The birth of Jesus
The birth of Jesus
Why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem
The birth of Jesus was about 6 months after the birth of John the Baptist.
However, just before Jesus was born, the Romans decided to count the people. They wanted to know how many people would pay tax to the Romans. Every family had to return to their first home. The Roman officials would count them there.
Joseph and Mary belonged to the family of David. The family had come from Bethlehem. They had to go to Bethlehem. That was far away. It must have been a difficult journey for Mary. They were late when they arrived at Bethlehem. There were many people in Bethlehem. They had no place to sleep. There was no room anywhere.
So, the birth of Jesus was in a shed. Animals lived there. Mary put the baby in a manger. [A manger is a box that contains the food for animals.] The
You are only a very small town among all the towns of Judah.
But I will cause someone to be born in you
who will rule Israel on my behalf.
He will be someone whose family started a very long time ago.’
Angels , shepherds and wise men
Joseph and Mary had to stay near there for some time. They had to take Jesus to the
Jesus is the saviour for people from
all nations
The visitors are interesting.
The shepherds were Jews. But some Jews might not respect them, because the shepherds were poor. However, they must have been good men. They pleased God.
The wise men were foreigners. They were not Jews. They came from a country whose people did not know the real God. However, God guided them. Now they had found this baby. He would be greater than anyone that they had ever known.
Both groups of men showed
Simeon and Anna
The time came to take Jesus to the
Jesus had poor parents. They lived in a poor house. But the