The Art of Life Bible - Flipbook - Page 27
Matthew
3
The Escape to Egypt
13After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt
with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there
until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search
for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and
Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s
death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through
the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”*
16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise
men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all
the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two
years old and under, based on the wise men’s report
of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action
fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet
Jeremiah:
18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”*
The Return to Nazareth
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in
a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said.
“Take the child and his mother back to the land of Is
rael, because those who were trying to kill the child
are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel
with J esus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that
the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he
was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a
dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family
went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled
what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Naza
rene.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean
wilderness and began preaching. His message was,
2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is near.*” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking
about John when he said,
3
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”*
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair,
and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he
ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and
from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out
to see and hear John. 6And when they confessed their
sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.
7 But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to watch him baptize,* he denounced them. “You
brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee
the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you
have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t
just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you,
God can create children of Abraham from these very
stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised,
ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that
does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and
thrown into the fire.
11 “I baptize with* water those who repent of their sins
and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is
greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy
even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.* 12 He is ready to
separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing
fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with
never-ending fire.”
Joseph
(Mary’s Husband)
isph ~ from Hebrew yoseph: may
he increase
Read Matthew 1:18-25.
Joseph was the husband of Mary,
the mother of Jesus Christ. He
was thus probably presumed by
most to be Jesus’ father. He was
a descendant of Judah and in
the line of David, but he did not
live in Judea. Rather, he lived in
Nazareth in Galilee and worked
there as a carpenter, a profession
he apparently passed on to Jesus
(Mark 6:3). Joseph is described
as a righteous man, and his
actions of loyalty toward Mary
and obedience to God’s word
paint the picture of a humble and
godly man. He is not mentioned
after the account of the Passover
celebration that took place when
Jesus was twelve years old (Luke
2:41-52). His absence in the rest of
the narrative (for example, at the
wedding at Cana) could indicate
that he died before Jesus began
his public ministry. He and Mary
had four sons together—James,
Joseph, Judas, and Simon—and
more than one daughter (Mark
6:3). At least two of the sons—
James (see page 1358) and Jude
(see page 1381)—came to believe
that Jesus, their half brother, was
the Messiah.
Joseph’s story is told in Matthew
1:16–2:23; Luke 1:26–2:52.
The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then J esus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be
baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. “I
am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said,
“so why are you coming to me?”
15 But J esus said, “It should be done, for we must carry
out all that God requires.*” So John agreed to baptize him.
1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version). 2:1 Or royal astrologers; Greek reads
magi; also in 2:7, 16. 2:2 Or star in the east.
2:6a Greek the rulers.
2:6b Mic
5:2; 2 Sam 5:2. 2:15 Hos 11:1. 2:18 Jer 31:15. 3:2 Or has come, or is coming
soon.
3:3 Isa 40:3 (Greek version). 3:7 Or coming to be baptized.
3:11a Or
in.
3:11b Or in the Holy Spirit and in fire.
3:15 Or for we must fulfill all
righteousness.
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