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Jesus A modern English blending of the New Testament Everything Jesus said and did, nothing more, nothing less.
Introduction Table of Contents
Chapters
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During the reign of Herod the Great there lived in the province
of Judea a priest of the Order of Abijah by the name of Zachariah. His wife's
name was Elizabeth, and they shared a common ancestor, the High Priest, Aaron.
They were a deeply religious couple and zealous in the practice of their
faith. The major disappointment in their lives was that they were childless
- Elizabeth being barren - and had now grown old. It was common practice among the Abijah priests when it was
their turn to serve in the temple to draw lots to determine what duties each
would undertake. On this particular day it was Zachariah's responsibility
to go into the temple to burn incense. The usual crowd of worshipers remained
outside, praying. In the midst of his duties he was suddenly overcome with
fear: to the right of the altar he saw an angel. The angel spoke to him. "Don't be afraid, Zachariah, your prayers have been heard.
Your wife is going to have a child and you are to name him John. His birth
will be a time of great celebration because he is destined to be one of God's
great men. He will never touch liquor, and will be controlled by God's spirit
even before his birth. He will be a messenger of God, with the strength
and power of the prophet Elijah, reconciling parents and their children and
restoring deserters to their faith. His mission will be
to prepare a people for their Lord." "But I am an old man," Zachariah said, "and Elizabeth is
old. Are you sure?" "I am Gabriel," the angel said, "and I have come directly
from the presence of God to bring you this good news. But you do not believe
me. So, from now until all I have said has happened, you will be dumb.
Put your faith in God, Zachariah; in due time it will all come true." In the meantime, the crowed waiting outside was growing impatient.
Why was he so long delayed? When finally he did appear it was obvious that
he had seen a vision. When he tried to speak, no sound came, so he communicated
to them through gestures. Afterward, when he had finished his duties in the temple,
he went home. It was not long before Elizabeth became pregnant. She kept
the fact from her relatives and friends until the fifth month. "How good God has been to me," she told them when she broke
the news. "He has taken away the embarrassment I felt, and my sense of shame
at being childless." At the same time, in the town of Nazareth, in the province
of Galilee, there lived a virgin by the name of Mary. She was Elizabeth's
cousin and was engaged to a building contractor by the name of Joseph, a
direct descendant of the ancient King of Israel, David. When Elizabeth was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, God
sent the angel Gabriel to Mary. "Greetings, Mary," the angel said. "How favored you are!
The Lord is with you." Mary was puzzled. "I am favored by God? I don't understand." "There is no need to be frightened, Mary," the angel said.
"You have pleased God and he has chosen you. You are going to have a baby,
a son. You are to name him Jesus. He will become a great
man and will be called the Son of the Highest. God is going to place him
on David's throne and he will reign over the House of Jacob forever." "How can that be?" she asked. "I'm not married and I'm a
virgin. . ." "God's spirit will come upon you, his power will hover over
you as a shining cloud, and your child will be God's holy son. Think of
your cousin, Elizabeth - the one they call the Barren One. You know how
old she is and you know she has never had children; she is now six months
pregnant. God can do anything." "I am his servant," Mary said. "Let it happen." And the angel
left her. Before they were married, Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant.
He was an honorable man, and not wanting to see her publicly disgraced,
he planned to break off the engagement quietly. While he was considering
what course to follow, he had a dream and in the dream an angel appeared. "Joseph, you must be not afraid to marry Mary," the angel
said. "Her child was conceived by God's spirit. When he is born you are
to name him Jesus, which means 'Savior,' because it is he who will save his
people from their sins." All of these events were the fulfillment of a prediction
by the prophet Isaiah who, hundreds of years earlier, had written: When Joseph awoke he did as he had been told. He married
Mary but had no sexual relations with her until the baby was born. Early in her pregnancy Mary went to Judea to visit Elizabeth.
As they came face to face, Elizabeth felt her baby move within her. "Oh Mary," she cried, "how marvelously God has blessed you,
singling you out from all the women of the world. And how he has blessed
your baby! And how honored I am; having my Lord's mother in my home. Mary,
the moment you said hello I felt my baby move. How happy is the women who
trusts God to keep his promises!" Mary replied with an outburst of thanksgiving: Mary stayed on with Elizabeth and Zachariah for three months
and then returned home to Nazareth. Elizabeth's baby was born. When the word went out that she
had had a son, her home was filled with relatives and friends celebrating
God's goodness. When the baby was eight days old, they took him to the temple
to have him circumcised. The relatives assumed that the child would be named
Zachariah after his father, but Elizabeth said, "No, he's to be named John." They turned to Zachariah, making signs, and asked him to
indicate the name he wanted. He gestured for something to write on, and
they handed him a writing tablet. To their surprise he wrote, "His name
is John." As he did, his voice was restored and, filled with God's spirit,
he began to shout: The neighbors were filled with a sense of awe. The events
of the day were repeated throughout the hill country of Judea. When they
heard the story, people were amazed. "Who will this baby grow to be?" they asked, for it was obvious
that God's power was with him. The years passed and John grew physically and spiritually.
He left home and went out to the desert country where he lived alone until
the time came to begin his public ministry. |