That Man Jesus

By Monte Hanson

This is the story of Jesus from the four Gospels that was combined into one complete and chronological story that is as relevant today as the first day the story was ever told. Read His story. Hear His words. Open your heart. This book combines and harmonizes every detail of every event of every teaching of all four Gospels into one combined, complete, coherent, and chronological story of the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ! This is the Gospel story for generations ago, generations now, and generations yet to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098005931

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Story of Jesus is True

1-3-1-1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,

2-3-1-2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

3-3-1-3 With this in mind, since I myself ((the Gospel author Luke)) have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I to have decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

4-3-1-4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

4. Theophilus was probably a Roman official who had been taught about Jesus’ life and ministry. In the Greek, his name means friend of God. He evidently employed Luke to do a very serious investigation into the entire life of Jesus and report back to him his findings. He wanted to be absolutely sure of the teachings he had already received.

5-2-1-1 ((This is)) the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

6-4-1-1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

7-4-1-2 He was with God in the beginning.

7. The Word is Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus was part of the triune Godhead from the beginning.

8-4-1-3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.

8. Jesus, as God, was there as the universe, then the earth, and then as mankind were all created.

9-4-1-4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

10-4-1-5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

11-4-1-10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

12-4-1-11 He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.

13-4-1-12 Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—

14-4-1-13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

15-4-1-14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

16-4-1-16 Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

17-4-1-17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18-4-1-18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.

18. While it is hard for us to totally understand the three in one concept of our God, it is important for us to look at where They are and what Their job is.

Since the time of Pentecost, after the ascension of Jesus into heaven following His ministry on earth, the Holy Spirit has now come to live among mankind. God the Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of all humans on earth who accept Jesus as their Savior. The Holy Spirit helps us and guides us as we strive to live a life on earth more pleasing to God the Father.

God the Father is in heaven as our loving and yet just God, whom we can pray to with our thanksgivings and with our needs. He cares about each one of our earthly lives, and He is our eternal judge.

God the Son, Jesus, whose earthly ministry showed God the Father’s way of living while we are on earth, now sits at the right hand of the Father as our eternal Savior. When we pray, Jesus is constantly interceding for us with God the Father. Then, when we as human beings die and face the judgement, Jesus tells the Father if we had accepted Him as our Savior while we lived on earth or not. If so, then Jesus, as our Savior, pleads that His blood has covered our sins. When that happens, God the Father’s judgement is always for eternal life in heaven. If Jesus says that we had not accepted Him as our Savior, then God the Father’s judgment is always eternal life in hell.

As one God in three forms, and all forms are all-knowing and all-powerful, our God wants all mankind to accept Him and live according to His ways. God does not force anyone to follow Him; He gives us that choice. But when we do, He will bless our lives abundantly, in this world and in the next.

Chapter 2

Judea—Gabriel Meets Zechariah in the Temple

1-3-1-5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.

1a. Herod, known as Herod the Great, was an Idumean and not considered a true Jew by the Jews themselves. He was appointed king by the Roman senate and ruthlessly ruled from 37 BC to his death in 4 BC. See the map included in this book. Herod ruled over the entire areas shown on the map. At his death, his empire was divided between his three sons (see the notes in chapter 10). Herod murdered at least seven in his immediate family. He also murdered many others, anytime he thought they were going to try to take his kingship away. He spent tax money lavishly building many huge buildings in Jerusalem, including the Jewish place of worship that came to be known as Herod’s Temple.

1b. Zachariah, as a priest, was probably a very low-ranking member of the Sadducees, the group that was in charge of the Temple in Jerusalem. Even though a Pharisee was in charge of each local synagogue, Zechariah may have also ministered there. The Aaronic prayer ending the weekly Sabbath synagogue services could only be said by an actual priest. If there was no priest present, then that particular prayer could not be recited. He and Elizabeth lived in Ephraim according to Christian tradition. Ephraim was located about fifteen miles east and north of Jerusalem and was close to Jericho. At home, he probably had a trade of some sort to earn a living on as, in rural towns, being a priest was not a full-time job. He may have received a little money as compensation from the annual Temple taxes paid by every Jewish man. As a priest, Zechariah was educated and respected by the people of his town.

1c. The priestly division of Abijah was one of twenty-four divisions of priests who lived throughout Judea and Galilee. It is estimated that there were approximately eighteen thousand Jewish priests at this time in these twenty-four divisions. Each priest spent one week every six months working at the Temple. They also worked for a week at the Temple for each of the three main yearly festivals: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Otherwise, they lived in their own home towns.

2-3-1-6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.

2. This was, and is, very high praise.

3-3-1-7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

3a. Elizabeth is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Elisheba, the same as Aaron’s wife.

3b. It was common to blame the wife for the infertility if she produced no children.

4-3-1-8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,

5-3-1-9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense.

5. Zechariah was chosen by lot to enter into a special area in the Temple called the Holy Place and burn incense to the Lord. The burning of incense in the Holy Place was done twice daily. Being chosen was considered a huge honor. The Holy Place and the Holy of Holies were side-by-side areas in the Temple, but they were separated by a huge curtain. Only the High Priest of the Jewish nation could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only one time per year.

6-3-1-10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

7-3-1-11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

8-3-1-12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

9-3-1-13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.

10-3-1-14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

11-3-1-15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.

12-3-1-16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

13-3-1-17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

14-3-1-18 Zechariah asked the angel, How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.

14. Zechariah questioned the validity of the angel’s statement. If he was a Sadducee, this reply would not have been uncommon since the Sadducees, as a group, did not believe in the existence of angels. However, it is clear that he listened to and obeyed the angel’s words carefully since he made sure the baby was named John. If he had not believed in angels before, he certainly did now.

15-3-1-19 The angel said to him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

16-3-1-20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time."

17-3-1-21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and were wondering why he stayed so long in the Temple.

18-3-1-22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the Temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

19-3-1-23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home.

19. What a story Zechariah had to communicate to Elizabeth when he got home!

20-3-1-24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.

21-3-1-25 The Lord has done this for me, she said. In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.

21. Since having children was considered a blessing from God, not having children was considered a public shame, even more so when the husband was a priest. People wondered what kind of sin the priest had committed for God not to bless him with children. The shame very much extended to the wife also since bearing children was a great sign of womanhood in the Jewish culture.

Chapter 3

Galilee—Gabriel Meets Mary in Nazareth

Galilee

1-3-1-26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,

1. Nazareth was a small town with a population of about five hundred people.

2-3-1-27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

2a. Mary is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, who was Moses’ and Aaron’s sister. We are not told how old Mary is, but by the age of fifteen, it was normal for a young female Jewish girl to be married or in the pledge relationship. The pledge or engagement or betrothal period was a more binding relationship than today’s engagement time. There were no sexual relations, and it could only be broken by an official divorce. The terms husband and wife were used of the couple. Like today, the engagement period had no set time length. The wedding involved the ceremony of the bridegroom going to get his bride from where she lived with her parents and taking her to her new home with him.

2b. Joseph is a very good man who is in tune with God. There is no biblical basis given to determine his age. He could have been sixteen or sixty. However, with no extenuating circumstances even hinted at, he was probably just a young man like she was a young lady.

3-3-1-28 The angel went to her and said, Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

4-3-1-29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

5-3-1-30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

5. We can only speculate on Mary’s upbringing and character, but here she is given a great compliment by the angel, You have found favor with God.

6-3-1-31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call Him Jesus.

6a. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name for Joshua.

6b. The angel is announcing that Jesus, God the Son, will leave His spirit form, take human form upon Himself, and come and live among other human beings. God the Son will be both divine and human. We must never forget that while on earth in the human form, He experienced all the happiness and joy that we do, but He also suffered all the temptations, hurts, and pain that humans suffer.

7-3-1-32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,

8-3-1-33 and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end."

8. We are not directly told here, but many scholars believe that Mary’s family was of the house of David, as well as Joseph’s family.

9-3-1-34 How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?

9a. Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born. If proven that she had been with another man, Joseph could have gone to the local synagogue ruler, a Pharisee, and had her declared to be an adulteress and wicked woman and that she must be stoned to death. In the eyes of almost everyone, being pregnant was all the proof that was needed.

9b. Unlike Zechariah, Mary is not asking her question in disbelief; she is asking the procedural question, How will this happen?

10-3-1-35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.

11-3-1-36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.

11. By many Christians, the term relative as used here has commonly been defined as cousin, but not specifying what degree. According to other Christians, using Jewish genealogical records, they say that Mary’s mother, named Anne, and Elizabeth were sisters. That would make Elizabeth to be Mary’s aunt, and she would be a first cousin of John. Jesus would have been a second cousin of John.

12-3-1-37 For no word from God will ever fail."

13-3-1-38 I am the Lord’s servant, Mary answered. May your word to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her.

Chapter 4

Judea—Mary Visits Elizabeth

1-3-1-39 At that time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town ((Ephraim)) in the hill country of Judea

1. Considering the culture of the time, this simple verse would have been a lot to complete. First, no fifteen-year-old girl could have made any kind of trip on her own without permission from her father if she was not married. Second, to get permission, there must have been an awesome reason that she wanted to go. Just to say that she wanted to go visit her aunt would not have been sufficient to get permission to go. Third, she would never have taken this seventy-five-mile and probably four-day-long trip each way alone. So the father and maybe others also probably took her. Maybe even the whole family. Think of all the father had to arrange for all the days he would be away from home taking her and then going to get her to bring her home later. Fourth, she is pledged to Joseph. Did she discuss this trip with him beforehand? What reason would she give him to be away from him for several months? We are not told if Mary had told Joseph that she was pregnant before leaving on this trip.

2-3-1-40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.

2. Mary, and the others with her, just arrived at the door. With poor communication, Elizabeth probably did not even know that she was coming for a visit.

3-3-1-41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her ((own)) womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

4-3-1-42 In a loud voice she ((Elizabeth)) exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

4. How did Elizabeth know that Mary, her niece, was even pregnant?

5-3-1-43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

5. How did she know to call Mary the mother of my Lord?

6-3-1-44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

7-3-1-45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!"

8-3-1-46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord

8. Mary’s statements in verses 8–17 show an amazing level of spiritual maturity.

9-3-1-47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

10-3-1-48 for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

11-3-1-49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is His name.

11. Mary praises God for how He has blessed her by saying that God has done great things for her. Of all women, she has been chosen to bear God’s son. If being pregnant before marriage was considered by others as shameful, she gladly accepted it all as a blessing.

12-3-1-50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.

13-3-1-51 He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

14-3-1-52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

15-3-1-53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

16-3-1-54 He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

17-3-1-55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as He promised our ancestors."

18-3-1-56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

18. Mary returned home to Nazareth before John was born. We assume she had a good visit with Elizabeth. Did she also have a good visit with Uncle Zechariah, the priest? Did she spend time talking with him about her pregnancy and the possibility of being rejected by Joseph? Or did they talk about her possibly being stoned to death? Or maybe they discussed how she could get through this time with the synagogue-ruling Pharisee in Nazareth? Seems a priest might be a good person to get advice from concerning her current situation.

Chapter 5

Judea—John the Baptist is Born

1-3-1-57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.

2-3-1-58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

2. The relatives mentioned here of Elizabeth’s would have also been relatives of Mary’s.

3-3-1-59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,

4-3-1-60 but his mother spoke up and said, No! He is to be called John.

4. The day of circumcision was a happy and joyous occasion in the life of a family. All the extended family, friends, and neighbors would come and celebrate with them. They came already with the expectation of what the baby’s name would be.

5-3-1-61 They said to her, There is no one among your relatives who has that name.

6-3-1-62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.

7-3-1-63 He ((Zechariah)) asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, His name is John.

7. There would be no name given to his son except that which the angel had told him to name him. His name will be John.

8-3-1-64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

9-3-1-65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.

10-3-1-66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, What then is this child going to be? For the Lord’s hand was with him.

11-3-1-67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

12-3-1-68 "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come to His people and redeemed them.

12. In verses 12–19, Zechariah shows an amazing understanding of the roles that Mary’s baby will fulfill; and in verses 20–23, he prophesied about the role that his son will fulfill. He would only get this understanding by being very intimate with God.

13-3-1-69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David

14-3-1-70 (as He said through His holy prophets of long ago),

15-3-1-71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—-

16-3-1-72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember His holy covenant,

17-3-1-73 the oath He swore to our father Abraham:

18-3-1-74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear

19-3-1-75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

20-3-1-76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,

21-3-1-77 to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

22-3-1-78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

23-3-1-79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

24-3-1-80 And the child ((John)) grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

24. Zechariah and Elizabeth are proud parents who will do anything to protect their child. The Christian Orthodox Church in America, founded in 1794, has always had the following teaching: When Herod attempted to kill Jesus and the Bethlehem babies, he found out that Zechariah the priest was related to Jesus’ parents and also had a young baby himself. When Zechariah was on duty at the Temple, Herod sent priests and Temple guards to the Temple to find out where his baby was because he intended to kill the baby named John also. When Zechariah would not tell them, they killed him in the Temple. This was what Jesus talked about in Matthew 23:35. When Elizabeth learned of her husband’s death, she left her home with John and tried to hide him. However, she died forty days after Zechariah’s death. John then grew up and stayed in the wilderness until he began to preach. If this statement from the Christian Orthodox Church in America is true, then we are not told who actually raised John and taught him so much about the God of the Jewish people. If he was raised in another family, it might be probable to think he would have had little interaction with his actual mother’s side of the family while growing up. However, God was leading his destiny.

Chapter 6

Galilee—The Angel Appears to Joseph

1-1-1-18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

2-1-1-19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

2. We have to remember that just as God chose Mary, He also chose Joseph to be the earthly father of Jesus. Joseph is a good man, faithful to the law, and had an ear for God’s voice. When God told him to do something, Joseph immediately did it, as we will see throughout this story.

3-1-1-20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

4-1-1-21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."

5-1-1-22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

6-1-1-23 The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel (which means, God with us).

7-1-1-24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

7a. Joseph was blessed with a number of dreams that told him to do certain things. He automatically recognized them as communication coming straight from God.

7b. By officially marrying a pregnant woman, Joseph knew they both would be enduring public scorn and shame.

8-1-1-25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

8. Although we read of no heavenly prohibition, Joseph and Mary chose not to have any sexual relations until after the birth of Jesus.

Chapter 7

Judea—Jesus Is Born and the Shepherds Come

1-3-2-1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

1. Roman historical records state that Caesar Augustus, who was a very efficient organizer and administrator, issued a decree in 22 BC that a census and taxation time should occur throughout the entire Roman Empire starting in 21 BC and be done every fourteen years. This first census took place right on schedule in 21 BC. The next census was accomplished in 7 BC throughout all of the Roman Empire, with the exception of King Herod’s territories. King Herod didn’t like having to send the tax money to Rome and simply refused to require the census and taxation to be done in 7 BC. The next census throughout the Roman Empire is recorded as having been done in AD 7, right on the fourteen-year schedule.

2-3-2-2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

2. At this time, the Roman regional capital city of Damascus, Syria, covered the Jewish nation of Palestine. The Roman governor there was over King Herod in actual authority. In all of ancient Roman records, there was never a Roman governor stationed in Syria named Quirinius. But according to Roman records, when King Herod did not do the census and taxation in 7 BC, Caesar Augustus sent a man named Quirinius to Damascus to force King Herod to get it done the following year in 6 BC. And it was done. Quirinius was not technically the governor, but in reality, he was over the actual governor in the matter that was most important to Caesar Augustus: the collecting of the taxes.

3-3-2-3 And everyone ((all the Jews for the census)) went to their own ((ancestral)) town to register.

4-3-2-4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

4a. At least Joseph for sure, if not both Joseph and Mary, were of the house of David. That does not mean they ever lived in Bethlehem like David had done; it was just the way the system of census and taxation was set up. They had to register in the town that was considered to be their ancestral hometown. In their case, this was Bethlehem. This also means their parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews were also of the lineage of David. This means Joseph and Mary did not make the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem alone. In all likelihood, this trip would have been a big family affair. Everyone would have traveled together, and it would have been safer for all that way. That was especially good for Mary as she would have other women around since the baby would be born while she was on this journey.

4b. A straight shot from Nazareth to Bethlehem is about eighty miles. However, that would take them through the non-Jewish area known as Samaria, and good Jews would never do that. Joseph, and almost everyone from Galilee, would have gone east to the Jordan River, crossed it, and about five miles east of the Jordan, there was a heavily traveled highway that went south along the Jordan River. At Jericho, they would go back across the Jordan and travel the approximate twenty miles to Jerusalem and then five more miles south to Bethlehem. Their journey actually totaled about 110 miles each way. It probably took them at least six to seven days each way.

5-3-2-5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

5a. Matthew has already written that Joseph had taken Mary home to be his wife. It is strange here that Luke records her as still being pledged to him instead of being fully married to him.

5b. Romans didn’t care if women were pregnant or not. All women over the age of twelve had to show up personally to register and pay their tax.

6-3-2-6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

6a. Joseph and Mary both knew the scriptures and knew that the prophecy said the new Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Having to go there for the census and taxation time showed them how God was going to fulfill that prophecy.

6b. Ancient Egyptian and ancient Babylonian records both refer to eclipses being able to be seen in the area covering Palestine in 4 BC, 5 BC, and 6 BC, with the eclipse of 6 BC being called the Great Eclipse. It was probably a full eclipse while the others were probably partials. Both of their records also say Jesus was born in the year of the Great Eclipse.

7-3-2-7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them ((in the local inn)).

7a. Jesus was born at a time when living was tough. The country He grew up in had been conquered by the Romans and had Roman soldiers all around. Most of these battle-hardened soldiers had little sympathy for the Jewish people, and if they beat or killed one, the Romans commanders usually didn’t even care. Work was hard for Jesus as a carpenter, and there were no pickup trucks to drive from job site to job site. There was no air-conditioning to be cool in during the heat of the Middle Eastern day. As Jesus traveled during His ministry time, walking was His only mode of transportation. Sleep usually came on the ground around a campfire; seldom was there a Marriott Hotel available for Him and His companions. As a carpenter, and again as a traveling preacher, they did not raise their own food, so it had to be purchased daily, if there was money or if food was even available.

7b. The cloths, sometimes known as swaddling cloths, were strips of cloth about eighteen inches long and four to six inches wide. It took many of them to wrap up the baby. These are exactly the same cloths that were used to wrap up dead bodies for burial.

8-3-2-8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

8. The flocks of sheep being out in the fields at this time is not proof the birth occurred in the summertime as some want to say. The flocks kept for Temple sacrifices were kept in the fields around Bethlehem all year long. This verse says the shepherds were living out in the fields, not just temporarily camping there for the summer.

9-3-2-9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10-3-2-10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

11-3-2-11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord.

11. The angels announced the birth of the savior that everyone was waiting for. Many wanted a savior to save them from the Romans; others wanted to be saved from sickness and physical hardship. Jesus came to save everyone from sin and death.

12-3-2-12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

13-3-2-13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14-3-2-14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.

15-3-2-15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.

15. After listening to the angel’s message, the shepherds did not hesitate in their wanting to find the child and tell others what they had seen and heard from the Lord. Being a shepherd was considered a lowly occupation, but they were certainly a perceptive group of people.

16-3-2-16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

16. With Bethlehem buzzing because of all the extra crowds in town for the census, the shepherds had to seriously look for the child.

17-3-2-17 When they had seen Him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

18-3-2-18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

18. What did everyone think of a group of shepherds who claimed to see angels on the hillside and then came to town proclaiming a message about a savior being born?

19-3-2-19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20-3-2-20 The shepherds returned ((to their flocks)), glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21-3-2-21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

21. The ceremony of the circumcision and naming the child was a very important event in the life of a Jewish family. It would be highly likely the extended family of Joseph and Mary would stay with