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This is the book of the generations of Jesus Christ, son of David and son of Abraham. David was the great King, Abraham was the Patriarch Abraham begot Isaac and Isaac begot Jacob and Jacob begot Judas and his brothers. Judas was the father of Phares and Zara. Thamar was their mother. Phares was the father of Esrom and Esrom the father of Aram. Aram fathered Aminadab who in turn fathered Naasson. Naasson was the father of Samon and Samon the father of Booz. Rachab was his mother. Booz married Ruth and they were the parents of Obed. Obed begot Jesse who begot David the King. David fathered Solomon. His mother had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Roboam who was the father of Abia. Abia begot Asaph who begot Josaphat who in turn begot Joram who begot Ozias. Ozias was the father of Joatham who was the father of Achaz who in turn was the father of Hezekias. Hezekias was the father of Manasses who was the father of Amos. Amos begot Josias who in turn begot Jechonias and his brothers at the deportation of the people to Babylon. After the deportation of Babylon Jechonias begot Salathiel who begot Zorobabel who begot Abiud who begot Eliakim who begot Azor who begot Sadoc who begot Achim who father of begot Eliud who begot Eleazar who begot Matthan who begot Jacob. Now Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. All the generations from Abraham until David made up fourteen generations. From David until the deportation of Babylon there were fourteen generations. From the deportation of Babylon until the Christ there were also fourteen generations. The above genealogy shows Jesus came from Judaism The birth of Jesus Christ took place as follows. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph. But before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Now Joseph her husband was a just man and did not wish to hold her up as a public example. He resolved to dismiss her secretly. But while he was thinking about this, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him through a dream saying to him. “Joseph, son of David. Do not fear to take Mary as you wife. For what has been begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will call him Jesus for he will save his people from their sins.” Now all this occurred so that the things spoken by the Lord through the prophet may be fulfilled. Behold the virgin will conceive in her womb and bear a son and they will call him Emmanuel which is understood as meaning God is with us.” Note: Angels were mentioned in the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament). Prophets, and what they said, were very much part of Jewish history. “ |
When Joseph woke up from this sleep he did as the angel had bid him. He took his wife and did not know her until
she bore a son. He gave him the name of Jesus.
There came a time when John the Baptist arrived proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea. He was saying
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is near.” He was the one spoken of through Isaiah the prophet who said
"There is a voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord.
Make his paths straight.”
Isaiah was one of the greatest Jewish prophets. Readings from Isaiah are used at present to prepare for Christmas and Easter Now John had dressed himself in camel hair with a leather girdle around his waist. His food consisted of locusts and wild honey. All of Jerusalem went out to him and all of Judea and everyone around the neighbourhood of the Jordan. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river confessing their sins. Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to the baptism. On seeing them he said to them “Offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit worthy of repentance and do not think to say amongst yourselves that we have Abraham as our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up children of Abraham from these very stones. Already the axe is at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which is not producing good fruit is to be cut down and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you in water to repentance. But the one coming after me is stronger than me. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire. The fan is in his hand and he will thoroughly clean his threshing-floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff, he will consume with unquenchable fire." John the Baptist (a cousin of Jesus) lived and spoke like the ancient prophets Then Jesus from Galilee arrived at the Jordan to be baptized by John. But he (John) forbade him saying “I have need to be baptized by you and here you are coming to me?” But answering Jesus said to him. “Permit this for now. For it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he (John) permitted him. and having been baptized Jesus immediately came up from the water. And behold the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove upon him. And behold a voice came out of the heavens saying. “This is my son the beloved in whom I have been well pleased.” Then Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. And having fasted forty days and forty nights he was hungry. The tempter approached him and said to him. "If you are the Son of God command that these stones be turned into bread." But he (Jesus) answering said “It has been written |
that not on bread alone shall man live but on every word that comes through the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him into the holy city and stood him on the wing of the temple. And he said to him. “If you are the Son of God cast yourself down. For it has been written that he will command his
angels concerning you and they will bear you up lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him “Again it has been written. Do not tempt the Lord your God.” Then the devil took him to an extremely high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him. “I will give all these things to you if falling down you will worship me.” Then Jesus said to him. “Be gone Satan for it has been written “The Lord your God you shall worship and him only you shall serve.” Then the devil left him. And behold angels approached and ministered to him.
Now hearing that John had been captured he (Jesus) departed into Galilee. He left Nazareth and came to Capernaum beside the sea in the districts of Zebulon and Naphthali, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah may be fulfilled. “Land of Zebulon and land of
Naphthali, by the sea and beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations, the people sitting in darkness have seen a great light. For those sitting in a land under the shadow of death a light has sprung up." Then Jesus began to proclaim from there and to say “Repent for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.”
On walking beside the sea of Galilee he (Jesus) saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother. They were casting a net into the sea for they were fisherman. And he (Jesus) says to them. “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” And immediately leaving
the nets they followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And he called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.
Note how Jesus gathered his first disciples from amongst Jewish fishermen who lived and worked with their network of contacts in the fishing industry around the sea of Galilee. These people were taxed heavily by the Roman government. They also felt disillusioned with Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. 18 He went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel (good news) of the kingdom and healing every disease and every illness amongst the people. And the report of him went into all of Syria. They brought to him all those where were ill with various dieases, those who were tortured with demon possession and the lunatics and the paralysed. He healed them. Many crowds followed him from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan. (Note: Text is mainly a paraphrase of the Literal translation in the RSV Interlinear Greek-English New Testament, 1988) |
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