Jesus’ childhood was an ordinary one, except for one occasion
when the family made a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem to celebrate
the Feast of Passover, a celebration commemorating the Exodus. The family
discovered that Jesus was missing as they prepared to leave Jerusalem
after the event. Three days of anxious search finally led them to a temple
where the twelve year old was in deep discourse with a group of scholars
on the subject of ethics, theological jurisprudence and governance. The
obviously relieved Mary and Joseph questioned Him on His disappearance.
He responded, “"Why were you searching for Me?".”Didn't
you know I had to be in My Father's house?" (Luke 2:46-49).
The Messiah
The next two decades proved to be a quiet one for the whole family.
Jesus worked with His stepfather as a carpenter right behind their house.
He received limited education, no religious education whatsoever, never
had a family of his own nor property. In other words, He was an anonymous
Galilean, only minding His own affairs, with no thoughts of the world
at large.
Then it happened. At the age of 30, He started preaching the message
of His Lord. John the Baptist, having long predicted His arrival, baptized
Jesus by the River Jordan when suddenly, the skies opened up and a voice
sounded from the heavens, “'You are my Son, whom I love; with You
I am well pleased.'" (Luke 3:21-22). Jesus then stepped in to the
wilderness and disappeared for a time.
Upon returning, He proclaimed Himself the Messenger and the Son of God,
the prophesized Messiah of the Hebrew legends. He preached, from dawn
to dusk, helped the sick and the poor and started to attract the attention
of the masses. He performed what can only be described as miracles, with
some of the most notable ones being the resurrection of His friend Lazarus,
the changing of water to wine and the healing of a dying leper. His unparalleled
display of wisdom, compassion and love for everyone touched the people’s
heart and multiplied the size of His congregation. There were those who
started to call Him the King Of Jews, which became a rallying cry after
a while for the downtrodden Jews of the land.
In the evenings, He spends His time with 12 of His most trusted followers
- who will in perpetuity be remembered as The Twelve Apostles - and provided
them with a more comprehensive explanation of His message, as well as
to His identity. As His stature grew, this simple carpenter began to
draw the notice of the establishment, along with it the inevitable heavy-handed
reaction. However, protected by his ever-increasing mass of followers,
the Roman administration, led by its prefect, Pontius Pilate, were unable
to apprehend Jesus, who by now has turned into an infamous figure in
the Judea province of the Empire. The Romans feared that Jesus would
assume a role of politic al leadership in the long simmering rebellious
atmosphere of the region, hence their urgency in capturing Jesus and
preventing any outbreak of insurgency.
It wasn’t long before the Romans were presented an opportunity
to capture Jesus. One of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, the treasurer
of the movement, betrayed the Son of God and provided the Romans with
access to Jesus. Over two thousand years since, Biblical scholars are
still undecided on the cause of this betrayal. Some has speculated that
Judas, as a Zealot, might have assumed that the capture of Jesus would’ve
been the catalyst and unifying figure required by the divided Jews to
fight under, and drive the Romans out of Judea. Another group of scholars
meanwhile, postulated that Judas might have been an agent of the Jewish
Orthodox Church, who feared losing their long held influence in the community.
Whatever the actual reason, Jesus was apprehended in the garden of Gethsemane,
an orchard in the western fringes of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives
and the fee for the traitorous act was a reported 30 pieces of silver.
However, Jesus has long anticipated this and has made contingencies.
His Apostles and followers were instructed to leave and disperse over
the region the very same night, to carry forth His Words.
The Message
A sham of a trial followed immediately after, which lead to Jesus being
condemned as a blasphemer and sentenced to death by crucification. With
His hands and feet impaled by iron nails on the upraised poles, the image
has become a symbol of Christianity - the sacrifice by the Son Of God
for the salvation of humankind.
The story did not end there though. Three days after his burial, the
Lord, His Father, resurrected him. There were contradicting accounts,
even in the Gospels on what occurred next, but one thing is certain.
The message of Christ, the son of God, was indeed disseminated by His
apostles. Today, there are over 2 billion Christians the world over,
and despite their conflicting doctrines, the message of Christ, the Anointed
One, still rings loud and clear after two millennium. His message of
love, equality and the Kingdom of God.
Christian Scriptures
The Gospels
•
Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
•
Acts of the Apostles
Pauline Epistles
•
Epistle (Romans, Corinthians)
•
Second Epistle (Corinthians)
•
Epistle (Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians)
•
First Epistle to the Thessalonians
•
Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
•
Pastoral Epistles ( First Epistle to Timothy and Titus, Second Epistle
to Timothy)
•
Epistle to Philemon
•
Epistle to the Hebrews
Jewish Epistles
•
Epistle of James
•
First Epistle of Peter
•
Second Epistle of Peter
•
First Epistle of John
•
Second Epistle of John
•
Third Epistle of John
•
Epistle of Jude
Revelation
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