(Note: For commentary on Matthew 2:13-23, which tells the story of the holy family's flight to Egypt, see Commentary, December 27, 1998.)

The gospels provide two birth narratives, one from Luke which accents Mary, and another from Matthew where the focus is on Joseph. Luke's account is full of poetic tension, dramatic skill and rhetorical flourishes that resound to this day. Matthew's account is sparse and highly stylized by comparison. Even the theatrical, thrilling appearance of the angel to Joseph doesn't distract from the density and intensity of Matthew's major thrust: God's only Son has arrived on planet Earth. That such a lean narrative can be riddled with such heavy theology is only one of many marvels at Matthew's genius as a theologian.

The proclamation of Jesus' birth and naming…