The First Days of Jesus Paperback – September 30, 2015

Preaching on Christmas was an annual challenge for me. How could I say something new and fresh when I had already preached on just about every conceivable Christmas passage in the Gospels?This year I decided to read Köstenberger and Stewart’s "The First Days of Jesus" for my own personal benefit. I had previously read "The Final Days of Jesus" and had appreciated it, so I thought that this book would be worthwhile reading material. I wasn’t thinking sermons when I began the book, but the more I read the more I thought how handy this book would be for preachers struggling to decide what to preach on at Christmas.In the introduction the authors say that the book is biblical, exegetical, historical, and devotional. I would describe the book as an excellent exegetical and historical summary of Matthew, Luke, and John’s writings about the birth of Jesus and the incarnation. (In the past I depended mostly on France for Matthew and Bock on Luke and Carson for John. Then there is Brown’s "The Birth of the Messiah," which is in a class by itself.) This book doesn’t break any new exegetical ground, but it summarizes all of the major issues. That’s what makes it so handy. (My only disappointment was its cursory treatment of Luke 2:7. Since the NIV and the CSB have changed the traditional reading from “inn” to “guestroom,” I thought that issue deserved more than a single paragraph of discussion.)One additional benefit comes from the authors’ summary of each Gospel’s record of Jesus’s birth. The material is so familiar to most of us that we don’t stop and ask why the author decided to write what he did. I always found it easy to get bogged down in Christmas details and not look for the “big picture.” For example, why is there such an emphasis on John the Baptist in Luke’s birth narrative? How does that fit into the overall message of Christmas?There is an appendix on Second Temple Jewish Messianic Expectations. I figured that the material would be rather dry, but it is actually enlightening. Instead of just listing passages from various Jewish writings, it prints them out for the reader. So once again it is handy. Nothing is required in terms of hunting down the passages. They are right there in the text ready to read.The devotional content of the book is fine. There is nothing brand new and stunning, but it does contain some suggestive nuggets that could be helpful in terms of application when it comes to preaching.All in all, I recommend the book. It won’t resolve all the challenges of preaching at Christmas, but it might prove to be helpful.

Aimed at the general reader, this book digs into the meaning of the biblical texts about the birth of Christ.For example, why were the genealogies added? Or perhaps you have always wondered if there were any references outside of the bible to the killing of the innocents. In fact, "Macrobius, an early fifth century...philosopher recorded a quip attributed to Caesar Augustus" (p 84) that was based on the killing of the innocents.The angel Gabriel was first mentioned in the book of Daniel, and then later, Gabriel announced, Zechariah's "lack of faith...(he) would lose his ability to speak" (p 103). As it turns out, Second Temple Jews were very interested in angels, and there was a great deal of speculation about them during that era.

The authors have put together a theologically sound, exegetical, and highly devotional examination of the birth and early life of Christ. Every chapter contains nuggets to take away fromMatthew Luke and John. You will be blessed by reading this and it will draw you closer to Christ as you understand the significance of the events surrounding his birth, significance that is often overlooked because of our familiarity with these "Christmas stories". I commend this book to all to read.

This is a great resource to pull out at Christmas time or anytime if your studying the beginning of the gospels or identity of Christ.I’m glad I purchased this and will plan to return to this book annually.

Great book with eddy to understand content and good references. I enjoyed reading this leading up to Christmas

The kindle version seems to missing the insert (Herod's temple in the time of Jesus. Does anyone notice this?

Excellent book. Concise. Great help in study of Holy Scripture. The authors know how to communicate with the lay audience.

This book is rooted in theology but at the same time easy to read for anyone who is looking for a deeper understanding of the birth of our Savior. Highly recommended!

This devotional points you back to the Word! A true devotional. It doesn’t take up time with long stories or illustrations.