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Chapter One
Dear Theo, in writing to you I know I'm writing to someone who loves God.
Lots of people have tried to put in writing the exciting things that have
been happening in our world recently. They've been setting down information
they got from people who were there on the spot and wanting to talk about
it. I thought, since you hold a government post, you'd like to know the
facts. I've been collecting them and putting them in order. I want you to be
fully in the picture, so you can check the truth of the various accounts
which have come to you.
(5) Kerry lived at the time of Herod the Great. He belonged to an old family
of God's helpers. His wife Lisa came from the same family. God saw that
Kerry and Lisa were good people. They did their best to please God by
keeping the rules of their religion. They hadn't been able to have any
children and were getting on in years.
One day Kerry was at work in the central place of worship in Jerusalem. He
was due to take part in the service. He was allotted the task of burning the
scented crystals. To do this he had to go into the private area set apart to
mark the presence of God. The people waited outside, holding thoughts of God
in their minds. Inside Kerry got a fright. He hadn't expected to see one of
God's agents standing by the table. The agent said, "Keep calm, Kerry! God
has been listening to you. Lisa is going to have a baby boy. John would be a
good name for him, since it means 'gift from God'. Congratulations! He'll
bring you a lot of happiness, and everyone else will be pleased too. He'll
be a famous man of God. He must keep away from the drink. God's Spirit will
be his guide from the moment he's born. He'll bring many of your people back
to God. He'll tell them God is coming. He'll be a strong character and
remind them of Elijah. He'll put an end to family quarrels and help those
who've made a mess of their lives back into society. He'll arrange a warm
reception for God.” Kerry said, "I find that hard to believe. I'm not as
young as I used to be, nor Lisa." God's agent said, "My name's Gabriel. I'm
in close touch with God who sent me to you with this good news. Although you
don't believe me now, you won't have long to wait. Meanwhile, you’re to keep
your mouth shut. You can tell people about our meeting after the baby is
born.”
The people waiting outside began to wonder what had happened to Kerry. He
was taking so long. When at last he came out, he seemed like somebody struck
dumb, as if he'd seen a ghost. He made a few weak gestures to the people,
then hurried home as soon as the service was over.
Soon after, Lisa got pregnant and stayed at home. In those days, people who
couldn't have children had to put up with a lot of painful gossip. So Lisa
said, "God's been good to me. I don't have to be ashamed any more!"
(26) When Lisa was six month's pregnant, God sent Gabriel to Nazareth in the
province of Galilee. Gabriel had a message for Mary, a young woman engaged
to Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel came into the house and said,
"Pleased to meet you, Mary. You're a special person. God thinks highly of
you." But Mary was nervous, trying to think what it was all about. So
Gabriel said, "Nothing to worry about, Mary. God is your friend. You're
going to have a baby boy, and you're to call him Jesus. He will be famous
and known as 'God's Likeness'. God will make him the true successor of
David, his ancestor. He'll have the permanent care of God's people, and they
will go on increasing more and more." Mary said, "I don't see how that can
be. I'm not married yet." Gabriel said, "God's Spirit has it all arranged.
She will be responsible. 'God's Likeness' has to be very special. You'll
also be pleased to know your cousin Lisa is pregnant. It’s going to be a
boy! Everyone had given up hope, but she's now six month's gone. There's no
limit to what God can do! Mary said, "Here I am then, ready to help God all
I can. May your words come true! " Then God's agent left.
(39) Mary packed her bag and went down south to visit her cousin. Lisa and
Kerry lived up in the hills, not far from Jerusalem. As soon as Mary got
there she greeted Lisa with a hug and a kiss. This made Lisa’s baby jump
inside her. It was God's Spirit, bringing the baby to life. Lisa spoke out
loud, "What a lucky woman you are, Mary. Your baby's going to be a wonderful
person. I'm very honoured to have a visit from the mother of the one who's
going to be my Leader. Your greeting got my baby moving. He must be pleased!
It's always a good thing to believe what God tells us is going to happen."
(46) Then Mary sang this song for Lisa:
I sense the greatness of God
Who makes my joy complete;
God smiled at me and asked my help,
And everyone will dance with glee
At the wonderful thing happening to me.
What a God!
In every age God aids the good,
Upsetting the plans of the arrogant:
See how the powerful fall of their perches!
Honour for the modest, a banquet for the hungry;
The rich get nothing and slink away!
God keeps promises to friends and companions-
Abraham, Sarah, and their like today. [see footnote 1]
Mary stayed with Lisa for about three months, then went back home.
(57) The time came for Lisa to have her baby. It was a boy. (58) All her
family and neighbours were happy for her when they heard the news. They put
it down to God's kindness. Just over a week later it was time to give him a
name. The ceremony was combined with the removal of the little boy's
foreskin. Kerry was the popular choice of name, after his father. But his
mother said, "No; he's going to be called John." Her friends said, "That's
unusual. No-one else in your family has that name." Then they asked his
father, using sign language, since he was very deaf. Kerry asked for
something to write on. He put down, "His name is John." They were all
puzzled by this. Then at last, Kerry felt free to speak. He gave all the
credit to God. The people in the village were excited when they heard Kerry
story. It became the talking point throughout the hill country around
Jerusalem. People asked, "What sort of person will he turn out to be?" It
was obvious God had a plan for him.
(67) Then Kerry was inspired by God's Spirit to sing this song:
What a wonderful God,
The God of Jacob, Leah and Rachel!
This God has come to help us and set us free.
The world will be healed by the power of love,
By a descendant of David and Bathsheba.
Those who spoke God’s promises were right:
The days of hate and having enemies are passing.
God was generous to our ancestors,
A loyal and reliable friend.
God promised Abraham and Sarah
An end to hostility and fear,
Freedom to worship and serve.
You, little baby, will speak for God;
You will go in front of God’s Chosen Leader
And roll out the carpet.
You’ll tell people their problems are over,
Free from guilt at last.
God is kind and gentle;
God will turn darkness into daylight,
So we can make our way in peace.
John developed a striking character from his earliest days. He joined those
who lived the harsh life of the desert, until the time came for him to make
his public stand.
Chapter Two
Augustus, the Roman Emperor, sent out an order for a census to be made of
the population within the empire. The Governor of Syria, was responsible for
managing the count locally. Everybody went to their home town to have
their names recorded. This meant that Joseph had to travel from Nazareth in
the north to Bethlehem in the south. Bethlehem was the recognized home of
all those descended from David. He took Mary, his partner, with him. She was
pregnant. Whilst they were in Bethlehem Mary went into labour and gave birth
to her first child, a boy. She dressed him in his baby clothes and put him
in the feeding trough. They were living rough in the yard with the animals,
because the hotel was full.
That night, down in the fields nearby, some sheep farmers were guarding
their sheep. One of God's agents approached them. There was a strange light,
which frightened the farmers. The agent said, "Don't panic. I've some good
news for everybody. A baby has just been born in Bethlehem. He's going to be
our new Leader, God's Chosen, the one we've been waiting for. If you want to
see him, he's in a feeding trough with his baby clothes on." Then a band of
singers appeared, singing hymns. This is what they sang:
"Look at God's beauty around and above,
We bring you God's peace and a bundle of love."
When the songsters had faded into the distance, the sheep farmers said, "Why
don't we go up to Bethlehem and find out what it's all about? God's been
speaking to us." So they ran as fast as they could, and found the baby in
the feeding trough being cared for by Mary and Joseph. Then the farmers told
everybody what they had learnt about the baby. Their story was hard to
believe. But Mary remembered their words and thought deeply about them. The
sheep farmers went back to the fields, singing songs to God as they went.
They had seen and heard such wonderful things.
(21) A week later the time came to give the baby boy his name and to remove
his foreskin. He was called Jesus, as God's agent had suggested before he
was conceived.
There were special ceremonies going back to the time of Moses, which Mary
and Joseph went to Jerusalem for. Jesus had to be given as a present to God.
(The old books say, 'The first boy born in every family shall belong to
God.') They also made the customary gift to God of two pigeons.
Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a good man and carried out the duties of
his religion. He was looking forward to better days for his country. God's
Spirit was with him, and she told him he wouldn't die before seeing God's
Chosen. She led him to the worship centre at the same time as Mary and
Joseph were bringing in the baby Jesus. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and
sang this song of thanks to God.
Your helper, God, moves on
content,
Your plans my eyes have seen;
A new day dawns for every land,
Beyond your people's dream.
Joseph and Mary couldn't believe what Simeon had to say about Jesus. He gave
the three of them his good wishes, and said to Mary, "Your son will bring
out the best and the worst in our people. He'll get into trouble for showing
up so many in their true light. And you will share his pain."
Anne was one of God's speakers. She came from a good family. She was
eighty-four years of age, a widow whose husband had died just seven years
after their marriage. She lived in the worship centre and did all she could
to help, eating very little and talking with God on behalf of others, day
and night. She came up to Mary and Joseph and said words of thanks to God
for the baby. Then she introduced him to those who had their country’s best
interests at heart, as their hope for the future.
When Mary and Joseph had completed their business in Jerusalem, they went
back home to Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus was a healthy baby, and grew up to
be a strong and bright lad. People sensed there was something special about
him.
(41) Every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem, for the festival that
celebrates the escape of the slaves from Egypt. When Jesus was twelve, they
went up as usual. When the festival was over, and the holiday-makers on
their way home, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without his parents
knowing it. They thought he was with another group travelling the same way.
When at last they started to look for him among their friends and relations,
they couldn’t find him. So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him
there. It took them three days to find him. He was in the worship centre,
sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions. Everybody who
heard him was impressed by his grasp of the arguments and his intelligent
comments. When Mary and Joseph saw him, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
Mary said, “This is not the way to treat your parents! We’ve been worried
stiff!” Jesus said, “Why the problem finding me? This is my home; there are
things I have to do here.” They didn’t have a clue what he meant.
From then on, back in Nazareth, Jesus was careful to fall in line with his
parents’ wishes. Mary had much to think about for a long time to come. Jesus
continued to develop a remarkable mind and grew quite tall. He was liked by
everybody.
Chapter Three
Tiberius had been Roman Emperor for fifteen years. Pilate ruled on his
behalf in south-west Palestine, Herod Antipas in the north-west and Herod's
brother Philip in the north-east, and Linus in the south-east. Hank and Guy
were the official religious leaders, but it was John, Kerry’s son, God spoke
to. He was living in the desert at the time. He went round the villages near
to the river Jordan, inviting people to be dipped as a mark of their change
of heart and that their wrongdoings had been forgiven. As God's speaker says
in the old books,
‘The desert hears a lonely voice:
"Quickly flies the time of choice,
Repair the roads, straighten the bends;
Now's your chance to be God's friends;
Down with the mighty, up with the low,
All living things their God will know." '
This is what John said to the crowds who came to him to be dipped. "You
poisonous snakes! I see you're wriggling out of the cornfield now harvesting
is about to start! Let's see some change in your behaviour! Don't rely on
having Abraham as your ancestor to save you from trouble. God can make new
children for Abraham out of people you've no more time for than these
stones! The chopper's ready; it will strike at the very roots of your
religion and society."
The people asked John, "What can we do about it?" John said, "Those of you
with too many clothes should share them with those without any. The same
applies to the food in your cupboard.”
Even outcasts who collected taxes for the Romans, asked John to dip them.
They said, "What advice would you give us in our position?" John said,
"Collect only the right amount. Don't fiddle the books." Some soldiers asked
him, "What about us?" John said, "No bullying or mugging or twisting the law
to suit yourselves. You're on good wages. Be satisfied!"
There was a feeling of expectation. People were beginning to wonder about
John. Was he God's chosen deliverer? John put an end to the speculation by
saying, "I'm only dipping you in water. Someone is coming more able than me.
I'm not fit even to untie his sandals. He will drench you with God's Spirit,
and that will be like fire. When corn has been harvested, the grain has to
be separated from the useless husks. That's what's going to happen to you.
The one who's coming will do the job thoroughly. He'll store the grain in
his barn and the rubbish left over he'll put on the fire until it's burnt to
nothing." John made rousing speeches on different aspects of his message.
But Herod put him in prison. This was because John publicly denounced Herod
for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and for lots of other bad things
he'd done.
(21) Jesus was one of the many people who were dipped at that time.
Afterwards, while he was talking with God, there was a parting in the
clouds, and God's Spirit came down on him. She looked like a pigeon. A voice
from overhead was heard to say, "That’s my boy! You’re doing fine!"
Jesus was about thirty when he set out on his new career. He was of Jewish
descent, tracing his ancestry through Joseph, his father, to King David and
further back to the oldest ancestors of the race, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham.
He was also a member of the human race, of common stock with the rest of
humanity. God is parent of all humankind and parent of Jesus. [see footnote 2]
Chapter Four
After getting God's Spirit at the river Jordan, Jesus felt ready for the
task ahead. But first he was moved to spend some time in the desert. This
gave him the chance to get clear in his mind which direction his life should
take. He was there for about six weeks and went without food the whole time.
He was near to starvation. The thought came to him, "If I'm God's Chosen,
all I need to do is order these stones to become bread." Then Jesus
remembered some words from the old books, 'People can't live just on bread.'
Then Jesus imagined himself looking down from a very high mountain where, at
a glance, he could see all the countries of the world. He thought, "All this
could easily be mine. I just have to be cunning, and gain the support of the
right people. Then he thought again, "The old books tell us the only one we
should try to please is God."
Then another idea came to him. He saw in his mind's eye the worship centre
in Jerusalem. "Perhaps if I jumped off the highest point I could prove I
come from God? It should work like the song,
' God has friends who only wait
To catch you as you fall;
Your feet will gently touch the ground
Without a scratch at all.'
But then Jesus thought of some other words from the old books, 'You must not
push God too far.' Then Jesus felt at peace. It was some while before such
troubling thoughts came to him again.
(14) Full of enthusiasm, Jesus went back to Galilee, where he quickly became
a local celebrity. He taught in the places of worship, and everyone spoke
well of him.
Then he visited Nazareth, his home town. He went to worship on Saturday as
usual. He offered to read and was given a book of one of God's speakers. The
part he chose went like this,
'God's Spirit has inspired me
To bring the poor good news;
She tells me, "Get the blind to see,
Bust the jails and set folk free;
God's arms are open lovingly."'
Jesus shut the book and gave it back to the person in charge. Then he sat
down to teach. Everyone was watching him carefully. Jesus began by saying,
"Today these words are coming true, and you're here to see it." Everyone
found his style of speaking impressive, and made favourable comments. They
said, "Is this really Joseph's boy? Isn't he doing well! " Jesus said, "I
know what you're going to say, 'He's on to a good thing up there in
Nahum-Town. How about doing something for the folks at home?' I tell you,
God's speakers never get the backing they deserve from their nearest and
dearest. There were many single mothers in our land in Elijah's day, when
there was a drought for three and half years, and nobody had much to eat.
Yet God didn't send Elijah to help any of them. Elijah went instead to the
help of a single mother in Lebanon. Lots of our people had skin complaints
in Elisha's day. The only one attended to by Elisha was Norman from Syria."
These remarks drove them wild. They set on Jesus, rough-handled him, and
took him to the top of the steep hill the village was built on. They were
going to throw him over the edge, but he managed to get away.
(31) Jesus went back to Nahum-Town, a prosperous town in Galilee, and held a
teaching session every Saturday. Everyone was impressed by what Jesus had to
say. He spoke with confidence. In the place of worship was a man in a
confused mental state, thought to be caused by an evil spirit. He shouted
out, "Why are you pestering me, Jesus of Nazareth? Are you going to kill me?
I know who you are - God's Chosen!" Jesus quickly dealt with him by saying,
"Calm down and be yourself again!" The man fell over, but wasn't hurt. Then
his mind cleared. All those looking on were stunned and kept asking one
another, "What special words did he use? He's got complete control over the
powers of evil." Everyone got to hear about Jesus for miles around.
After the meeting Jesus went home to Simon's house. Simon's mother-in-law
had the 'flu. The family asked Jesus if he could do anything to help. Jesus
stood by the bed and talked to her. She felt better at once, got up and
looked after her guests.
That evening, when the sun was going down, the townsfolk brought to Jesus
people with many kinds of illness. Jesus touched each one and made them
better. Lots of them were disturbed in their minds. Jesus cured them too.
Some were noisy and shouted, "You're God's Likeness!" But Jesus told them to
be quiet. They knew by instinct he was God's Chosen.
Early next morning, Jesus got up and found a quiet spot where he could be
alone. But the crowds tracked him down. They tried to persuade him to stay
in Nahum-Town. But Jesus said, "I must take the good news of God's New World
to the other towns. That's my job!" So Jesus took his message to the places
of worship in other parts of the country.
Chapter Five
One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Galilee. The crowds around
him were begging him to talk to them about God. He noticed two fishing boats
moored on the beach. Their owners were nearby, washing their nets. One of
the boats belonged to Simon. Jesus got into the boat, and asked Simon to
push it a little way out from the shore. Then Jesus sat down and taught the
crowds from the boat. When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Take the boat into deep water and let the nets down. See if you can catch
anything." Simon said, "Teacher, we've been fishing all night and caught
nothing. But just to please you, I'll give it a try." Simon and his crew
landed such a big catch of fish that the nets started to break. So they
called out to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.
Together they piled both boats so high with fish, they began to sink. Simon
(or Rocky as Jesus was to call him) couldn't believe his eyes. He fell down
in front of Jesus, and said, "Sir, please go away. I'm no good!" The
onlookers, like Rocky, couldn't believe their eyes. They had never seen so
many fish caught at one time. Neither had James and John Zebedee, Simon's
partners. Jesus said, "Stop worrying about your faults, Simon. I've got a
new job for you- fishing for people!" As soon as they brought the boats back
to shore, the friends gave up their fishing business to stay in the company
of Jesus.
(12) In one of the towns Jesus visited there was a man covered in sores.
When he saw Jesus, he begged him, on his hands and knees, to help him. He
said, "Sir, I'm sure you can cure me of my complaint if you want." Jesus put
his arm round him and said, "Of course I want to help you. You're going to
be better now!" The man's sores began to heal straight away. Jesus asked the
man not to tell anybody, but to report to the health officer, and to show
his gratitude to God in the customary way. This made Jesus even more famous.
Huge crowds came to hear him and get cured from their illnesses. Jesus
escaped to quiet places whenever he could, to talk with God.
(17) One day there were members of the strict set present when Jesus was
teaching. They came from every part of the country, including Jerusalem. At
that time Jesus was highly successful as a healer. While Jesus was speaking,
some people brought along a paralysed man on a stretcher. They tried to get
through the door to put him in front of Jesus, but there were too many
people in the way. So they went up on the roof, took off some of the tiles,
and let the man down right in the middle where Jesus was sitting. Jesus was
impressed by their trust, and said, "Friend your wrong-doings are forgiven."
The members of the strict set objected to these words. They said, "Who does
he think he is? Surely only God can forgive sins?" Jesus knew what their
problem was. He said, "What's upsetting you? You think, don't you, it's
easier to say to someone who's paralysed, 'Your wrongdoings are forgiven',
than to say, 'Get on your feet and walk!'? I'm going to show you the
Complete Person can forgive wrongs here on earth!" Jesus, turning to the
paralysed man, said, "Get on your feet! Go home, and take your stretcher
with you!" The man got up at once, picked up his stretcher, and walked home,
shouting his thanks to God as he went. Everyone was amazed and gave thanks
to God. They found it all hard to grasp, and said, "We've seen some strange
things today!"
(27) The next thing Jesus did was to visit the tax office, where Levi was
working for the Romans. Jesus said to him, "I want you to be my friend!"
Levi got up, left his work, and went with Jesus. Then Levi held a big party
in his house in Jesus's honour. A large number of collaborators like Levi,
and other outcasts, were lying on the couches, having a meal together. Some
members of the strict set complained to Jesus's friends. "Why do you eat
with such bad characters,- traitors and their cronies?" Jesus had a word
with them. He said, "It's those who are ill need a doctor, not those who are
well. I don't ask people who think they've nothing wrong with them to be my
friends. I call the people you label 'bad' to a new life."
Then the strict set raised another matter with Jesus. "John the Dipper's
followers, and members of our set, often go without food, and spend the time
talking to God. But your friends spend all their time bingeing. Jesus said,
"Do you expect wedding guests to turn up their noses at the food? That would
be rude to the host! One day the party will be over. No-one will feel like
eating then!"
Then Jesus gave them a riddle to think about. "You don't tear a piece from a
new shirt to patch an old one. The new shirt will be ruined, and the patch
on the old shirt will look odd. You don't put new wine into dirty old
bottles. You'd ruin the wine that way! You need fresh clean bottles for new
wine!"
Footnote1 The name ‘Israel’ signifies not only Jacob, but is
inclusive of his family and their descendants. Similarly, it is not just
David, but his family (house) which is referred to. The Hebrew mind
understood this inclusiveness. We need to make it more obvious.
Footnote 2 verses 23-38. This translates the
essence of Luke’s long genealogy, tracing Jesus’s ancestry first to Abraham
to assert his true Jewishness, to Adam (adam=man or mankind) to assert his
full humanity, and to God, father of all, thus father of Jesus. The
expression ‘as was supposed’ attached to the parenthood of Joseph was almost
certainly an addition to Luke’s text, seeking to harmonize the genealogy
with an interpretation of the birth narrative which saw a virgin birth. It
is unlikely that Luke thought he was writing about a virgin birth. His
genealogy is the clue. Everyone comes into the world as an act of God’s
Spirit, Jesus (and John the Dipper) included, just as everyone has God for
parent, Jesus included. There is even less evidence for a virgin birth in
Matthew. The Greek ‘parthenos’ is as easily rendered ‘young woman’, and
Matthew, like Luke, also traces the descent of Jesus through Joseph. The
scriptural evidence for a virgin birth thus ranges between the minimal and
nil, and relies mainly on a literalist interpretation of a doubtful
translation. |