Emperor Augustus of the Roman Empire decreed that everyone be counted. Everyone had to travel to their hometown and register. Joseph, a descendant of David walked 90 miles to Bethlehem to register with Mary his fiancee. While they were in Bethlehem, she gave birth to the boy the angel Gabriel had told her about. She wrapped the baby in cloths and laid Him in a hay trough because there was no room for them in the inn. (This is exactly the opposite of what people would expect God to do, right?) Shepherds were tending their flocks during the night in the fields, near by. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and told them the great news that Jesus was born. He told them where they could find Him. Then an army of angels appeared, singing praises to God. So the shepherds went to see Jesus and told Mary and Joseph all about what they had seen. A week later Jesus was circumsized and named. Mary did what she was supposed to do after having a baby according to the Law of Moses. Then they took Jesus, the firstborn baby boy to the temple to be dedicated to God. A man named Simeon was there. He had been waiting for the Messiah or Consolation of Israel and He saw Jesus and knew his prayers had been answered. Then a prophetess, Anna, spoke about Jesus to everyone. Joseph took Mary and Jesus home to Nazareth. Every year the family went to Jerusalem for Passover. When Jesus was 12, they started back home after Passover and realized Jesus wasn't with them. They went back to Jerusalem and found Him 3 days later sitting in the temple listening to the teachers and asking questions. They had been worried, but Jesus was doing His Father's work. Even Jesus had parents who didn't understand! They went back home.
John the Baptist was preaching to the people to turn back to God. John baptized people and told them to be good to each other. Some people thought John was the Messiah, but he told them he was preparing the way for someone more powerful, who would shake things up. John insisted that Herod should not sleep with his brother's wife, Herodias, so Herod threw him in jail. Before he was put in jail, John baptized Jesus. As He prayed, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and a voice from heaven said, "You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you." (vv.22) People assumed Jesus was the son of Joseph. The most commonly held belief by bible scholars is that this genealogy is Mary's, giving the "blood" ancestry of Jesus. The Matthew and Luke genealogies are identical from David to God, but they split after David. The Luke genealogy carries on by Nathan another of David's sons. The Matthew genealogy carries on with Solomon and the kings of Judah.
Tomorrow read Luke 4-6:26
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