What Jesus Did

Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened [about baby ###] spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, "What will this child turn out to be?" For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

—Luke 1:65-66 NLT

Key Thought​

Speculation about a newborn is nothing new. Parents, family, and friends have looked down on a sleeping newborn and wondered, "What will this child turn out...

 

Then [###'s] father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

"Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant — the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor...

 

When [### and ###'s] baby was eight days old, they [along with neighbors and relatives] came for the circumcision ceremony. [The others] wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But ### said, "No! His name is John!"

"What?" they exclaimed. "There is no one in all your family by that name." So they used gestures to ask the baby's father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone's surprise he wrote, "His name is John." Instantly ### could speak...

 

When it was time for ###'s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

—Luke 1:57-58 NLT

Key Thought​

So often today, it seems that those who do not receive joys and blessings are jealous, even critical, of those who do receive them. Isn't it wonderful that ###'s neighbors weren't that way? We should follow their lead and rejoice with those who rejoice! In fact...

 

[After ###'s exclamation of how blessed ### was,] ### responded,

"Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes...

 

A few days later ### hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted ###. At the sound of ###'s greeting, ###'s child leaped within her, and ### was filled with the Holy Spirit.
### gave a glad cry and exclaimed to ###, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed...

 

[After being told she would have a son by the Holy Spirit,] Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." And then the angel left her.

—Luke 1:38 NLT

Key Thought​

The greatest in the Kingdom of God is a servant. [1] So we should not be surprised when God's Son and our Savior explained that his role was to be a servant, [2] should we? Jesus' conviction about the greatest being a servant wasn't just talk. He certainly demonstrated it...

 

[After telling ### she would have a son even though she was a virgin, the angel said to her,] "What's more, your relative ### has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail."

—Luke 1:36-37 NLT

Key Thought​

It's almost as if the angel was saying, "How about a little help with that faith in the impossible, ###? Check with your old relative ###. The seemingly...

 

[After being told she would have a son,] Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin."
The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God."

—Luke 1:34-35 NLT

Key Thought​

Every baby is precious. God made each child and formed that child in its mother's womb. [1] The baby promised to Mary, however, was even more precious. The Holy...

 

"Don't be afraid, ###," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!"

—Luke 1:30-33 NLT

Key Thought​

Fear. It can be overwhelming. It is sometimes paralyzing. We shouldn't be surprised that one of the...