The Chosen Presents: A Blended Harmony of the Gospels E-Book

Steve Laube

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Serie: The Chosen
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 323

Beschreibung

Four Gospels. One Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: The different details, timelines, and emphases of each Gospel can make it difficult to picture the whole narrative. And The Chosen TV series acknowledges its own timeline for the unique purposes of the show. That's why we've created The Chosen Presents: A Blended Harmony of the Gospels. We want you to see the factual accounts in one chronological story. You'll experience: ·       the story of Jesus in one seamless narrative, ·       section divisions for forty daily readings, ·       a preface by Dallas and Amanda Jenkins, and ·       an index detailing the Scripture references of each passage. Immerse yourself in the greatest story ever told.

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BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

The Chosen Presents: A Blended Harmony of the Gospels

Copyright © 2022 The Chosen, LLC

978-1-4245-6490-3 (faux)

978-1-4245-6491-0 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

Preface by Dallas and Amanda Jenkins

Introduction by Steve Laube

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Day Seven

Day Eight

Day Nine

Day Ten

Day Eleven

Day Twelve

Day Thirteen

Day Fourteen

Day Fifteen

Day Sixteen

Day Seventeen

Day Eighteen

Day Nineteen

Day Twenty

Day Twenty-One

Day Twenty-Two

Day Twenty-Three

Day Twenty-Four

Day Twenty-Five

Day Twenty-Six

Day Twenty-Seven

Day Twenty-Eight

Day Twenty-Nine

Day Thirty

Day Thirty-One

Day Thirty-Two

Day Thirty-Three

Day Thirty-Four

Day Thirty-Five

Day Thirty-Six

Day Thirty-Seven

Day Thirty-Eight

Day Thirty-Nine

Day Forty

Scripture Index

About the Authors

About the Christian Standard Bible

Resources

Preface by Dallas and Amanda Jenkins

A number of years ago, we heard a remarkable story from a missionary who worked in Iran. His team was distributing Bibles, but since Christian literature is illegal in that country, the Bibles had to be delivered under cover of darkness out of a secret compartment in the back of a truck.

One night, as the team was en route to a specific location, their car suddenly broke down. While the team tried to ascertain the cause, a stranger approached and in broken English said, “You have Bible.”

Fearing the secret police, they hedged.

Again, he said, “You have Bible.”

The team hesitated still, uncertain as to how to answer and fearing possible repercussions.

“God told me come,” the man continued. “Stand here. Wait for Bible.”

Well, in that case—“Yeah. We have Bible.”

They gave the man every Bible they had. When he turned to go, the team offered to go with him to preach to the people in the village. But as he disappeared into the darkness, they heard him say, “No. Bible preach.”

That story, and those two words, stuck with us. After all, the Bible is enough. The message on its pages is everything because it offers new life in Jesus, the long-awaited Savior of the world and the reason we make The Chosen.

Which brings us to the book you’re holding. As storytellers, we love that this will read like one—a beautiful story that flows and is easy to understand. As lovers of the Bible, we’re overjoyed that, unlike the show, every word in this book is “inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man [and woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, CSB).

We feel blessed to be able to make The Chosen, but the truth is that it’s just a TV show.

But this…the Bible is the reason we do what we do.

In other words, dear reader, Bible preach.

Introduction by Steve Laube

It is an honor and a privilege to work on a project like this. The four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are part of the inspired Word of God, given to us as holy Scripture. With differences in style, they were each written to present accurate historical material with a divine purpose. Whoever carefully studies these four accounts eventually forms the larger story in their mind, a blended history of events.

However, it isn’t easy to hold the four Gospels in the balance to form that single cohesive narrative. To make matters more difficult, our modern world tells stories chronologically, often with time stamps as a guide, like a documentary. The first-century writers did not think or write in that way. In addition, there are stories found in one Gospel that are not found in others.

To solve this challenge, many scholars over the centuries arranged the words of the four Gospels in parallel columns—harmonies. (See the resource section in the back of the book for examples.) There were others who wanted to put the four Gospels into one story instead of in side-by-side columns. Back in AD 160, Tatian, an early church Christian in Syria, wrote his Diatessaron where he created a single continuous story from the Gospels. Other well-known writers, like Augustine and John Calvin, wrote their commentaries in a way to show the Gospels in parallel or connected nature. Following this long-standing practice, we have done something similar, creating a blended harmony of the Gospels.

The goal of this book is to have the Jesus story told in a seamless form. Verse references (originally added to the Bible in 1551) have been removed to avoid having them interfere with the reading. Subheadings are placed before the naturally divided scenes or themes for ease in understanding the flow. In addition, the story is broken into forty readings. This allows the reader to meditate on the life of Jesus each day.

The text of the four Gospels, in their entirety, is the basis of this book without repeating identical parallel sentences. This work is not intended to replace the Scriptures as presented in their original form. In fact, there is an index in the back of the book for each of the sections as an encouragement for the reader to look further into the text itself.

Ultimately, our hope is to encourage you to immerse yourself in the greatest story ever told. Jesus is the center of it all. The apostle John says it so well in his Gospel: These words are “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, CSB).

DAY

ONE

The Beginning

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. So it also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him and exclaimed, “This was the one of whom I said, ‘The one coming after me ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’”) Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.

The Genealogy from Abraham to Jesus

An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram, Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David.

David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah, and Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

After the exile to Babylon Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, fourteen generations.

The Genealogy from Jesus to Adam

As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, son of Ram, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah’s division named Zechariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in God’s sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.

When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”

“How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless. When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home.

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for five months. She said, “The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Revealed to Mary

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you.” But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. Then the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?”

The angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. And consider your relative Elizabeth—even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called childless. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

“See, I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary. “May it happen to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

DAY

TWO

Mary Visits Elizabeth

In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped inside her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and your child will be blessed! How could this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For you see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside me. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”

Mary’s Song of Praise

And Mary said:

My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

because he has looked with favor

on the humble condition of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations

will call me blessed,

because the Mighty One

has done great things for me,

and his name is holy.

His mercy is from generation to generation

on those who fear him.

He has done a mighty deed with his arm;

he has scattered the proud

because of the thoughts of their hearts;

he has toppled the mighty from their thrones

and exalted the lowly.

He has satisfied the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering his mercy

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he spoke to our ancestors.

And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she returned to her home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.”

Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

The Song of Zechariah

Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has visited

and provided redemption for his people.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David,

just as he spoke by the mouth

of his holy prophets in ancient times;

salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of those who hate us.

He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors

and remembered his holy covenant—

the oath that he swore to our father Abraham,

to grant that we,

having been rescued

from the hand of our enemies,

would serve him without fear

in holiness and righteousness

in his presence all our days.

And you, child, will be called

a prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord

to prepare his ways,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins.

Because of our God’s merciful compassion,

the dawn from on high will visit us

to shine on those who live in darkness

and the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

The child grew up and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Joseph Told of Jesus

The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit. So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

See, the virgin will become pregnant

and give birth to a son,

and they will name him Immanuel,

which is translated “God is with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. And he named him Jesus.

The Birth of Jesus

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole empire should be registered. This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.

Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, to be registered along with Mary, who was engaged to him and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace on earth to people he favors!

When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. After seeing them, they reported the message they were told about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told.

The Circumcision and Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived.

And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were finished, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord) and to offer a sacrifice (according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, he entered the temple. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said,

Now, Master,

you can dismiss your servant in peace,

as you promised.

For my eyes have seen your salvation.

You have prepared it

in the presence of all peoples—

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and glory to your people Israel.

His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and told his mother Mary, “Indeed, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed—and a sword will pierce your own soul—that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well along in years, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and was a widow for eighty-four years. She did not leave the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers. At that very moment, she came up and began to thank God and to speak about him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

DAY

THREE

The Wise Men Visit

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.

“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:

Because out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.”

After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

Escape to Egypt

After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.

Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men. Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping, and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children;

and she refused to be consoled,

because they are no more.

Return to Nazareth

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

The Early Years of Jesus

The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on him.

Every year his parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming he was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days, they found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.

Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and with people.

The Ministry of John the Baptist

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea. He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;

he will prepare your way.

A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

Prepare the way for the Lord;

make his paths straight!

Every valley will be filled,

and every mountain and hill will be made low;

the crooked will become straight,

the rough ways smooth,

and everyone will see the salvation of God

Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then people from Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the vicinity of the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

He then said to the crowds, many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“What then should we do?” the crowds were asking him.

He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”

Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

Some soldiers also questioned him, “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were questioning in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.” Then, along with many other exhortations, he proclaimed good news to the people.

The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.

When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, he was praying and saw the heavens being torn open, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old.

DAY

FOUR

The Wilderness Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led immediately by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He was with the wild animals. After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Then the devil approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here. For it is written:

‘He will give his angels orders concerning you,

to protect you,

and they will support you with their hands

so that you will not strike

your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus told him, “It is also written: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”

Again, the devil took him up to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor in a moment of time. And he said to him, “I will give you their splendor and all this authority, because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:

‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”

After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time, and angels came and began to serve him.

Who Is John the Baptist?

This was John’s testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”

“What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?”

“I am not,” he said.

“Are you the Prophet?”

“No,” he answered.

“Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

“I baptize with water,” John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. He is the one coming after me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John Identifies Jesus as the Son of God

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ I didn’t know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him. I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

The First Followers of Jesus

The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”