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JESUS 4U Who was Jesus Christ? What is His relevance for today ? The primary sources for the details of Jesus' life, public ministry, death and ressurection are found in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which were written approximately between 60 and 90 A.D. However, mention is made of Jesus' in other writings outside of the gospels. Both the Roman Historian Tacitus (c.55-120), and the Jewish writer Josephus (c.37-100), mention Jesus' death by crucifixion. Jesus Christ was born around 4 B.C. in the town of Bethlehem, a town that was also the Birthplace of David, one of Israel's greatest kings. His first name is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua or Yeshua, which means 'The Lord is Salvation'. The title 'Christ' comes from the Greek Christos : 'Anointed one'. In Hebrew, the term 'Messiah (Hammashiach)' is used. In both the gospels of Matthew and Luke we find details of Jesus' family tree. An extensive list is provided, indicating Jesus was of the house of David and thus fulfilling the messianic prophecies of Psalm 132:11 and Jeremiah 23:5. The gospels stress the miraculous nature of Jesus' birth as the son of Mary, a virgin. Again, this fulfilled a messianic prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for
thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He
shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he
shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end." Jesus' birth as one who would be 'King of the Jews' represented a serious challenge to the Jewish king Herod the Great (c.73 - 4 BC). Herod therefore initiated a massacre of all children under the age of two, in order to remove any threat. Matthew's gospel tells us that Joseph, Jesus' father, had been warned by an angel and so Mary, the Baby Jesus and himself (often referred to collectively as the Holy Family) all fled into Egypt (Matthew 2:14). Following Herod's death, Jesus and his family returned to Israel, eventually settling in a city called Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). From this time onward until Jesus was about 30, the gospels give no further information as to Jesus' life, apart from Luke 2:42-52, where Jesus is found in the temple at Jerusalem, discussing and debating with the Jewish religious teachers. 
The start of Jesus' public ministryAll the gospels refer to Jesus' Baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, an event marking the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came
from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And
straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and
the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from
heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Jesus' baptism was followed by a period of forty days of fasting and prayer, spent in a wilderness area successfully resisting the temptations of the devil Greek: diabolos (Luke 4:3-12). His ministry began in earnest in the region of Galilee (what is now the northern part of Israel). Matthew, Mark and Luke all give details of the calling of a select group of twelve men (known as Disciples, a word meaning 'pupil' or 'learner'). This group would later be sent out by Jesus as Apostles (Greek: 'One who is sent') in what Christians call the 'Great Commission': "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." A turning point in the ministry came in Matthew 16:16, where one of Jesus' disciples (Peter:Aramaic Kepha, Greek Petros ) states his belief that Jesus is Christ, Son of the Living God: "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus teaching and miraclesIn John 2, we read of the first of Jesus' miracles: the turning of water in wine at a wedding in Cana. Several other miracles are mentioned in the gospels including the feeding of the 5,000 (found in all four gospels) and the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). In Matthew 9:2 we read of the healing of a paralyzed man. Here the gospel writers indicate Jesus' claim to be more than a worker of miracles: he claims forgiveness of sin for the man, something which immediately aroused suspicion as Jewish law mandated that only God could forgive sins. Jesus' teaching was distinctive: he preached forgiveness (Luke 6:28), mutual love (John 13:34) and claimed that belief in him would give eternal life (John 6:40). Jesus final weekJesus' final week began with his entry into Jerusalem for the Passover, one of the most important dates in the Jewish calendar. In John 12:13 we read that Jesus was received by a crowd waving palms and acclaiming him 'King of Israel'. In Mark 11, we read of Jesus' overturning the tables of moneychangers in the temple. On seeing this, Jesus authority was challenged by the Jewish authorities, who sought to have him arrested. Later in Luke 22:2-3 we read of a conspiracy between the chief priests, scribes and Judas, one of Jesus' disciples. On Thursday, Jesus ate his last meal with the twelve. In what is known as the 'Last Supper', Jesus clearly talks about his imminent betrayal and death. In what is one of the most significant passages in the Bible, Jesus talks of the Bread and the Wine of the meal as being his body and blood. Christians everywhere remember this in the Eucharist (Greek: 'Thanksgiving'), also known as 'Holy Communion' or the 'Lord's Supper'. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take,
eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it
to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say
unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until
that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Following the last supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. The gospel writers graphically portray the intense anguish Jesus felt as he prepared for his coming suffering and death. Luke 22:44 refers to Jesus literally sweating blood (a condition known medically as hematohidrosis), as a result of his situation. Jesus is then arrested and put on trial before the supreme Jewish council or Sanhedrin. In Mark 14:62, Jesus affirms his messiahship, leading to his condemnation by the Sanhedrin on a charge of blasphemy. The Jewish council wished to have Jesus condemned to death, but being unable to carry out the death sentence themselves, they handed Jesus over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. The gospels portray Pilate as hesitant to find Jesus' guilty, so in an act aimed to satisfy those hungry for the death sentence, Jesus is first flogged. Flogging was a common punishment enforced by the Roman authorities, usually as a prelude to crucifixion. Usually the victim would be tied to a post and soldiers took it in turns to beat the victim with a flagellum or whip, made with pieces of bone or metal at the ends. Such a whip would easily lacerate the skin and some of the victims did not survive such a heavy beating. Following Jesus' flogging, Pilate brought Jesus back and presented him again to the crowd. The Roman custom was to release one prisoner at passover and Pilate offered the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, who had been arrested on a charge of leading a revolt. Again Pilate is portrayed as hesitant, but to avoid a riot, he condemns Jesus to death, after stressing he was innocent in the matter (Matthew 27:24). The Crucifixion Crucifixation was employed by the Roman authorities as a severe form of punishment and a deterrent. Only common criminals and non-Roman citizens were crucified. The victim would be forced to carry their own cross (either the whole cross itself or the top beam) to the site of the crucifixion. In Jesus' case, all four gospels mention this to be Golgotha (Aramaic: 'skull'), which was a hill outside of Jerusalem. The victim would then be either tied or nailed to the cross, which would then be placed upright. Left in this position, they would have difficulty breathing and death, when it came, might take several days. To hasten death, Roman soldiers would sometimes break the legs of a crucified person. In Jesus' case, this was not necessary as he died quickly. "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a
darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was
darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when
Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Now when
the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly
this was a righteous man." The Resurrection All of the gospel writers refer to Jesus' body being placed in a tomb. The tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, an influential member of the Sanhedrin. On Sunday, Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9) and later on, to his disciples, clearly showing them the marks on his body (John 20:20). The fact that Jesus rose from the dead is pivotal to Christianity. The apostle Paul, who himself claimed to have met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4-5), indicated this in his letter to the Corinthian church: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we
are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead,
and become the firstfruits of them that slept." Why should I believe in him ?Here are some reasons why, nearly 2,000 years after His death, Jesus Christ still remains an important figure in our world.
Special thanks to Iain Emberson of Christianity In View. What do you think? blog comments powered by Disqus
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