6BC
There was a King of Judea named Herod. This was Herod the Great, confirmed by the Roman Senat as king of the Jews. Only half Jewish himself and eager to please his Roman superiors, Herod expanded and beautified the Jerusalem temple-but he placed a Roman eagle over the entrance. When he helped the Jews, it was for political purposes and not because he cared about their God. Herod the Great later ordered a massacre of infants in a futile attempt to kill the infant Jesus whom some were calling the new "king of the Jews".
At the same time there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. His wife was Elizabeth who was a descendant of Aaron. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and they were both well along in years. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. They didn't merely go through the motions in following God's laws, they backed up their outward compliance with inward obedience, unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites. Their obedience was from the heart.
But Zechariah and Elizabeth were suffering. Some Jews at that time didn't believe in a bodily resurrection so their hope of immortality was in their children. In addition, children cared for their parents in their old age and added to the family's financial security and social status. Children were considered a blessing and childlessness was seen as a curse. They had been childless for many years and at this time were too old to expect any change in their situation. They felt humiliated and hopeless.
Jewish priests (Zechariah) were ministers of God who worked at the temple managing it's upkeep, teaching the people scriptures and directing the worship services. At this time there were about 20,000 priests throughout the country-far too many to minister to the temple at one time. Therefore the priests were divided into 24 separate groups of about 1,000 each according to David's directions in 1 Chronicles 24:3-19. Zechariah was a member of the Abijah division on duty this particular week. Each morning a priest was to enter the Holy Place in the temple and burn incense. Lots were cast to decide who would enter the sacred room.
Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen to go into the temple and burn incense. Incense was burned in the temple twice daily. When the people saw the smoke from the burning incense, they prayed. The smoke drifting heavenward symbolized their prayers ascending to God's throne.
When the time came for Zechariah's burning of the incense, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. Angels are spirit beings who live in God's presence to do his will. Only two angels are mentioned by name in scripture-Michael and Gabriel-but there are others. Gabriel appeared not only to Zechariah but also to Mary and to Daniel more than 500 years earlier (Daniel 8:15-17; 9:21). Each time Gabriel appeared, he brought important messages from God.
Here, the angel Gabriel delivered a special message to Zechariah. When Zechariah saw him, he was scared. But the angel said "Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God and he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of his fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
John means "the Lord is Gracious". He was set apart for special service to God. He may have been forbidden to drink wine as part of the Nazirite vow, an ancient vow of consecration to God (Numbers 6:1-8) Samson was under the Nazirite vow and Samuel may have been also. John's role was to be almost identical to that of an Old Testament prophet-to encourage people to turn away from sin and back to God. John is often compared to the great prophet Elijah, who was known for standing up to evil rulers. In preparing people for the Messiah's arrival, John would take stony hearts and exchange them for soft, pliable, trusting hearts open to change.
When the Angel told Zechariah they would have a son he asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years?" The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out and pronounce the customary blessing upon them (as found in Numbers 6:24-26) and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me" she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. Nazareth was Joseph and Mary's hometown and it was a long way from Jerusalem. It was the center of Jewish life and worship. Located on a major trade route, Nazareth was frequently visited by Gentile merchants and Roman soldiers. It was known for it's independent and aloof attitude. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. Nevertheless, the people of Nazareth would reject him as the Messiah.
The angel went to Mary and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was young, poor, female-all characteristics that to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end."
Jesus, a Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, was a common name meaning "the Lord saves" Just as Joshua had led Israel into the promised land (Joshua 1:1,2) so Jesus would lead his people into eternal life. The symbolism of his name was not lost on the people of his day, who took names seriously. Centuries earlier, God had promised David that David's kingdom would last forever (2 Samuel 7:16) This promise was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, a direct descendant of David, whose reign will continue throughout eternity.
When the angel told Mary she would be with child she asked the angel "How will this be since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her father rejected her she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary, with her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Still Mary, despite the risks said: "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered "May it be to me as you have said" Then the angel left her.
About Jesus family line:
The old testament tells the story of Jesus family line starting with Adam and Eve.
There are many people in between that don't get talked about but who were recorded as part of the family tree. But the main people, the ones we are most familiar with are as follows:
After Mary learns she and Elizabeth are both pregnant she went to a town in the hill country of Judea to Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!
And Mary said:
.
There was a King of Judea named Herod. This was Herod the Great, confirmed by the Roman Senat as king of the Jews. Only half Jewish himself and eager to please his Roman superiors, Herod expanded and beautified the Jerusalem temple-but he placed a Roman eagle over the entrance. When he helped the Jews, it was for political purposes and not because he cared about their God. Herod the Great later ordered a massacre of infants in a futile attempt to kill the infant Jesus whom some were calling the new "king of the Jews".
At the same time there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. His wife was Elizabeth who was a descendant of Aaron. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and they were both well along in years. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. They didn't merely go through the motions in following God's laws, they backed up their outward compliance with inward obedience, unlike the religious leaders whom Jesus called hypocrites. Their obedience was from the heart.
But Zechariah and Elizabeth were suffering. Some Jews at that time didn't believe in a bodily resurrection so their hope of immortality was in their children. In addition, children cared for their parents in their old age and added to the family's financial security and social status. Children were considered a blessing and childlessness was seen as a curse. They had been childless for many years and at this time were too old to expect any change in their situation. They felt humiliated and hopeless.
Jewish priests (Zechariah) were ministers of God who worked at the temple managing it's upkeep, teaching the people scriptures and directing the worship services. At this time there were about 20,000 priests throughout the country-far too many to minister to the temple at one time. Therefore the priests were divided into 24 separate groups of about 1,000 each according to David's directions in 1 Chronicles 24:3-19. Zechariah was a member of the Abijah division on duty this particular week. Each morning a priest was to enter the Holy Place in the temple and burn incense. Lots were cast to decide who would enter the sacred room.
Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen to go into the temple and burn incense. Incense was burned in the temple twice daily. When the people saw the smoke from the burning incense, they prayed. The smoke drifting heavenward symbolized their prayers ascending to God's throne.
When the time came for Zechariah's burning of the incense, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. Angels are spirit beings who live in God's presence to do his will. Only two angels are mentioned by name in scripture-Michael and Gabriel-but there are others. Gabriel appeared not only to Zechariah but also to Mary and to Daniel more than 500 years earlier (Daniel 8:15-17; 9:21). Each time Gabriel appeared, he brought important messages from God.
Here, the angel Gabriel delivered a special message to Zechariah. When Zechariah saw him, he was scared. But the angel said "Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God and he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of his fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
John means "the Lord is Gracious". He was set apart for special service to God. He may have been forbidden to drink wine as part of the Nazirite vow, an ancient vow of consecration to God (Numbers 6:1-8) Samson was under the Nazirite vow and Samuel may have been also. John's role was to be almost identical to that of an Old Testament prophet-to encourage people to turn away from sin and back to God. John is often compared to the great prophet Elijah, who was known for standing up to evil rulers. In preparing people for the Messiah's arrival, John would take stony hearts and exchange them for soft, pliable, trusting hearts open to change.
When the Angel told Zechariah they would have a son he asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years?" The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out and pronounce the customary blessing upon them (as found in Numbers 6:24-26) and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. "The Lord has done this for me" she said. "In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. Nazareth was Joseph and Mary's hometown and it was a long way from Jerusalem. It was the center of Jewish life and worship. Located on a major trade route, Nazareth was frequently visited by Gentile merchants and Roman soldiers. It was known for it's independent and aloof attitude. Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. Nevertheless, the people of Nazareth would reject him as the Messiah.
The angel went to Mary and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was young, poor, female-all characteristics that to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, his kingdom will never end."
Jesus, a Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, was a common name meaning "the Lord saves" Just as Joshua had led Israel into the promised land (Joshua 1:1,2) so Jesus would lead his people into eternal life. The symbolism of his name was not lost on the people of his day, who took names seriously. Centuries earlier, God had promised David that David's kingdom would last forever (2 Samuel 7:16) This promise was fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, a direct descendant of David, whose reign will continue throughout eternity.
When the angel told Mary she would be with child she asked the angel "How will this be since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."
A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life. If her father rejected her she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living. And Mary, with her story about being made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well. Still Mary, despite the risks said: "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered "May it be to me as you have said" Then the angel left her.
Joseph was going to break off the engagement but he didn't want to shame her and was going to do
it privately but an angel came to him in a dream and said; "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." This took place to fulfill a prophecy from the lord to Isaiah many years earlier; "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel-which means, God with us." When Joseph woke up he did what the angel commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.About Jesus family line:
The old testament tells the story of Jesus family line starting with Adam and Eve.
There are many people in between that don't get talked about but who were recorded as part of the family tree. But the main people, the ones we are most familiar with are as follows:
Adam & Eve
Cain-Abel-Seth
Seth
(Some in between)
Noah
(More in between)
Shem
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob (Father of the 12 tribes)
Judah (4th son)
(Some in between)
David
Solomon
(Some in between)
Joseph/Mary
Jesus
I think this is interesting because I didn't know that all of these people we learn about in Sunday School were all part of the family tree of Jesus and the bible is telling His story and I don't think most people realize it either. It's mostly thought of as just stories of different people in the Bible.
After Mary learns she and Elizabeth are both pregnant she went to a town in the hill country of Judea to Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!
And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant,
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me-
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts,
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
Luke 1: 46-55
This song is often called The Magnificat and has often been used as the basis for choral music and hymns.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home. Because travel was not easy, long visits were customary. Mary must have been a great help to Elizabeth who was experiencing the discomforts of a first pregnancy in old age.
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord has shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. The circumcision ceremony was an important event to the family of a Jewish baby boy. God commanded circumcision whenhe was beginning to form his holy nation (Gen. 17:4-14) and reaffirmed it through Moses (Lev. 12:1-3) This ceremony was a time of joy when friends and family members celebrated the baby becoming part of God's covenant nation.
Family lines and family names were important to the Jews and the people naturally assumed the child would receive Zechariah's name or at least a family name and the family members were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said "No! He is to be called John." They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name." Then they made signs to his father to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." The family was surprised that both Elizabeth and Zechariah wanted to name the boy John but that's what the angel had told them to do and immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.
He has raised up a horn (symbol of strength) of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child will be called a prophet of the Most High:
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."
Luke 1:68-79
Zechariah had just recalled hundreds of years of God's sovereign work in history, beginning with Abraham and going on into eternity. Then, in tender contrast, he personalized the story. His son had been chosen for a key role in the drama of the ages.
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Why did John live out in the desert? Prophets used the isolation of the uninhabited desert to enhance their spiritual growth and to focus their message on God. By being in the desert, John remained separate from the economic and political powers so that he could aim his message against them. He also remained separate from the hypocritical religious leaders of his day. His message was different from theirs and his life proved it.
So, there came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light, he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
6 BC Augustus Taxes The Roman Empire
In those days Caesar Augustus (the Roman Emperor) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph left Nazareth in Galilee and went to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
5 BC The Birth of Jesus
While they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
6 BC Augustus Taxes The Roman Empire
In those days Caesar Augustus (the Roman Emperor) issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph left Nazareth in Galilee and went to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
5 BC The Birth of Jesus
While they were there the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
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