They hurried to the village and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby. The shepherds shared with everyone what the angel had said about the newborn Messiah. Then they went on their way praising and glorifying God.
The Birth of Jesus
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (TNIV)
Mary and her husband-to-be, Joseph, lived in a town called Nazareth. But they had to travel to the city of Bethlehem to register for a census ordered by the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Both Nazareth and Bethlehem are in the country now called Israel. It is about 65 miles (105 km) from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the trip probably took them several days.
When Joseph and Mary got to Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay because the inn was already full. They ended up spending the night in a stable, a place where animals were kept. There was probably fresh hay on the floor that they used for beds.
That night, Jesus was born. There was no crib, so they laid baby Jesus in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. The manger probably had fresh hay in it and made a nice bed for the baby.
Shepherds Visit Jesus
Jesus was born in a stable and laid to sleep in a manger. The shepherds came to see firsthand the things the angel had told them.
The shepherds hurried into Bethlehem and found Jesus in the manger, just as the angel had told them. After they had seen Jesus, they spread the news, and everyone who heard was in awe.
Wise Men Visit Jesus
Wise men from the East came to worship Jesus, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
A man named Herod was the king of Judea. He called the wise men to a meeting and told them to find the new king so he could go and worship him, too.
The wise men continued on to Bethlehem and followed the star until it was directly above the house where Jesus was. They found Mary and Jesus in the house and knelt down to worship Him. They brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, some of the finest things in the ancient world. Frankincense was burned to make a sweet smell, and myrrh was an expensive perfume.
After visiting Jesus, the wise men had a dream that warned them not to go back to King Herod, so they took a different route home.
Where to Find the Christmas Story in Your Bible
Matthew 1:18-25, 2:1-12; Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20.
Mary, a young teenager, was living in the village of Nazareth and engaged to be married to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. One day God sent the angel Gabriel to visit Mary. The angel told Mary that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would give birth to this child and name him Jesus.
At first, Mary was afraid and troubled by the angel’s words. Being a virgin, Mary questioned the angel, “How can this happen?”
The angel explained that the child would be God’s own Son and that nothing was impossible with God. Humbled and in awe, Mary believed the angel of the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior.
Surely Mary reflected with wonder on the words of Isaiah 7:14:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (NIV)
The Angel Visits Joseph
Just as the angel had said, while Mary was engaged to Joseph, she miraculously became pregnant. When she told Joseph, he most likely felt disgraced. He knew the child was not his own, and Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness would have carried a grave social stigma. Under Jewish law, Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, but he could also have had her put to death by stoning.
But Joseph was a good-hearted man. Although his initial reaction was to break the engagement, the appropriate thing for a righteous man to do, he treated Mary with extreme kindness. He did not want to cause her further shame and decided to act quietly.
Then God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to confirm that Mary’s story was true. She had indeed conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. The angel reassured Joseph, telling him to take Mary as his wife, raise the boy as his own son, and name him Jesus because he would be a Savior to his people.
When Joseph woke from his dream, he willingly obeyed God and married Mary in spite of the public humiliation he would face. Joseph’s noble character was one reason God chose him to be Messiah’s earthly father.
The Birth of Jesus
At that time, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census would be taken. Every person in the Roman world had to return to his or her hometown to register. Joseph, being of the line of King David, was required to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary.
The city of Bethlehem was a small village about five miles southwest of Jerusalem. While in Bethlehem, the baby Jesus was born. Because of the census, the inn was overcrowded, and Mary gave birth in a crude stable. She wrapped the baby snuggly in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger (an open box or trough used to feed cattle or other livestock).
Birth of Jesus – Nativity Bible Story
This is a summary of the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus. You can read more in-depth Bible verses from the Scripture below and use the articles and videos to understand the meaning of this world-changing event in the Bible. Almost 2,000 years ago, a young woman from the town of Nazareth named Mary was visited by an angel named Gabriel. Gabriel told the Jewish woman that she would have a son named Jesus, who would be God’s Son. At this time, Mary was engaged to her soon-to-be husband, Joseph. When told, Joseph was hurt and confused because he did not believe Mary. The angel Gabriel visited Joseph and told him, “do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit,” and her son, Jesus, would save the people from their sins.
Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem because of an order from the Roman emperor that a census, or record, of all people be taken in their hometown. After traveling pregnant on a donkey for several days, Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and were told there were no places to stay. The inns were full. Seeing that Mary was due at any moment, an inn owner told Joseph they could stay in his stable.
Mary and Joseph settled on the hay in a stable with animals sleeping. Mary went into labor, and Jesus was born in the stable. The only place for the sleeping baby to rest was most likely in the animals’ trough, known as the manger.
During this time, an angel appeared to shepherds who were watching their flocks in the fields near Bethlehem. The angel told them the good news of the birth of the Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ. The shepherds immediately went to find baby Jesus, which the angels told them they would find sleeping in the manger.
After some time, three wise men, also known as magi, saw the brilliant star in the sky that rested over where Jesus was born. The three wise men traveled from a distant eastern country to find the new king. During the wise men’s trip, Herod, the king of Judah, met with the wise men. Herod told them to come back and let him know where the baby king was so that he could also worship him. The wise men continued to Bethlehem and found Jesus where the star pointed. They knelt and worshipped the Savior and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They then traveled back home a different way, knowing that King Herod did not intend to worship Jesus but planned to kill the baby.
Rejoice in the birth of Christ with your FREE copy of Beautiful Christmas Bible Verses printable to read and share with your loved ones.
Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the coming of our Savior at Christmas time. Read the whole Scripture passages for the accounts of Jesus’ birth in the Bible books of Luke and Matthew below:
This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!
