JESUS CHRIST.

Jesus Christ was a Jew and was born at Galilee in Northern Israel in 4 BC to Carpenter Joseph and Mary. He lived up to 30/33 years of age. Galilee is fertile and mountainous.

Today Christianity is practiced by the most number of people in the world with 2.1 billion followers. Next is Islam with 1.3 billion and then Hinduism with 0.90 billion. Its practitioners believe that Christ is an incarnation and the Son of God. He is also considered as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. It is believed by Christians that Jesus was begot by Mary when she was a virgin.

The New Testament gives the teachings and life of Jesus as well as events in the 1^st century Christianity. This also contains the 4 canonical gospels; Mathew, Mark, Luke & John which are the main sources for the life of Jesus. However, other parts of the New Testament refer to some key events in his life.

The Gospels were written by 4 different authors after whom the gospels were named. Mathew, Mark & Luke are known as the Synoptic gospels and quote the same story about Jesus while that of John differs from the Synoptic gospels.

There is very little detail about Christ’s early life. There are many references in the New Testament that in his young adult life Jesus was working as a Carpenter. As per the gospel of Luke at the age of 12 Jesus went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and got lost. He was found later in a temple At Jerusalem discussing and debating matters with the elders. It is believed that he began his ministry at 30 years of age when he was baptized by John the Baptist. This is fairly late because Jesus lived only up till 34-37 years of age and gave him 7 years preaching time at the most.

After Baptism, Jesus went into the Judean desert to fast and meditate for 40 days and nights. Here it seems the devil appeared to Jesus 3 times and tempted him but Jesus resisted.

Jesus then came back to Galilee and started preaching and many people became his disciples. One of them was Mary Magdalene who remained in the ministry of Jesus from the beginning to his death and after. It was to her Jesus appeared first after resurrection.

Jesus’ first miracle happened when he visited a wedding in Galilee along with his mother when he turned water into fine wine. After the wedding Jesus, Mary and his disciples went to Jerusalem for the Passover (a Jewish festival).

Then Jesus traveled through Galilee preaching his gospel and performing miracles. Upon hearing about his powers of healing, many more people became his disciples. At the Sermon on the Mount he presented several discourses known as the Beatitudes with spiritual teachings of love, humility and compassion. As he preached and performed miracles he gained more and followers in the Galilee and the Pharisees (an orthodox Jewish sect that strictly observed the orthodox Jewish practices) were alarmed and vowed to stop him.

Near the city of Philippi Jesus asked his disciples “ Who do you say I am?” Only Peter responded saying “You are Christ, the son of the living God” and declared the proclamation was a divine revelation from God. Jesus then proclaimed Peter to be the leader of the church. He also warned his disciples about the plot of the Pharisees to kill him and after being killed he would rise from the dead on the third day    

A week after that Jesus took 3 of his disciples to a high mountain for praying. According to the gospels the body of Jesus started glowing with a white light and his face shone like the sun. Then the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared and Jesus talked to them. A bright cloud enveloped them and a voice said “This is my beloved son; with whom I am well pleased; listen to him”. This event is known as the Transfiguration and is a very important event in Christian theology because it transfigures Jesus into a God.

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem a week before Passover riding a donkey. Great number of people greeted him. The Pharisees became alarmed at the growing popularity of Jesus. During the week at Jerusalem Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted merchants and moneychangers in the temple and debated with the priests who questioned the authority of Jesus.

Jesus told his disciples that in the coming days the temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed. The priests now set in motion the plan to arrest Jesus. The priests agreed to pay Judas 30 pieces of silver for delivering Jesus to them.

Jesus and his 12 disciples met for the Passover meal. Jesus privately told Judas that it was he who would betray him. He told Peter that before the cock crowed next morning he would deny knowing Jesus thrice. At the end of the meal Jesus initiated the Eucharist which signifies the covenant between God and humans.

After the last supper Jesus and disciples went to a garden to pray. After sometime soldiers appeared along with Judas Iscariot and he kissed Jesus on his cheek to reveal him to the soldiers. The soldiers arrested Jesus. After his arrest many of his disciples went into hiding. Jesus was taken to the High Priest and was interrogated. He was beaten and spat upon for not responding. Peter followed Jesus to the High Priests court. There he hid himself and when 3 house servants asked him he denied knowing Jesus. Judas felt guilty looking at Jesus’s position and threw the silver coins and hanged himself.

Next day Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor of Judea. The priests accused that Jesus was claiming to be the king of Jews and he should be condemned to death. Pilate found nothing wrong on Jesus’s part but finally had to concede to the pressure exerted on him. He ordered the crucifixion of Jesus.

The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus and place a crown of thorns on his head and took him to Mt Calvary. He was crucified long with two thieves one on his right and one on his left. Above his head was the charge against him “INRI” or Iesus Nazarenus Rex Ludaeorum which means Jesus of Nazareth King of Jews. At his feet were his mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. In the last 3 hours of his life Jesus was taunted by the soldiers and the people when Jesus expressed his agony and had outbursts of expression. After Jesus died his body was kept in a tomb.

3 days after his death his body disappeared and he appeared first to Mary Magdalene and then to his mother Mary. Jesus later appeared to his hiding disciples and asked them not to be afraid. He asked them to go to the world and spread his teaching. After 40 days Jesus took his disciples to Mt Olivet and then ascended to heaven.