We will pick up the story using the gospel account of Luke as our starting point. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four different accounts of the life of Jesus in the New Testament. In Luke we see angels come and announce to multiple people that a very special child was about to arrive on the scene. John the Baptist’s father is filled with the Spirit of God and begins prophesying about how this child would fulfill the prophesies of Moses and the Prophets.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

This child is called the “horn of salvation,” and was to come from the house of David.” He would “show the mercy promised to our fathers and remember His holy covenant.” Jesus would fulfill all of the promises given to Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets. He would be the Messiah, the holy one of God. It was said of John the Baptist…

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

(Luke 1:68-79 ESV)

This was to be a major event where God would acknowledge the weakness of humanity and their inability to keep to the letter of the law. He would not abolish the law as the law was given a very important purpose. Its purpose was to lead people to see their need of a Savior. The book of Galatians put it like this

But the Scriptures [picture all mankind as sinners] shut up and imprisoned by sin, so that [the inheritance, blessing] which was promised through faith in Jesus Christ (the Messiah) might be given (released, delivered, and committed) to [all] those who believe [who adhere to and trust in and rely on Him]. Now before the faith came, we were perpetually guarded under the Law, kept in custody in preparation for the faith that was destined to be revealed (unveiled, disclosed), So that the Law served [to us Jews] as our trainer [our guardian, our guide to Christ, to lead us] until Christ [came], that we might be justified (declared righteous, put in right standing with God) by and through faith.

(Galatians 3:22-24 AMPC)

Jesus was God’s vehicle for reconciling the fact that humanity could not keep His laws.