The Life of Jesus

Jesus Christ Biography

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God had allowed himself to be born as a man so that he could live and suffer among us, to serve as the perfect atonement for our sin, and to offer forgiveness and salvation to anyone who believes.

His birth, mission, death and resurrection were foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament of the Bible and revealed to us by the writers of the New Testament. Jesus lived among his fellow Jews during a time when the boundaries of the Roman Empire included the land of Israel. He preached and performed miracles for three-and-a-half years until he was crucified by the Romans.

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He died on a wooden cross and was buried in a tomb. But his life did not end in death. Jesus Christ was resurrected. And because he was perfect, he is able to open the doors to the Kingdom of God. And because he was sinless, he is able to forgive us our sins so that we too can be accepted into the Kingdom of God.

Jesus explains this in a passage of the Bible called John 3: Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph but not yet married. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that she would have a son who would be named Jesus and who would be called the Son of God. Here is the NIV translation of Luke 1: In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.

The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Shortly before Jesus was born, the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus decided that a census be taken throughout the Roman Empire, including the land of Israel. People were required to return to their ancestral homes for registration. For Joseph and Mary, that meant leaving Nazareth, which is a town in the northern district of Galilee, and traveling to Bethlehem, which is in the southern region called Judah or Judea.

After they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary was ready to give birth to Jesus. So Joseph and Mary went to a manger because they could not find other lodging. It was a manger, where animals are kept, that served as the humble place of birth for Jesus. Bethlehem is an important city for Messianic prophecy. King David, who ruled over Israel about 1, years before the time of Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. And the prophet Micah, who lived about years before Jesus, announced that Bethlehem would be the birthplace for the Messiah:. When Jesus was born, a star appeared over Bethlehem.

Scholars today speculate whether the star was a meteor, a supernatural phenomenon, an alignment of celestial bodies, or a literal star. It is interesting to note that ancient Chinese astronomy records indicate that there was a star-like object hovering somewhere over the Middle East for several days in the year 5 BC, about years ago. The Star of Bethlehem attracted visitors from the East. These visitors believed that the star marked the birth of a new king. Perhaps the visitors were familiar with the Bible's prophecies and understood that a Messiah King would be born in Israel and that he would have an impact on the entire world.

But, Israel already had a ruler, King Herod the Great. He was not a true king but had been appointed by the Romans to govern the Jews in the land of Israel. Herod was described by Josephus, a Jewish historian who ived during the first century, as a murderous man who ordered the deaths of many of his own family members. When Herod found out that the visitors were hoping to find and worship the newborn king, Herod ordered the deaths of every infant in Bethlehem, in the hopes of killing the king that the visitors spoke of.

In ancient times the people of Israel sometimes sought refuge in Egypt, including Jacob and his sons, who left the land of Israel during a time of famine. The Gospel of Matthew shows that many events in Jewish history are similar to events in the life of Jesus, reinforcing his role as the Messiah. Joseph was afraid to return to Bethlehem because the town is near Jerusalem, where Herod Archelaus, the son of Herod, now reigned as king. So Joseph took his family to the northern district of Galilee, to a small town called Nazareth. This obscure town became the hometown of Jesus, where he grew up and became an adult.

When Jesus was 12 years of age, he and his mother Mary and stepfather Joseph traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual Feast of the Passover. When the feast had ended, Mary and Joseph became separated from Jesus and they searched for him. Jesus had gone to the Lord's Temple and conversed with the people there. The people were amazed by his depth of understanding and by his knowledge. When Mary found Jesus at the Temple, Jesus said to her: The Gospel of John describes three annual passover feasts during the course of Jesus' ministry and this is one reason for the commonly held belief that his ministry lasted for about three years.

Luke tells us that Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his ministry.

Jesus Christ

This page explains a few details of his first year of ministry, which begins with his forerunner, John the Baptist. In the book of Malachi, there is a prophecy about a forerunner who would prepare the way for the Lord: Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.

This prophecy was fulfilled about years later by John the Baptist, who prepared the way for the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was about to begin his ministry, John the Baptist proclaimed to others: Jesus was about 30 years old. He had left the district of Galilee, which included the town of Nazareth, where he grew up, and had traveled to the wilderness of the Jordan River to be baptized. There, John the Baptist drew crowds as he preached and baptized.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.

The Life of Christ Was Predicted Long before His Birth

At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. After he was baptized, Jesus went into the desert and fasted ate no food for 40 days.

Satan used this time to tempt Jesus. During the temptations, Satan uses the supernatural to find Jesus in the desert, then to transport Jesus to the top of the Temple in Jerusalem, and then to take Jesus to a high mountain. With each successive temptation, the loftiness of what Satan offers increases, as does the height from which he makes the offer. Each time, Jesus resists the temptation and quotes scripture to rebuke Satan. In one instance, Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy, chapter 8. It is important to note that Deuteronomy 8: This is another example of the book of Matthew pointing out similarities between the life of Jesus and the history of Israel.

Jesus and some of his disciples went to Cana, a town in the district of Galilee, to attend a wedding party. His mother, Mary, also attended. The host of the wedding party did not have enough wine for everyone and this was considered a very embarrassing situation. Mary intervened on behalf of the wedding host and told Jesus about the problem. Jesus then miraculously changed six barrels of water into wine for the wedding party.

Of all the miracles that Jesus performed, this one might seem minor. But it did accomplish important things. It shows that Jesus has concern for people's problems, even if they are not major problems. And it showed Jesus' disciples that he was able to perform miracles. Throughout the four Gospels the Bible's books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John there are descriptions of 34 miracles performed by Jesus. But all told there may have been thousands, as sometimes when surrounded by a large group of people, the Bible states "He healed them all. Everything from raising the dead, controlling nature, healing the sick, casting out demons, and providing enough food from a few baskets of bread and fish to feed thousands.

Click here for summaries of the 34 miracles. Jesus went to holy city of Jerusalem, the most important city in the Jewish homeland, and visited the Lord's Temple. When he arrived he saw that many people were selling animals and exchanging money in the Temple courts. This angered Jesus because the Temple was intended to be a place to worship God, not a place for commerce. Jesus made a whip out of some strands of rope and chased the merchants out of the holy Temple. Jesus said to them:. Jesus explains to Nicodemus what a person must do to have salvation and eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

There he met a Samaritan woman and spoke to her about the "water of life. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. In this discussion with Samaritan woman, Jesus showed that the word of God was meant to be shared with all people, even enemies the Samaritans and the Jews were hostile towards one another. And, he showed that it was to be shared with men and women, Jews and Gentiles.

Gentile refers to people to who are not Jewish. During the early part of Jesus' ministry, he went to the district of Galilee, where Jews and many Gentiles non-Jews lived.

Jesus preached and performed many miracles there. He became a beacon for many as he shed light on the word of God. This was foretold by the prophet Isaiah about years beforehand:. When Jesus again visited the town of Cana in the district of Galilee, a royal official begged Jesus to heal his son who was very ill.

Jesus then sent the royal official on his way, telling him that his son would recover. The official later learned that his son was healed and he and his family became believers. Jesus went to a synagogue a Jewish place of worship in Nazareth and read from the scroll of Isaiah to the people gathered there:.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, - Isaiah Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Shortly after Jesus announced that he was the Messiah, the people at the synagogue in Nazareth rejected him as the Messiah:.

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. The second year of Jesus' ministry is sometimes referred to as the "Year of Popularity. This is one of the most important Bible passages.

Here, Jesus explains that God is his father. Jesus also explains that all who believe the words of Jesus will have eternal life: He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. A group of disciples gathered around Jesus as he traveled throughout the countryside.

The word disciple means "learner" and the relationship of a teacher to his disciples was considered important by Jews in ancient times. The Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes, for example, had disciples. In fact, John the Baptist had disciples. Jesus entrusted his disciples to serve people:.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

The Life of Jesus Christ

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. From among his disciples, Jesus gave some the ability to heal people of their diseases and illnesses. Jesus did this after going up a mountain and spending the night in prayer to God the Father. These disciples became known as the twelve Apostles. Jesus not only healed many people and performed miracles that showed that he is the Son of God, he also preached the greatest sermons in history.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters is observed by many as the greatest of all. It establishes the basic themes of his teachings. After pronouncing a series of blessings the beatitudes Jesus spoke of the law and its fulfillment. He asserted that his purpose was to fulfill the law and the prophets, at the same time claiming the authority to speak in a way that went beyond the law. Jesus laid out several contrasts between his own teaching and that of traditional law; each opened with the phrases "You have heard that it was said But I say to you" Matt. His intent was to move away from a law intended to be enforced by judicial authorities toward a standard of thought and commitment that could only be applied internally to one's own heart and life.

He dealt with difficult topics of anger, adultery and covetousness, retaliation, and resisting evil. Finally, he came to the heart of his teaching, a commitment to love without boundaries.

Jesus Christ: Life and History

Jesus rejected the common attitude of loving one's neighbor and hating one's enemies, asking them to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Here's a part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, as recorded in Matthew 5: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a town in Galilee, Jesus was asked to heal the servant of a centurion a Roman officer. Most modern scholars view the fact that Jesus was baptized by John as an historical event to which a high degree of certainty can be assigned.

The temptation of Jesus is detailed in the gospels of Matthew , [73] Mark , [74] and Luke. During this time, the devil appeared to Jesus and tempted him. Jesus having refused each temptation, the devil departed and angels came and brought nourishment to Jesus. The calling of the first disciples is a key episode in the gospels which begins the active ministry of Jesus, and builds the foundation for the group of people who follow him, and later form the early Church.

Particularly in the Gospel of Mark the beginning of the ministry of Jesus and the call of the first disciples are inseparable. In the Gospel of Luke Luke 5: Andrew follows Jesus because of the testimony of John the Baptist, Philip brings Nathanael and the pattern continues in John 4: This early period also includes the first miracle of Jesus in the Marriage at Cana , in the Gospel of John where Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding and when the wine runs out Jesus turns water into wine by performing a miracle.

Jesus' activities in Galillee include a number of miracles and teachings. The beginnings of this period include The Centurion's Servant 8: In the Mission Discourse , Jesus instructs the twelve apostles who are named in Matthew After hearing of the Baptist's death, Jesus withdraws by boat privately to a solitary place near Bethsaida , where he addresses the crowds who had followed him on foot from the towns, and feeds them all by " five loaves and two fish " supplied by a boy.

Major teachings in this period include the Discourse on Defilement in Matthew Following this episode Jesus withdraws into the "parts of Tyre and Sidon " near the Mediterranean Sea where the Canaanite woman's daughter episode takes place in Matthew Your request is granted. In the Gospel of Mark, after passing through Sidon Jesus enters the region of the Decapolis , a group of ten cities south east of Galilee, where the Healing the deaf mute miracle is reported in Mark 7: The Confession of Peter refers to an episode in the New Testament in which in Jesus asks a question to his disciples: The proclamation is described in the three Synoptic Gospels: Peter's Confession begins as a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in which Jesus begins to ask about the current opinions about himself among "the multitudes", asking: Jesus then asks his disciples about their own opinion: But who do you say that I am?

Only Simon Peter answers him: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. In blessing Peter, Jesus not only accepts the titles Christ and Son of God which Peter attributes to him, but declares the proclamation a divine revelation by stating that his Father in Heaven had revealed it to Peter. The Transfiguration of Jesus is an episode in the New Testament narrative in which Jesus is transfigured or metamorphosed and becomes radiant upon a mountain. On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light.

Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. Jesus is then called " Son " by a voice in the sky, assumed to be God the Father , as in the Baptism of Jesus. The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. After the death of John the baptist and the Transfiguration, Jesus starts his final journey to Jerusalem, having predicted his own death there. This period of ministry includes the Discourse on the Church in which Jesus anticipates a future community of followers, and explains the role of his apostles in leading it.

The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it. The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the anticipated community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.

The description of the last week of the life of Jesus often called the Passion week occupies about one third of the narrative in the canonical gospels. The last week in Jerusalem is the conclusion of the journey which Jesus had started in Galilee through Perea and Judea. At the beginning of the week as Jesus enters Jerusalem, he is greeted by the cheering crowds, adding to that tension. The week begins with the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

During the week of his "final ministry in Jerusalem", Jesus visits the Temple, and has a conflict with the money changers about their use of the Temple for commercial purposes. This is followed by a debate with the priests and the elder in which his authority is questioned. One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot , decides to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

Towards the end of the week, Jesus has the Last Supper with his disciples, during which he institutes the Eucharist , and prepares them for his departure in the Farewell Discourse. After the supper, Jesus is betrayed with a kiss while he is in agony in the garden , and is arrested.

He Was the Only Begotten of the Father

After his arrest, Jesus is abandoned by most of his disciples, and Peter denies him three times, as Jesus had predicted during the Last Supper. Jesus is accompanied by Peter, John and James the Greater , whom he asks to "remain here and keep watch with me.

Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it. Returning to the disciples after prayer, he finds them asleep and in Matthew While in the Garden, Judas appears, accompanied by a crowd that includes the Jewish priests and elders and people with weapons. He made the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk. Once when He was healing the sick, it became late and the people were hungry. Instead of sending them away, He blessed five loaves of bread and two fishes and miraculously was able to feed a multitude of 5, people.

He taught that whenever we find people hungry, cold, naked, or lonely, we should help them all we can. When we help others, we are serving the Lord. Jesus loved others with all His heart. Often His heart was so full of compassion that He wept. He loved little children, the elderly, and the humble, simple people who had faith in Him. He loved those who had sinned, and with great compassion He taught them to repent and be baptized. Jesus even loved those who sinned against him and were unrepentant.

Jesus wanted His gospel taught to people all over the earth, so He chose twelve Apostles to testify of Him. They were the original leaders of His Church. They received the authority to act in His name and do the works they had seen Him do. Those who received authority from them were also able to teach, baptize, and perform other ordinances in His name. After His death, they continued to do His work until the people became so wicked that they killed the Apostles.

As you study this section, take time to ponder the events of the Atonement. Near the end of His mortal ministry, Jesus prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for all the sins of mankind. He had been condemned to die because He had testified to the people that He was the Son of God. The night before His Crucifixion, Jesus went to a garden called Gethsemane. Soon He was weighed down by deep sorrow and wept as He prayed.

The Life of Christ

Seeing the Savior weep, he said: No mortal person can comprehend just how great this burden was. No other person could have endured such agony of body and spirit. But His suffering was not yet complete. The following day, Jesus was beaten, humiliated, and spit upon. He was required to carry His own cross; then He was lifted up and nailed to it.

He was tortured in one of the cruelest ways men have ever devised. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed.

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