GOD WITH US: The Story of Jesus

By Robert W. Gardner

"GOD WITH US: The Story of Jesus" is a faithful retelling, in order, of all of the events recorded about the Son of God in the Four Gospels. The story is told as a series of brief stories in epic free verse for ease of reading. Every beautiful phrase is given its own line, so that each thought is expressed clearly, showing the framework of even the most profound spiritual teachings. This poetic format makes every speaker distinct, bringing the words of these ancient figures to life in modern English expression. Special attention is even given to the divine pronouns referring to Jesus, again, so that the reader has no doubt about when the text refers to Him or to some other. Issues between Gospel Scriptures are harmonized with a faithful belief in the Word of God.

"GOD WITH US" is intended as an aid for Bible study, one that is a pleasure both to read and to hear.

The Forward describes something of the methods and intention of the author.

The Table of Contents provides a list of the enumerated vignettes that comprise the story, with Scripture citations and page numbers.

The Vignettes are the individual stories, with Scriptures cited again for ease of study. Each phrase receives its own line, with the speech of individuals indented to help the reader see better who is speaking. When a speaker quotes another speaker, the quoted speech is likewise indented again. The speech of angels and quotations from the Old Testament are italicized. Speech of demons is given a different font for further differentiation. Each Vignette is enumerated, like a chapter in a book of the Bible, but verses are not enumerated as the reader is encouraged to turn directly to the cited Scriptures for further study.

When helpful to the understanding of the reader, the author paraphrases the language, and converts the measures and currencies, into modern American expressions. While concordances, dictionaries, commentaries, and various translations were consulted, the work remains grounded in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. It is the author's belief that the KJV translation did much to crystalize the structure of English language and so, felt this paraphrase might be most effective resting upon that historic foundation.

The work concludes with various End Notes, including citations for the Gospel Harmony, a Gospel Harmony chart of Scriptures, and explanations for particular decisions involving the paraphrasing of 43 out of the 280 Vignettes.

"GOD WITH US" is offered as a work for those who "love to tell the story, of Jesus and His love", both for "those who know it best", and for those who hunger to hear it for the first time!

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098357719

Book preview

1 Preamble ²

(Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-4)

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Because so many have taken in hand

to set forth an orderly declaration of those things

which are most surely believed among us,

just as they delivered them to us,

who, from the beginning,

were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word;

it seemed good to us also,

having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first,

to write to you,

so that you might know the certainty

of those things in which you have been instructed.

2 In the Beginning ³

(John 1:1-5,10-18)

In the Beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

He was with God in the Beginning.

All things were made through Him;

and without Him

nothing was made that was made.

In Him was Life;

and the Life was the Light of Man.

And the Light shines in the Darkness;

but the Darkness did not overcome it.

He was in the world,

and the world was made by Him,

but the world did not know Him.

He came to His own people,

and His own did not receive Him.

But to all who received Him,

those who believe on His Name:

He gave power to become the Children of God,

who were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.

And the Word was made flesh,

and lived among us,

and we beheld His glory,

the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

3 The Genealogy of Jesus ⁴

(Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38)

This is the chronicle of the generations of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, the son of Abraham.

All the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations;

and from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations;

and from the captivity in Babylon until Christ are fourteen generations.

Jesus, who is called Christ, was born of Mary,

the ward of Joseph, the son of Jacob,

the son of Matthan, the son of Eleazar,

the son of Eliud, the son of Achim,

the son of Zadoc, the son of Azor,

the son of Eliakim, the son of Abihud,

the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,

the son of Jeconiah, who with his brethren was the son of Josiah

about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

Josiah was the son of Amon, the son of Manasseh,

the son of Hezkiah, the son of Ahaz,

the son of Joatham, the son of Uzziah,

the son of Joram, the son of Johoshaphat,

the son of Asa, the son of Abijah,

the son of Rheoboam, the son of Solomon,

fathered of her who had been the wife of Uriah,

by David the King.

Jesus, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph,

the son of Eli, the son of Matthat,

the son of Levi, the son of Melchi,

the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos,

the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,

the son of Naggai, the son of Maath,

the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semein,

the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

the son of Joannan, the son of Rhesa,

the son of Zerubabel, the son of Shealtiel,

the son of Neri, the son of Melchi,

the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,

the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,

the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,

the son of Levi, the son of Simeon,

the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,

the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

the son of Melea, the son of Menna,

the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,

the son of David, the son of Jesse,

the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,

the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

the son of Aminadab, the son of Admin

the son of Aram, the son of Hezron,

the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac,

the son of Abraham, the son of Terah,

the son of Nahor, the son of Serug,

the son of Reu, the son of Peleg,

the son of Heber, the son of Shela,

the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,

the son of Shem, the son of Noah,

the son of Lamech, the son of Methusalah,

the son of Enoch, the son of Jared,

the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,

the son of Enosh, the son of Seth,

the son of Adam,

the son of God.

4 John the Baptist Was Sent ⁵

(John 1:6-9)

There was a man sent from God,

whose name was John.

He came as a witness,

to tell of the Light,

so that all through Him might believe.

John was not the Light,

but was sent to tell of the Light,

the true Light,

who shines upon all who came into the world.

5 The Testimony of John the Baptist

(John 1:15-18)

John told of Him, crying out,

"This was He of whom I said,

‘He who comes after me is before me:

because He was before me.’"

From His fullness,

we have all received grace upon grace.

For the Law was given through Moses,

but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

None have ever seen God,

except the Only Begotten of God,

who is in the heart of the Father.

He has revealed Him.

6 Gabriel Announces John’s Birth

(Luke 1:5-25)

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea,

a certain priest named Zachariah,

of the lineage of Abijah:

and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron,

and her name was Elizabeth.

They were both righteous before God,

walking blamelessly

in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.

Now they had no child,

because Elizabeth was barren,

and they were both well advanced in years.

It came to pass,

that while he served as priest before God in the order of his lineage,

according to the custom of the priests,

it was his lot to enter and burn incense in the Temple of the Lord.

And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside,

at the time of incense.

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord

standing on the right side of the Altar of Incense.

When Zachariah saw him,

he was troubled

and fear fell upon him.

But the angel said,

"Fear not, Zachariah:

for your prayer is heard;

and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son,

and you shall call his name John.

And you shall have joy and gladness;

and many shall rejoice at his birth.

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,

and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink;

and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit,

even from his mother’s womb.

He shall turn many of the children of Israel

to the Lord their God,

and he shall go before Him

in the spirit and power of Elijah,

to turn the hearts of the fathers

to the children,

and the disobedient

to the wisdom of the just;

to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

And Zachariah said to the angel,

"How shall I know this?

for I am an old man,

and my wife is well advanced in years."

The angel answered,

"I am Gabriel,

who stands in the presence of God;

and was sent to speak to you,

and to show you these glad tidings.

Behold,

you shall be mute,

and unable to speak,

until the day that these things shall take place,

because you did not believe my words,

which shall be fulfilled in their season."

And the people waited for Zachariah,

amazed that he lingered so long in the Temple.

And when he came out,

he could not speak to them,

and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple:

for he made signs to them and remained speechless.

And it came to pass that

as soon as the days of his ministry were finished,

he returned to his own home.

After those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived,

and hid herself five months, saying,

"Thus, has the Lord dealt with me

in the days he looked upon me,

to take away my reproach among men."

7 Gabriel Visits Mary

(Luke 1:26-38)

In the sixth month

the angel Gabriel was sent from God

to Nazareth, a city of Galilee,

to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph,

of the House of David;

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And the angel came to her and said,

"Hail! Highly favored one!

The Lord is with you!

Blessed are you among women!"

And when she saw him,

she was troubled at what he said,

and wondered what kind of greeting this was.

And the angel said to her,

"Fear not, Mary:

for you have found favor with God.

And, behold,

you shall conceive in your womb,

and bear a son,

and shall call His name JESUS.

He shall be great,

and shall be called the Son of the Highest.

And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David,

and He shall reign over the House of Jacob forever;

and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.

Then Mary said to the angel,

How can this be, since I have never intimately known a man?

And the angel answered her,

"The Holy Spirit shall come upon you,

and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you:

thus, the Holy Infant who will be born of you

shall be called the Son of God.

And, behold,

your cousin Elizabeth,

has also conceived a son in her old age:

and this is the sixth month with her,

who was called barren.

For with God nothing shall be impossible."

And Mary said,

"Behold,

I am the handmaid of the Lord;

May it be with me as you have said."

And the angel departed from her.

8 Mary Visits Elizabeth

(Luke 1:39-56)

In those days, Mary arose

and went speedily into the hill country,

into a city of Judah,

and entered the house of Zachariah,

and greeted Elizabeth.

And it came to pass that,

when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the baby leaped in her womb;

and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

and she cried out with a loud voice,

"Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

And how wonderful is this to me

that the mother of my Lord should come to me!

For, see?

As soon as the sound of your greeting rang in my ears,

the baby leaped in my womb for joy!

And blessed is she who believed

those things shall be done

that she was told from the Lord!"

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

For He has looked upon His lowly handmaiden.

And see!

From now on, all generations shall call me blessed

because He who is mighty has done great things to me,

and Holy is His name.

And His mercy is on those who revere Him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with His arm.

He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and raised up those of low degree.

He has filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich, He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,

in remembrance of His mercy;

that He spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham,

and to his children

forever."

And Mary stayed with her about three months,

and then returned to her own home.

9 The Birth of John the Baptist

(Luke 1:57-80)

Now Elizabeth’s full term came to give birth,

and she delivered a son.

Her neighbors and her cousins heard

how the Lord had showed great mercy to her;

and they rejoiced with her.

And it came to pass that on the eighth day

they came to circumcise the child

and they thought to call him Zachariah,

after his father.

But his mother answered and said,

No. He shall be called John.

And they said to her,

None of your kindred is called by that name.

And they made signs to his father,

asking what he wanted him to be called.

He asked for a writing table and wrote,

His name is John.

And they were all surprised.

And his mouth was opened immediately,

and his tongue freed,

and he spoke, praising God.

Awe struck all who dwelt around them:

and all this news was the talk of all the hill country of Judea.

All who heard

kept it in their hearts, saying,

What kind of child will this be!

For the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit,

and prophesied,

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;

for He has visited and redeemed His people.

And has raised up the horn of salvation for us

in the House of His servant David,

as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,

from the Beginning,

that we should be saved from our enemies,

and from the hand of all who hate us;

to provide the mercy promised to our fathers,

and to remember His Holy Covenant;

the oath which He swore to our father Abraham,

to grant us,

that being delivered out of the hand of our enemies

we might serve Him without fear,

in holiness and righteousness before Him,

all of our days."

"And you, child,

shall be called the prophet of the Highest:

for you shall go before the face of the Lord

to prepare His ways,

to give knowledge of salvation to His people

by the remission of their sins,

through the tender mercy of our God.

So, shall the Dayspring from on high visit us,

to give light

to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet

into the way of peace."

And the child grew, and became strong in spirit,

and was in the deserts until the day of his appearing to Israel.

10 The Angel Appears to Joseph in a Dream

(Matthew 1:18-25)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:

When His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph,

before they came together,

she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph her husband,

being a reasonable man, and not willing to disgrace her,

had considered discreetly divorcing her.

But while he thought on these things,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,

"Joseph, son of David,

do not fear to take Mary to be your wife,

because that which is conceived in her

is of the Holy Spirit.

She shall bear a son,

and you shall call His name JESUS:

for He shall save his people from their sins."

All this was done to fulfill

that which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,

‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child,

and shall bring forth a son,

and they shall call his name Emmanuel,’

(which means, ‘God with us’).

Then Joseph was awakened from sleep

and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him,

and received his betrothed,

but did not intimately know her

until after she had given birth to her firstborn son:

and he called His name JESUS.

11 The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem

(Luke 2:1-7)

It came to pass in those days,

that there went out a decree from Augustus Caesar,

that all the world should be taxed.

(This was the first tax census made

when Quirinus was Governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed,

everyone into his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee,

out of the city of Nazareth,

into Judea,

to the city of David called Bethlehem;

(because he was of the House and lineage of David:)

to be taxed with Mary his betrothed,

who was late in her pregnancy.

So it was,

that while they were there,

the time came when she gave birth.

And she delivered her firstborn son,

and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes,

and laid Him in a manger;

because there was no room for them in the inn.

12 Shepherds Visit Jesus at the Manger

(Luke 2:8-20)

In the same area

there were shepherds living in the fields,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

The angel of the Lord came to them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were struck with great dread.

And the angel said to them,

"Fear not!

For, behold!

I bring you good tidings of great joy,

which shall be to all people!

For to you is born this day in the city of David

a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!

And this shall be a sign for you:

you shall find the Baby

wrapped in swaddling clothes,

and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the Heavenly host

praising God, and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on Earth peace,

good will toward men!"

And it came to pass,

as the angels were gone away from them into Heaven,

the shepherds said to one another,

"Let us go into Bethlehem now,

and see this thing that has come to pass,

which the Lord has made known to us!"

With haste they came

and found Mary and Joseph,

and the Baby lying in a manger.

And when they saw these things,

they made known what they were told about this Child,

and all who heard it were astonished

about what the shepherds told them,

but Mary kept and pondered all these things in her heart.

And the shepherds returned,

glorifying and praising God

for all that they had heard and seen,

as it was told to them.

13 Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

(Luke 2:21-38)

When eight days had passed and He was circumcised,

He was called JESUS,

as named by the angel

before He was conceived in the womb.

And when the days were finished for purification

according to the Law of Moses,

they brought Him to Jerusalem,

to present Him to the Lord,

since it is written in the Law of the Lord,

"Every male who opens the womb

shall be called holy to the Lord,"

and to offer a sacrifice

according to what is commanded in the Law of the Lord,

A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

Also, there was a man in Jerusalem,

whose name was Simeon,

a just and devout man,

waiting for the Consolation of Israel,

and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit,

that he would not see death,

before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

He was led by the Spirit into the Temple,

and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,

to do for Him according to the custom of the Law,

then took he Him up in his arms,

and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now Your servant departs in peace,

according to Your Word;

for my eyes have seen Your Salvation,

which You have prepared before the face of all peoples:

a Light for enlightening the Gentiles,

and the glory of Your people, Israel."

And his father and his mother were astonished

at what was said of Him.

And Simeon blessed them

and said to Mary, His mother,

"This child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel;

and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

(Yes, and a sword shall also pierce through your own soul.)"

There was also a prophetess, Anna,

the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.

She was of a great age,

and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;

and was a widow of about eighty-four years.

She never left the Temple,

serving God with fasting and prayer night and day.

And she was there in that moment

and gave thanks to the Lord,

and spoke of Him to all who waited for redemption in Jerusalem.

14 The Magi

(Matthew 2:1-12)

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea

in the days of Herod the king,

there came Magi from the east to Jerusalem, saying,

"Where is He who is born King of the Jews?

For we saw His star when it rose in the east,

and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this,

he was troubled,

and all Jerusalem with him.

Gathering all the Chief Priests and Scribes of the people,

he demanded they tell where the Christ should be born.

They told him,

"In Bethlehem of Judea:

for so it is written by the prophet,

‘And you O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are in no way the least among the princes of Judah

for out of you shall come a Prince

who shall shepherd my people Israel.’"

Then Herod secretly called the wise men,

diligently inquiring of them what time the star appeared.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

"Go and search diligently for the child,

and when you have found him,

bring me word,

so that I may also come and worship him."

When they had heard the king, they departed;

and the star which they saw rising in the east,

went before them until it came to stand still

over where the Child was.

When they saw the star,

they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Entering the house

they saw the Child with Mary, His mother,

and fell down and worshiped Him.

Then they had opened their treasures,

and presented Him with gifts

of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

And being warned of God in a dream

that they should not return to Herod,

they left another way into their own country.

15 The Escape into Egypt

(Matthew 2:13-15)

When they had gone,

the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying,

"Arise!

and take the Child and His mother,

and flee into Egypt,

and stay there until I tell you,

because Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him!"

Then he got up and took the Child and his mother by night,

and departed into Egypt

and stayed there until the death of Herod.

This fulfilled that which the Lord spoke by the prophet,

Out of Egypt have I called my son.

16 The Slaughter of the Children of Bethlehem

(Matthew