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