Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God in human form. He was born of this Earth for a purpose: to die for our sins and provide a promise of eternal life in Heaven. Jesus was sinless and knew his purpose was to bring hope and provide a new way of life. If we follow his commandments and believe in him, we will not perish but have eternal life in Heaven.
Jesus was mocked throughout his years on Earth. Those who lacked faith or belief in him tried everything in their power to erase his legacy. This lead to his eventual crucifixion on a cross, where he was nailed by his hands and feet, and a crown of thorns forced onto his head. To ensure his death, a sword was pierced through his side. Jesus knew his destiny, but this did not stop him from continuing to spread his message. Some may ask “why?”; because he loves you. Christ is not a last name, it comes from the greek word Christos which means Anointed One. This is the The Hebrew equivalent word is Mashiach, which means Messiah.
Son of God
The Son of God always existed with the Father. Before Jesus walked the Earth God’s people did not know of the Father having a Son. It wasn’t until the birth of Jesus that we learned that the Son existed with the Father and is eternal like the Father.
We find in John 1, in the beginning the Word existed with God and the Word was God. The Earth and Heavens were created through Him (John 1:1-3). Then the Word became human flesh, which is referring to the birth of Jesus, which is the Father’s son (John 1:14). Genesis 1:26 The Father speaks saying “Let us make human beings in our image..” Us is referring to himself and the Son. Before Jesus was put on trial to be crucified, he spoke a prayer to the Father saying, “Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.” (John 17:5) This provides further confirmation that The Son existed with the Father since the beginning.
The Mother of Jesus
Mary is the mother of Jesus. She was a virgin who became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Before becoming pregnant, Gabriel, an angel of God, appeared to her forth-telling the events to come. At first Mary was confused, as she knew she was a virgin. Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of God would overshadow her (Luke 1:35). At the time Mary was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. Because of their religious faith, sexual intercourse could not occur until after marriage. Once Joseph learned of her being pregnant, he didn’t want to disgrace her publicly so he considered breaking off their engagement. That night an angel of God appeared to him in a dream and said “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” Joseph did exactly what the angel instructed and took Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:18-25)
Several prophets predicted the coming of Jesus hundreds of years before he was born. (Isaiah 7:14; Zechariah 9:9; Isaiah 9:6-7). The Father had planned to provide a new covenant for his people. A way for them to be forgiven of their sins without having to follow complicated laws (Jeremiah 31:31-34). This new covenant would also provide a promise of eternal life with him in Heaven for those who believe in his Son [Jesus]. The new covenant is his son Jesus.
During the reign of Roman emperor, Augustus, declared a census be taken throughout the Roman Empire. Everyone had to return to their ancestral towns to register for this census (Luke 2:1-3). This meant that Joseph had to return to Bethlehem in Judea, King David’s ancient home as he was a descendant of King David. He took Mary with him as the birth of their son was very soon.
The Birth of Jesus
When they arrived in Bethlehem, they attempted to get a room at a local Inn. Unfortunately, the Inn was booked with no rooms available for them. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly where Joseph and Mary were when Jesus was born. Historic religious teachings claim he was born in a stable with animals around. The scriptures do not support this. In Luke 2:7, we read, “She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” I can see where some might assume since she laid Jesus in a manager, that they must be in a stable. However, the Bible does not indicate where they were at time of the birth.
From the moment Jesus was born people wanted to kill him. After the birth of Jesus, wise men arrived in Jerusalem asking “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2) During this age of time, only Kings and emperors were worshipped. For King Herod to hear that they wanted to worship a baby, it made him want to kill Jesus. Then the King said to the wise men, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” (Matthew 2:8) The wise men knew this was a lie, as God already warned them to take a different route back home after seeing Jesus and not to return back to Herod. (Matthew 2:12) This caused Herod to become furious and ordered the death of all boys in and around Bethlehem, 2 years or younger. (Matthew 2:16) God was one step ahead of Herod. The night after the wisemen left from visiting Jesus, an angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother, Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” (Matthew 2:13) After the death of Herod, the angel of God appeared to Joseph again and told him to return to the land of Israel. (Matthew 2:19-20)
Growing Up
Little is known about the life of Jesus as a child and growing up. Luke 2:40 tells us that Jesus grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom and God’s favor was on him. We also find in Luke 2:41-52 a story about Jesus at the age of 12. His parents always visited Jerusalem for the passover festival. The festival was a gathering of religious believers who would come together to celebrate the goodness of God with offerings of the first fruit. In today’s Jewish faith it is the remembrance of God freeing their ancestors from Egypt. After the festival was over, Jesus stayed behind in the Temple. Mary and Joseph became worried once Jesus didn’t come home that night. They went back to Jerusalem, where they discovered him in the Temple. Jesus was talking with the religious leaders listening to them and asking questions. They were amazed at his understanding and answers.
At the age of 30 is when Jesus began his public ministry. (Luke 3:23)
Baptized with the Holy Spirit
Before Jesus started his public ministry, there was a man named John, referred to as John the Baptist who proclaimed the goodness of Jesus. They called him John the Baptist because he baptized people in the Jordan river for God to forgive them of their sins. John also predicted the coming of Jesus to the people telling them, “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16-17).
One day Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. At first John refused as he thought Jesus should be baptizing him. Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” (Matthew 3:15) So John agreed to baptize him. Once Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit ascended on him. The Bible says it ascended on him like a dove. (Matthew 3:16) At that moment, the Father spoke from Heaven saying “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (Luke 3:22) This ensured to John that Jesus was the Chosen One of God.
Disciples
Jesus had 12 disciples [followers]. They followed him learning of his teachings and witnessing the signs and wonders that he did.
- Peter
- James
- John
- Andrew
- Bartholomew [Nathanael]
- James
- Judas
- Jude [Thaddeus]
- Matthew [Levi]
- Philip
- Simon
- Thomas
Miracles of Jesus
In the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, there are at least 37 recorded events where Jesus performed a miracle. The purpose of these miracles were to heal the sick but to also show the people that he is the Son of God. Jesus used the Holy Spirit to perform these miracles. Since the Holy Spirit lives inside of the believer, we are given the same power to perform miracles in his name. The complete list is below.
Miracle | Bible Verse(s) |
|---|---|
Turns water into wine | John 2:1-11 |
Jesus heals Official’s son | John 4:43-54 |
Cast out evil spirit | Mark 1:21-27; Luke 4:31-36 |
Heals Peter’s Mother-in-law | Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39 |
Heals many sick and demon-possessed in the evening | Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:40-41 |
Simon catching fish | Luke 5:1-11 |
Heals man with leprosy | Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-14 |
Heals servant of Roman Officer | Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10 |
Heals a paralyzed man | Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26 |
Heals man with deformed hand | Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11 |
Raises widow’s son to life | Luke 7:11-17 |
Calms the storm | Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25 |
Heals two demon-possessed men | Matthew 8:28-33; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39 |
Heals bleeding woman | Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:42-48 |
Heals synagogue leader Jairus’ daughter | Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:35-43; Luke 8:40-56 |
Heals two blind men | Matthew 9:27-31 |
Heals demon-possessed man who can’t speak | Matthew 9:32-34 |
Heals crippled man | John 5:1-15 |
Feeds over 5,000 people | Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15 |
Walks on water | Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21 |
Heals many sick in Gennesaret | Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56 |
Heals non Israelite’s daughter | Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30 |
Heals a deaf man | Mark 7:31-37 |
Feeds over 4,000 people | Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-13 |
Heals a blind man | Mark 8:22-26 |
Heals man born blind | John 9:1-12 |
Heals a demon-possessed boy | Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43 |
Coin inside fish mouth to pay Temple tax | Matthew 17:24-27 |
Heals deaf and mute man | Matthew 12:22-23; Luke 11:14-23 |
Heals crippled woman | Luke 13:10-17 |
Heals man with swollen arms and legs | Luke 14:1-6 |
Heals 10 men of leprosy | Luke 17:11-19 |
Brings Lazarus back to life | John 11:1-45 |
Heals blind man Bartimaeus | Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 |
Curses a fig tree | Matthew 21:18:22; Mark 11:12-14 |
Heals high priests slave’s ear | Luke 22:47-51 |
Helps disciples catch fish | John 21:4-11 |
Teachings
Jesus’ purpose was not just to die for our sins, but to teach his followers a new way of life. He did not come to Earth to abolish the laws of Moses, but rather to accomplish their purpose. (Matthew 5:17) This means through his death and sacrifice, the law of Moses has been fulfilled. Jesus was sent by the Father to create a new way of life. (Romans 6:4) We find in Jesus’ teachings, that they mirror the original 10 commandments that God created for Moses and the Israelites. Jesus told us to hold on to the 10 commandments (Matthew 5:19) and gave us a new commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39) Since Jesus is the new covenant that God promised, we are no longer bound by the old law. (Romans 7:6) Instead we are are to be right with God through our belief in Jesus. (Romans 3:22) Through his years of teaching and healings, one of Jesus’ main focus was faith. For it was because of faith that Jesus was able to perform healings and miracles. Because of the faith of the believer they were healed. (Mark 5:34) It is through faith that we receive the goodness of what Jesus taught. It is impossible to please God without faith. (Hebrews 11:6)
Jesus is Arrested
From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish religious leaders hated him. They tried to find every opportunity to trap Jesus in a lie or find him guilty of a crime. Even though they had several prophets before their time who had written in the scriptures they lived by, that the messiah would come. They still did not believe that Jesus was the messiah.
Several high persists saw the miracles and healings that Jesus did, right in front of their own eyes. Still, they did not believe he was the messiah. They even went as far to say that he was doing the work of Satan by casting out demons. (Matthew 12:22) Because of their anger towards Jesus, this lead them to plot against Jesus and have him killed.
Jesus was betrayed by one of his own disciples, Judas, for money. (Luke 22:3-6) Once he was arrested, he was taken to the Council of the High Persists.
It’s best instead of explaining what happened, we read the scripture according to Matthew:
“Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
Matthew 26:57-68
Trial with Roman Governor
Once the religious leaders found their ammo to kill Jesus, they took him to the Roman governor, Pilate. Once again it is best if we allow the scripture to display what happened. This is according to John:
“Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”
“We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.
“Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them.
“Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.)
Then Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked him.
Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?”
Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
Pilate said, “So you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release one prisoner each year at Passover. Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)”
John 18:28-40
Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face.
Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”
When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
“Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”
The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”
When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”
Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”
When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”
“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”
“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.
Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.
John 19:1-16
The Crucifixion
It was custom in these days to kill criminals by means of crucifixion. This meant making the shape of a cross with two pieces of wood. They would nail the accused by each of their hands and drive one nail through both of their feet. Bending the nails on the opposite side to ensure they did not fall off the cross once it was raised into position. This was a way to publicly display those who committed a crime for all to see.
The mocking of Jesus continued by the religious leaders saying “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!” (Matthew 27:40)
The Death of Jesus
It was planned before Jesus was born that his purpose on Earth was to die for our sins. Jesus knew of his death before being born. He spoke several times to his disciples predicting his death and resurrection. (Matthew 20:17-19)
At noon, as Jesus hung on the cross, darkness covered the Earth for 3 hours. Around 3pm, Jesus called out with a loud voice “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46)
In John’s account, Jesus knew his mission was finished. To fulfill scripture that was written about him, he said “I am thirsty”. One of the Roman soliders lifted a branch to Jesus with a sponge filled sour wine. Once it touched his lips, he said “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)
“At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.” (Matthew 27:51-53)
Resurrection
Just like Jesus predicted his coming death, he also predicted that he would raise from the dead in 3 days. (Mark 8:31) After his death his body was released to a rich man named Joseph (not his Earthly father). He took his body and placed it inside of a tomb carved out of rock. (Luke 23:50-54) The high priests were once again worried about what Jesus said. For they heard him say that on the 3rd day he would be raised from the dead. They believed that one of the disciples would steal his body to claim he had been resurrected. With this information, Pilate instructed his guards to seal the tomb and stand guard. (Matthew 27:62-66)
Early Sunday morning, three woman who witnessed the death of Jesus went to the tomb to cover his body with burial spices. To their surprise when they arrived they found the stone was pushed away and his body was gone. (Mark 16:1-4) Then an angel of God appeared before them and said “Don’t be afraid!” I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying” (Matthew 28:5-6).
Conclusion
Even though while Jesus walked the Earth he only had 12 disciples, as believers, we are all his disciples. It is our responsibility to keep his teachings close and spread to others the good news and message that he gave to us. After his ascension into Heaven, he gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to all of his believers. With this gift we are able to perform the same healings and miracles that Jesus did. All we need is faith.
If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, I invite you to do so now. It is very easy to do. You don’t have to attend church every Sunday. You can have a personal relationship with him and live out your life as you normally would.
Pray this prayer with me to accept Jesus now.