Jesus Christ was born
in 2-6 BCE in Bethlehem, Judea. Little is known about his early life, but as a
young man, he founded Christianity, one of the world’s most influential
religions. His life is recorded in the New Testament, more a theological
document than a biography. According to Christians, Jesus is considered the
incarnation of God and his teachings an example for living a more spiritual
life. Christians believe he died for the sins of all people and rose from the
dead.
Most of Jesus’ life is told through the four
Gospels of the New Testament Bible, known as the Canonical gospels, written by
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These are not biographies in the modern sense but
accounts with allegorical intent. They are written to engender faith in Jesus
as the Messiah and the incarnation of God, who came to teach, suffer and die
for people’s sins.
Jesus was born between 2 and 6 BCE, in
Bethlehem, Judea. His mother, Mary, was a virgin who was betrothed to Joseph, a
carpenter. Christians believe Jesus was born through Immaculate Conception. His
lineage can be traced back to the house of David. According to the Gospel of
Matthew (2:1), Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great, who upon
hearing of his birth felt threatened and tried to kill Jesus by ordering all of
Bethlehem’s male children under age two to be killed. But Joseph was warned by
an angel and took Mary and the child to Egypt until Herod’s death, where upon
he brought the family back and settled in the town of Nazareth, in Galilee.
There is very little written about Jesus’
early life. The Gospel of Luke (2:41-52) recounts that a 12-year-old Jesus had
accompanied his parents on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and became separated. He
was found several days later in a temple, discussing affairs with some of
Jerusalem’s elders. Throughout the New Testament, there are trace references of
Jesus working as a carpenter while a young adult. It is believed that he began
his ministry at age 30 when he was baptized by John the Baptist, who upon
seeing Jesus, declared him the Son of God.
After baptism, Jesus went into the Judean
desert to fast and meditate for 40 days and nights. The Temptation of Christ is
chronicled in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (known as the Synoptic
Gospels). The Devil appeared and tempted Jesus three times, once to turn stone
to bread, once to cast himself off a mountain where angels would save him, and
once to offer him all the kingdoms of the world. All three times, Jesus
rejected the Devil’s temptation and sent him off.
Jesus returned to
Galilee and made trips to neighboring villages. During this time several people
became his disciples. One of these was Mary Magdalene, who is first mentioned the Gospel of Luke (16:9) and later in
all four gospels at the crucifixion. Though not mentioned in the context of the
“12 disciples,” she is considered to have been involved in Jesus’ ministry from
the beginning to his death and after. According to the gospels of Mark and
John, Jesus appeared to Magdalene first after his resurrection.
According to the Gospel of John (2:1-11), as
Jesus was beginning his ministry, he and his disciples traveled with his
mother, Mary, to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The wedding host had run out of
wine and Jesus’ mother came to him for help. At first, Jesus refused to
intervene, but then he relented and asked a servant to bring him large jars
filled with water. He turned the water into a wine of higher quality than any
served during the wedding. John’s gospel depicts the event as the first sign of
Jesus’ glory and his disciples’ belief in him.
After the wedding, Jesus, his mother Mary and
his disciples traveled to Jerusalem for Passover. At the temple, they saw
moneychangers and merchants selling wares. In a rare display of anger, Jesus
overturned the tables and, with a whip made of cords, drove them out, declaring
that his Father’s house is not a house for merchants.
The Synoptic Gospels chronicle Jesus as he
traveled through Judea and Galilee, using parables and miracles to explain how
the prophecies were being fulfilled and that the kingdom of God was near. As
word spread of Jesus’ teaching and healing the sick and diseased, more people
began to follow him. At one point, Jesus came to a level area and was joined by
a great number of people. There, at the Sermon on the Mount, he presented
several discourses, known as the Beatitudes, which encapsulate many of the
spiritual teachings of love, humility and compassion.
As Jesus continued preaching about the kingdom
of God, the crowds grew larger and began to proclaim him as the son of David
and as the Messiah. The Pharisees heard of this and publicly challenged Jesus,
accusing him of having the power of Satan. He defended his actions with a
parable, then questioned their logic and told them such thinking denied the
power of God, which only further hardened their resolve to work against him.
Near the city of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus
talked with his disciples. According to the gospels of Matthew (16:13), Mark
(8:27) and Luke (9:18), he asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The question
confused them, and only Peter responded, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God.” Jesus blessed Peter, accepting the titles of “Christ” and
the “Son of God,” and declared the proclamation was a divine revelation from
God. Jesus then proclaimed Peter to be the leader of the church. Jesus then
warned his disciples of the Pharisees’ conspiracy against him and of his fate
to suffer and be killed, only to rise from the dead on the third day.
Less than a week later, Jesus took three of his disciples to a
high mountain where they could pray alone. According to the Synoptic Gospels,
Jesus’ face began shining like the sun and his entire body glowed with a white
light. Then, the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared, and Jesus talked to
them. A bright cloud emerged around them, and a voice said, “This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased;
listen to him.” This event, known as the
Transfiguration, is a pivotal moment in Christian theology. It supports the
identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the week before the
holiday of Passover, riding on a donkey. Great numbers of people took palm
branches and greeted him at the city’s entry. They praised him as the Son of
David and as the Son of God. The priests and Pharisees, fearful of the growing
public adulation, felt he must be stopped.
All four Gospels describe Jesus’ final week in
Jerusalem. During this time, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted
moneychangers and merchants in the temple, and debated with the high priests
who questioned Jesus’ authority. He told his disciples about the coming days
and that Jerusalem’s temple would be destroyed. Meanwhile, the chief priests
and elders met with high priest Caiaphas, and set plans in motion to arrest
Jesus. One of the disciples, Judas, met with the chief priests and told them
how he would deliver Jesus to them. They agreed to pay him 30 pieces of silver.
Jesus and his 12 disciples met for the
Passover meal, and he gave them his final words of faith. He also foretold of
his betrayal by one of the disciples and privately let Judas know it was he.
Jesus told Peter that before a rooster crowed the next morning, three times he
will have denied he knows Jesus. At the end of the meal, Jesus instituted the
Eucharist, which in the Christian religion, signifies the covenant between God
and humans.
After the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples
went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asked God if this cup (his
suffering and death) might pass by him. He implored a group of his disciples to
pray with him, but they kept falling asleep. Then the time had come. Soldiers
and officials appeared, and Judas was with them. He gave Jesus a kiss on the
cheek to identify him and the soldiers arrested Jesus. One disciple tried to
resist the arrest, brandished his sword and cut the ear off one of the
soldiers. But Jesus admonished him and healed the soldier’s wound.
After his arrest, many of the disciples went
into hiding. Jesus was taken to the high priest and interrogated. He was hit
and spat upon for not responding. Meanwhile, Peter had followed Jesus to the
high priests’ court. As he hid in the shadows, three house servants asked if he
was one of Jesus’ disciples and each time he denied it. After each denial, a
rooster crowed. Then Jesus was led out of the house and looked directly at
Peter. Peter remembered how Jesus had told him he would deny him and he wept
bitterly. Judas, who was watching from a distance, became distraught by his
betrayal of Jesus and attempted to return the 30 pieces of silver. The priests
told him his guilt was his own. He threw the coins into the temple and later
hanged himself.
The
next day, Jesus was taken to the high court where he was mocked, beaten and
condemned for claiming to be the Son of God. He was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of
Judea. The priests accused Jesus of claiming to be the King of the Jews and
asked that he be condemned to death. At first Pilate tried to pass Jesus off to
King Herod, but he was brought back, and Pilate told the Jewish priests he
could find no fault with Jesus. The priests reminded him that anyone who
claimed to be a king speaks against Caesar. Pilate publicly washed his hands of
responsibility, yet ordered the crucifixion in response to the demands of the
crowd. The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus, placed a crown of thorns on
his head and then led him off to Mount Calvary.
Jesus was crucified with two thieves, one at
his left and the other at his right. Above his head was the charge against him,
“King of the Jews.” At his feet were his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene. The
Gospels describe various events that occurred during the last three hours of
his life, including the taunting by the soldiers and the crowd, Jesus’ agony
and outbursts, and his final words. While he was on the cross, the sky
darkened, and immediately upon his death an earthquake erupted, tearing the
temple’s curtain from top to bottom. A soldier confirmed his death by sticking
a spear into his side, which produced only water. He was taken down from the
cross and buried in a nearby tomb.
Three days after his death, Jesus’ tomb was
found empty. He had risen from the dead and appeared first to Mary Magdalene
and then to his mother Mary. They both informed the disciples, who were in
hiding, and later, Jesus appeared to them and told them not to be afraid.
During this brief time, he beseeched his disciples to go into the world and
preach the gospel to all humanity. After 40 days, Jesus led his disciples to
Mount Olivet, east of Jerusalem. Jesus spoke his final words to them, saying
they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus was taken upward on
a cloud and ascended into heaven.
© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment