Tara-Leigh Cobble

They remember God's promise to send them a new king who would conquer all their enemies and bring peace on earth, but they have no idea yet what that means or how or when that promise will be fulfilled.

Around 7 BC, the New Testament picks up, and once again we see God actively working out his plan for redemption.

He sets apart a man named John the Baptist, we call him JTB, as the forerunner who will prepare the way for the Messiah.

JTB's cousin is a man named Jesus, and scripture tells us repeatedly that Jesus is God the Son who has come to earth to live as human.

He's fully God and fully man, and he serves as another manifestation of the temple of God, where God comes to dwell in the midst of his people.

Even before his birth, it's evident that he is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.

Jesus begins his ministry around the age of 30, after JTB baptizes him.

Then he calls some disciples to follow him.

They're from all walks of life, from the lowly fisherman to the wealthy tax collector.

They travel all around the Galilee region as Jesus preaches the message of repentance and the hope of the kingdom of God.

The disciples see him perform all kinds of miracles, from simple things like making lunch for thousands at the drop of a hat, to casting out demons, to healing the sick and raising the dead.

Jesus seems to show special attention to those who are the outcasts and the overlooked, and he even ventures out into the non-Jewish areas to spread the gospel to the Gentiles, which is all non-Jews.

While Jesus is generous and loving, he also has harsh words.

He speaks with passion against people who oppress the poor or who are self-righteous, like the Pharisees and Sadducees.

They've added to God's basic laws with their burdensome rules, and they look down on others who don't live up to their standards.

Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs.

The outside is shiny, but they're dead inside.

Jesus takes the good news of God's rescue everywhere he goes and promises his disciples that even though he will go away from them someday, they will continue to carry that good news with them and preach it everywhere to everyone who hasn't heard.

They're part of an unstoppable kingdom, one that will push back the darkness with the light of the gospel of Jesus.

He begins to speak more frequently and clearly about his death and even tells his followers that one of them will have a role in making that happen, Judas Iscariot.