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Jesus, also called as
Christ which means king or Messiah, was born in Israel 2000 years ago.
God sent an angel to Israel, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to
Joseph, a carpenter. The angel told Mary that by God's power, she would
conceive and bear a son. When Joseph learned that she was pregnant, an
angel instructed him to marry her. Joseph took her to Bethlehem to
register for a census. While there, Mary gave birth to Jesus. She laid
him in a manger because there was no room at the inn. Shepherds visited
Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus had brothers and sisters. Although his sisters
are un-named, his brothers were: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. Modern
civilization marks his birth by dividing time B.C. (before Christ) and
A.D. (Anno Domini - or the year of our Lord). For his first thirty
years, Jesus lived a traditional Jewish life, working as a carpenter.
During this time, all of Israel was under Caesar's Roman dictatorship,
including Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and Nazareth, where he was
raised. In his thirties, Jesus began his public teaching and display of
recorded miracles, yet still never travelled more than 200 miles from
his birthplace. Over a three year period, despite his efforts to keep a
low profile, Jesus' reputation spread nation wide. The Roman governors
and rulers of Israel's provinces and the leaders of the Jewish people
(the religious counsels) took note of him. Jesus' key messages included:
He was indeed born of a
virgin in the city of Bethlehem exactly as prophecied many years before.
Jesus was conceived in Mary, not by man, but by the Holy Spirit of God.
The earthly life of Jesus is the only one that begins with a spiritual
conception, with no man present. This conception was foretold by the
angel Gabriel in Luke 1:26-35. His birth was the only one to ever open a
womb, since He was born of a young Jewish virgin. Because of a
government census His mother, Mary, and His stepfather, Joseph, had to
travel to Bethlehem. This is where Jesus was born in a lowly stable. His
birth was announced by angels to shepherds, and by a special star to
wise men in a far country. At eight days of age, he was dedicated in the
Temple according to Jewish custom
As the apostle John reveals,
Jesus existed before the Creation of the world (John 1). He is part of
the Holy Trinity we know as God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The Son
of God came in human form for a purpose -- to die as a willing sacrifice
in payment for the sins of mankind. He did this to provide eternal
salvation as a free gift to all who will accept it and follow Him.
At an early age, Jesus and his family fled
to Egypt because an angel warned Joseph in a dream of the impending
danger that Herod is sending soldiers to kill Jesus. When they returned
from Egypt, they settled in Galilee, in the town of Nazareth. At the age
of twelve, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph to celebrate
the Feast of the Passover. When His parents could not find Him in their
group of relatives and friends on the return trip, they returned to
Jerusalem and "After three days they found Him in the temple courts,
sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers.
When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him,
'Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been
anxiously searching for you.' 'Why were you searching for me?' he asked.
'Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?' "(Luke 2:46-49).
After that, He returned to Nazareth with them, was obedient, and
continued to grow "in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and
men."
Jesus delivered his most
famous sermon on a mountain. In it, Jesus taught his listeners to:
Jesus did many miracles to
show others that he was God's son. God gave Jesus power over nature,
power over disease, and even power over death!
Jesus and his disciples were
crossing the Sea of Galilee in a small boat one evening. While Jesus was
sleeping, a fierce storm came, and began to sink the boat. The disciples
woke him. Jesus arose and rebuked the storm saying, "Peace be still." It
became calm, and Jesus said to them "Where is your faith?"
One day a crowd was following
Jesus on a road near Jericho. Hearing the crowd, a blind beggar asked
what was happening. They told him Jesus was passing by. The blind man
cried out “Jesus, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped, and asked what he
wanted. “Lord, I want to regain my sight,” he replied. Jesus said,
"Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." Immediately the man
could see, and the crowd began glorifying God.
Jesus had a friend named
Lazarus, who lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. When
Jesus learned that Lazarus died, he came to Bethany. Now Lazarus had
been dead for 4 days, and a boulder covered the cave where his body was.
Jesus asked them to remove the stone. He then shouted "Lazarus, come
forth!" And Lazarus came out, restored to life! After seeing this, many
witnesses believed that Jesus was the son of God.
Jewish leaders wanted to kill
Jesus. They accused him of blasphemy, and had Jesus arrested. A Roman
governor named Pilate tried Jesus. He wanted to release Jesus. But when
the Jews threatened to riot, Pilate condemned Jesus to death on a cross.
Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion. He was beaten by Roman
soldiers, scourged, stripped, and nailed to a cross. Jesus was brutally
tortured and then hung by his hands, which were nailed to a horizontal
wooden beam. This method of execution restricted the airflow to his
lungs, killing him in three hours. His body was placed in the new tomb
of a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus had promised the
disciples he would come back after he died. His enemies knew this. So,
to prevent anyone from stealing the body, they had soldiers guard the
tomb of Jesus. On the third day after Jesus died, according to more than
500 witnesses, Jesus returned from the dead three days later, and over
the next 40 days journeyed in both the southern and northern provinces
of Israel. To many, this was conclusive proof that Jesus' claims to be
God were real. Then Jesus returned to Jerusalem, the city where he was
recently executed, and according to witnesses, he left the earth alive
by rising up into the sky. an angel descended, and the soldiers fled.
The disciples came and found an empty tomb. Jesus had risen from the
dead! He later appeared to many believers, commanding them to teach and
baptize others.
As a result of these
miraculous events, the number of his followers increased dramatically.
Only a few months later in that same city of Jerusalem one record states
that some 3000 new followers were added in a single day. The religious
leaders responded by trying to stomp out Jesus' followers. Many of these
people chose to die rather than deny their belief that Jesus was truly
God.
Within 100 years, people
throughout the Roman empire (Asia Minor, Europe) became followers of
Jesus. In 325 AD, the following of Jesus, Christianity, became the
official religion of the Roman Emperor Constantine. Within 500 years,
even Greece's temples of Greek gods were transformed into churches for
followers of Jesus. Although some of Jesus' messages and teachings were
diluted or miscommunicated through the expansion of a religious
institution, Jesus' original words and life still speak loudly for
themselves.
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