The Gospels of the Holy Bible record several important events that preceded the birth of Jesus because they provide information for a better understanding of who Jesus was and what he came to do. Those events center around Mary the mother of Jesus and Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist.

There was an air of expectancy during the last few years of Herod's reign. He had been such a disagreeable leader that many people were looking to God to intervene in history and make things right. One such man was an older priest named Zechariah who was visited by an angel while exercising his priestly duties. He was told that his wife, who was beyond childbearing years, would have a son who was to be named John. Neither Zechariah nor his wife Elizabeth could believe it but it was true. During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, a young relative of hers named Mary also received an angelic visitation. Although she was a virgin, it was announced to her that she would be the earthly mother of God's Son. Her humble acceptance of God's will, in spite of the utter inexplicability of it all, stands as an example of how we should respond to God's will in our lives. Joseph, Mary's prospective husband, was also informed by God of what would happen. He, too, gladly accepted the will of God. Both of them realized that a life of puzzlement and pain awaited them. Mary made a visit to Elizabeth in Judea and stayed with her for three months.

During that time it was confirmed that miraculous events were about to break in on the earth.

After Mary returned to Galilee a decree was passed by Caesar Augustus, ruler of the Roman empire, requiring that everyone return to their ancestral home for taxation enrollment. Mary and Joseph would have to travel to Bethlehem in Judea because they were descendants of David. There the birth of Jesus took place. The story is told simply in the Gospel of Luke. There was no room for the weary travelers in the inn so they were forced to spend the night in what seemed to be a barn. There, amid earthly poverty and indifference, but with divine acclamation, Jesus was born. Shepherds, told of the great event by God's messengers, came to marvel at the little family. How astonishing it all was. A more unlikely thing could not have been imagined, then or now--that the eternal God would choose to enter his world in such fashion. In his love, and for our good God stooped down into the world in the form of a helpless baby, subjecting himself to the vicissitudes of human existence.

According to Jewish custom Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and later was presented in the Temple 40 days after his birth. At the presentation, Simeon and Anna, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke of Jesus and what he would someday do. Jesus was to be for the salvation of the world, a sign for Israel, a discerner of hearts, and a sword through the heart of Mary. The ominous reference to a sword indicated that all were to pass through deep waters.

Visitors from the East later arrived, the Magi (or Wise Men), guided by a star, to offer their homage to the young king. That knowledge so enraged the unstable Herod that he ordered that all male children under two years of age in Bethlehem and its vicinity be killed, hoping to do away with the threat he perceived Jesus to be. The child was not there, however. Having been warned in a dream, Joseph took Mary and Jesus down to Egypt, where they stayed until Herod died.

After Herod's death, the family returned to Judea and evidently were going to settle there, but Archelaus, Herod's son, was ruling over the area. He was even more unstable than his father, so Joseph took the family to Nazareth in Galilee, where Jesus grew to manhood.

We are told almost nothing about Jesus from his birth to about age 30. One episode is recorded when Jesus was twelve years old. The annual trip to Jerusalem had been made and the boy was in the Temple discussing theology with the learned rabbis there. Other than that, we know nothing except that Jesus grew in mind and body, pleasing both God and man.

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness outside Jerusalem like one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. Word went around, in fact, that Elijah or Jeremiah had come back from the dead. John had a stern message of judgment for everyone who came to hear him preach. He said that neither privileges of birth nor being formally religious would do anyone any good. The times were too drastic for such things. The ax was already laid at the root of the tree and it was about to be cut down. Decisive spiritual reorientation was needed. Everyone, from high priest to lowest sinner to Gentile soldier, had to repent, confess their sins, be baptized, and live ethically, as proof of their sincerity. That would signify acceptance of a new life.

John said that One was coming who was God's anointed. He would baptize with the Holy Spirit, just as he, John, was baptizing with water.

Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, much to John's puzzlement. Jesus had no sins to confess, so why should he be baptized? The answer lay in Jesus' words, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). Jesus was identifying with sin, not his own, but the sin of others, in order to do away with it forever. He was the Lamb of God, taking away the sin of the world (John 1:29). As Jesus was baptized, heaven was opened, and a voice was heard to say, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17).

Jesus' experience in the wilderness, which immediately followed his baptism, was of supreme importance for him. It helped to define what kind of Messiah he was to be. Three different models were offered; that of a humanitarian reformer (turn stones to bread); that of a miracle worker (leap down off the Temple); and that of one defying God's will (casting his lot with Satan). In each case Jesus found strength by quoting Scripture, thus repelling Satan's attacks. He knew that to do God's work of salvation meant nothing less than paying the full price. Tempting as it was, he still rejected any compromise that would destroy what he came to do.

Jesus returned to Galilee, where the town of Capernaum became his base of operation. He was already gathering disciples, but no formal call had gone out to any of them to leave their occupations and follow him. They seemed to have gone back to their ordinary lives, waiting for the moment when Jesus would begin his public work. Jesus' disciples began baptizing, which created some strain with the disciples of John, but Jesus stayed in the background. His time had not yet come. Jesus made two trips to Jerusalem, one of them including an interview with a Jewish ruler named Nicodemus who was told he must be born from above (or "born again") if he wanted to enter the kingdom of God. Miracles were performed, as at the wedding in Cana, but for the most part this period was one of preparation for Jesus. He was getting ready for the time when he would be on the center stage of history. That moment came when John the Baptist was arrested. The time of preparation was over; the time for action had arrived.

When John the Baptist was thrown into prison by Herod Antipas, Jesus took it as a signal that he should step forward with a message of fulfillment. John was the last of the old order; he was in fact "Elijah" who was to come before the arrival of God's Messiah, but all that was now history. Jesus picked up the message of repentance, proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at the door. It had now broken into history in what he was doing and saying.

The ministry of Jesus in Galilee lasted for approximately a year and a half. A great deal took place that can be conveniently treated under three headings: what happened, what Jesus did, and what Jesus taught.

Four events stand out as of crucial importance during Jesus' Galilean ministry. First, Jesus chose twelve men as a nucleus of leadership (Mark 3:13-19). The importance of this is that Jesus recognized his need of help to get the job done, as well as the fact that his work would live on after him in the ministry of these individuals. The choice of twelve to be apostles was on the analogy of Israel with its twelve tribes; the church which would arise was to be a new people of God.

Second, John the Baptist sent a message from prison asking Jesus if for sure he was the One who was to come. Jesus' coded reply affirmed that he was (Matt. 11:2-19), but what is crucial here is the nature of Jesus' Messiahship. He was not going to be a conqueror like those of Rome, but One who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and brought hope to the lost. Jesus' message was spiritual, not political.

Third, Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 men, along with their families (Matt. 14:13-21). After that, the crowd wanted to make him a king, but he refused. Again, it was important that he be the Messiah whom God intended, not what popular opinion wanted. The loneliness of his task was moving in on him as he realized that the people wanted the benefits of what he could do, but were not willing to pay the price of repentance and submission.

Fourth, Jesus withdrew to Caesarea Philippi, where he revealed that being the Messiah meant his going to Jerusalem to die (Mark 8:27-38). Peter resisted that possibility but received a stern rebuke from Jesus. The transfiguration that followed this momentous event (Mark 9:2-8) confirmed that the right decision had been made.

Jesus' activity during this period was designed to show what it was like to have the kingdom of God present. He cast out demons, evil spiritual forces that opposed whatever was good for humankind. The kingdom of God meant the overthrow of the kingdom of evil. Where Jesus goes, evil retreats.

Second, Jesus healed the sick. The Gospels give representative examples of what he did, including his healing of fever, leprosy, deafness, inability to speak, blindness, paralysis, congenital illnesses, and others. God cares for his creation; Jesus was the concrete embodiment of that care. Where Jesus goes, disease retreats.

Third, Jesus ministered to every kind of human need. He encouraged the weak, fed the hungry, calmed raging storms, blessed normal human life with his presence (weddings, worship, travel, etc.), raised the dead, and brought peace where trouble existed. Where Jesus goes, human need retreats.

Fourth, Jesus graciously allowed for a spectrum of discipleship. Some people were disciples who stayed at home; some left everything in order to be with him; some followed him for awhile to learn and then returned to their usual occupation; some stayed at home for awhile and then joined him--it really did not matter. God wants us to be ourselves. He sanctifies our lives just as they are, as long as we give them to him. He fills our lives with meaning and purpose. Where Jesus goes, meaninglessness and despair retreat.

Finally, Jesus came into conflict with the comfortably religious of his day. It is ironic that ordinary people were more interested in Jesus than the prestigiously religious. But, as Jesus said, it is the sick who are in need of a physician. It is only when we realize that we need God that we can be helped. Where Jesus goes, hypocrisy retreats.

The teaching of Jesus during the Galilean period may be summarized briefly. To outsiders, it was "Repent and believe the gospel. The time is at hand and the kingdom of God is upon you." To those who came, it was "follow the precepts of God as found in the Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. 5-7). Most of all it is to love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as ourselves. Of himself, Jesus said, he came to fulfill the righteousness of God by going to Jerusalem to die and rise again. That was the nature of his Messiahship.

With full knowledge of what it meant to go to Jerusalem, Jesus left Galilee and headed south. His ministry in Perea and Judea would last about six months, culminating in his death and resurrection. During that time, he continued to preach, heal, work miracles, and cast out demons. Some changes, however, had taken place.

There was now more open conflict with the authorities as Jesus pressed for moral change in their lives. They, for their part, were more determined than ever to do away with this One who was such an embarrassment to them. Jesus also identified more closely with the lost and explained his coming death and resurrection in more detail. His parables now took on a new emphasis of salvation, as in the parables of the lost coin, lost sheep, and prodigal son (Luke 15:1-32). The table gives a thorough listing of the parables of Jesus. Finally, he strongly emphasized the cost of discipleship in the light of what was to take place.

The climax of Jesus' ministry was reached during what we now call Passion Week. He had come to be the Lamb of God, and so it was. After entering the City of Jerusalem in triumph (on the day now celebrated as Palm Sunday), Jesus disputed with the authorities in such decisive fashion that they were determined to get rid of him, little knowing that their evil schemes would mysteriously accomplish the redemptive plan of God.

On Thursday night of that week, Jesus ate a Passover meal with his disciples. He explained that his blood was about to be shed as the blood of the "new covenant" foretold by Jeremiah the prophet (Jer. 31:31-34. Judas, for personal reasons unknown to this day, betrayed Jesus into the hands of his enemies, and Jesus was arrested after praying in the Garden of Gethsemane across the valley from Jerusalem. Jesus was first tried by a Jewish court before the religious and civil leaders and was then handed over to the Romans for official action, because they alone were able to impose the death penalty. Both Herod and Pilate examined Jesus and were of a mind to let him go with a stern warning, but were soon pressured by the Jewish authorities and the mob to put him to death. The shrewd but weak-willed Pilate consented and sent Jesus off to be executed. Jesus was scourged to a point of near death and then was publicly crucified. He suffered on the cross from about nine a.m. to three p.m. on Friday (our Good Friday), at which point he died saying, "It is finished," and "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."

No one knows exactly what took place in those awesome moments. The New Testament tells us only that it was for us that Jesus died, thus freeing us from the penalty of sin, which is death. Jesus died, not as everyone dies, but for everyone, in the plan of God making atonement for our sins. It is the greatest mystery imaginable. It is enough for us to know that God's will was accomplished and all we must do is humbly acknowledge our need, bowing before the cross to receive pardon from God.

After being placed in a tomb outside Jerusalem, Jesus' body lay in peace for the equivalent of three days (according to Jewish reckoning, any part of a day may be counted as a whole day, so Friday through Sunday equaled three days). On Sunday morning the tomb was empty because Jesus had risen from the dead as he had said. He made numerous appearances to his friends, including Mary Magdalene, Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, the other apostles, and other unnamed disciples. Death was unable to hold Jesus down because he is the Lord of death--and of life as well. There is no rational explanation for the resurrection of Jesus. It was a display of the power and love of God, who controls all our experiences of life, including death. Forty days later Jesus returned to his heavenly Father, there to await his return in glory to end this age and bring to pass ultimate salvation.

Jesus neither wrote books nor taught any systematic theology, but that fact does not mean he hadn't thought things through for himself. It is evident that he had. The task he set for himself, however, was a direct communication of the truth, and he went about it differently from what we might today.

Basically, his task was to speak the truth to those who already knew the answers, but in such a way that truth would become evident to them. They had heard it so many times that it had lost its urgency and power in their lives. In order to accomplish that, Jesus chose to use simple and direct language that cut to the heart of the matter. He used analogies, parables, and other imagery to bring truth to life. Jesus' teaching was never abstract; no one was ever in doubt about the point he was making. Sometimes he used paradoxical or highly graphic language to wake up his hearers. He said such things as "The last shall be first," or "Let the dead bury their dead," or "If one would save his life he must lose it." Occasionally he used hyperbole to shock his hearers into self-examination, as when he said that to enter into life we must cut off our hand if it offends us. All of that was calculated to press home a personal choice on those who heard. It was impossible to remain neutral; either one pursued the truth to the core and was saved, or set it aside as foolishness. Jesus' words were designed to penetrate to people's hearts and force a decision for or against God.

Central to Jesus' teaching is the existence of God. He nowhere argued for the fact that God exists; it is too obvious. Everywhere one looks there is evidence of the reality of God, whether in history, in the words of the prophets, in nature, in our social lives, or in ourselves. God confronts us everywhere, at all times, and without ceasing.

But who is God? For Jesus, what was traditionally said about God in the Scriptures was unquestionably true. He is love, spirit, holy, good, all-powerful, glorious, righteous, all knowing, almighty, the wise ruler, the revealer of truth, and true. Supremely, God is our heavenly Father. He lovingly cares for us, knows and meets our needs, is merciful to us, is willing to forgive us our sins, gives good gifts to his children, and delights in our prayers. Because God is Father to us we need not live in anxiety but in confidence of his attention and concern. There is no need to worry because God knows what he is doing and is looking out for our good. Granted there are times when this is not obvious, but it is true, nonetheless.

Jesus was a human being. Neither his virgin birth nor his sinlessness detracted from that. He had the same physical needs as anyone else. He got tired, hungry, thirsty; possessed five senses like everyone else; experienced pain; suffered; and ultimately died. He had emotions. There were times when he was sorrowful, angry, zealous, distressed, upset, filled with yearning, loving, lonely, joyful, calm, patient, exasperated. He possessed a mind like ours. He was intelligent, witty, creative, imaginative; had common sense; was logical and consistent. Finally he had a moral and spiritual nature like other human beings. He was nonjudgmental, affirmative, courageous, determined, moral, trustworthy, truthful, committed to the truth, and conscious of God's presence.

But Jesus was more than just a human being. He possessed a consciousness that he was unique. He claimed equality with God, spoke with God's authority, accepted prayer and praise (due to God alone), and challenged anyone to find any fault in him. He claimed final authority over other human beings saying that their eternal destiny depended on how they related to him. He claimed power over all human life and promised peace to those who sought it in him. Using many metaphors, he said he was the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the door to enter the sheepfold, the true vine, the way, the truth, the life and one from above.

Jesus never tried to explain how his human and divine natures were combined in himself; he simply lived out that reality. The church has not tried to explain it rationally either. It has been content to say that Jesus was "fully God and fully man."

Jesus presented no abstract teaching about human nature. He never discussed such questions as how our will relates to our mind or other such theoretical matters. Jesus' concern was practical. He viewed each human being as existing in relation to God, others, and himself. Looked at in this way, Jesus was able to define what human life consisted of, not abstractly, but concretely. Negatively, human life does not consist of what we possess, our status, our pious acts, our human efforts, or our self-fulfillment. Positively, it does consist of loving God; loving our neighbor; possessing the spiritual qualities of meekness, purity, compassion, righteousness, and mercy; participating in the kingdom of God; and being committed to doing God's will. A powerful negative force works against all that, and that force is sin. Jesus never preached a sermon on sin as such, but he noted that its effects were everywhere to be seen. Sin is what keeps us from finding God and thus life. But, Jesus did not stress the destructive power of sin (that was evident enough); rather, his emphasis was that God was able to save us from the consequences of our sins. The solution to our problem lies in submitting to God's will as it is made known in the Scriptures.

The heart of what Jesus said about the relation of God to the world is contained in the expression "kingdom of God (or heaven)," which occurs about 75 times in the Gospels. Essentially the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality or realm where the will of God is recognized as being supreme and where God exercises his sovereign right to rule. Because it is a spiritual reality and not a material place--like the land of Palestine or the Roman empire--it may exist anywhere and at all times. Because God is always God, his rule will never cease and we are invited to participate in it. In one sense of the word, everyone and everything is in the kingdom of God. God works in all things for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28). That trust is the foundation for statements like the apostle Paul's "In every thing give thanks" (I Thess. 5:18). In another sense everyone is not in the kingdom, but only those who choose to enter. Jesus said that the kingdom of God had drawn near; to enter we must repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:14). At another time Jesus said we must be born again (or from above) to enter the kingdom (John 3:3,5). A complete turnabout is required. We must set aside false confidence in ourselves and instead have complete trust in God. When we do that, we experience the benefits of living in the kingdom: fellowship with God, eternal life, freedom from anxiety, and possession of life's necessities. To enter the kingdom is the most important thing a person can do. We should be willing to lose all that we have to obtain it, even our lives if need be, because nothing can compare with knowing God now and eternally.

The Kingdom has a present and a future aspect. We may enter it now as a present reality, but its fullness will not exist until God is all in all. In the Lord's Prayer we are told to include a petition for that day to arrive: "Thy kingdom come" (Matt. 6:10). For Jesus, salvation meant life in the kingdom. When we are God's we are free from the destructive powers that dominate this world and are free to be ourselves in God's will. God as heavenly Father knows what we are and what we need, so we are never in ultimate want. For those who have eyes to see, the whole world is theirs. But just as the kingdom has a present and future aspect, so does salvation. In the future we may expect eternal life, resurrection, a new heaven and earth, and eternity with God in unending blessedness.

The foundation for what Jesus said about Christian living is threefold. First, he tied his ethical commands to our relationship to him. Not everyone who says to him "Lord, Lord," but those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom. Hearing Jesus' words and building on them is like building your house on rock. To neglect Jesus' words is to build on sand (Matt. 7:21-27).

Second, the Christian life is lived in the light of God's love for sinners. We do not need to be righteous to enter into life; entrance into life opens the door for us to become righteous. God knows that we are sinful human beings yet he loves us anyway. We are not to shrink back from him, but embrace him in the knowledge that God controls all things. God made all things, has a purpose for all things, cares for all his creatures, and works for the eternal good of what he has made. Never once has he done anything hurtful or mean. Human beings may do that, but not God. The mystery of this is that God can weave his good purposes into the hurtful and mean things that humans do, thus overcoming our evil intents.

Living the Christian life is not following a set of rules, but living according to the principle of love. All the commands of God are covered in two statements. We are to love God with all our hearts. We are to love our neighbors (i.e. others) as ourselves.

When we love God and neighbor we recognize the value of persons, ourselves, and all that God has created. We can recognize that sin is not the essence of a person; sin is what is chipping away or destroying that essence. We are to call people back to what God intended: to be themselves in God's grace and favor. God values us as individuals so we must value individuals as well.

We must also recognize that to love God and neighbor implies that salvation has a social dimension. Government, rulers, laws, human welfare, care for the helpless--all of these are included. Jesus went so far as to say that what will separate those who are his from those who are not ("the sheep from the goats") is how they have treated their fellow human beings. Do we visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, and welcome strangers? (Matt. 25:31-46).

Finally, love of God and neighbor carries with it a stress on the wholeness of salvation. Our whole life, both now and forever, is included. Our talents, interests, desires, needs, dreams, plans and values are included. Nothing is left out. When we lose our life for Jesus' sake and the gospel's, we find it in a new and comprehensive way.

The teachings of Jesus are the most important words in the human language. To hear and obey them is to find the "pearl of great price," he said. The testimony of countless people is that they have found God by simple trust in what Jesus taught.