This video features Jared Street leading "Who is Jesus? - Class 6" for the Oak Hollow Church of Christ. Moving forward from previous lessons on Old Testament prophecies, this session transitions directly into the birth of Jesus. Street frames the nativity narrative through the lens of ancient history, culture, and high-stakes politics. Rather than presenting a idealized Christmas scene, the lesson highlights the intense danger, social risk, and political turbulence that surrounded Christ’s arrival into the world, demonstrating how these real-world conditions fulfilled specific scriptures and set the stage for His ministry.

The lesson begins by establishing the dangerous cultural reality facing Mary and Joseph in ancient Israel. Street references the story of the adulterous woman in John chapter 8 to illustrate that pregnancy outside of official marriage carried severe social stigma and could lead to execution by stoning under Mosaic law. He breaks down the stages of Jewish marriage, explaining that betrothal was a binding one-year commitment that could only be severed through legal divorce. When Mary became pregnant, she faced immense personal risk, making her willingness and humble submission to God’s plan a powerful display of faith. Furthermore, when the angel Gabriel announced that Jesus would inherit the throne of David, it directly tied His birth back to the Davidic Covenant, while the title "Son of God" stood in sharp contrast to Roman emperors like Augustus Caesar, who claimed similar divine titles for themselves.

Street then transitions to the dangerous political environment under King Herod the Great. Appointed by Rome as "King of the Jews," Herod was a skilled ruler whose increasing paranoia led him to murder members of his own family, including his wife and three sons, to protect his throne. When wise men from the East arrived asking for the new "King of the Jews," Herod perceived a direct threat to his power. This paranoia culminated in the order to execute all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem. Warned by an angel, Joseph fled with his family to Egypt, an act of survival that fulfilled the prophecy in Hosea chapter 11, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

The class concludes by contrasting Christ’s divine nature with the profound humility of His birth. Instead of arriving as the grand political or military conqueror many Israelites anticipated, the Creator entered creation in a humble manger amidst life-threatening chaos, mirroring the self-emptying spirit described in Philippians chapter 2. While Mary and Joseph were focused on protecting their newborn child, their divine mission was reaffirmed at the temple by Simeon, who recognized Jesus as God's salvation for both Israel and the Gentiles. Through these events, Street illustrates how Jesus's entry into the world laid a foundation of humility, fulfillment, and divine purpose for everything that followed in the gospels.

**1. Cultural Background & The Risk to Mary**
* **The Penalty for Adultery:** Street begins by reading **John 8:2–5** (the woman caught in adultery) to set the cultural stage. Under Jewish law, having a child outside of marriage carried severe societal stigma and potential execution by stoning.
* **Understanding Betrothal:** He explains the ancient Jewish marriage stages: engagement (often arranged), betrothal (a binding 1-year period that could only be broken by legal divorce), and final marriage. Mary and Joseph were betrothed when Mary became pregnant, placing her in a dangerous and vulnerable position.
* **Mary’s Faith and Attitude:** Despite facing fear and public shame, Mary showed extraordinary obedience, humility, and trust in God.

**2. Connecting to Prophecy & Divine Titles**
* **The Davidic Covenant:** When Gabriel visits Mary in **Luke 1:26–38**, the phrase "the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David" directly connects Jesus to the Old Testament Davidic Covenant.
* **"Son of God" vs. Roman Emperors:** The title "Son of God" held strong political contrast. Roman emperors like Augustus Caesar claimed the title Divi Filius ("son of a god"); Luke explicitly highlights Jesus as the true Son of the Almighty God.

**3. The Political Chaos & Herod’s Paranoia**
* **The Visit of the Magi:** In **Matthew 2:1–12**, wise men from the East seek the "King of the Jews," causing immediate distress for King Herod.
* **Who Was Herod the Great?** Appointed "King of the Jews" by the Roman Senate, Herod was a skilled politician who grew intensely paranoid over time. He killed his own wife and three sons to protect his power.
* **Massacre of the Innocents:** Out of extreme paranoia, Herod ordered the execution of all male children under age two in Bethlehem.
* **Flight to Egypt:** Joseph is warned in a dream to take his family to Egypt, fulfilling the prophecy in **Hosea 11:1**: "Out of Egypt I called my son".

**4. Humility & The Revelation of Purpose**
* **Humbler Than Expected:** Rather than arriving with political or military power, Jesus was born in a humble manger in Bethlehem. Street compares this to **Philippians 2**, illustrating how the Creator emptied Himself and took the form of a servant.
* **Simeon’s Blessing:** In **Luke 2:25–35**, the devout Simeon meets the family in the temple and declares Jesus as "salvation prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles". Hearing this reaffirmed to Joseph and Mary the divine purpose behind the chaos and hardship they endured.