# The Birth of John the Baptist - The Gospels

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 31 Jan 2024, 12 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/b8cff241-6f6c-4885-9419-b4d60187b022/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 143. Zechariah, a priest, is visited by the angel Gabriel while burning incense in the temple and told that his wife Elizabeth will have a son named John, who will prepare the way for the Messiah. Because Zechariah doubts the angel's words, he becomes unable to speak until the prophecy is fulfilled. Meanwhile, Gabriel visits Mary in Nazareth, announcing she will give birth to Jesus, the Messiah. When Mary visits Elizabeth, Elizabeth's baby leaps with joy, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. After John's birth, Zechariah's speech returns when he confirms the baby's name as John, just as the angel had said. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: And you, child, will be called a prophet of the
[0:03] Speaker 1: Most High, for you will go before the face of
[0:06] Speaker 1: the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of
[0:10] Speaker 1: salvation to his people. Luke 1, 76 and 77. Dear God,
[0:17] Speaker 1: thank you that you want everyone to know about your salvation.
[0:21] Speaker 1: Knowing and loving you brings us more joy than anything else.
[0:26] Speaker 1: Please use this story about John the Baptist's birth to
[0:30] Speaker 1: teach us more about you and your salvation. Thank you
[0:34] Speaker 1: for loving us so much. We love you too. In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:41] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:44] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[0:48] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[0:52] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests with hands-on crafts and
[0:56] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more. all with a
[1:00] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:05] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:15] Speaker 3: The birth of John the Baptist. After a period of
[1:19] Speaker 3: over 400 years where God had not spoken through any prophets,
[1:23] Speaker 3: the appointed time came in God's plan of fulfilling his promises.
[1:28] Speaker 3: In this story, we will learn about the birth of
[1:31] Speaker 3: John the Baptist, who will announce the coming of Jesus
[1:35] Speaker 3: as inspired by the Gospels.
[1:41] Speaker 1: Hi again, it's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress
[1:44] Speaker 1: Sadler with the Kids Bible in a Year podcast. I
[1:47] Speaker 1: am so excited you're here with me today. Today, we're
[1:51] Speaker 1: going to hear a story about an angel who came
[1:54] Speaker 1: to give the most wonderful news about babies to a priest,
[1:58] Speaker 1: his wife, and her relative. It's such a good story.
[2:02] Speaker 1: So let's dive in.
[2:06] Speaker 3: Zechariah was a priest who loved and followed God. Zechariah
[2:10] Speaker 3: and his wife Elizabeth wanted to have children, but they
[2:13] Speaker 3: were unable and it seemed like it was too late
[2:16] Speaker 3: as Elizabeth was already too old. Now in this time,
[2:21] Speaker 3: there were a lot of priests, but they all worked
[2:24] Speaker 3: at different times of the year. So one day in October,
[2:28] Speaker 3: God chose Zechariah to go to the temple to burn incense.
[2:32] Speaker 3: While he was doing this, an angel showed up and
[2:34] Speaker 3: told him, Zechariah, God has answered your prayers. Elizabeth will
[2:39] Speaker 3: have a son, and you'll call him John. He'll make
[2:43] Speaker 3: you both very happy, and God will love him because
[2:47] Speaker 3: he will make way for the Messiah, the Savior. Zechariah
[2:52] Speaker 3: was surprised and asked, How is that possible? We're too
[2:57] Speaker 3: old to have children. Then the angel answered, My name
[3:01] Speaker 3: is Gabriel, and I live in the presence of God.
[3:04] Speaker 3: He told me to tell you this, but you don't
[3:07] Speaker 3: believe me. Because you doubt, you won't be able to
[3:10] Speaker 3: speak until what I said comes true. There were people
[3:14] Speaker 3: worshiping outside, and they were worried because Zechariah was taking
[3:18] Speaker 3: a very long time. After the angel left, Zechariah went
[3:23] Speaker 3: outside to where the people were. He tried to speak
[3:27] Speaker 3: no words came out, so the people knew he saw
[3:31] Speaker 3: an angel. Zechariah went back home, and not long after,
[3:35] Speaker 3: Elizabeth was pregnant. When six months had passed, the angel
[3:40] Speaker 3: Gabriel went to a town called Nazareth. There he found Mary,
[3:45] Speaker 3: a young woman who was engaged to a man named Joseph.
[3:48] Speaker 3: When he caught up with Mary, he said, Please, Mary,
[3:52] Speaker 3: don't be afraid. You have found favor with God, and
[3:55] Speaker 3: soon you You'll have a son. You'll call him Jesus.
[4:00] Speaker 3: He is Messiah, the Savior, and his kingdom won't ever end.
[4:06] Speaker 2: Mary asked, How is that possible?
[4:09] Speaker 3: I'm not even married yet. Then Gabriel answered, You'll become
[4:14] Speaker 3: pregnant when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Because of this,
[4:17] Speaker 3: the child will be called Son of God. Mary, please
[4:21] Speaker 3: don't doubt what I'm telling you. God can do anything.
[4:25] Speaker 3: Even your relative Elizabeth is about to.
[4:29] Speaker 2: Mary didn't doubt.
[4:31] Speaker 3: She bowed her head and said, I am a servant
[4:34] Speaker 3: of Yahweh, the highest king, and the one true God.
[4:38] Speaker 3: Let this happen like you said it would. After Gabriel left,
[4:43] Speaker 3: Mary went to visit Elizabeth to celebrate with her. As
[4:46] Speaker 3: soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's voice, the baby started kicking.
[4:51] Speaker 3: And when she was filled with the Holy Spirit, she said, Mary, Mary,
[4:55] Speaker 3: You are blessed more than any other woman, and the
[4:58] Speaker 3: child you're carrying is blessed too. How do I deserve this?
[5:03] Speaker 3: How did I ever deserve to see the mother of
[5:06] Speaker 3: our Savior? Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months. Not
[5:11] Speaker 3: long after she left, Elizabeth gave birth to John. Everybody
[5:16] Speaker 3: in town went to see the miracle and were happy
[5:19] Speaker 3: for Elizabeth. They said, you should call him Zachariah after
[5:23] Speaker 3: his father. But Elizabeth said, no, we're going to call
[5:27] Speaker 3: him John. The crowd responded, John? Why John? There's nobody
[5:34] Speaker 3: in your family called John. We'll just ask Zechariah, see
[5:38] Speaker 3: what he thinks. So because Zechariah wasn't able to talk,
[5:43] Speaker 3: he wrote, his name is John, on something. Right after
[5:49] Speaker 3: he wrote that, he was finally able to speak again.
[5:52] Speaker 3: just like the angel Gabriel said he would.
[6:01] Speaker 1: What a beautiful story about babies, obedience, and God's blessing.
[6:06] Speaker 1: This is the start of something new and very, very special.
[6:11] Speaker 1: Let's look back at all that happened before the story
[6:15] Speaker 1: so we can understand why it's so special. In the beginning,
[6:18] Speaker 1: God created a perfect world. He made stars and and seas,
[6:23] Speaker 1: and animals, and trees. And he made people in his
[6:28] Speaker 1: image to rule over his perfect world with him. His
[6:32] Speaker 1: plan was to live with them together forever so people
[6:35] Speaker 1: would always know how deeply, dearly loved they are. You see,
[6:41] Speaker 1: God made people to know and love him, to be
[6:44] Speaker 1: family with him. And when we love and serve others,
[6:48] Speaker 1: we look like him. And when we speak kind, life-giving words,
[6:53] Speaker 1: we sound like him. When we reflect his image most,
[6:57] Speaker 1: we are the happiest. Adam and Eve had one condition,
[7:01] Speaker 1: to live together forever in God's perfect world, by obeying.
[7:06] Speaker 1: But they didn't. They lost their place as rulers with
[7:09] Speaker 1: God because they wanted to rule the world on their
[7:12] Speaker 1: own instead. And their kids and grandkids and great-great-great-grandkids had
[7:18] Speaker 1: the same problem. But the longer people went on without
[7:22] Speaker 1: trusting or obeying God, the more they forgot what God
[7:26] Speaker 1: looked or sounded like or what they should look or
[7:30] Speaker 1: sound like. And the world got darker and more dangerous.
[7:34] Speaker 1: But God never gives up. So he chose Abraham and
[7:38] Speaker 1: his family to remind everybody that they were still deeply,
[7:43] Speaker 1: dearly loved. And he still wanted to live with them
[7:46] Speaker 1: together forever. God wanted them to remember what he was
[7:50] Speaker 1: like so they could act and sound like him. So
[7:53] Speaker 1: God made a covenant, a promise with Abraham's family that
[7:58] Speaker 1: if all of them, Isaac and Jacob and Jacob's 12
[8:01] Speaker 1: sons and Moses and David and Elijah and King Josiah
[8:06] Speaker 1: and everybody else trusted and obeyed the Lord, he would
[8:10] Speaker 1: come and live with them and bless the whole wide
[8:13] Speaker 1: world through them.
[8:15] Speaker 2: But they didn't.
[8:17] Speaker 1: God's people still would rather rule their own lives than
[8:21] Speaker 1: obey him. So one more prophet named Malachi gave them
[8:25] Speaker 1: a message from God. He said, one day your Lord
[8:29] Speaker 1: will come to you. The one you've been waiting for
[8:32] Speaker 1: is coming to tell you about a new covenant. You see,
[8:36] Speaker 1: many prophets had spoken about a future king called the Messiah.
[8:40] Speaker 1: He would rescue God's people and remind them how deeply,
[8:44] Speaker 1: dearly loved they were. the Messiah would bless the whole
[8:49] Speaker 1: wide world. Malachi also told them, but before the Lord comes,
[8:54] Speaker 1: he will send someone first to prepare your hearts so
[8:57] Speaker 1: you're ready to hear everything God has to say. That
[9:01] Speaker 1: someone sounded a lot like the messenger Isaiah had talked
[9:04] Speaker 1: about when he said, there will be a voice crying
[9:07] Speaker 1: in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord.
[9:12] Speaker 1: God's people didn't know it. But after Malachi spoke, no
[9:16] Speaker 1: one would hear another word from the Lord for a long, long,
[9:21] Speaker 1: long time. God didn't say anything at all for more
[9:25] Speaker 1: than 400 years. In that silence, God's people forgot what
[9:30] Speaker 1: he looked like or sounded like or what they should
[9:34] Speaker 1: look or sound like. And the world got darker and
[9:37] Speaker 1: more dangerous. But then an angel appeared to Zechariah in
[9:42] Speaker 1: the temple. And the world started getting brighter again because
[9:46] Speaker 1: the angel told Zechariah that he, like Abraham, would have
[9:50] Speaker 1: a son in his old age. And his son John,
[9:53] Speaker 1: like Elijah, would tell God's people to repent. He would
[9:58] Speaker 1: be the voice in the wilderness. the one preparing their
[10:01] Speaker 1: hearts to hear everything God had to say, because God
[10:05] Speaker 1: still wanted to live with them together forever. And the
[10:09] Speaker 1: Messiah was finally on his way. I am so happy
[10:13] Speaker 1: you joined me today to Come back next time to
[10:15] Speaker 1: hear how a new baby helped remind everyone what God
[10:18] Speaker 1: looked like and sounded like. Remember, the Bible is the
[10:23] Speaker 1: best story ever told. It's God's story to you. And
[10:27] Speaker 1: it's all true. Had a blast with our podcast? Share
[10:31] Speaker 1: the fun with a loved one and help us reach
[10:33] Speaker 1: more kids and parents. Thanks for listening to Pray.com Kids
[10:37] Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. For more inspiring stories and wisdom
[10:40] Speaker 1: to last a lifetime, download the Pray.com app for free today.
[10:52] Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Kids Bible in a Year. I
[10:55] Speaker 1: want to invite our adult listeners to check out my
[10:57] Speaker 1: other show, Unapologetic, God's Truth on Today's Topics. It's unfiltered, important, inspiring,
[11:05] Speaker 1: and we have awesome conversations and amazing guests such as
[11:10] Speaker 1: Candice Cameron Bray, Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Robert Jeffress,
[11:15] Speaker 1: Shannon Bream, Maddie Pruitt, and so many others. We are
[11:20] Speaker 1: helping you have conversations that empower you to have bold
[11:24] Speaker 1: faith in a broken world. You'll be excited, inspired, and
[11:29] Speaker 1: encouraged in your faith as you check out Unapologetic.
[11:32] Speaker 3: Remember that you can tune in wherever you get your
[11:35] Speaker 3: podcasts and on pray.com.

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