Jesus
Jesus was with us for a very short time,
and his ministry was only about 3 years long. Even though
his ministry was a short one, it is a wonderful story of the
Son of God.
 Birth
of the Savior
Mary, a virgin, was engaged to Joseph,
a carpenter. God sent an angel to Mary to tell her that although
she was a virgin, she would soon bear a son.
Joseph was also visited by an angel that
instructed Joseph to marry Mary, despite her being with child.
We can imagine that the stigma of being an unwed mother was
even greater than it is today, so it is important that this
message came from God.
Joseph and Mary traveled to the town of
Bethlehem to take part in the census (all people were required
to return to the place of their birth to be counted.) While
they were there, Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in
a manger because there was no room at the inn.
Later, the baby Jesus was brought gifts
by wise men. Herod the Great was king, and he felt threatened
when the wise men told him that Jesus would be the “King
of Israel.” Herod then sent soldiers to Bethlehem to
kill all the children. Joseph was pre-warned by an angel that
this was happening and he and his family escaped to Egypt
until Herod died, when they returned to Nazareth to raise
Jesus and the rest of the family.
For more details, the full Christmas Story
can be found in: Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:5-2:45
Baptism Although
Jesus never sinned, John baptized him. When Jesus came up
from the water, the Holy Spirit descended, and God spoke from
heaven, saying, "This is my beloved son."
Disciples
The disciples were: Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee,
John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son
of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot. They traveled
with Jesus as he preached. After Jesus died, they went through
the land preaching the word to the masses as Jesus had commanded,
and started many of the early churches.
Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivered his most famous sermon on a mountain near
Capernaum. In it, Jesus taught: Love your enemies. Do not
judge others. Do not be anxious about tomorrow, but trust
God. Treat others, as you would have them treat you.
Miracles of Jesus
Jesus did many miracles to show others
that he was God's son. God gave Jesus power over nature and
disease, and even power over death!
The Trial
The Jewish leaders were very threatened by the following
that Jesus had in the area. They decided that the only way
to deal with him was to have him put to death. They accused
him of blasphemy. Pilate, a Roman governor, tried Jesus. Even
though he wanted Jesus to be set free, he left the choice
up to the people. Able to either set Jesus free or Barabbas,
a murderer, the crowd was persuaded to choose. Barabbas was
set free and Jesus was flogged and crucified.
Crucifixion
Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion, a horrible death
that consisted of flogging, being nailed to a wooden cross
to await death. Also crucified at that time were two criminals,
one of which asked to be saved before he died.
Burial
His body was placed in a tomb. 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 Roman soldiers
guard the tomb of Jesus. As was customary, there was also
a huge stone rolled in front of the tomb.
Resurrection
Three days following his death on the cross, an angel came
down on earth to the tomb where Jesus’ body lay. The
soldiers guarding the tomb were very frightened and fled.
The angel rolled the stone away and sat upon it, appearing
to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary that had come to the
tomb. He told them Jesus was not there for he had risen and
would see them in Galilee. Jesus then appeared several times
following this, telling us to go forth and spread the news!
Timeline of Jesus’ Life
and Ministry
6-4 BC - Birth of Jesus Christ
5-4 BC - Escape to Egypt. Slaughter of children
4 BC - Herod the Great dies (spring).
7-8 AD - Jesus visits Jerusalem as a child
29 AD - Ministry of John the Baptist begins
29 AD - Christ's ministry begins
33 AD - Jesus is Crucified (Friday, April 3rd, 3:00pm)
33 AD - Jesus is Resurrected (On the Third Day after the Crucifixion)
|
