Book of Common Prayer

¹⁰ Everything was made for God and by God. It seemed good to him that Jesus' life should be made complete, by going through the hard things that happened to him. This was because Jesus leads many people to heaven as God's children. And he is the one who saves them.

¹¹ Jesus, who makes people holy, and those who are made holy, all have one Father in heaven. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers.

¹² He said, `I will tell my brothers about you. I will sing praise about you among those who gather together for worship.'

¹³ He also said, `I will trust God.' And again, `Here am I and the children God has given to me.'

¹⁴ God's children all have a body. That is why Jesus himself had the same. But because Jesus also had a body, he was able to die and stop the devil. The devil has power to make people die. But Jesus, by his own death, was able to stop the power of death.

¹⁵ People were afraid to die. All their lives they were like slaves. When Jesus died, he was able to set them free from their fear.

¹⁶ Jesus did not come to help angels. He came to help people who were born in Abraham's family.

¹⁷ So he had to be made like his brothers in every way. Then he could be a high priest to make a way to God for them, a priest who was kind and true. He could make it possible for God to forgive people for the wrong things they had done.

¹⁸ He had a very hard time when he was tested. But because he was tested, he is able to help people who are tested.

¹⁸ This is the way Jesus Christ was born. Mary, his mother, was promised to Joseph to be his wife. But before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby. It was by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹ Joseph, the man she was to marry, was a good man. He did not want her to be made ashamed. So he planned to leave her without telling people about it.

²⁰ While he was thinking about this, he had a dream. An angel of the Lord came to him. He said, `Joseph, David's son, do not fear to take Mary to be your wife. Her baby is by the Holy Spirit.

²¹ She will have a baby son. Name him Jesus, because he will save his people from the wrong things they have done.'

²² All of this had been told long before by the Lord through his prophet. It came true.

²³ The prophet said, `A young woman who has not slept with a man is going to have a baby son. His name will be Emmanuel. That means "God is with us." '

²⁴ Joseph woke up and did what the angel of the Lord told him to do. He took Mary to be his wife.

²⁵ But he did not make love with her until her first son had been born. He named him Jesus.