JESUS is Announced (Luke 1-2)

Luke's writing is more to the Greek - the thinking man.  He begins with Zacharias getting the message from the angel about the son he and his wife would have - John the Baptist...

(Luke 1:17)  “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Elizabeth getting pregnant was a miracle since she was past her child-bearing years.  Then we have Mary getting the message from the angel about having a baby - which was a miracle since she was a virgin - and the Son she would have was Jesus...

(Luke 1:31-33)  “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 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; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Next we see the two pregnant woman meeting up with each other, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes what is going on...

(Luke 1:42-45)  “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Now, when John the Baptist was born. Zacharias first gives a prophecy about Jesus, and then about his son, John the Baptist...

(Luke 67-79)  ...his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
71 Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Once Jesus was born, God sends the angels to some shepherds in the field to give them a message...

(Luke 2:10-12)  “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Joseph and Mary were both obedient to God and the Law of the Lord, and so went through the proper steps when any son is born.  After the days of purification, they went to Jerusalem to present Jesus to the Lord and offer a sacrifice (of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons).  There, Simeon, a righteous and devout man had received a message by the Holy Spirit that before he died, he would see the Lord's Christ...

(Luke 2:27-32)  And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Simeon also told Mary (and Joseph)...

(Luke 2:35-36)  “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

This is heavy stuff.  Now, Mary and Joseph, although "believers", were both fallible humans.  After hearing or hearing about all these unique supernatural messages from angels and prophets, they still didn't quite get it.  Remember, even Joseph had an angel bring a message to him after he heard the news that Mary was pregant...

(Matthew 1:20-21)  “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

And I'm not even including all the  messages that they received from angels, but you'd think they would remember that God had His hand in this...

(Luke 2:)  Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. 46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Jesus did not disobey His parents.  This could have been an interesting lesson for Mary and Joseph.  Here they were raising Jesus (fully God and fully human), who was always perfectly obedient.  And because Mary and Joseph had children after Jesus was born - most likely they would have been focusing their attention on the other children.  It's a "thing" in most families, so it would have been so easy to take this Perfect Son for granted - like - He's always good, so He can take care of Himself.  And Jesus' response was like, "Where else would I be?"  You know - "Have you forgotten that I'm God's Son???  

How quickly anyone of us can forget or take God for granted.  This is why we are to thank God for our daily bread.  This is why we are told not to neglect going to church (Hebrews 10:25).  This is why we need to have our daily devotions!  I have learned that my day goes much better when I read and study God's word.  I tend to stay focused on God, and I'm more likely to remember to ask Him for guidance, etc., for - well - everything!!!...

(Joshua 1:7-9)  “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. 8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

(Romans 12:1-2)  Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

JESUS is Visible (Mark 12-16)

Jesus delivers this parable about how God has sent prophets in the past to the Israelites, but the people treated them badly and even killed some of them, and now God has sent His only Son - who they will also kill...

(Mark 12:1-11)  And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 2 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3 They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6 He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.10 Have you not even read this Scripture:

‘The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
11 This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

The Pharisees were angered by this parable and looked for ways to arrest Jesus in order to put Him to death - which was exactly according to the parable that Jesus just told them!  Even the disciples didn't quite understand - until they saw Him physically after His resurrection...

(Mark 16:9-20)  Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.

14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

I've heard people say, "Maybe if I actually saw Jesus in the flesh and witnessed Him doing something amazing, THEN I would believe."  But how many people at that time had the privilege of seeing God in the flesh and seeing Him do amazing miracles firsthand - and they still did not believe.  It should be enough to simply hear the Word of God and the testimony of other believers as to how God has worked in their lives.  And if that is not enough, we have creation to speak for God...

(Romans 1:18-23)  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

If you don't accept this statement that many people worship animals - consider all those who believe that everything came about through evolution?  This is their religion.  (see www.creation.com and/or https://www.isgenesishistory.com/key-takeaways-from-the-scientists/ )  It has to be, because it requires more faith to believe in evolution than it does to believe that a loving and all-powerful God created the universe in 6 days and gave us purpose...

(Isaiah 43:7-13)  “...Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,
And the deaf, even though they have ears.
9 All the nations have gathered together
So that the peoples may be assembled.
Who among them can declare this
And proclaim to us the former things?
Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified,
Or let them hear and say, “It is true.”
10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And My servant whom I have chosen,
So that you may know and believe Me
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
And there will be none after Me.
11 “I, even I, am the Lord,
And there is no savior besides Me.
12 “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,
And there was no strange god among you;
So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“And I am God.
13 “Even from eternity I am He,
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act and who can reverse it?”

Jesus, the Lord (Mark 1-11)

The gospel according to Mark has a different perspective.    While Matthew had been written more for the Israelites, Mark was written more for the Roman, the man of action, regarding government, law and order... to the kind of person who likes control.  Even his writing style is straight to the point and gets right down to business...

(Mark 1:1-11)  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way;
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.’”

4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7 And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 8 I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him;11 and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Mark clearly establishes to us that Jesus is God, and He came to be our perfect example.  He was tempted in all things, yet remained perfect...

(Mark 1:12-13)  Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.  13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

And Jesus began His ministry, healing, teaching and mentoring disciples...

(Mark 1:14-26)  Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  

16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

21 They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22 They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”   25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.

Jesus healed people, which is proof of His power, but He did not want people to just go to Him as if He were a doctor...

(Mark 1:32-39)  When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.  35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36 Simon and his companions searched for Him; 37 they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38 He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” 39 And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

We see several events from the book of Matthew briefly reiterated.  An event that is unique to Mark, is....

(Mark 4:35-41)  On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Who indeed???

(Psalm 65:5-9)  By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;  6 Who establishes the mountains by His strength, being girded with might; 7 Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.  8 They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.  9 You visit the earth and cause it to overflow;  You greatly enrich it;  the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.

Jesus could not have been "just" a man.  Jesus could not have been "just" a godly man.  Besides being fully man in order to live and die in our place, Jesus had to be fully God in order to do everything that is recorded in God's word.  God's word cannot just be invented by a bunch of men.  That would be an impossible feat all in itself...

(2 Timothy 3:14-17)  You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

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