Introduction
Jesus of Nazareth also revered as Jesus Christ is the main pillar of Christianity. Jesus was Christ, the messiah or savior. His coming was predicted in the Old Testament. Islam and the Jews think that he is one of the many prophets. Scholars are of the opinion that he was born at sometime around 7 to 2 BC and died around 26-36 AD. The main source of the life history of Jesus is from the four Gospels of Matthew Luke Mark and John.
Background
In the first century the scribes and the Pharisees were two groups –often intermingling. Scribes were conversant with the law and drafted legal documents. Pharisees belonged to a socio-religious group that followed legal traditions of their forefathers. They were also legal experts.
The rich and powerful Jews teamed up with the occupiers of the land – the Romans so as to guard their possessions and interests. They bribed the Romans to get special benefits. In exchange the Romans made them responsible for the people’s activities. The high priests were appointed by the Romans after being bribed by them. It is against this background that the life of Jesus Christ has to be studied.
When King Herod ruled over Judea the angel Gabriel visited a virgin living in Nazareth City named Mary who was espoused to Joseph a carpenter. They belonged to the House of David. The angel foretold that she would bear a son whom she should name Jesus. He would be the Son of God. “The angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and gave him the good tidings asking him to take Mary as his wife”.
The Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus at that time decreed that all should be enrolled giving details of the tribe and city to which they belonged. It is then that Mary and Joseph both went to Bethlehem as they were from the king’s family. The city was crowded because of this enrolment and the couple could not get any accommodation. They had to put up in a stable on the outskirts of the Bethlehem.
Birth
Jesus was born here. “Surrounding them were shepherds and their flocks”. An angel appeared and said that there was born the mankind’s savior. Jesus was circumcised and later given his name which was after eight days of his birth. It was on the fortieth day he was presented at the Jerusalem temple with the offerings of a pair of turtle doves.
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem there came three wise men from the East, the Magi, wanting to know where the child who would be the King of the Jews was. They had seen his star in the eastern sky and had come to adore him. But King Herod was troubled upon hearing about a king that had been born”.
He gathered together his officials and wanted to know about the whereabouts of this child. He resorted to subterfuge and told the three Magi that they should report to Herod about the child so that he too could go and adore the baby.
The Magi guided by the star found Jesus and bowed before him and offered gifts of god, frankincense and myrrh. In a dream the angel informed the Magi not to return to Herod as a result they moved to the East without visiting him.
Herod’s wait was in vain because the Magi did not return and after realizing this the king was furious and he ordered to kill all male infants below the age of two in Bethlehem. That night an angel appeared before Joseph and asked him to flee with Mary and Joseph to Egypt and to remain there till further instructions were given.
After Joseph and his family left, Bethlehem was surrounded with the cries of beheaded infants. But Herod did not long survive to enjoy this because very soon he was attacked by a killer disease and died under fearful torments.
The angel then asked Joseph to move with his family to Israel. Joseph then retired to a place in Galilee named Nazareth. Thus Jesus is also known to be as the Nazarene. In the quiet town the child grew up amidst wisdom and grace and helped his father Joseph in carpentry.
Early life
“When Jesus was twelve years he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem as was their custom to celebrate the festival of Passover”. Due to a misunderstanding Jesus got separated from his parents. When they found him later they saw Jesus sitting in the temple among the learned doctors of law discoursing with them. The scholars were astounded by the boy’s wisdom.
At the age of thirty Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at Jordan. “Following this the spirit of God led Jesus into the desert where he prayed and fasted for forty days and forty nights”. At the end of it when he was hungry Satan appeared before him and tempted him in many way by either taunting him or by offering the wealth of all the kingdoms of the world. But Jesus remained indifferent and resolute. He left the desert and returned to Jordan and John introduced him to the people as the Messiah. One by one his disciples began to grow.
Preaching
“The time had come for Jesus to perform miracles. At a wedding Jesus was present with his mother Mary and his disciples”. The wine failed and seeing the hosts worried Mary entreated her son do something. Jesus asked the waiters to fill six jars with water and lo and behold – the water changed to wine!
“Jesus now went up to Jerusalem as the festival of Passover was near”. At the temple he was angry to see traders and money changers busy at work. He took a whip and drove them out. Many were angry failing to recognize his greatness.
Jesus thus returned to Galilee. En route he stopped by a well in Sichar town and soon gathered round him people to listen to his talk about the Kingdom of Heaven. From Sichar he went to Nazareth and started preaching in earnest the message of God. He taught in the synagogue. While many were overcome by the force of his words he gained many enemies also who were seeing their own powers slip away. He preached in the synagogue of Capharnaum and the people were struck with awe when he performed another miracle by throwing out the devil from inside a man.
Thus he moved on performing miracles and preaching. He cured the sick and brought back to life the dead. He walked on water and calmed storms. All the while he talked about his mission. He fed a huge gathering with only five loaves and two fishes.
Important incidents
On day Jesus was preaching near the Genesareth Lake or the Sea of Galilee. A big crowd gathered. Jesus sat in the boat and began to preach to the people from it. After sometime Jesus told Peter the fisherman to let down the nets. So many fish was caught that the boats nearly capsized. Peter then fell at the feet of Jesus admitting many sins and Jesus told him that from henceforth he would catch men.
Once when preaching in Capharnaum there came with the crowd a paralyzed man. The man could not get near Jesus and so he was taken up to a rooftop and let down his bed through a hole. Seeing their faith Jesus was moved and told the man that his sins had been forgiven. In the crowd were some Scribes and Pharisees who said Jesus had blasphemed as only God had the power to forgive. To the wonder of all the paralyzed man took up his bed and walked away!
On another occasion Jesus went up a mountain and delivered the Sermon on the Mount containing the core of his teachings – the eight beatitudes, the vocation of the apostles, the true justice of the new law, the need to love neighbours, to have respect for humans, to have confidence in God and to be charitable in judgment.
Many were the miracles Jesus performed. Once during a feast there fell at his feet Mary Magdalene who had been converted to the teachings of Jesus. She washed his feet and kissed it. Simon, the rich host thought that if Jesus was truly a prophet he would know that this Mary Magdalene was a fallen woman. Jesus could read his thoughts and said that because of the sincerity of Mary was worthy of forgiveness.
Construction of a faith
The time came for Jesus to choose his disciples from among his disciples that had swelled in numbers. After spending the night in prayer he chose twelve of them to be his apostles – Simon also called “Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot”. He then selected seventy two whom he called his disciples to help his apostles and sent them forth.
Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven but this, the authorities did not understand. Seeing his huge following they thought he had come to challenge the Roman Empire. “Knowing his time was nearing Jesus took with him Peter, James and John to a high mountain to pray. In front of them the Transfiguration took place”. The face of Jesus shone and near him the old prophets Moses and Elias appeared. The heard the voice of God hailing Jesus as His son. When Jesus made a triumphant entry into Jerusalem seated on a colt the Pharisees were filled with envy and Roman authorities were alerted.
On the first day of the unleavened bread Jesus before sitting down he took up a towel and began to wash the feet of his disciples showing them the future path of. Then he blessed the bread and said that this represented his body and the wine was his blood. “One of his disciples, Judas, rose and betrayed Jesus to the High priest for thirty pieces of silver”. He later returned with a huge crowd and went up to Jesus to kiss him – thus pointing him out to the authorities.
Trial
Jesus was first taken to Annas a former high priest who had him bound and sent to Caiphas the present high priest of the Jews. They were looking for an excuse to kill him. “Two false witnesses were found who said that Jesus had spoken of pulling down the temple and building another one within three days”. The great council of the Jews, Sanhedrin, could not pronounce the death sentence without the permission of the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. The charge brought against Jesus was that of sedition. Pilate did not want to commit himself and sent him to Herod Antipas, the son of Herod who had ordered the massacre of the innocents the King of Galilee. “Herod wanted to see some miracles but when Jesus did not comply he sent him back to Pilate”. Pilate knew very well the chief priests were consumed with envy at the popularity of Jesus.
“At that time there was a custom that one prisoner would be set free at the time of the Passover”. So Pilate wanted to know from the crowd who should be set free – Jesus or a convicted murderer and thief named Barabbas. The priests instigated the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas. Then when Pilate wanted to know what should be done with Jesus they cried; “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate tried to avoid the death penalty since Jesus had nothing to deserve. Pilate was aware of the envy and fear of the priests. But a huge gang appeared, stripped Jesus, and tied him to a pillar before scourging him. Then they mocked him by covering him with a purple cloak, placed a crown of sharp thorns on his head and pressed it down hard. “Then they placed a reed in his hand to represent the scepter and mockingly knelt before him calling him the King of the Jews”. Then they blindfolded him and hurled insults. The more Pilate tried to calm the crowd the more they shouted for his crucifixion. “They said that he should die because he had dared to call himself the Son of God”. Pilate did not want to incur the wrath of Rome by not listening to the powerful priests and so he washed his hands saying that he was innocent of the blood of a just man. So saying Jesus was sent to be crucified and Barabbas was released. Jesus had to carry his own cross on his bruised shoulders to Calvary Hill. Two other robbers were also crucified with him. Pilate allowed the body of Jesus to be taken by one of his followers and he was put to rest in a new sepulcher.
Resurrection
It is said that as he had foretold on the third day he rose to heaven. But before and after this, the New Testament reveals that he was seen several times by his followers. This was the Resurrection. The Roman soldiers saw it with their own eyes but they were bribed to remain silent. Paula Fredriksen states,
“The idea of resurrection, the idea of the vindication of a righteous person, is something that again, is an element [in] a known catalog of elements that we can construct for Jewish apocalyptic hope. …. I think the resurrection stories, which are at the core of the proclamation of Christianity, the resurrection stories, give us an indirect view of what the historical Jesus would have been saying“.
Conclusion
The central idea is that whenever the world is weighed down with sins a savior comes to cleanse and purify. Central to the ministry of Jesus is table fellowship. He eats with sinners with his disciples. One of his apostles is a publican or tax collector. Jesus contends that it is those who are sick that are need of ministrations1. Thus, way of Christ remains a humble and humane way of looking at life and living it peacefully.
References
- Davidson, Ivor J. Pondering The Sinlessness Of Jesus Christ. International Journal Of Systematic Theology 10.4 (2008): 372-398.
- Fredriksen, Paula. “The Crucifixion And Resurrection In The Gospels”. WGBH Educational Foundation. 1998. Web.
- Galvin, John P. The Resurrection Of Jesus In Contemporary Catholic Systematics. The Heythrop Journal 20.2 (1979): 123-162.
- Hultgren, Arland J. Salvation: Its Forms And Dynamics In The New Testament. Dialog 45.3 (2004): 215-222.
Footnotes
1 Hultgren, Arland J. Salvation: Its Forms And Dynamics In The New Testament. Dialog, 45.3, (2004): 215-222.