The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt

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know it.

      After David died, his son Solomon became king. He was very

      rich, and knew so much that he has been called the wisest man

      that ever lived. He built for the people a beautiful temple where

      they could meet to worship God. When this temple was built

      the people promised to always love and obey the God who had

      been so good to them and to their fathers. If they had remem¬

      bered this promise, and kept it, they would have been a strong

      nation even now; but very soon they began to break God’s laws.

      Some of them even began to pray to idols.

      After King Solomon died things grew worse and worse, until

      at last the Jews were conquered by other nations, their cities de¬

      stroyed, and the people carried away to other countries. After a

      time some were allowed to go back to Palestine to live, but there

      has never been a real Jewish nation since that time, and that was

      a great many years ago.

      But the Jews kept up their courage; for their prophets had

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      INTRODUCTION

      told them that they should have a king who should rule the

      whole world, and who should reign for ever and ever. Prophets

      are men who tell what is going to happen long before it does

      come; they foretell things. We have men whom we call

      weather-prophets. By studying the sky, the clouds, and the

      winds, they can tell what sort of weather we are likely to have.

      But these Jewish prophets talked with God, and he told them

      what to foretell, so they never made any mistakes.

      These prophets did not all live at one time; nor did they all

      tell the same things about the king. One said he was to be born

      in Bethlehem, and was to belong to David’s family. Another

      said when he should be born; and others told something else

      about his life. Still another said that before he came God would

      send a great prophet, who would teach the people how to get

      ready for the Christ, their king.

      At the time of our story there had been no prophet for four

      hundred years; but the Jews, remembering and believing what

      the prophets had promised so long ago, were looking for their king.

      For, if the prophets had spoken truly, it was almost time for him

      to come. They had forgotten that some of the prophets had said

      that the king was to be poor, and a man of sorrows. They ex¬

      pected him to come in great power, and make them a strong free

      nation again.

      Although many Jews were now living in Palestine, they were

      under the rule of the Homan Emperor. The Emperor had so

      large a country that he could not look after it all himself; but

      divided it into what were called provinces and appointed rulers

      to take charge of them for him. The Jews did not like to obey

      the Roman Emperor, they did not like the rulers who were sent

      to them, and they did so long for their own strong king.

      Herod, one of the Roman rulers, who was called a king, was

      very much disliked, and he began to be afraid that he would lose

      INTRODUCTION

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      his throne. So to please the Jews he built them a temple, even

      more beautiful than the one which Solomon had built for them.

      That one had been destroyed when the’ Jews were driven out of

      their country, and the one which had been built when they had

      returned was now so old that it was falling to pieces.

      The temple was not much like our churches, nor was the ser¬

      vice like ours. There was one building of two rooms. In the

      smaller of these only the High Priest went, and only once a year.

      In the other any priest could go.

      Around this building were four large open spaces called

      courts, separated from each other by walls. The one next the

      building was for the priests alone; the next for the Jewish men;

      the third for the Jewish women, and the fourth for all who were

      not Jews. No one could go farther than the court in which he

      belonged. When we speak of people going into the temple, we

      mean they went into one of these courts.

      The priests were the ministers, who did all the work of the

      temple, and, took charge of the services. In those days the peo¬

      ple did more than pray to God to forgive their sins. In the tem¬

      ple was an altar, or sort of table covered with brass. On this

      altar a fire was kept burning day and night. Twice every day a

      lamb which had just been killed was burned on this altar, and

      while it was burning the people prayed to God, asking him to

      forgive their sins, and to destroy the memory of them as the fire

      was destroying the lamb. This was called offering a sacrifice.

      Another thing the priests did was to offer incense. Incense

      was made of sweet spices, and was very fragrant. While it was

      burning the people in the courts outside were praying that their

      prayers might rise to God as sweet and pure and well pleasing as

      the incense.

      One day, just about the time that our story begins, the work

      of burning the incense fell to the lot of a priest named Zacharias,

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      INTRODUCTION

      who had a wife Elizabeth, but who had no children. Both were

      very sorry for this, and often when they prayed, they asked God

      to give them a little son.

      On this day, as Zacharias alone in the temple was burning

      the incense, and praying to God, he looked up and saw an angel of

      the Lord standing at the right side of the altar. When Zacharias

      saw him he was afraid. But the angel said: “ Do not be afraid,

      Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; God will give you and Eliza¬

      beth a baby boy, and you must call his name John. He will

      bring

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