Many people argue that the Bible contradicts itself. Such claims are commonly based on the differences between the four gospels. These differences, it is argued, suggest that the gospels cannot be trusted. A primary example of these differences is the birth narratives.
Each gospel contains a different version of Jesus’ birth. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke each record a different group of people visiting Jesus at the manger, and it is only Matthew who describes the presence of the star and the family’s flight to Egypt.
The Gospel of Mark does not even include a birth narrative. Then there is the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is simply unlike the other gospels. Those wishing to discredit the biblical witness argue that each birth narrative contradicts the others, therefore rendering the gospels unreliable.
The claim that the birth narratives are contradictory can be unsettling to the person of faith. The reliability of the scriptural witness is a key component of our faith. Yet is the claim of contradiction accurate? Are the birth narratives contradictory? More importantly, how might Christians respond to this challenge?
What Is a Contradiction?
A contradiction occurs when two mutually exclusive propositions are held together. We cannot believe “A” at the same time we believe in “Not A.” A classic example is “Peter is married to Debbie, but Debbie is not married to Peter.” The two propositions naturally cancel each other out. No statement can be true at the same time as it is false.
Importantly, differences are not contradictions. The fact that Matthew describes the visit of the Magi, whereas Luke records the visit of the shepherds, is not a contradiction. The two events can be true at the same time.
The same can be said regarding Luke’s omission of the flight to Egypt, or Mark’s omission of a birth narrative. We cannot argue contradiction from a position of absence. An omission is just that, an omission. Omitting an occurrence has no bearing on the truthfulness of the event.
Suggesting that omissions and differences somehow contradict the biblical witness is a misunderstanding of what constitutes a contradiction. More to the point, it misunderstands the intent of the gospel writers.
Luke records that the gospels are written “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (1:4). The gospels are not made-up stories. Each gospel sets out to describe the historical reality of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Each of the gospel writers, however, writes their gospel from a particular point of view. They have a particular focus. They have a specific audience. This difference in focus and audience explains the differences we see between the gospels, particularly in the birth narratives.
The Intent of Matthew’s Gospel
The Gospel of Matthew is written for a Jewish audience. Matthew’s main goal is to highlight how Christ’s life, death, and resurrection fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. As you read the Gospel of Matthew you will frequently find quotations from the Old Testament.
Matthew will often conclude his description of an event with the words “this was done to fulfill the scriptures” (see, for example, 1:22; 2:15; 4:14). In writing his gospel, Matthew wished to make clear that Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah.
This is the reason why Matthew highlights the coming of the Magi rather than the visitation of the shepherds. Israel held an expectation that the Messiah would be recognized by foreign kings. We find this expectation articulated in several places in Scripture.
For example, Isaiah 60:3 states, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Similarly, Psalm 72:10 describes how “the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the Kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.”
The visit of the gift-bearing “kings” of the east testify that Jesus is not merely a prophet or sage, he is the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus is the savior the Jewish people have been waiting for.
This is also the reason why Matthew includes the flight to Egypt while the other gospels omit this fact. Matthew highlights how this flight fulfills the Scripture “out of Egypt I called my son” (2:15). Jesus embodies the history of Israel, a history he will ultimately redeem. This understanding would have been particularly important to a Jewish audience.
Matthew’s primary goal in writing the gospel is to explain how Jesus fulfilled Jewish expectations. Jesus fulfills the scriptures; he does not replace them. This becomes Matthew’s criteria for what is, or is not, included in his gospel.
Suggesting that Matthew’s decisions invalidate the gospel’s veracity is to completely misunderstand Matthew’s purpose in writing the gospel in the first place.
The Intent of Luke’s Gospel
Unlike Matthew, the Gospel of Luke is less concerned with how Jesus’ ministry fulfills Old Testament prophecy. Instead, Luke’s gospel is focused more on Christ’s ministry to the poor and the outcast.
Luke spends much more time speaking about Jesus’ ministry of healing and reconciliation. Those on the margins of society often take center stage in Luke’s narrative. This makes sense given that Luke is a Gentile, writing for a Gentile audience.
We can, therefore, understand Luke’s decision to omit the visit of the Magi, but include the angelic visit to the shepherds. Shepherds did not live at the top of Israelite society.
Due to their frequent contact with animals, they were considered physically and spiritually unclean. As unclean people, they would have been restricted from the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus, they lived cut off from God’s house, and God’s presence.
It is to these outcasts of society that the angels come bearing the testimony, “Today in the city of David a savior has been born to you” (2:11). Jesus was not born in the halls of the elite but in a manger of the lowly.
God dwells amid those who cannot journey to the Temple. The angels declare that, through Christ, those who were cut off have been brought near, and those considered unclean are clean in God’s sight.
Luke highlights this theme throughout the entire gospel. Whereas Matthew is fervent in describing the Jewish roots to Jesus’ ministry, Luke is resolute in depicting Christ’s loving embrace of the poor and wayward.
What Does This Mean?
The gospel writers were not sitting in the back of the stable with parchment and a pen, studiously recording the who, what, when, and where of Jesus’ birth. The gospels were not written in this way. As the disciples look back on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, they recognize certain truths about the risen Lord.
These truths inform the writing of each of the gospels. Yet because each writer had a particular audience, concern, and reason for writing their gospel, there are variations between the gospel accounts.
Such variations, however, in no way diminish the reliability, or the truthfulness, of the gospels. In fact, these differences strengthen their veracity. The birth of Jesus was not made up by one person. It was not a hoax cooked up by vagabond disciples. In any recall of an event, there will be variation.
Thus, we trust that the four gospels present a true history of Jesus Christ. No one gospel contains a full picture. The gospels need each other. Jesus was not simply a Jewish male fulfilling Jewish messianic prophecies (the Gospel of Matthew), he was also the one to bring redemption and healing to the cast-off and down and out (the Gospel of Luke).
Similarly, Jesus was fully human, engaging in human activity and relationships (the Gospel of Mark). And yet, Jesus was not simply a man born in history, he also has a divine nature. He is the incarnation of the everlasting God in whom we find the forgiveness of our sins (The Gospel of John). None of these truths contradict or outweigh the other.
While people may nit-pick the subtle differences between each gospel, the fact is there are far more similarities than differences between the gospel accounts. The gospels give testimony to the good news of God stepping into the world for the purpose of our redemption and forgiveness.
In Jesus, salvation comes to all. This is the unified, consistent, and unrelenting message of each gospel. On this, they all agree and bear witness. Whether we focus on the visit of the Magi or the visit of the shepherds, this is the truth we are invited to receive.
Parting Encouragement
Today, you might be questioning the Bible because of contradictions in Scripture. Dear Christian, you have a reliable, sufficient, and trustworthy Bible. You can open your Bible and ask all the hard questions you want of it but asking questions apart from confidence in the Bible will lead you to be like my friend, who eventually left the church.
Instead, I encourage you to wrestle with what the Bible teaches not from a place of unbelief but belief in the Word. God has given you a Word in the Scriptures. God is faithful to His Word because He is a faithful and trustworthy God.
Therefore, you can trust the Word because it reveals His holy, just, and perfect character. Please, my dear Christian friend, trust the Lord, read the Word, and grow in grace.
Related: Listen to our new podcast, The Characters of Christmas with Dan Darling. You can find all of our episodes at LifeAudio.com. Here's Episode 1:
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