Helen Braun Hojt - The Story of Jesus The Christ

send a great prophet, who would teach the people how to get

ready for the Christ, their king.

At the time of our story there had been no prophet for four

hundred years; but the Jews, remembering and believing what

the prophets had promised so long ago, were looking for their king.

For, if the prophets had spoken truly, it was almost time for him

to come. They had forgotten that some of the prophets had said

that the king was to be poor, and a man of sorrows. They ex¬

pected him to come in great power, and make them a strong free

nation again.

Although many Jews were now living in Palestine, they were

under the rule of the Homan Emperor. The Emperor had so

large a country that he could not look after it all himself; but

divided it into what were called provinces and appointed rulers

to take charge of them for him. The Jews did not like to obey

the Roman Emperor, they did not like the rulers who were sent

to them, and they did so long for their own strong king.

Herod, one of the Roman rulers, who was called a king, was

very much disliked, and he began to be afraid that he would lose

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his throne. So to please the Jews he built them a temple, even

more beautiful than the one which Solomon had built for them.

That one had been destroyed when the’ Jews were driven out of

their country, and the one which had been built when they had

returned was now so old that it was falling to pieces.

The temple was not much like our churches, nor was the ser¬

vice like ours. There was one building of two rooms. In the

smaller of these only the High Priest went, and only once a year.

In the other any priest could go.

Around this building were four large open spaces called

courts, separated from each other by walls. The one next the

building was for the priests alone; the next for the Jewish men;

the third for the Jewish women, and the fourth for all who were

not Jews. No one could go farther than the court in which he

belonged. When we speak of people going into the temple, we

mean they went into one of these courts.

The priests were the ministers, who did all the work of the

temple, and, took charge of the services. In those days the peo¬

ple did more than pray to God to forgive their sins. In the tem¬

ple was an altar, or sort of table covered with brass. On this

altar a fire was kept burning day and night. Twice every day a

lamb which had just been killed was burned on this altar, and

while it was burning the people prayed to God, asking him to

forgive their sins, and to destroy the memory of them as the fire

was destroying the lamb. This was called offering a sacrifice.

Another thing the priests did was to offer incense. Incense

was made of sweet spices, and was very fragrant. While it was

burning the people in the courts outside were praying that their

prayers might rise to God as sweet and pure and well pleasing as

the incense.

One day, just about the time that our story begins, the work

of burning the incense fell to the lot of a priest named Zacharias,

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who had a wife Elizabeth, but who had no children. Both were

very sorry for this, and often when they prayed, they asked God

to give them a little son.

On this day, as Zacharias alone in the temple was burning

the incense, and praying to God, he looked up and saw an angel of

the Lord standing at the right side of the altar. When Zacharias

saw him he was afraid. But the angel said: “ Do not be afraid,

Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; God will give you and Eliza¬

beth a baby boy, and you must call his name John. He will

bring you joy and gladness, and many other people will rejoice

that he is born. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,

and will turn many from their wicked ways, and teach them to

love God. This child is the one whom the prophets said would

come to make the world ready for the Christ.»

Zacharias could not believe what he heard, and asked, “ How

shall I know that what you say is true?» The angel answered,

«God sent me to tell you about it, and because you have not

believed my word you will not be able to speak again until the

day when it comes true.»

The people outside in the courts waited for Zacharias to come

back, and wondered why he stayed so long in the temple. When

he did come out he could not speak to them. They knew that

something had happened, for he made signs to them, but did not

speak. When his week of service was over he went to his home

in the hill country of Judea, and there, when the time came, the

baby boy was born.

Little Jewish children were not named until they were eight

days old. When it w r as time for this baby to be named, the

friends called him Zacharias, after his father. His mother said,

«No, he is to be called John.» The friends thought it was

strange to call him that, for no one in the family ever had that

name; and, too, it was the custom to call the first boy by his

father’s name. They made signs to Zacharias, asking how he

would have him called. Zacharias asked for a writing tablet and

wrote, “ His name is John.»

The friends wondered still more when the father also chose

that name, but they soon had still greater reason for surprise.

Zacharias, who had not spoken for so long, began to talk again.

Would you like to know what he said first? He thanked God

for what had happened, and then told the friends who were with

them that the Christ, the promised king, was coming very soon,

and that this child of his was the prophet who would teach the

people about their king. This story was told all through the hill

country of Judea, and the people asked, “ What kind of a child

will he be?»

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THE STORY OF JESUS – THE CHRIST

THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST

In Galilee, in the northern part of the Holy Land, is the

little town of Nazareth. In this town lived a beautiful young

woman, loving and gentle and pure. She was named Mary, and

was the cousin of Elizabeth.

A little while before John was born, as Mary was sitting

alone one spring day, the angel who was sent to Zacliarias came

to her and said, «God is very kind to you, Mary, for he has

chosen you to be the mother of the Christ-child. You must call

his name Jesus (which means Saviour), for he will save the

people from their sins. He shall be great, and be called the

Son of God, and shall rule the world for ever and ever.»

Mary believed what the angel told her, and gently answered,

«Let it be to me as you have said.» Then the angel left her.

In the early part of the winter the Emperor of Rome, Caesar

Augustus, commanded that all the people should be enrolled,

which means that they should have their names written down on

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A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

a roll of paper. Every Jew of the same tribe must have his

name written on the same roll. The Jews were very much

scattered, and to do this

each had to go to the city

or town where the fathers

of his tribe had lived, be¬

cause the tribal roll was

there.

Mary and her hus¬

band were both of the

tribe of Judah, and Beth¬

lehem was the city of

that tribe. You remem¬

ber, do you not, that

David was of the tribe of