The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt

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sight of the Lord,

      and will turn many from their wicked ways, and teach them to

      love God. This child is the one whom the prophets said would

      come to make the world ready for the Christ.»

      Zacharias could not believe what he heard, and asked, “ How

      shall I know that what you say is true?» The angel answered,

      «God sent me to tell you about it, and because you have not

      believed my word you will not be able to speak again until the

      day when it comes true.»

      The people outside in the courts waited for Zacharias to come

      back, and wondered why he stayed so long in the temple. When

      he did come out he could not speak to them. They knew that

      something had happened, for he made signs to them, but did not

      speak. When his week of service was over he went to his home

      in the hill country of Judea, and there, when the time came, the

      baby boy was born.

      Little Jewish children were not named until they were eight

      days old. When it w r as time for this baby to be named, the

      friends called him Zacharias, after his father. His mother said,

      «No, he is to be called John.» The friends thought it was

      strange to call him that, for no one in the family ever had that

      name; and, too, it was the custom to call the first boy by his

      INTRODUCTION

      T

      father’s name. They made signs to Zacharias, asking how he

      would have him called. Zacharias asked for a writing tablet and

      wrote, “ His name is John.»

      The friends wondered still more when the father also chose

      that name, but they soon had still greater reason for surprise.

      Zacharias, who had not spoken for so long, began to talk again.

      Would you like to know what he said first? He thanked God

      for what had happened, and then told the friends who were with

      them that the Christ, the promised king, was coming very soon,

      and that this child of his was the prophet who would teach the

      people about their king. This story was told all through the hill

      country of Judea, and the people asked, “ What kind of a child

      will he be?»

      9

      THE STORY OF JESUS – THE CHRIST

      THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST

      In Galilee, in the northern part of the Holy Land, is the

      little town of Nazareth. In this town lived a beautiful young

      woman, loving and gentle and pure. She was named Mary, and

      was the cousin of Elizabeth.

      A little while before John was born, as Mary was sitting

      alone one spring day, the angel who was sent to Zacliarias came

      to her and said, «God is very kind to you, Mary, for he has

      chosen you to be the mother of the Christ-child. You must call

      his name Jesus (which means Saviour), for he will save the

      people from their sins. He shall be great, and be called the

      Son of God, and shall rule the world for ever and ever.»

      Mary believed what the angel told her, and gently answered,

      «Let it be to me as you have said.» Then the angel left her.

      In the early part of the winter the Emperor of Rome, Caesar

      Augustus, commanded that all the people should be enrolled,

      which means that they should have their names written down on

      10

      A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

      a roll of paper. Every Jew of the same tribe must have his

      name written on the same roll. The Jews were very much

      scattered, and to do this

      each had to go to the city

      or town where the fathers

      of his tribe had lived, be¬

      cause the tribal roll was

      there.

      Mary and her hus¬

      band were both of the

      tribe of Judah, and Beth¬

      lehem was the city of

      that tribe. You remem¬

      ber, do you not, that

      David was of the tribe of

      Judah, and lived in Beth¬

      lehem when he was a

      shepherd boy? Because

      the Jews were so fond of

      David they called Bethle¬

      hem the City of David.

      Bethlehem was eighty

      miles away from Naza¬

      reth, and the roads be¬

      tween the two places were

      very rough and stony, up hill and down hill. It was a hard

      journey to take. Mary and Joseph could not travel very fast,

      and when they reached the city the houses were all full, for

      strangers from every part of the country had come to Bethlehem

      on the same errand as theirs. They were very tired when their

      journey was over, but they found no one there ready to welcome

      them. There was no room for them anywhere, except in a stable.

      Arrival at Bethlehem

      THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST

      11

      There they found a resting-place, and there that night God

      gave to Mary the baby he had promised her, the baby that was

      the long-expected King of the Jews.

      The poor people in that country often wrapped a long band

      around their little babies

      to clothe them, and this

      sort of dress was called

      swaddling clothes. Mary

      wrapped her baby in

      swaddling clothes, and

      since there was no other

      crib for him she laid him

      in a manger.

      In the beautiful val¬

      ley just outside the city,

      where David had taken

      care of his father’s

      sheep

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