The. Story. From the Manger to the Throne. Ellen G. White Adapted

Transcription

1 The Story ofjesus

2 The Story ofjesus From the Manger to the Throne Ellen G. White Adapted

3 Copyright 2003 by Ellen G. White Estate All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations in this book are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This book was Edited by Gerald Wheeler Copyedited by Jan Schleifer and James Cavil Designed by Tina Ivany Cover art by Russ Harlan Interior illustrations Review and Herald Publishing Association. All rights reserved. Typeset: 13/16 Berkeley PRINTED IN U.S.A R&H Cataloging Service White, Ellen Gould, Story of Jesus 1. Jesus Christ Biography Juvenile works. I. Title Contents. 1 The Birth of Jesus Jesus Presented in the Temple The Visit of the Wise Men The Flight Into Egypt The Childhood of Jesus Days of Conflict The Baptism The Temptation Early Ministry Teachings of Christ Sabbathkeeping The Good Shepherd ISBN Riding Into Jerusalem Take These Things Away

4 15 At the Passover Supper In Gethsemane The Betrayal and Arrest Before Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin Judas Before Pilate Before Herod Condemned by Pilate Calvary Death of Christ The Birth of Jesus 25 In Joseph s Tomb He Is Risen Go Tell My Disciples Witnesses This Same Jesus Their Ascended Lord In the little town of Nazareth, nestled among the hills of Galilee, was the home of Joseph and Mary. They would become the earthly parents of Jesus. Joseph was descended from King David. When the Romans sent out a decree to tax the people, he had to go to Bethlehem, the city of David, to pay the tax. Travel was difficult in those days. Mary, who went with her husband, was very tired as she climbed the hill on which Bethlehem stands. How she longed for a comfortable place in which to rest! But the inn was already full. The rich and proud had comfortable places to stay, while these humble travelers had to find rest in a building used to shelter cattle. Joseph and Mary had little of our world s riches, but they had the love of God, and this made them rich in contentment and peace. They were children of the 7

5 The Story of Jesus heavenly King, who was about to give them a wonderful honor. Angels had been watching them during their journey. When night fell and they stopped to rest, the angels stayed with them. There in that lowly animal shelter Jesus the Savior was born. Mary put Him in a manger, the animals feeding trough. In that simple cradle lay the Son of God the Highest He whose presence had filled the courts of heaven with glory. Before He came to the earth, Jesus was the Commander of the angel hosts. The brightest and most exalted of the angels heralded His glory. They veiled their faces before Him as He sat upon His throne. In His honor they tossed their crowns at His feet, and sang His triumphs as they beheld His greatness. Yet the glorious Son of God loved us poor human sinners. He took upon Himself the form of a servant, that He might suffer and die for us. Jesus might have remained at the Father s side, wearing the kingly crown and the royal robe. For our sake, however, He chose to exchange all the wealth of heaven for the poverty of our world. He chose to leave His throne and the angels who loved Him. The adoration of the heavenly throng He chose to exchange for mockery and abuse from wicked human beings. Because of His love for us, He accepted a life of hardship and a shameful death. All this Christ did to demonstrate how much God loves us. He lived on earth to show how we may honor God by our obedience to His will. He did this so that by following His example we may at last dwell with Him in His heavenly home. Many of the priests and rulers among God s people were not ready to welcome Jesus. They knew that the Savior would soon come, but they expected Him to be a mighty king who would make them rich and great. The religious leaders could not imagine the Messiah as a helpless child. So when Christ was born, God did not reveal the glad news to them. He sent it to some shepherds who kept their flocks on the hills around Bethlehem. They were good men. As they watched their sheep at night they talked together about the promised Savior, and prayed so earnestly for His coming that The Birth of Jesus God sent bright messengers from His own throne of light to tell them that the Messiah had arrived. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that 8

6 The Story of Jesus has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:9-19). 2 Jesus Presented in the Temple Joseph and Mary were Jews and followed the customs of their nation. When Jesus was 6 weeks old, they brought Him to the Lord in the Temple at Jerusalem. This was according to the law that God had given to Israel. Jesus was to be obedient in all things. So God s own Son, the Prince of heaven, by His example teaches that we should obey. Parents would present only the firstborn son of each family at the Temple. This ceremony reminded them of an event that had taken place long before. When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, the Lord sent Moses to set them free. He told Moses to go to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say: Thus says the Lord: Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My 10 11