Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and prophesied Messiah who, at the appropriate time, was sent by his Father to be the satisfaction for the wrath of God toward us because of our sin, and to reveal to us the nature of God in his human person (1 John 4:10; 2 Corinthians 5:19).
Jesus' major goal is to reveal his Father to those who will repent and trust in him as their only way of salvation from their sin. Speaking to his disciples, Jesus says,
| “ | John 14:1-15 Believers will be in his Father's house Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. “And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Jesus himself is the only way people can access his Father and his Father's house Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you know Jesus, you know his Father “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. |
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By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, and became man in an event known as the Incarnation, as referred to in Isaiah 7:14. Indeed, the calendar itself reflects this truth, with the traditional calculation of Jesus’ birth marking the first century A.D., that is, "in the year of Our Lord…." The apostle John wrote in his gospel the following regarding Jesus Christ: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
| The Godhead |
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| God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit |
When he was about thirty, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, inaugurating his ministry. Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ or Messiah, prophesied in the Old Testament (Greek: Χριστός; Hebrew: 'משיחא'). Jesus proclaimed that “[t]he time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the Gospel.”[1] As signs of these truths, Jesus performed various miracles.
However, not all who heard the Lord believed in him, and, because he “was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God”, some sought to put him to death.[2] Jesus was handed over to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and crucified. But it was through his redemptive death, as the scriptures had foretold, that Jesus reconciled mankind with God.[3] And so, on the third day, in a truly historical event, Jesus physically rose from the dead, making possible salvation and eternal life for those who believe in him. Indeed, his very name, Yeshua (Hebrew 'יהושע') means "Salvation" and is the concatenated form of Yahoshua, ‘YHWH is salvation’. After appearing to his disciples on various occasions, Jesus ascended to Heaven, where he acts as our mediator, assuring, by his constant intercession, the permanent outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' Life
Infancy
The Gospels tell us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea to a young virgin named Mary, by the Holy Spirit. Luke's account of the gospel relates that the angel Gabriel visited Mary in order to announce that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God (Luke 1:26–38). A survey of the Roman Empire was ordered by Caesar Augustus, which caused Mary and Joseph to leave Nazareth and go to the home of Joseph's forebears - to the house of King David. After Jesus' birth, they were forced to use a manger for a crib because the town's inn was full. According to Luke 2:8–20, an angel spread word of Jesus' birth to several shepherds who came to visit the newborn. Matthew also tells of the "Magi" (Zoroastrian priests) who brought many gifts to the infant Jesus (among which were gold, frankincense, and myrrh)[4] after following a star which they believed was an indication that the Messiah, or King of the Jews, had been born.
Jesus' early home was the town of Nazareth in Galilee, and except for an escape to Egypt in early childhood to avoid Herod's massacre of the other male infants, all other events in the Gospels take place in ancient Israel.
At Twelve Years Old
The account of Jesus' parents finding him in the temple impressing the "teachers" with his knowledge of the scripture is the only detailed event between Jesus' infancy and adult life that is known.
| “ | Luke 2:41–51 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. |
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Ministry
Baptism
The gospel of Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, which appears to be the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus came to the River Jordan, where John was preaching and baptizing people in the crowd. After Jesus had been baptized, and had risen up out of the water, Mark states Jesus 'saw the heavens torn apart and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased' (Mark 1:10–11). Luke adds the chronological anchor that John the Baptist had begun preaching in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, approximately in 28 AD (Luke 3:1) and that Jesus was thirty years old when he was baptized (Luke 3:23).
Temptation
After this baptism, according to Matthew, Jesus was brought into the desert by God where he fasted for forty days nights. During this period, the Satan appeared before him and tried three times to tempted Jesus into demonstrating his supernatural powers as a proof of his divine status; each temptation was refused by Jesus, with a scriptural quote from the Book of Deuteronomy.
Jesus then began to preach. John describes three different passover feasts that Jesus attended, thus implying that his ministry lasted three years.
Disciples and Apostles
The larger part of this was directed towards his closest followers, the apostles, although all of his followers were considered disciples. At the highest point of his ministry, Jesus attracted disciples and audiences numbering in the thousands; in particular in the area of Galilee. Many of Jesus' most well-known teachings were given during the Sermon on the Mount, such as the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer. Jesus often used parables in his rhetorical technique, such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats; these teachings encouraged unconditional self-sacrificing love for God and for all people. During these sermons, he also discussed service and humility, forgiveness of sins, how faith should be applied, the Golden Rule, and the necessity of following the spirit of the law as well as its wording.
Social Outcasts
Jesus also often conversed with social outcasts, such as the publican (Roman tax collectors who were unpopular for their practice of extorting money).
Miracles
Throughout his ministry, Jesus performed many miracles including healing the sick and possessed, feeding 5000, and even raising from the dead.
His Preaching was Offensive to the Established Authority
As He preached, Jesus ran afoul of the Sanhedrin, the recognized Jewish religious authorities, who were allowed to have considerable religious, political and monetary influence under Roman rule. Jesus chastised them, accusing them of making laws for the people to follow that were the laws of men, not God. The Sanhedrin tried to set traps for Jesus by asking Him questions to either discredit Him with the people or get Him in trouble with the Roman authorities, but all of their efforts failed and they gave up. They lacked the means to stop Jesus until Judas Iscariot came to them and offered to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. He would tell them where Jesus would be that night so they could seize Him.
Last Days of Jesus' Life
Lord's Supper
Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus knew that His time was short and that He was about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. He had His last supper with his disciples and went with them to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed vehemently knowing what was about to come.
Tried before Jewish Authorities
Jesus was betrayed by Judas into the hands of the Jewish religious authorities who took Him away and secretly put Him on trial during the night, trying to find justification for their desire to have Him killed. Finally, they convicted Him of blasphemy.
Tried before Roman Authorities
As they did not have the authority to put a man to death, they took him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Palestine, with their charges and demanded his execution. Pilate avoided the issue by sending him to King Herod since Jesus was a Galilean, but Herod sent him back to Pilate. Pilate at first tried to release Jesus with a flogging, and then gave the crowd a choice to either spare Jesus or a criminal called Barabbas as part of the passover tradition. The crowd chose to free Barabbas and Pilate washed his hands to signify that he bore no responsibility for Jesus' death before ultimately condemning Him to crucifixion.[5]
Scourging
Death on a Cross
Jesus died after suffering and giving up his spirit.
Resurrection
- See main article: Resurrection of Jesus Christ
On the third day after his death, Jesus rose bodily from the dead.
In recent history, Dr. Gary Habermas is considered the foremost Christian apologist for defending the resurrection of Jesus. Other notable defenders of the resurrection include: William Lane Craig, Ben Witherington, Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, Edwin M. Yamauchi, N.T. Wright, and Michael Horner.[6] In addition, much has been written defending the resurrection of Christ in the field of Christian legal apologetics.
Ascension into Heaven
Historical Analysis
Dating Jesus' Birth
Modern historians generally place the actual date of Jesus' birth between 7 and 4 B.C., due to problems reconciling the Roman and Jewish calendars with the Gregorian Calendar which is in use today throughout the industrialized world.
Historicity of Jesus
Occasionally, non-historians deny the historicity of Jesus (Having to do with the question of whether Jesus was in fact a real person who had a real life on earth), but few scholars take this seriously. Tacitus, a Roman historian, wrote about Jesus in A.D. 115,[7] and Josephus, a Jewish historian who did not believe in Jesus' divinity, wrote about him.[8] Dr. Gary Habermas wrote an extensive analysis of the historicity of Jesus in his work The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ, which discusses many historical sources that mention Jesus.
Lee Strobel's book The Case for Christ contains a number of interviews with experts on the historical Jesus and a defense of Jesus's resurrection, and is a good resource on this subject.
Jesus' Name
Jesus
The bible doesn't tell us much about the meaning of the name Jesus, but does tell us who gave the name, when the name was given, and a reason the name was given. Luke 2:21 tells us that his name was given (1) "by the angel," (2) and it was given "before He was conceived in the womb." The reason for naming him Jesus seems to be given in Matthew 1:21, which says, "...you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
Hebrew Origin
The Greeks derived the name from the late Hebrew or Aramaic name Yoshua, today’s version of which is “Joshua”. The earlier Aramaic form was Jehoshua (Y’hoshua) or Joshua., deriving from Hebrew Yah, short for Yahweh, and Aramaic y’shuoh meaning “salvation”. The name thus meant “Jah is salvation”. Both Joshua and Jehoshua were common names in the time of Jesus.
Christ
Teachings of Jesus
The Teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ are found in the four Gospels and other holy documents.
Sermon on the Mount This is the greatest sermon Jesus ever preached. It contains the Lord's prayer, the beatitudes, the golden rule, and practical advice for Christian living.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory forever.
Amen.
The golden rule:
"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you!"
Prayer To Receive Him Now
"Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Thank you for coming to Earth and dying so that I could have eternal life. Please forgive all my sins. I am going to follow You with my life now. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and direct my steps. In Jesus' name, Amen." [9]
See also
References
- ↑ Mark 1:14-15.
- ↑ John 5:18.
- ↑ Romans 5:10.
- ↑ Note: This has led to the incorrect assumption that there were only three Magi, whereas the actual number is not given.
- ↑ Matthew 27: 15-44
- ↑
- http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/menus/historical.html
- http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html
- http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/yama.html
- http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Early_Traditions.htm
- http://www.michaelhorner.com/articles/resurrection/index.html
- ↑ http://www.digisys.net/users/ddalton/evidence_of_jesus_outside_the_bible.htm
- ↑ http://www.christian-thinktank.com/jesusref.html
- ↑ Prayer To Receive Him Now
External links
- Summary of the Life of Jesus
- Teachings of Jesus
- Sermons of Jesus Christ
- Who is Jesus? Is Jesus Christ God?
- Jesus Background Bible History on line.
- C. S. Lewis Society of California.
- The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus, by William Lane Craig.
- Christian Origins and the Resurrection of Jesus: The Resurrection of Jesus as a Historical Problem, by N. T. Wright.
- Contemporary Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, by William Lane Craig.
- Doing Justice to Jesus: A Response to J.D. Crossan: "What Victory? What God?", by N. T. Wright.
- The Historical Jesus and Christian Theology, by N. T. Wright.
- The Wright Quest for the Historical Jesus, by Ben Witherington, III.