Mark 16

The Resurrection

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him.2 Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb.3 They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"

4 Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back-it was a huge stone-and walked right in.5 They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

6 He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty.7 Now-on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."

8 They got out as fast as they could, beside themselves, their heads swimming. Stunned, they said nothing to anyone.

9 [After rising from the dead, Jesus appeared early on Sunday morning to Mary Magdalene, whom he had delivered from seven demons.10 She went to his former companions, now weeping and carrying on, and told them.11 When they heard her report that she had seen him alive and well, they didn't believe her.

12 Later he appeared, but in a different form, to two of them out walking in the countryside.13 They went back and told the rest, but they weren't believed either.

14 Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up.15 Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.16 Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned.

17 "These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues,18 they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well."

19 Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honor.20 And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.]

Luke 1

1 So many others have tried their hand at putting together a story of the wonderful harvest of Scripture and history that took place among us,2 using reports handed down by the original eyewitnesses who served this Word with their very lives.3 Since I have investigated all the reports in close detail, starting from the story's beginning, I decided to write it all out for you, most honorable Theophilus,4 so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught. A Childless Couple Conceives

A Childless Couple Conceives

5 During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.6 Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God.7 But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

8 It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment,9 it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense.10 The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering.11 Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense.12 Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

13 But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John.14 You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you-many will delight in his birth.

15 He'll achieve great stature with God.16 He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.17 He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics-he'll get the people ready for God."

18 Zachariah said to the angel, "Do you expect me to believe this? I'm an old man and my wife is an old woman."

19 But the angel said, "I am Gabriel, the sentinel of God, sent especially to bring you this glad news.20 But because you won't believe me, you'll be unable to say a word until the day of your son's birth. Every word I've spoken to you will come true on time-God's time."

21 Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary.22 When he came out and couldn't speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.

23 When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home.[24 It wasn't long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy.25 "So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!" she said.

A Virgin Conceives

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth27 to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary.28 Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.

29 She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that.30 But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you:31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.32 He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David;33 He will rule Jacob's house forever-no end, ever, to his kingdom."

34 Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man."

35 The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.

36 "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months' pregnant!37 Nothing, you see, is impossible with God."38 And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her. Blessed Among Women

Blessed Among Women

39 Mary didn't waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country,40 straight to Zachariah's house, and greeted Elizabeth.41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit,42 and sang out exuberantly, You're so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed!43 And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me?44 The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.45 Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!

46 And Mary said, I'm bursting with God-news;47 I'm dancing the song of my Savior God.48 God took one good look at me, and look what happened-I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten,49 the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.50 His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him.51 He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts.52 He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud.53 The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold.54 He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high.55 It's exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.

The Birth of John

57 When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she bore a son.58 Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

59 On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child and were calling him Zachariah after his father.60 But his mother intervened: "No. He is to be called John."

61 "But," they said, "no one in your family is named that."62 They used sign language to ask Zachariah what he wanted him named.

63 Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise.64 Surprise followed surprise-Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

65 A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else.66 Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this."

67 Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,68 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free.69 He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant,70 Just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets:71 Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand;72 Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do,73 What he swore to our father Abraham -74 a clean rescue from the enemy camp, So we can worship him without a care in the world,75 made holy before him as long as we live.76 And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,77 Present the offer of salvation to his people, the forgiveness of their sins.78 Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us,79 Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

80 The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

Luke 2

The Birth of Jesus

1 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire.2 This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria.3 Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for.4 So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there.5 He went with Mary, his fiancŽe, who was pregnant.

6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.7 She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

An Event for Everyone

8 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep.9 Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified.10 The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide:11 A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.12 This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

13 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:14 Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15 As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us."16 They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.17 Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child.18 All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19 Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.20 The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!

Blessings

21 When the eighth day arrived, the day of circumcision, the child was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived.

22 Then when the days stipulated by Moses for purification were complete, they took him up to Jerusalem to offer him to God23 as commanded in God's Law: "Every male who opens the womb shall be a holy offering to God,"24 and also to sacrifice the "pair of doves or two young pigeons" prescribed in God's Law.

25 In Jerusalem at the time, there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him.26 The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died.27 Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law,28 Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:29 God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised.30 With my own eyes I've seen your salvation;31 it's now out in the open for everyone to see:32 A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations, and of glory for your people Israel.

33 Jesus' father and mother were speechless with surprise at these words.34 Simeon went on to bless them, and said to Mary his mother, This child marks both the failure and the recovery of many in Israel, A figure misunderstood and contradicted -35 the pain of a sword-thrust through you-But the rejection will force honesty, as God reveals who they really are.

36 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years37 and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers.38 At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.

39 When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth.40 There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him. They Found Him in the Temple

They Found Him in the Temple

41 Every year Jesus' parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover.42 When he was twelve years old, they went up as they always did for the Feast.43 When it was over and they left for home, the child Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn't know it.44 Thinking he was somewhere in the company of pilgrims, they journeyed for a whole day and then began looking for him among relatives and neighbors.45 When they didn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for him.

46 The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.47 The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers.48 But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt. His mother said, "Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you."

49 He said, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?"50 But they had no idea what he was talking about.

51 So he went back to Nazareth with them, and lived obediently with them. His mother held these things dearly, deep within herself.52 And Jesus matured, growing up in both body and spirit, blessed by both God and people.