Study Desk

All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, "What then will this child turn out to be?" For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant.

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased."

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,

and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the temple grounds, serving night and day with fasts and prayers.

And when His parents had completed everything in accordance with the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.

And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people.

"Therefore produce fruits that are consistent with repentance, and do not start saying to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham.

And he would answer and say to them, "The one who has two tunics is to share with the one who has none; and the one who has food is to do likewise."

And soldiers also were questioning him, saying, "What are we to do, we as well?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone, nor harass anyone, and be content with your wages."

John responded to them all, saying, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

"His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people.

"And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian."

And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;

and they were amazed at His teaching, because His message was delivered with authority.