The Light: The Life of Jesus Revisited

GOSPEL

THE LIGHT

The Life of Jesus Revisited

Ernest Shawn Johnson lll

Copyright © 2015 Ernest Shawn Johnson lll.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3411-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-3410-0 (e)

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 11/03/2015

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1   The Word

Chapter 2   The Angel Gabriel Appears to Zechariah

Chapter 3   The Magi Visit Mary and Joseph

Chapter 4   The Baptism of John

Chapter 5   Yahshua Cleanses the Temple at Passover

Chapter 6   Enroute to Galilee

Chapter 7   The Calling of Matthew, Feast with Tax Collecters

Chapter 8   Yahshua God’s Chosen Servant

Chapter 9   Yashua Talks About Heavenly Treasure

Chapter 10   Yahshua Heals an Army Officer’s Servant

Chapter 11   The Parable of a Tree and Its Fruit

Chapter 12   Yahshua Explains Why He Uses Parables

Chapter 13   Yahshua Tours Galilee

Chapter 14   The Traditions that Make God’s Word Void

Chapter 15   Transfiguration of Yashua

Chapter 16   Yahshua Goes to Jerusalem for Sukkot-(festival of booths)

Chapter 17   The Disciples Sent to Share the Good News

Chapter 18   Parable of the Great Feast

Chapter 19   The Pharisees Ask Yahshua about Divorce

Chapter 20   The Messiahs Lineage

Chapter 21   Judas Betrays Yahshua

Chapter 22   Yahshua Says Another Prophet Will Come

a.   Judas Goes To Caiaphas

b.   Judas Betrays Jesus

c.   The Angels Rescue Jesus

d.   Judas Mistaken For Jesus And Arrested

e.   Judas Trial And Conviction

f.   Jesus Returns To Earth

g.   Jesus Visits Mother And Disciples

h.   Jesus Denies He Is God Or The Son Of God

i.   Jesus Ascends To Heaven

Footnotes

Sources / End Notes

About the Author

NOTE: In the gospel itself, I have replaced the name LORD with the original Hebrew name YAHWEH. And I have replaced the name JESUS with his original Hebrew name YAHSHUA.

IN THE NAME OF GOD

MOST COMPASSIONATE

MOST MERCIFUL

INTRODUCTION

Peace Be Upon all of you who read this book. Similar to the author of the Gospel of Luke which is contained in The New Testament, I too have gathered together written sources about Jesus of Nazareth-(Known as the Christ or Messiah), and have carefully woven them into a New Gospel. And there is no gospel in existence like this one. This New Gospel about Jesus combines and harmonizes the four canonized gospels contained in the New Testament commonly referred to as The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And I have also combined and harmonized with these four gospels, parts of The Gospel of Barnabas, The Torah-(aka The Old Testament). I have also referenced The Complete Works of Flavious Josephus for historical corrections.

My Goal and Hope with this New Gospel is to shed new Light on the life of Jesus.

Welcome to The Light-The Life of Jesus Revisited

Peace

The Inspired Author

CHAPTER 1

THE WORD

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was divine.-*(1) The same was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through it,-*(2) and without it nothing came into being. In it was life-*(3) and that life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot over power it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came for a testimony, to testify-*(4) about the light, so that everyone through him would become a believer. He was not the light,-*(4) but he was sent to testify about the light, the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to life because of him,-*(5) however the world did not understand him. He came to his own people, but his own people did not learn from him.-*(6) But those of them that did learn from him-*(7) he gave them the strength-*(8) to become the servants of God, because they believed in his name.-*(9) They were not born from blood, nor from flesh, nor from the will of man, but from God. And the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.-*(10) John did testify about him, and cried out, This is he of whom I said, the one coming after me, ranks ahead of me, because he is superior to me. And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. The Torah-(law) came to us through Moses, but grace and truth came from Yahshua the Messiah. No man has ever seen God at any time. However, the one of a kind-*(11) holy one who now resides in the bosom of Yahweh, has explained Him to us. This is the story of Jesus the Messiah.

*1-Divine-the Greek word Theos, means God, and divine.

*2-it-God’s holy breath/spirit=word brought everything into existence.

*3-God’s holy word is life, and God’s word is the light of mankind.

*4-John came to testify about the light. God would make His word come to life in the creation of Yahshua the prophet. Yahshua is God’s word, and brought God’s word to mankind. The words which he received from God’ were light to men, and they gave them spiritual life.

*5-When he was in the world, he was misunderstood by his disciples, and especially the religious authorities. And many did not learn from him.

*6-Learn-from the Greek word Paralambano.

*7-Learn-from the Greek word Lambano "So this means that those who did receive and accept the teachings of Yahshua, would learn from him.

*8-Strength-from the Greek word Exousia.

*9-Yahshua-from the Hebrew word Yahshua and means Yahweh Saves, our savior Yahweh. Those who believe that he was a prophet sent from Yahweh to give them his word, would be saved.

*10-Every version has the spurious words,…and we saw his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the father. This was added by scribes.

*11-One of a kind-from the Greek word Monogenes.

CHAPTER 2

THE ANGEL GABRIEL APPEARS TO ZECHARIAH

In the days of Herod, the king of Judah, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the Levite priestly division of Abiyah; he had a wife named Elizabeth a Levite, a descendant of Aaron. They were both righteous in the eyes of God, they observed all of the commandments and the regulations of Yahweh without blame. But they had no children, due to Elizabeth being barren, and, they were well advanced in years. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty, and he was serving as the priest before God, according to the solemn practice of the priestly office, it was Zechariahs turn to burn the incense in the House of Yahweh, so he entered the sanctuary. The multitude of the people gathered and were praying at the hour of the burning of the incense. The angel of Yahweh appeared to him, standing at the right of the alter of incense. Zechariah was troubled at the sight, and was gripped by fear. But the angel of Yahweh said to him, Have no fear Zachariah, your prayer has been heard, your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John. And because of him you will have much joy and great gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; because he will be great in the sight of Yahweh. He is not to drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the holy spirit right from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to Yahweh, their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back toward the children, and those who are disobedient, back to the wisdom of those who are righteous, to make and prepare the people for Yahweh. Zechariah asked the angel, How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is also well advanced in years. The angel replied, I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you, and to deliver the joyful message to you. However, now you will be unable to speak, you will be speechless, until the day of what I told you takes place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time. Meanwhile, the people waited for Zechariah, and wondered why he was staying so long in the temple. When he came out, he was unable to speak to them.They knew that he had seen a vision in the temple sanctuary, because he kept making signs to them and he remained mute. When his service time was completed, he went back to his house. It was after this time that his wife became pregnant, and she remained in seclusion for five months, saying, Yahweh has taken my disgrace away before others, at a time when He has seen fit to.

THE ANGEL GABRIEL APPEARS TO MARY

In the sixth month God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee, to a virgin promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of the house of David. The name of the virgin was Mary. This virgin lived a holy life, and was blameless, and constantly prayed and fasted. The angel presented himself to her in her room, and said, Hail, highly favored one, Yahweh be with you O Mary. Mary was extremely frightened at the appearance of the angel, and deeply troubled at his words, and wondered what kind of greeting this was. The angel comforted her and said, Do not be afraid Mary, because you have found favor with God. Behold you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yahshua. God has chosen you to be the mother of a prophet. He will be great. And he will be sent to the people of Israel, so that they will walk in His laws with a true heart. He will be called the holy one of the Most High. Yahweh God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever; and his kingdom will be never ending. Mary replied, How can this be, for I am not having relations with a man? The angel replied, O Mary, God who made man without a man is able to produce in you a man, without a man, because with Him nothing is impossible. You will be anointed by the holy spirit, and you will be enveloped by the power of the Most High, and for this reason the child which is to be born, will be holy, and will be called the holy one of God. Behold! Your relative Elizabeth, she herself has also in her old age, conceived a son; and she is now in her sixth month, the so called barren one. Mary bowed herself with humility and said, Behold! I am the servant of Yahweh, and may what you have said, take place." The angel then departed, and Mary praised God, who had looked upon His servant with favor.

JOSEPH AND THE ANGEL OF YAHWEH

Now before they lived together and consummated their marriage, Joseph who lived a blameless life, for he was a man of righteousness, and feared God, and served Him with fastings and prayers, and made a living by the works of his hands, for he was a carpenter. When he discovered that Mary was pregnant, he did not want to expose and shame Mary in public. He decided that he would quietly divorce her, because he feared God. This was his intention. However, when Joseph had fallen asleep, the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, why are you thinking about divorcing your wife Mary? Do not be afraid to take her into your home, because by the will of God, Mary has conceived her child by the holy spirit. When she gives birth it will be a baby boy, and you are to name him Yahshua, because he is a prophet of God, and he will be sent to the people of Israel, so that he may change the heart of Judah to God, so that Israel will walk in the Torah-(law) of Yahweh, as it is written in the Torah-(law) of Moses. He will come with great authority, which God will give him, and he will perform great miracles, and he will save many of his people from their sins. When all of this took place, it fulfilled what Yahweh had said through the prophet Isaiyah Behold! The maiden-*(12) will be with child, and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, (which means Mighty one with us). When Joseph woke up, he gave thanks to God, and he did what the angel of Yahweh had commanded him, and he took Mary into his home. Joseph had no union with Mary until after her pregnancy ended. Mary arose in those days and quickly journeyed to the city of Judah, in the mountainous country. And she entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth who was filled with the holy spirit spoke out in a loud voice, and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. So how does this happen that the mother of my master should come to me? Behold! as the sound of your greetings came into my ears, the infant in my womb leaped with great joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by Yahweh, would be fulfilled.

*12-Maiden-from the Hebrew word, Almah. The Septuagint changed it to the word virgin.

THE SONG OF MARY

And Mary said, "My soul magnifies Yahweh, my spirit rejoices in God, my savior. Behold! from now on all generations will call me blessed. God has done great things for me, and holy is His name. His mercy is upon generation upon generation, to those who fear Him. With His arm He has shown mighty strength. Those who are arrogant in the intentions of their heart, He has scattered abroad. He has brought down powerful rulers from their thrones, but has exalted lowly ones. He has filled the hungry with good things, and those who had wealth, He has sent away empty. He has come to help His servant Israel, remembering His mercy, according to His promise to our forefathers, Abraham, and his seed forever. Mary stayed with Elizabeth approximately three months, then she returned to her own home again.

JOHN IS BORN

When the time came for Elizabeth to deliver her child, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that Yahweh had magnified His mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. When the eighth day came to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah, after his father, but his mother replied saying, No! he is to be called John. They said to her, There is no one among your relatives who has that name. So they made signs to his father, asking him what they wanted to call him. He asked for a tablet and wrote: His name is John, and they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed, then speaking he began praising Yahweh. Then the fear fell upon all their neighbors, and throughout the mountainous country of Judah, people were talking about all that had happened. Everyone who had heard about it, wondered in their heart, saying, What will this child be? Zechariah his father, being filled with the holy spirit, prophesied, saying, Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, because He has visited and brought redemption to His people. And He has raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of David, His servant, just as He spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets of ancient times, of a salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us, to show mercy to our forefathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath that He swore to our forefather Abraham, and to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, so that in holiness and righteousness, we can worship Him, without fear, all of our days. And you child will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before Yahweh to prepare His ways, to give his people the knowledge of salvation, by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender compassion of our God, by which the daybreak from on high will visit us, to give light to those who sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, to guide our feet to the peaceful path. The child grew, becoming strong in spirit and he lived in the desert until the day he showed himself publicly to Israel.

THE BIRTH OF YASHUA

Now in those days a decree went out from Caeser Augustus that a census should be taken of the entire inhabited earth. This was the first census that took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria. All the people journeyed to his own city to be enrolled. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, to Judah, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem. Because he was of the family and house of David, he went with Mary to register, who had been given to him in marriage as promised and she was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She then wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. This is the origin of Yahshua the Messiah.

THE ANGELS AND THE SHEPHERDS

Now there were shepherds in that region, dwelling in the fields, keeping watch over the flocks at night. The angel of Yahweh appeared to them, and they became terrified. And the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a prophet and savior has been born to you, who is the Messiah of Yahweh. He will bring great salvation to the house of Israel. And this is a sign for you, you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. Suddenly there was a multitude of heavenly host with the angel, praising Yahweh and saying, Glory to Yahweh in the highest, and on earth peace among men of goodwill. When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Lets go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which Yahweh by His angel has made known to us. So in haste, they went and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw him they made known the message that had been told to them, concerning the child. And all who heard it were amazed, at what the shepherds told them. Mary treasured and pondered these things in her heart. Then the shepherds went back (to the fields), glorifying and praising Yahweh for all that they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.

MARY AND JOSEPH OBEY THE TORAH-

(LAW) OF MOSES

On the eighth day they circumcised him and named him Yahshua, the name given to him by the angel Gabriel, before he was conceived in the womb. When the days of purification were up, according to the Torah-(law) of Moses, they took him to Jerusalem to present him to Yahweh. Every firstborn male that opens the womb is to be consecrated to Yahweh, and to offer a sacrifice:…She must bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a year old lamb for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin offering. And he must present it before Yahweh to make atonement for her, then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. If she cannot afford the lamb, she is to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering. In this will the priest make atonement for her, and then she will be clean.(Leviticus 12:6-8) There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout, and was waiting for Israel’s consolation, and the holy spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy spirit, that he would not see death before he had seen the Messiah of Yahweh. Moved by the holy spirit, he went into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Yahshua, to do for him according to the custom of the Torah-(law) of Moses, he took him into his arms and blessed-(praised) Yahweh saying, Yahweh, you may let your servant go in peace, according to Your word: for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all the peoples, a light to remove the veil from the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. The child’s father and