August 18, 2011 – Luke 2:21 - 2:52

The timeline of Christ birth to His being lost in the Temple is something that is always talk about as a gaping hole in the accuracy of the Bible. So I thought I would share my thoughts on it and what I think makes sense. First, lay out the events that occur. Jesus is born, Shepherds are told, Jesus’ Presentation, Wise Men come, Herod orders the death of boys 2 and under, Family flees to Egypt, Family Returns, Family comes from Nazareth to Temple when Christ is 12.
Obviously Luke is very clear about the timeline for the first 8 days. Christ is born, shepherds come, He is taken to the Temple. After the Temple it says the family returns to Nazareth. Does this automatically mean that Luke is saying they went back up on the 9th day. I don’t think so. The fact that Luke does not mention the wise men or Egypt does not mean they did not happen, each of the Gospels is written with a specific purpose and goal in mind and they may not have fit into Luke’s purpose. Matthew doesn’t mention the Presentation but focuses on the kingship at Christ birth, both recognized by Israel (Herod recognizes the danger to his power in the King) and in foreigners in the three wise men. Luke’s focus appears to be on the details on what came about with the birth, details on Mary and John, with the Presentation. It is not proof that both are inaccurate, but an understanding that they were trying to tell the story in different ways.
The question I have always found interesting is when did they leave for Egypt or when did the Wise men show up. I am of the opinion that the family stayed in Bethlehem for almost 2 years, hence Herod asking when the star first appeared and the order to kill boys 2 and under. It also makes sense that they would not have traveled back very quickly because Mary had just given birth. Also, Elizabeth and Zechariah lived very close to Bethlehem so that there were family ties to the area, not to mention they went there because that is where Joseph came from, or at least it was considered “his town” for matters of the census. I can see it being pretty plausible that, after Mary has Jesus, she cannot travel and so Joseph has to find them some suitable housing for a period of time. I cannot imagine they stayed in the barn/cave for the eight days until the Presentation. While they are waiting he gets some work, carpenters are always needed, and wind up staying a while longer. They may not have intended to stay long, but do, until Joseph is told in a dream to get out, and so they drop everything and leave again.