Before Jesus was born, God made a promise, called a covenant, that people had to sacrifice their best animals to God for their sins to be forgiven. That means they burned the animals and the smoke would rise to heaven, then God would forgive them. God saw that people just kept on sinning more and more. So God said that he would make a new promise. He sent Jesus Christ, His Son, to be the last sacrifice for people's sins. That is why He is called the Lamb of God. This new promise, or covenant, is that if you confess, or tell, your sin to God, and be truly sorry in your heart for it, and try to never ever do it again, then your sin is forgiven. You have to continue to live according to God's laws, if you return to sinning then you are right back where you started, in trouble! Jesus came back to life again after He died on the cross.
In the beginning before the heaven and earth were made, Jesus the Word, was with God, and He was God. But when the fulness of the time was come, Jesus laid aside His glory and came into this world — the world that was made by Him — and He was born a babe in Bethlehem. He was of the same family as Adam. He was an Israelite of the tribe of Judah, one of Jacob's sons. Jesus is not His real name. His real name is Yahshua. The name Yahshua means Saviour. Saviour comes from the Hebrew word yasha and yeshuah means salvation. Yahshua means God is my salvation, or my preservation. He came to save His people the children of Israel from their sins. He was Immanuel, which means God with us, and yet He was born in the stable of an inn, with a manger where oxen fed as a cradle, "because there was no room for them in the inn."
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Prince Yahshua laid down His sweet head;
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Prince Yahshua, asleep on the hay.
Had Jesus only been the son of an earthly king, what a great to-do there would have been at His birth; but even though He was the Son of God whose coming had been foretold by the Old Testament prophets, it seems as if none would have noticed the actual birth of Jesus if the messenger of Yahweh had not appeared to some shepherds "keeping watch over their flock by night," and told them that a Saviour, Christ Yahshua, was now lying a baby in a manger in Bethlehem.
No sooner was the good news told the shepherds, than "there was with the messenger a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to Yahweh in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Then the shepherds left their flocks to seek Jesus. And having seen Him, they spread the good tidings abroad. Many "heard" and "wondered," but alas we do not read that many went to worship Him.
As a Hebrew child the ordinance of circumcision was performed upon Jesus when He was eight days old. Then after a certain number of days, according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to Yahweh and to offer a sacrifice. As they came into the Temple bringing the little child in their arms, there was a just and devout man named Simeon who took Jesus up in his arms and blessed Yahweh: for in Yahshua he saw God's salvation, and "a light to lighten the nations of Jacob, and the glory of thy people Israel." And the aged prophetess, Anna, "gave thanks likewise unto Yahweh and spake of Yahshua Christ to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."
If there were few who knew of Jesus' birth, God did not allow them to remain in ignorance of this great event. For soon there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, and they earnestly asked, "Where is He that is born King of the Judaeans? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him. The Judaeans were Israelites living in Judaea. " This question troubled Herod and "all Jerusalem with him." These strangers had, at the sight of "His star," left their homes, and had taken a long journey because they wanted to worship Him. And Herod called "all the chief priests and scribes of the people together," and these all agreed in saying, that Bethlehem was the city in which Christ was to be born, for it was foretold by the prophet Micah.
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Yet although all these men knew this, we do not read that any of them went to Bethlehem, to seek Jesus. But the wise men, guided by the star, went there; and there they worshiped Him, and presented before Him the gifts they had brought. And then they returned to their own homes. After all this, how could any person in Israel say that they had not heard of His birth? Why, then, did they not all seek Him?
Though Israel did not seek Jesus to worship Him, King Herod sought the young child to destroy Him. While God in His love to us sent His Son into the world, this wicked man sought to murder Him. Herod sent his cruel soldiers to kill all the children of Bethlehem from two years old and under, but the child Jesus was not slain. For before the soldiers came, a divine messenger had warned Joseph to take Mary and the young child and to flee with them into Egypt.
Then Herod, the enemy of the young Prince Yahshua, died. Israel sent no swift messenger to bring Him back from Egypt, but God called His Son out of Egypt. As none had noticed when He fled, so no one seems to have noticed His return. Joseph was afraid to return with Jesus to Bethlehem, so he returned into Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. And the child Jesus was brought up there. The last recorded event in the childhood of Jesus relates to his parents going to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. For when Jesus was twelve years old, He was taken by His mother, and Joseph, to this feast. It was a long journey of about seventy miles for them to travel from Nazareth, their dwelling-place, to Jerusalem. In those days there were not the smooth roads we have now; and as the family were poor, they no doubt walked all the way, and had not many comforts on the road.
Joseph and Mary stayed a week in Jerusalem, and then prepared to return to their home. After they had gone a short distance on the way they missed Jesus. At first they thought He was with some of their friends behind, or that He was in the company of some of those who had gone on before. But as evening came on, when travelers put up their tents to rest themselves for the night, they became more concerned that they could not find Him. Fearing He had been left in the great city, Mary and Joseph hastened back to the place, and sought for Him three days in vain. How sad must have been her heart when she thought Mary had lost her dear son, and when he was so far away from home! At last she found Him; but where? It was in the temple. Jesus was there, not gazing on the beautiful building, or the costly things within it — He was found among the doctors, or learned men of the Judaeans "both hearing them and asking them questions." We are not told what Jesus asked, or what He answered, though we do know He spoke so wisely and modestly that they were astonished at what they heard. They had never listened to such a child before.
When Mary had found her blessed Son, she said to Him, "Why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing." Then Jesus replied, "How is it that ye sought Me? Do you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" While He was always obedient to His mother, and to Joseph, yet He wished them to remember that He had come to do the will of His Heavenly Father.
We may be sure that Jesus spoke to His mother in a loving and proper manner. He did not refuse to return to His home. He soon left the temple, and went with her to Nazareth, where, as a child, He was still "subject to her;" that is, He loved and obeyed her as a dutiful son. He lived in her lowly home, shared her humble fare, and was the companion and kind friend of those who lived in the little town. For the next 18 years, Jesus went with His uncle Joseph of Arimathea to Britain where Joseph had copper mines and land. They build one of the first churches there at Glastonbury. Jesus returned to Nazareth when He turned thirty. He lived for nearly thirty years, unnoticed and forgotten by Israel.
Yahshua Christ Jesus was the Word in the flesh. The Word means the plan in Greek. The Plan is what Jesus was. He demonstrated this plan perfectly. If Jesus sinned, then He would not have been able to die for us because He Himself would be guilty too. But He was PERFECT.
And when He could walk up and down the hills of Nazareth, He acted in obedience, as a good son. He never said a naughty word, He never told a lie. He never said an unkind word, He never called another boy bad names. He did not despise His mother. He did not go with wicked boys to do evil. He did always those things that pleased the His Father. He never even got sick!
After this, all that is told us of the childhood of Jesus is that "He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
Even as a child, you can learn of Him and live for Him. "The holy child Yahshua" is the brightest and most perfect example for each of us to follow. We may try to imitate the early piety of Moses and Samuel, or the zeal of young Josiah, or the meekness and charity of the little captive maid; but in Jesus there is everything that is lovely, wise, and good. They were all sinners by nature and practice; but His nature was pure and holy, and His whole life was without the least stain. Won't you follow in His steps?
Learn more about the 'Missing Years of Christ' and 'The Trials of Jesus' in the main menu. You can also see the gospels of 'Matthew, Mark, Luke and John' in the Scriptures menu, or the 'Gospels Explained'.
