The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
Week 2: Part One, Chapter 1 — "Birth: The Visited Planet"
Read Chapter 1 of The Jesus I Never Knew. Key passages: Luke 1:26–2:20; Matthew 1:18–2:12; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7.
Previewing Week 2 of The Jesus I Never Knew
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
The Christmas story is so familiar that it has almost lost its power to shock — but Yancey insists that the Incarnation, looked at honestly, is the most astonishing event in the history of the universe.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Yancey borrows from J. B. Phillips the image of a senior angel showing a younger angel the universe, then pointing to a tiny, obscure planet and saying, "He went there." What does this cosmic perspective add to your understanding of the Christmas story? Does it change how you feel about it?
2.Yancey stresses the deliberate ordinariness of Jesus's birth — a peasant girl, a feeding trough, a backwater village under foreign occupation. God could have chosen any entry point into history. Why do you think he chose this one? What does the manner of his coming say about the kind of God he is?
3.The birth narratives in Matthew and Luke are surrounded by scandal: a pregnancy that raised immediate questions about Mary's faithfulness, a hasty marriage, a flight to Egypt as refugees. How does keeping this gritty political and social context in view change the way you read the nativity?