Most commentators think Luke had not read Paul’s letters. For reasons too long to go into here, I think Luke did, but just for the fun of it let’s say he did and try an example testing it. One of the most remarkable passages in Paul is that Jesus only got the superlative name/title “Lord” after the resurrection. We read in Philippians 2:

“And being found in appearance as a human,
⁸     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore God exalted him even more highly
    and gave him the name
    that is above every other name,
¹⁰ so that at the name given to Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.”

Now, this obviously is a bit of an affront to someone who thinks Jesus deserved to be called Lord all his life, so look what Luke 2:11 does with the nativity:

“¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

And so, why is the nativity important? Because it corrects a low Christology in Paul and an adoptionist Christology in Mark to make Jesus to have always been lord of lords!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS