Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. An angel announced the Savior’s birth to shepherds near Bethlehem (see Luke 2:9–12), “and suddenly there was … a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13–14). This lesson is intended to help you review the events of the Savior’s birth and introduce you to the doctrine taught in the doctrinal mastery passage Luke 2:10–12. You will study Jesus Christ’s role as your Savior and learn what He saves you from so that you, like the angels, might also glorify and praise God for the gift of His Son.
The Nativity
What are some of your favorite details about the Nativity?
Why are these details significant to you?
Read Luke 2:1–14, looking for those details that are important to you or new details that you may not have noticed before in the Nativity story.
What details in the Nativity story did you notice that were significant to you?
A Savior is born
Read Luke 2:10–12 again, looking for how the angel announced Jesus’s birth.
What was the first title the angel used for Jesus Christ when he announced Jesus’s birth to the shepherds?
Why is it significant that of all the titles Jesus Christ has, this is the one the angel used to announce His birth?
It may be helpful to know that in the original Greek translation of the Bible, the word used for Savior also means deliverer or preserver.
One of the truths that this passage teaches is that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.
We need a Savior
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following experience:
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Elder D. Todd Christofferson
A while ago, a person who has been a member of the Church for many years asked me, “Why do I need Jesus Christ? I keep the commandments; I’m a good person. Why do I need a Savior?” I must say that this member’s failure to understand this most fundamental part of our doctrine, this foundational element of the plan of salvation, took my breath away. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Why We Need Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Dec. 2020, 19–20)
Take a moment to consider how you would respond, based on your own thoughts and feelings, if you were in Elder Christofferson’s place.
We can learn about our need for a Savior by studying the scriptures and the words of the prophets (see Jacob 7:11).
A scripture study skill that can enhance your understanding of doctrine and principles is to create cross- references in your scriptures. To cross-reference, create a link in the Gospel Library app or connect related scriptures by recording a scripture reference near another passage of scripture.
Study three to four of the following scripture passages to help answer the questions “Why do I need a Savior?” and “What does He save me from?” Consider cross-referencing these passages by linking them to Luke 2:10–12 in the Gospel Library app or by recording the reference Luke 2:10–12 near the verses you study.
Answer the following questions in your study journal.
What scriptures did you select?
How do these scriptures help you answer the questions “Why do I need a Savior?” and “What does He save me from?”
What the Savior offers you
Watch the video “Why We Need a Savior—A Christmas Message about Our Savior Jesus Christ” (2:14), looking for why we need a Savior. This video is available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Elder Christofferson testified of some of the blessings we receive through Jesus Christ:
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Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can recover from bad choices. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the impact upon us of others’ sins and mistakes, and every other injustice, is redressed. To be made whole, and to be made holy, we need a Savior. (D. Todd Christofferson, “Why We Need Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Dec. 2020, 22)
In Luke 2:10 the angel declared, “I bring you good tidings of great joy.”
Answer at least one of the following questions in your study journal.
How have you found “great joy” in your Savior, Jesus Christ?
What can we do to increase our joy in the Savior?
Jesus Christ in the premortal life
Copy the following chart into your study journal:
Jesus in the premortal life
Jesus’s life on earth
Jesus in the premortal life
Jesus’s life on earth
Using your current knowledge of Jesus Christ, write in the left column words and phrases that describe who Jesus Christ was, what He was like, and what He did before His birth.
Read the following scripture passages and the statement by Elder Robert E. Wells of the Seventy, and record additional descriptions of Jesus Christ in the same column. (The phrase “in the beginning” as used in these passages refers to the premortal existence.)
Jesus was also chosen and sent by the Father to organize and create this earth, our solar system, our galaxy, even worlds without number.
Jesus Christ was and is Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God of Adam and of Noah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jehovah appeared to and talked to the ancient prophets. When He spoke He did so on behalf of the Father, and He said what His Father would have said. Jehovah of the Old Testament became Jesus Christ of the New Testament when He was born into mortality. (Robert E. Wells, “Our Message to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 65)
Review the list you made on the left side of your journal page, and write a one-sentence summary of who Jesus Christ was in the premortal life.
Optional: Want to Learn More?
Why did Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem to be taxed?
Caesar Augustus was a capable and energetic Roman ruler whose reign—from 31 B.C. to A.D. 14—was marked by order and lawfulness. The “taxing” mentioned in Luke 2:2 was actually an enrollment [or census] of persons for future taxation purposes, an enrollment that required the taxpayer to personally submit required information. Because both Joseph and Mary were descendants of King David, they were required to make the journey to Bethlehem, which was King David’s hometown. … Ancient prophets had testified that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, in the land of Jerusalem (see Micah 5:2; Alma 7:10).
Bethlehem lay approximately 85–90 miles (137–145 kilometers) south of Nazareth, a trek of at least four to five walking days, perhaps longer considering Mary’s condition. (New Testament Student Manual [Church Educational System manual, 2014], 143)