3) BIRTH & CHILDHOOD
OF JESUS
4) ANGEL GABRIEL VISITS
ZACHARIAS & MARY
Luke 1:5-37
5 There was in the days of Herod, the
king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia:
and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God,
walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth
was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed
the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's
office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the
Lord.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were
praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of
the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled,
and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not,
Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee
a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and
many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the
Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled
with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall
he turn to the Lord their God.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit
and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby
shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him,
I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto
thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not
able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because
thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and
marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak
unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple:
for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the
days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth
conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the
days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26 And in the sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name
was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said,
Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou among women.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled
at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should
be.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not,
Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne
of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall
this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she
hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with
her, who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
5) MARY GOES TO ELIZABETH
FOR SUPPORT
Luke 1:39-54
39 And Mary arose in those days, and
went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias,
and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth
heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth
was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and
said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother
of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation
sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there
shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the
Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of
his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call
me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great
things; and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he
hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their
seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance
of his mercy.
6) JOHN THE BAPTIST
IS BORN;
FATHER PROPHECIES OF SON’S MISSION
Luke 1:57-64, 67-79
57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that
she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard
how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth
day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after
the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so;
but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of
thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how
he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote,
saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and
his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled
with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for
he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation
for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being
delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him,
all the days of our life.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet
of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare
his ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his
people by the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby
the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 1:65, 66, 56
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about
them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill
country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them
up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the
hand of the Lord was with him.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months,
and returned to her own house.
7) ANGEL INSTRUCTS JOSEPH
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was
on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they
came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man,
and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away
privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou
son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which
is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and
shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did
as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth
her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
8) SON OF GOD IS BORN
IN A STABLE IN BETHLEHEM
Luke 2:1-21
1 And it came to pass in those days,
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should
be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius
was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into
his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out
of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife,
being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there,
the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son,
and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city
of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were
gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let
us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary,
and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known
abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at
those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered
them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it
was told unto them.
21 And when eight days were accomplished
for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was
so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: For brevity and readability,
Jesus’ genealogies have been omitted from this story. If you would like
to study them, they are found in Matthew 1:17 and Luke 3:23-38. It should
be noted that they are not identical. Both are to verify Christ’s lineage
from David, as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. Some scholars
believe one of the genealogies is that of Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph
– his stepfather, if you would. But since Joseph was not his true father,
the other genealogy is presumed to be that of Jesus’ mother, Mary, through
whom Jesus’ true lineage from David must be established.]
9) TESTIMONIES GIVEN
AS
JESUS IS PRESENTED AT THE TEMPLE
Luke 2:22-38
22 And when the days of her purification according
to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to
present him to the Lord;
23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that
which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young
pigeons.
25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for
the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy
Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple:
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the
custom of the law,
28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed
God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace, according to thy word:
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face
of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the
glory of thy people Israel.
33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at
those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto
Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again
of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy
own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and
had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore
and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with
fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks
likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption
in Jerusalem.
10) WISE MEN FOLLOW
STAR TO BETHLEHEM
Matthew 2:1-12
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from
the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of
the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship
him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things,
he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests
and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should
be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of
Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda,
art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come
a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the
wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said,
Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him,
bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they
departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them,
till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house,
they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped
him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him
gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that
they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another
way.
11) ANGEL WARNS JOSEPH
TO FLEE WITH FAMILY TO EGYPT
Matthew 2:13-18
13 And when they were departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and
take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there
until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy
him.
14 When he arose, he took the young child
and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15 And was there until the death of Herod:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was
mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all
the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from
two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently
enquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken
by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation,
and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would
not be comforted, because they are not.
12) JOSEPH BRINGS FAMILY
OUT OF EGYPT TO NAZARETH
Matthew 2:19-23
19 But when Herod was dead, behold,
an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child
and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which
sought the young child's life.
21 And he arose, and took the young child
and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign
in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:
notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the
parts of Galilee:
23 And he came and dwelt in a city called
Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,
He shall be called a Nazarene.
13) JESUS MATURES AS
YOUTH,
MEETS WITH TEMPLE SCHOLARS
Luke 2:40-52
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in
spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem
every year at the feast of the passover.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they
went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as
they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph
and his mother knew not of it.
44 But they, supposing him to have been in
the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk
and acquaintance.
45 And when they found him not, they turned
back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that after three days
they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both
hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished
at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed:
and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold,
thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye
sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which
he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to
Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings
in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favour with God and man.
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