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The Story of Jesus for Kids, NIrV
By Zondervan Bible Publishers ZONDERKIDZ
Copyright © 2014 Zonderkidz
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-74380-4
CHAPTER 1
The Birth of the King
John wrote about Jesus by calling him "the Word." Whenever you hear or read "the Word," you can replace it with "Jesus." Here's what John wrote:
In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. The Word was in the world. And the world was made through him. But the world did not recognize him. He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him. Some people did accept him and did believe in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.
The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father. And the Word was full of grace and truth.
In the past, God gave us grace through the law of Moses. Now, grace and truth come to us through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the One and Only is God and is at the Father's side. The one at the Father's side has shown us what God is like.
Here is the story of Jesus' birth according to Luke:
God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel greeted her and said, "The Lord has blessed you in a special way. He is with you."
Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. The Son of the Most High God will rule forever over his people. They are from the family line of Jacob. That kingdom will never end."
"How can this happen?" Mary asked the angel. "I am a virgin."
The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God."
"I serve the Lord," Mary answered. "May it happen to me just as you said it would." Then the angel left her.
Mary said,
"My soul gives glory to the Lord.
My spirit delights in God my Savior.
He has taken note of me
even though I am not considered
important.
From now on all people will call me
blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things
for me.
His name is holy.
He shows his mercy to those who have
respect for him,
from parent to child down through the
years.
He has done mighty things with his
powerful arm.
He has scattered those who are proud
in their deepest thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their
thrones.
But he has lifted up people who are not
considered important.
He has filled with good things those who
are hungry.
But he has sent away empty those who
are rich.
He has helped the people of Israel, who
serve him.
He has always remembered to be kind
to Abraham and his children down through
the years.
He has done it just as he promised to
our people of long ago."
Although Joseph and Mary were engaged, they weren't married yet, and neither one had ever tried to have a baby. So when Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, Joseph was surprised. After all, Mary was the first and only woman God made pregnant this special way.
Her husband Joseph was faithful to the law. But he did not want to put her to shame in public. So he planned to divorce her quietly.
But as Joseph was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. The baby inside her is from the Holy Spirit. She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That's because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to bring about what the Lord had said would happen. He had said through the prophet, "The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14) The name Immanuel means "God with us."
Joseph woke up. He did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do. He took Mary home as his wife.
In those days, Caesar Augustus made a law. It required that a list be made of everyone in the whole Roman world.
Everyone went to their own town to be listed.
So Joseph went also. He went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea. That is where Bethlehem, the town of David, was. Joseph went there because he belonged to the family line of David. He went there with Mary to be listed. Mary was engaged to him. She was expecting a baby. While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the child to be born. She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. That's because there was no guest room where they could stay.
There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were taking care of their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They said,
"May glory be given to God in the highest
heaven!
And may peace be given to those he is
pleased with on earth!"
The angels left and went into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem. Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in the manger. After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over. The shepherds returned. They gave glory and praise to God. Everything they had seen and heard was just as they had been told.
After Jesus' birth, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, "Where is the child who has been born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose. Now we have come to worship him."
When King Herod heard about it, he was very upset. Everyone in Jerusalem was troubled too.
King Herod was afraid Jesus would become king instead of him. So he decided to get rid of Jesus. When God told Joseph what Herod wanted to do, he moved his family to Egypt so Jesus would be safe. When Herod finally died, they moved back home.
Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. When Jesus was 12 years old, they went up to the feast as usual. After the feast was over, his parents left to go back home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But they were not aware of it. They thought he was somewhere in their group. So they traveled on for a day. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. They did not find him. So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting with the teachers. He was listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at how much he understood. They also were amazed at his answers. When his parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried about you. We have been looking for you everywhere."
"Why were you looking for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he meant by that.
Then he went back to Nazareth with them, and he obeyed them. But his mother kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and to people.
Discussion Questions
1. Is there someone in your life who has a baby or young child? Do you know what you were like as a baby or young child? Tell a story about yourself that you have heard someone else tell about you, or talk about a memory you have of yourself as a young child.
2. Have you ever gotten lost? How did it happen and what did you do?
3. How can you become "more pleasing to God and to people" (like Jesus as he grew up)?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Story of Jesus for Kids, NIrV by Zondervan Bible Publishers. Copyright © 2014 Zonderkidz. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERKIDZ.
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