The Birth of Jesus

After the last prophet spoke to the Jews, there were 400 years when God gave no visions or prophecies. Then an angel appeared to an old priest named Zechariah. He was a godly man, but his wife, Elizabeth, could not have any children.

The angel said to Zechariah, "Your wife will have a son. You will name him John. He will be the great prophet that comes before the Messiah!" Zechariah responded, "My wife and I are too old to have children! How will I know this will happen?"

The angel answered, "I was sent by God to bring you this good news. Now, because you did not believe me, you will not be able to speak until the child is born." Immediately, Zechariah was unable to speak.

When Elizabeth was six months' pregnant, the same angel appeared to Elizabeth's relative, whose name was Mary. She was a virgin and was engaged to a man named Joseph.

The angel told Mary, "Greetings! I've come to tell you something wonderful from the Lord. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You are to name him Jesus. He will be called the Son of the Most High God!" Mary was confused because she was not yet married, so the angel explained, "The Holy Spirit will come over you and you will conceive; therefore, your son will be called the Son of God."

Not long after this, Mary went and visited Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's baby jumped inside of her. The women rejoiced together about what God had done for them. After visiting for three months, Mary returned home.

When Elizabeth's baby was born, Zechariah wrote, "His name is John!" Then God healed Zechariah and allowed him to speak again. Zechariah said, "Praise God because He has remembered His people! You, my son, will be called the prophet of the Most High God! You will prepare the way for the Messiah!"

When Joseph heard that Mary was pregnant, he knew it was not his baby so he planned to divorce her. Before he could do that, an angel appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. What is in her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son. Name him Jesus, because he will save the people from their sins."

So Joseph married her and took her home as his wife, but he did not approach her until she had given birth.

About the time Mary was to give birth, the government rulers told everyone to go to the town of their ancestors for a census. Mary and Joseph had to make a long journey from where they lived in Nazareth to Bethlehem.

When they got to Bethlehem, they tried to find a place to stay, but all the rooms were full. The only location they could find was a place where animals stayed. Jesus was born in this place, and his mother laid him in a feeding trough, since they did not have a bed for him.

That night, there were some shepherds in a nearby field, watching their flocks. Suddenly, a shining angel appeared to them and they were scared. The angel said, "Do not be afraid, because I have some good news for you. The Messiah has been born!"

"Go search for the baby, and you will find him wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding trough." All of a sudden, the skies were filled with angels singing and praising God saying, "Glory to God in heaven and peace on earth to the people He favors!" The shepherds were amazed, so they decided to go find Jesus.

When they got to the place where Jesus was, they found him lying in a feeding trough, just like the angel had told them. They were very excited. Mary was very happy too. The shepherds returned to their fields, praising God for all they had heard and seen.

Some time later, some wise men from countries far to the east saw an unusual star in the sky. They realized that this meant a new king of the Jews was born. So, they traveled a great distance to see this king. After a long journey, they finally came to Bethlehem and found the place where Jesus was living.

When they saw Jesus with his mother, they fell down and worshiped him. They had brought gifts for Jesus that included gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts showed how important Jesus was. After they gave Jesus the gifts, they returned home.