BIRTH & EARLY

LIFE OF JESUS

DISCOVERING GOD’S WAY - PRIMARY YEAR 2, BOOK 1

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BIRTH & EARLY
LIFE OF JESUS
Written by Vikki Kline

Editors: Photos:
Robert Harkrider Leon Mauldin
Arline Harkrider
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Artists: Lauren Mayeux
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Sean Sullivan Special Thanks:
Angela Hudgins George Hudgins

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 Contents

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 The Birth of
John the Baptist
Lesson 1

r y Ve rse
Memo :13
Luke 1
But the angel said to him, “Zachariah,
don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been
heard by God. Your wife Elizabeth will
give birth to a son. You will name him
John.”

Words to Know
Barren Not able to bear children
Nazarite A person dedicated to God who does not do certain practices
Priest One who speaks to God or relates to God on behalf of another
Prophecy A message from God
Prophet A messenger from God
Vow Promise

Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 1

 We will begin this quarter studying about “Jesus Our Savior” or “Immanuel,”
which means “God with Us.” It will be a study about the life of Jesus Christ.
These lessons will help you SEE and FEEL how much our Savior loves each
and every one of us and how He wants us ALL to go to heaven.
FUN S
T
FAC Bible = 2 Parts
One of the reasons the Bible has been given to us is O.T. & N.T.
to study and learn more about our Savior Jesus. We O.T. = 39 Books
N.T. = 27 Books
ALWAYS should turn to the Bible first to find out what Total Books = 66
God commands and for how we should live our lives
and treat others.

The last book of the Old Testament contains a prophecy that says God
would send another ELIJAH to Israel. Remember, Elijah was a well loved
prophet that took a stand for God against false religious leaders and kings
(1 Kings 17:1; 18; 21:17-29). Now after about 400 years without a prophet
speaking to Israel, a man appeared on the scene who claimed to be a
PROPHET of God. Do you know WHO this man is? His name is ________
________. We will learn about his birth and what he did to help tell man
about the coming of our Lord.

The New Testament begins with the books

UN
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All four books FFACTS
tell about the same events which are the Matthew, Mark, Luke
birth, life, ministry, and death and resurrection and John also are called
of Jesus. Each book tells these events in a the “Four Gospels.”
different way and does not include all the
same facts. So as we study about the life of Jesus, we
can put together all the events mentioned in each
book and get a bigger picture of what really happens.
We want to have all the pieces that we can to get the
complete picture like you would a puzzle.

2 | Birth & Early Life of Jesus

 Let’s look at Luke 1 to learn about the story of John’s
birth. During the days of Herod, the King of Judea,
there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the
division Abijah. His wife was one of Aaron’s daughters
and her name was Elizabeth.

Write in the circle above WHY Zacharias and Elizabeth were both
righteous before God. (Hint: Luke 1:6)

Zacharias and Elizabeth had

no children because Elizabeth
was barren and both were very
old. They lived in Jerusalem
because Zacharias had duties in
the temple which was located
there. One day as Zacharias was
serving as a priest before God, it
was his turn, as was the custom,
to burn incense when he went
into the temple of the Lord.

Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 3

 Read at Luke 1 and see if you can answer the following questions.

1. WHO was John’s Father? (Hint: vs. 5)

_______________________________

2. WHO was John’s Mother? (Hint: vs. 5)

_______________________________

3. WHAT was John’s father’s job? (Hint: vs. 5)

_______________________________

4. WHO appeared to Zacharias in the temple?

(Hint: vs. 11 and 19)
_______________________________

When Zacharias was in the temple, an angel

Birth Announcement
Father: Zacharias
Mother: Elizabeth
6 Months before Jesus
of the Lord appeared to him and said,“Your
prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth
will bear a son, and you shall call his name
JOHN.” (Luke 1:13)

1. ______________________________________
______________________________________
Name FOUR things
that the angel said
2. ______________________________________
this child would do
______________________________________
when he was older:
3. ______________________________________
______________________________________

4. ______________________________________
______________________________________

(Hint: Luke 1: 15-17)

4 | Birth & Early Life of Jesus
Zacharias couldn’t believe his ears. He said to the angel,“How shall I know
this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

Do you think Zacharias believed that his wife was REALLY going to be able
to have a baby at her age? Gabriel gave what sign to Zacharias to prove
his prophecy was true?

_________________________________________
(Hint: Luke 1:20)

Zacharias was NOT ALLOWED to speak until

his baby was eight days old. He was asked
what they were going to call their new baby
and, after he wrote on a writing tablet, “His
name is John,” his tongue was loosed and
he spoke, praising God!

The Bible does not tell us details about

John as a child. It does say that he grew
up to be strong in spirit. John was born
six months before Jesus. God planned a
special relationship for John and Jesus. As
John became an adult, he began preaching
everywhere, preparing the people for the
coming of the Messiah and His kingdom.
Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 5
 FUN S

?
T
Can you name another FAC
John was under at least one
Bible character who of the restrictions of the
was a Nazarite? Nazarite vow, but he was
never called a Nazarite.
______________________

John’s Message

“Change your hearts and lives because

the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 3:2

6 | Birth & Early Life of Jesus

 Matching
Zacharias The Four Gospels

Prophet in the
John Old Testament

Elizabeth John’s Mother

God’s Son
Gabriel

John’s Father
Priest

The Angel who told

Zacharias that he
Elijah would have a child

Jesus I prepared the way

for the Lord

Matthew, Mark, One who speaks to

Luke & John God

Lesson 1: The Birth of John the Baptist | 7