Day 1- Supernatural Beginnings

400 years without a word. That's how long it has been since God has spoken to His people through His prophets. He broke the silence by sending the angel Gabriel to deliver a message to a young virgin named Mary living in Nazareth, a little town nestled on a hillside ninety miles north of Jerusalem. Mary is engaged to be married to a carpenter named Joseph. The nation of Israel has been under Roman occupation and rule for more than sixty-five years when the decree is made that all Jews return to their place of birth for a national census.

Read: Matthew 1:1-25; Luke 1:1-80; 3:23-38; John 1:1-5

Major Events

  • Jesus before His birth (John)

  • The angel Gabriel visits Mary (Luke)

  • The angel Gabriel visits Joseph (Matthew)

  • Birth of John the Baptist foretold (Luke)

  • Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth in Judea (Luke)

  • The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Matthew, Luke)

Major Topics

  • Genealogy of Jesus

  • Deity of Jesus Christ

  • Word

  • Life

  • Light/darkness

  • Prophecy

  • Miracles

  • Virgin birth

  • Holy Spirit

  • Dreams

  • Obedience

  • Angels

  • Creation

  • Glory

Video

Matthew 1-2:12

John 1

Key Verses & Words

The Story

  • Matthew 1:20-21 ...behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "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."

  • Luke 1:1-4 ...to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 ...having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order...4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

  • Luke 1:31-33 "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."

  • John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Questions for Reflection

Jesus before His birth (John)

  • Why did the Word become flesh and live among us?

  • How does a person receive the Word?

  • What insights can you gain from seeing Jesus as God's Word?

Genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matt; Luke 3)

  • Why do you think the Bible includes long genealogical lists like this?

  • Why do you think God waited so many generations to send Christ?

Conception and birth of Jesus (Matt; Luke; John)

  • What makes Jesus unique from all other humans?

  • Why is Mary's virginal conception of Christ significant?

  • Why did the Word become flesh and live among us?

  • In what different ways do people respond to the story of Christ's birth?

  • How has the fact, "with God, nothing is impossible" taken root in your life?

  • John's description of the birth of Jesus has less details but is much more focused and direct. What do we learn of Jesus beginnings according to John?

  • In what way can you receive or welcome Christ into your life?

Digging Deeper

The following outlines will help you get a grasp on the direction and purpose of each Gospel. These are really good to read first to give you an overview of each book.

Chapter Commentary

Harmony of the Gospels

  • The Harmony of the Gospels offers a comparative study chart for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John's Gospel accounts. Categorized by subjects, this study resource allows quick, side-by-side viewing of what each apostle recorded in each of the four Gospels.

New Testament Map

Those maps you probably have in the back of your Bible are there for a reason! The message of the Gospels is rooted in actual history. The events and people of the Bible happened in real time at real places with real people. To maximize your study and comprehension of the life of Jesus, you will benefit greatly if you practice using maps to follow the story as you read.

Curious Christians

Two Genealogies?

The Old Testament prophets said the Messiah would come from the family of King David. That is why Matthew and Luke record genealogies that trace Jesus' bloodline back through King David.

But why are there two different genealogies for Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3?

Remarkable Women

Want to meet some of the remarkable women in Christ's family tree?

The Journey to Bethlehem

There are two possible routes Joseph and Mary could have taken when they left Nazareth for Bethlehem, a journey of around 90 miles. The trip would have been difficult and taken no less than 4 days but likely more considering Mary was due to give birth at anytime.

Living the Lesson

Here is where the Holy Spirit has opportunity to bring great revelation and transformation in your life--in reflection and obedience to what you have been reading and studying in God's Word today. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can respond in obedience to the devotion today. Use the following questions to prompt you.

Is there a...

  • SIN to confess?

  • PROMISE to claim?

  • ATTITUDE to change?

  • COMMAND to obey?

  • EXAMPLE to follow?

  • PRAYER to pray?

  • ERROR to avoid?

  • TRUTH to believe?

  • SOMETHING for which to praise God?