moral Standards, Especially in the Areas of Marriage and Sexuality. It Was a Patriarchal Society, Where the Honor and Respect of a Woman Were Closely Linked to Her Virginity and Behavior within Marriage.

Reactions to Women Who Were Pregnant Outside of Marriage: Shame and Scandal: Women who became pregnant outside of marriage would experience significant social shame. They would be considered "immoral" or "impure," which was a serious accusation at the time. The woman's family would often be embarrassed, and the woman herself might be excluded from social interactions. It was a serious violation of the norms, and the community would distance itself from the girl or woman in such a situation.

The Law of Moses and the Punishment: The law followed at that time was based on the Torah (Jewish law), which prescribed severe punishments for adultery and infidelity. For example, Deuteronomy 22:20-21 states that a woman who is "not found to be a virgin" on her wedding night must be stoned. Also, in Leviticus 20:10, adultery is punishable by death. Although the actual execution of these punishments did not always occur, the threat of such a punishment was present, and women who became pregnant outside of marriage could theoretically be severely punished.

Disownment or Divorce: In some cases, a woman who was pregnant outside of marriage could be disowned by her fiancé or husband. In the time of Mary, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph, her fiancé, considered "quietly divorcing" her, so that she would not be publicly accused or punished. This was a way of protecting the woman’s honor while the community could still forgive her shame. This points to the possibility of a "silent" divorce without public punishment, which Joseph, as a righteous man, would have chosen.

Stigmatization: Stigmatizing a woman who was pregnant outside of marriage often went beyond just social shame. Her survival in the community could be at risk, and she might face a life of poverty or social isolation. Women often had little social mobility without a husband or father to support them.

Specifically in the Case of Mary: In the case of Mary, according to the biblical story in the Gospel of Matthew, the situation would have been particularly difficult. Mary was pregnant, but she was not yet married to Joseph, and the pregnancy was caused by the Holy Spirit, as the Christian faith teaches. This, of course, was something Joseph initially struggled to understand, and he considered divorcing her. The Bible mentions that Joseph, being a righteous man, chose not to publicly accuse her of infidelity or have her punished, but to quietly send her away.

The reaction to Mary's pregnancy at that time in her community, unless Joseph had intervened, would likely have been very negative. She would have been considered a woman who committed adultery, with all the shame and possible punishment that entailed. However, according to Christian tradition, Mary’s pregnancy is not seen as an act of adultery because the faith teaches that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and that her pregnancy was a miracle.

In short, at that time, a woman who became pregnant outside of marriage would face severe social and religious consequences, and her life would be greatly influenced by stigma and possible punishment. Mary's situation was exceptional, both because of the divine intervention and because of the grace of Joseph, who, instead of condemning her, protected her.

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