20 Lesson 3. Jesus’ Birth and Childhood Why did Jesus come to earth? From the beginning, God wanted to have fel- lowship with man, God created man in His own likeness, He gave man a spirit so that man could communicate with Him, and a will so that man could choose to love and obey Him. But when Adam and Eve sinned, they spoiled their rela- tionship with God. After the Fall of man, God began to reveal His plan for bringing man back to Him. He would send His Son as a man to live among men. His Son would walk and talk with men as men walk and talk with one another. He would be an example for men and would teach them God's will. Most important, He would die as a sacrifice for their sins to make it possible for them to renew their relationship with God. ‘Jesus was part of God, and He was with God at the Creation. The Bible says that Jesus made all things. Jesus, the Creator, was coming to live among the men He created! His body was just like ours, but His inner being was God. God waited until the time was exactly right. ‘Then He sent His Son to the carth. Time Line The Early Life of Jesus, the Messiah The angel Gabriel appears to Mar Jesus is Jesus lives in Egypt. 65 480, AD. ‘Jesus talks with Jewish teachers at the temple, Jesus returns to heaven, Jesus is baptized. Jesus works as a carpenter in Nazareth. 40.26 00.30 i General Scope: Luke 1:1. | =—————__—_—_>__ Luke 9:59 Note: All covered in tt Using the Time Line ates used in this course are approximate. The thick black section of the bar represents the time span is lesson. The gray bars represent specific periods during this time span. 1. If Jesus was born in late 5 B.c., about how old was He when He visited the temple in early a.p. 9? (Compare your calculation with Luke 2:42.) 2, About how old was He at His baptism? (Compare with Luke 3:23.) 3. About how long was Jesus’ ministry? A. ANSWERS FROM THE BIBLE The Birth of Christ Important things often take place without people realizing it at the time. The day that Jesus was born probably ‘seemed ordinary to most people of Palestine. The shepherds tending their flocks around Bethlehem were ordinary men, doing what they had always done. The people at the inn probably did not worry about the young couple who needed to spend the night in a stable. It might have been a common place to stay when all the rooms were filled. Jewould . them eas a le for i hh God “made tolive Bs just right. Lesson 3. Jesus’ Birth How could these ordinary men and women have guessed that two thousand years later, millions of people would stil be taking about what happened that night! Luke 2:1-20 1. God had foretold that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), yet Mary and Joseph lived at Nazareth. How did God use a heathen emperor to fulfill this prophecy? 2, Jesus was born in a stable, and His first bed was a manger. Why might God have chosen to have His Son born in such a lowly setting? (Choose the best reason.) a. To show us that no one is too poor or too humble to come to Jesus for salvation b. So that King Herod would not find out where Jesus was born and try to kill Him. ¢. To show the Jews that God no longer loves rich and important people F Briefly explain how each of the following took part in the events surrounding -Jesus’ birth. 3. The angels 4, The shepherds Jesus Is Taken to Jerusalem According to Leviticus 12, Jesus would have been forty days old when His parents took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Their offering of two birds indicates thet they were poor. The regular offering for those who could afford it was one lamb and one pigeon or turtledove (Leviticus 126, 8). Luke 2:21-40 5, How did Simeon know that Jesus was the Messiah? 6. What was Anna’s reaction when she saw Jesus? Jesus’ Escape King Herod was a very jealous ruler. He was determined to destroy any threats to his throne. When the wise men ‘came to Jerusalem to inquire about the Messiah, he asked them to come back and tell him whoro the young child was, pretending that he wanted to worship Him too. Then he planned to kill Him. But God warned the wise men in adream not to go back to Herod. He also wamed Joseph of the danger that Jesus was in and told him to take his family to Egypt Matthew 2:13-23 7. How did Herod feel when the wise men did not return? 8. a, What did Herod decide to do when he saw that the wise men were not going to return? b, What does this show us about Herod?_ Chapter One Je: omes to Minister 9. List three Old Testament prophecies from this passage that were fulfilled because of King Herod and his family. a. Aiter Herod died, Mary and Joseph returned to Palestine. At God's command they moved back to Nazareth, ; where Jesus lived until He was grown, Jesus’ Earthly Family Jesus’ most important relationship was with God, His real Father. But Jesus’ relationships with His mother Mary and His legal earthly father Joseph were also important. Through Mary and Joseph, Jesus had a right to the throne. of David. The Bible gives the names of Jesus' (half) brothers, but it does net tell us much about Jesus’ other earthly rela- : tives. However, a careful comparison of Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40, and John 19:25 seerns to indicate that Mary ¢ had a sister named Salome, who was the wife of Zebedee. Using these verses, the relationships shown on the fol- lowing chart seem probable, Joseph was a descendant of Mary was also a descendant j David. He had a brother of David. She had a sister Cleophas (Alphaeus) Salome, Cleophas Joseph Mary Salome: ae Zebedee Jam Judas Simon JESUS Unknown Sisters 10. In the chart of Jesus’ family, fill in the names of Jesus’ four brothers, using Matthew 13:55, 56. We do not know the names of Jesus’ sisters, but Matthew 13:56 indicates that He had more than one. 11. If this chart is correct, at least two of Jesus’ first cousins were His disciples. Use Matthew 4: fill in the names of the two sons of Salome and Zebedee. 12, At first Jesus’ brothers did not believe on Him (John 7:5). After His resurrection, Jesus showed Himself to His brother (a) 1 Corinthians 15:5-7). This brother became an apostle and a leader of the church at Jerusalem. He wrote the general epistle of ) toLesson 3. Jesus’ Birth and Childhood _23 Herod 13, Jesus’ other brothers apparently became believers too (Acts 1:14). His brother wrote the last epistle of the New Testament. Jesus’ Education The Bible does not tell us whether Jesus attended school. The Jewish leaders considered Jesus unlearned (John 7:16), but they may have meant that He had not studied the Law at one of the schools of — the rabbis, as Paul had (Acts 22:3) — We do know that the Jews considered school very important for chil- dren (especially boys) above six years old. Jewish writings indicate that curing the pariod immediately after Chris's life on earth, every Jewish town had a synagogue school. It was unlawful for Jewish fathers to move their families into areas where their children could not go to school. From these facts, it seems quite likely that Jesus studied at the synagogue of Nazareth along with other boys. Jewish teachers often held their classes outdoors for fresh air and light. They tried to make the subjects interesting for their students, and they shortened the classes in hot weather. Children sat on the ground €or stood, Thay learned to do accurate work and practice good morels. Until they were ten years old, they learned only from the Scriptures. Jewish children memorized many Scripture passages. Each child started with a “birthday text,” which was a Scripture verse beginning or) "SSasa eS ee ending with the letters of his name. From chikihood on, he repeated ‘Alewtsh Schoo! his birthday text at least once a day. ‘Jesus considered the Scriptures to be very important. it He had the privilege of attending school, He no doubt enjoyed the time spent in studying and memorizing the Scriptures. However, Jesus’ understanding far exceeded ‘what a human teacher could have taught Him. He increased in the wisdom that is from above, for He Himself was from above. Matthew 22:29-32 14, When the Sadducces questioned the resurrection, Jesus told them they erred because they did not know 15. What Seripture passage did Jesus quote to them? About His Father’s Business 1 Every spring large and happy groups of people walked south from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Carrying blankets and food, they camped by the wayside. So large were the groups that when Jesus was twelve years old, His parents walked a whole day before they discovered that He was missing. . Luke 2:41-52 .. 16. This passage tells us all we know for sure about Jesus’ childhood and youth, In this glimpse of His early life, we see Him eagerly discussing things pertaining to His Father’s business. ‘What indi- ocied cates that even at this age, Jesus’ wisdom far exceeded that of other Jewish boys? an a. His parents looked for Him three days before finding Him in the temple. Be of b. Jesus was asking questions about the Holy Seriptures. c. The Jewish teachers were astonished at His understanding and answers. 4. His mother asked, “Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?”24 Chapter One _ Jesus Comes to Minister 17. What question did Jesus ask that shows He knew Joseph was not His actual father? 18. How did Jesus honor His earthly parents, even though He was the Son of God? (2:51) 19, During His years of childhood and youth, “Jesus increased in and »and in with and ae This is the last we read of Jesus until He wes about thirty years old, We do not know what He said and dic dur- ing these years. Probably He helped Joseph with his carpenter work. (See Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3.) It ‘seems quite likely that Joseph died before Jesus began His ministry, because the Gospels do not mention Joseph aftor this. B. BIBLE WORD STUDY Read these verses in their context to determine the meaning of the italicized words. Cirele the letter of the correct ending. If you need help, you may use a Bible dictionary. 1. Herod inquired diligently about where to find Jesus (Matthew 2:7, 16). This means that he a. thought carefully in his own mind. b, put much effort into finding out. ¢. asked at random. 2. When Joseph heard that Archelaus was king in Judea, he was afraid to ‘go thither (Matthew 2:22), This means he was afraid to go a. close. b. to that place, c. from that place. ‘3. Jesus would grow up to be called a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23). This was because He a. did not cut His hair. b. had taken a vow. ¢. lived in Nazareth. 4. Asa boy, Jesus sat in the temple and spoke with the doctors (Luke 2:46). These doctors a, were men who studied and taught the Old Testament Law. b. attended the sick who came to Jerusalem for the Passover. ¢. lived in the temple and spent all their time praising God. 5. When Mary questioned Jesus about making them search for Him, He asked, must be about my Father’s business?” By this He meant, a. “Without you, must I not be about My Father's business?” b. “Do you not wish that I be about My Father’s business?” ¢. “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” fist ye not that 1letter chat I Lesson 3. Jesus’ Birth and Childhood 25 C. THINKING ABOUT BIBLE TRUTHS Jesus—the Son of God and Man Since God was Jesus’ Father and Mary was His mother, Jesus was both God and man. He had the mind and power of God, but His body had many of the same limitations that our bodies do. ‘As a man, Jesus often used examples from everyday life in His preaching, F Tell what Jesus said about the following common items. Try to remember without checking the reference, and then read the verses to verify your answer. 1. Salt (Matthew 5:13) 2. Lilies (Matthew 6:28) 3. Sparrows (Matthew 10:29) 4, Tares (weeds) among wheat (Matthew 13:30) 5. Ahen with chicks (Matthew 23:37) Jesus, growing up in the vilage of Nazareth, leamed about ordinary people. At times He found Himself among Noisy crowds. He attended weddings and funerals, He saw how government officials cheated and oppressed the people. He saw the harshness of money lenders, the luxuries ofthe rich, and the misery of the poor. Ho felt com- passion for sick and needy people, such as the two blind men siting beside the road, Matthew 20:30-84 6. By what two names did the blind men call Jesus? b. 7, Match the two names the blind men used to the following descriptions of Jesus. a. Son of God b. Son of man 8. Now match the names “Son of God” and “Son of man” to the following characteristics of Jesus. a. His humanity gave Him sympathy and compassion for human needs, b. His deity gave Him power to cure diseases.26 Chapter One __Jesus Comes to Minister D. LEARNING MORE ABOUT BIBLE TIMES King Herod F Read this story before doing the matching exercise. While the Maccabees (mentioned in Lesson 1) ruled Judea, they subdued the Edomites (Idumeans). The : Edomites were descendants of Esau, The Maccabees forced all the Edomites to adopt the Jewish religion. One ot ; these Edomite ‘ows," Antipater, rose to power in Palestine before Jesus’ time. Antipater tumed against the Maccabean rulers of Judea and welcomed the invading Romans in 63 8.0. The Romans made Antipater the ruler of Palestine, Antipater's son Herod made friends with the Roman ruler, Mark Antony. Herod succeeded his father as ruler of Palestine and was twice crowned king by the Romans, ‘ Attor Horod bocame king, he divorced his wite Doris and sent her away with his oldest son. Herod then married : Mariamne, a Maceabean princess. He hoped this would improve his relationship with the Jews. King Herod reigned for thirty-two years. He built magnificent forts, aqueducts, theaters, and public buildings. He ‘ planned Roman-style cities at Caesarea, Sebaste (Samaria), Beirut, Damascus, Antioch, and Rhodes. His great- est achievements were the Jewish temple and surrounding buildings at Jerusalem. Because of his long reign and his influence on Palestine, Herod is often known as Herod the Great. However, he was a cruel and headstrong man, Very few people liked him, Herod's sister Salome tured him against Mariamne, his Maccabean wife, Even though Herod loved Mariamne, he finally grow suspicious of her and had her murdered. He also murdered her two sons, her brether, her grandfather, and ner mother Inn attempt io kill Jesus, Herod ordered the killing of all the litle children of Bethlehem that were two years old cor younger. Just before his death, he killed hs oldest son, Finally, mentally confused and suffering great pain, he realized that he was going to oie. He ordered that at his death, a large number of Judean leaders should be killed. He thought that this would cause the Jews to mourn instead of rejoicing over his death. But no one carried out his orders. Herod died a hated man, and his three sons ruled in his stead. The Bible mentions several of his, descendants. 1 ® Write the letter of the correct ending for each sentence. _____ 1. Herod and the other Edomites a. welcomed the invading Romans to Palestine. 2, Herod's father . were sent away by Herod after he became king. 8. The Romans c. gave Antipater and Herod positions of power. ____ 4, Mark Antony, 4. built magnificent buildings. _____ 5. Doris and her son e. hated and feared Herod. ____ 6. In many cities, Herod £. were descendants of Esau. \ ___ 7. After he divorced Doris, Herod g. turned Herod against Mariamne. ____ 8. Salome, Herod’s sister, h, ordered the killing of many innocent people. ____ 9. Inhis old age, Herod i. became Herod’s friend. 10. The people of Palestine j. married Mariamne, a Maccabean princess.