I’ve read the Christmas stories in Luke and Matthew my whole life. I’ve been an angel, a shepherd, and one year Mary, in our family nativity reenactments. I thought I knew this story. Turns out, I was missing most of what Luke was trying to tell me for years.
Luke’s nativity (found in Luke 1-2) is a testimony of Christ as Deliverer, the One who Atones, Redeemer, King, First Fruits, Light of the World, and Bread of Life—all woven together through Israel’s sacred feast calendar, which Luke used as his outline.
I know what you’re thinking…
You’re thinking that there’s no way Nephi and Luke could have used the same outline. They’re 600-700 years apart and an ocean away from each other. And yet, their outline is the same. (The more I see this outline pop up in scripture, the more I’m inclined to believe that they’re referencing Leviticus–which is an interesting book to put so much emphasis on. I’ll keep digging into the possible reasons why Leviticus draws apostles from multiple time periods. Until I’ve flushed that out, let’s focus on Christmas, Luke, and Nephi.)
Two Authors, Two Books
Let’s start with Nephi. At the end of 2 Nephi, he makes this sobering declaration:
“And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day. For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey” (2 Nephi 33:14-15).
Nephi’s stating a fact: his words will be used as testimony for or against those who read them at the final judgment. What he seals on earth stands as an eternal witness.
Now look at Luke’s introduction to Theophilus:
“It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (Luke 1:3-4).
Luke creating a record that establishes certainty—the kind of certainty that stands up under eternal scrutiny.
Both writers understood they were creating testimony that would endure beyond mortality, beyond time, into the judgment itself.
So how did they structure these sacred testimonies?
They both used the feast calendar from Leviticus.
How do we know it was Leviticus?
Neither Luke nor Nephi includes Purim or Hanukkah in their accounts. Why? Because those festivals came later in Jewish history. Luke and Nephi were drawing directly from Leviticus—the original feasts given to Moses:
- Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah)
- Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
- Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)
- 8th day of Sukkot
- Passover (Pesach)
- Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot)
- First Fruits (Bikkurim)
- Feast of Weeks/Pentecost (Shavuot)
This means that Luke had to understand the temple system deeply enough to structure an entire gospel around it. Where did he learn this? We don’t know for certain. Some scholars believe he was Jewish, others suggest he was a Gentile convert who traveled with Paul. Either way, one thing is clear—as an author myself, I can tell you that you cannot write with this level of precision unless you know your source material inside and out.
What This Changes
This changed how I read the nativity. It changed how I see the interconnection between the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon.
Luke’s showing us that Jesus is the fulfillment of every covenant promise. He is the Deliverer promised at Passover. He is the Scapegoat who bears away sin and the Sacrifice whose blood makes atonement. He is the First Fruits of resurrection and the Bread of Life.
Every feast testifies of a different facet of His mission. And Luke knew it. Nephi knew it. They both structured their books to make sure we would know it too.
Because they were creating eternal records of the Eternal Son.
And now we get to read them—feast by feast, pattern by pattern—and see Jesus’s birth story more completely than we ever have before.
Next in the series: We begin with Zacharias in the temple on the Feast of Trumpets, chosen by lot to enter the Holy Place. Two sons are born who will fulfill the ancient pattern of the Day of Atonement—the scapegoat and the Lord’s goat. Subscribe to follow the pattern.
Feasting with Nephi 
Have you ever thought about this scripture this way? Share your thoughts!