Promised
Jesus’s arrival is prophesied in Jewish Scriptures. There are at least 350 prophecies about Him. From outside sources, we know that Jesus lived between the dates of 3 BC and 35 AD. He had a sibling named James and an active following. He was called Messiah, and because of that, He was not liked by the Jewish leaders. He was eventually executed by the Roman government between 25–35 AD.
Birth
The biblical narrative tells us that Mary, a virgin, supernaturally conceives Jesus (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18, 20, 23; Luke 1:27, 34). Jesus is born in Bethlehem (Luke 2) and raised in Nazareth in a traditional Jewish home.
Life
We know that Jesus has a large family of brothers, sisters, and cousins (Matt. 13:55; Mark 3:31; Acts 1:14), and that He works alongside his father as a carpenter. At thirty years of age, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13–14). He begins a travelling and teaching ministry for three years, going no more than two hundred miles from where He was born.
Death, Resurrection, Ascension
Jesus is falsely accused and condemned, suffers torture, and dies a criminal’s death on a cross at thirty-three years of age (Matt. 27:29–43). He rises from the dead three days later and is seen alive by over five hundred people (1 Cor. 15:6). Forty days later, He ascends into heaven (Acts 1:9–12).
God & Man: Jesus Is Fully Man and Fully God
As a man, Jesus experiences human limitations such as hunger and thirst (Matt. 4:2) and tiredness (John 4:6), emotions such as anger and sorrow (Mark 11:12–25; John 11), and physical pain (Matt. 27:29–43).
Jesus also exhibits the character and nature of God as a human being, exercising God’s power over nature (Luke 4:31–36, 5:1–11, 7:24–30), disease (John 4:43–54), evil spirits (Luke 4:31–36, 7:24–30), and death (Luke 7:13–16, John 11). He defines and for- gives sin (Mark 2:7–11) and reveals people’s thoughts and motives (Mark 2:8). He expresses extraordinary love and grace (Luke 19:10; John 8) and accurately predicts His suffering, death, and resurrec- tion (Matt. 16:21, 20:17–10; Luke 9:21).
The Main Message
Jesus taught that He existed outside of it all, as God, and had come to earth as a human being to explain life and remove sin for now and in eternity (John 5:18, 8:58, 10:30–33, 14:9). Jesus’s invita- tion to humanity was to follow Him (Luke 9:23–25), learn from Him (Matt. 11:29), look to Him as the source of life who has come to die for our sin (John 3:16, 8:23–28), and live for Him, making Him the centre of one’s life (Matt. 28:18–20).
DISCUSSION
- What is your view of Jesus?
- Do you have any challenges with Jesus’s teachings?