Angels visit
Birth of Jesus
Temple rites
Wise men visit
Childhood
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Angels visit Joseph and
Mary
Angels announced
Christ's birth to Mary, Zacharias, and Joseph.
Gabriel
and Mary
The angel Gabriel visited Mary in Nazareth. She
was engaged to Joseph. Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to the Son
of God.
Mary was a virgin. Gabriel told
her God's power would make the conception possible. Gabriel said "Nothing
will be impossible with God." He then told Mary her elderly relative,
Elizabeth, was six months pregnant.
John the Baptist's
parents
Before visiting Mary, Gabriel appeared to a priest
named Zacharias. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were very old. Gabriel told
Zacharias they would have a son named John. And that John would prepare
the way of the Lord.
Mary visited
Elizabeth in her 6th month. When Mary arrived, Elizabeth's baby leaped in
her womb for joy. This confirmed Gabriel's prophecy that John would have
the Holy Spirit while yet unborn.
Joseph's
vision
Joseph considered calling off the marriage. He
learned about the pregnancy after Mary had conceived. But, an angel
appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told him to marry her. The miraculous
conception was caused by the Holy
Spirit.
Joseph took Mary as his wife. He
kept her a virgin until Jesus was born.
Insights
With God, all things are possible.
The unborn have a spirit.
Read
Matthew
1:18-25 and Luke
1:5-2:45.
Birth of
Jesus
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the city of
David.
Bethlehem
Augustus Caesar
ordered a census in Israel. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem for the
census. The tiny city was crowded with Jews who also came to register. So
there was no room for Joseph's family at the
inn.
Mary gave birth to Jesus in
Bethlehem. She wrapped him in cloths, and laid him in a
manger.
Announcement to Shepherds
That
night, an angel appeared to shepherds who were keeping their flock. He
told them the Savior was born in
Bethlehem.
The angel said they would find
the Messiah in a manger. Other angels appeared, saying:
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth,
peace towards
men."
Shepherds visit Jesus
The shepherds left immediately, and found baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
They told Joseph and Mary about the angels. And that an angel said the
baby is the Messiah.
When the shepherds
left Bethlehem, they praised God for all they had heard and
seen.
Insight
King David may have
tended his sheep in the fields these shepherds inhabited.
Read
Luke
2:1-20
Temple Rites
Joseph and Mary observed the law of Moses by circumcising Jesus, and
presenting him in the temple.
On the eighth day after his birth, Christ
was circumcised. Joseph named him Jesus, as an angel had instructed.
Temple presentation
The law of Moses required mothers to present an offering 40
days after a son was born. Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to present
this offering at the temple.
Righteous Simeon
A devout Jew named Simeon met Joseph's family in the
temple. The Holy Spirit told Simeon he would see the Christ before he
died.
When Simeon saw Jesus, he blessed him and
said, "My eyes have seen Thy salvation." Joseph and Mary were
amazed.
Anna the Prophetess
Anna was a very old widow who never left the temple. She
devoted her time to prayer and fasting. When she saw Jesus, she thanked
God, and continued by telling others about Jesus.
Read
Luke 2:21-38
Leviticus 12:1-8
Childhood of
Jesus
Jesus grew up in Nazareth. The Bible gives us a
little information about his childhood.
Family of
Jesus
Jesus had brothers and sisters. Although his sisters
are un-named, his brothers were: James, Joseph, Simon, and
Judas.
Adolescent Jesus
Jesus was
taken to Jerusalem for Passover when he was twelve. When they left
Jerusalem, his parents discovered Jesus was not with the
caravan.
They searched for Jesus, and
found him at the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was with the teachers, who
were amazed at his understanding.
The carpenter's
son
Joseph was a carpenter, and taught Jesus the trade.
Scripture does not indicate what they built, but an early historian
claimed they made wooden plows.
Jesus
worked as a carpenter until his ministry began. He was about 30 years old
at that time. Some believe Joseph died before Jesus began
preaching.
Read
Luke
2:39-52
Matthew 13:55-57
Mark
6:3
Wise men
visit
Wise men from the east, called Magi, came to
Jerusalem in search of Jesus.
Herod the Great
The wise men first visited Herod, who was king over Judea. They
told Herod they sought the king of the Jews, whose star they had
seen.
Intending to kill this new king,
Herod lied by saying he wanted to worship the child. Herod asked the men
to report to him when they found Jesus.
Three
gifts
The wise men found Jesus and Mary at Bethlehem in a
house. They worshipped Jesus, and offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh.
An angel warned the men not to
return to Herod. So they left for their own country.
Escape to Egypt
An angel appeared to Joseph in a
dream, and warned him to flee to Egypt. So to protect Jesus from Herod,
Joseph took his family to Egypt.
When
Herod learned the wise men had tricked him, he became very angry. Herod
ordered the execution of all males in Bethlehem who were 2 years old and
younger.
Return to Nazareth
Herod died
in the spring of 4 BC. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told
him to return to Israel. So Joseph brought his family out of Egypt, and
settled in Nazareth.
Did you know?
Wise men worshipped Jesus in a house, not at the manger, as is commonly
depicted.
The Bible does not say how many wise men there were.
Frankincense is a resin that is burned for its aroma.
Myrrh was used
for incense, perfume, and medicine.
Insight
God blesses the faithful, even through adversity. Consider the wise
men's gifts. They may have been sold to sustain Joseph's family while in
Egypt.
Read
Matthew
2:1-23
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