Identifying Jesus Christ
Exploring what Jesus did and taught and who he claimed to be
Tracing Christ’s life back to prophecy
Understanding why the authorities killed Jesus
Diving into the details of the Resurrection
Considering whether Jesus was the real deal
When you start to examine the life of Jesus Christ in the Bible, one truth becomes crystal clear: Christianity is all about Jesus Christ. Although it’s easy for Christians to get caught up in following rules and “towing the line,” the heart of Christianity is Jesus Christ’s simple (yet oh so deep) teaching about himself. Christians believe that Jesus wasn’t just a special messenger or a moral teacher pointing people toward God. In fact, they believe he was none other than God in the flesh, pointing people to himself and his way of salvation – what Christians today call the “gospel.”
In this chapter, you discover who Jesus is and what his teachings were all about and explore whether Jesus was a spiritual guru, a good teacher, or literally God in the flesh.
In Brief: Introducing Jesus
Almost everyone in the world needs some kind of introduction. I, for one, can’t even go home to my parents’ house for the holidays without needing to reintroduce myself: “Remember me?... Rich... your son.” People in the public eye often run into the same problem. James Bond is the world’s most popular spy, but even he’s always telling everyone, “My name is Bond, James Bond.” Some of the most famous people in history don’t get a much better shake in this day and age; many recognize Plato as a Greek philosopher, but I suspect others think he was just the inventor of that doughy stuff that kids play with. And take Julius Caesar – was he a Roman ruler or the founder of a pizza chain?
Jesus Christ is one person who never needed much of an introduction when he walked the earth, and he still doesn’t need much of one today in the 21st century. His name – whether spoken from the pulpit of a church or used as profanity on a TV sitcom – seems to pop up wherever you go. The symbol of his death, the cross, isn’t only the centrepiece of church sanctuaries, but it also seems to be an ever-popular fashion statement on the necks of folks on MTV. What’s more, hardly a year goes by without his appearance on the cover of Time, Newsweek, or some other major magazine.
His name is almost universally recognized the world over and his life influences modern culture, but who exactly is the real Jesus Christ? A strong case can be made that Jesus is the single most significant person to have ever lived on this earth. In spite of his influence, he wasn’t a political revolutionary, a military genius, a brilliant philosopher, or a mesmerizing salesman. Instead, Jesus was a common man with a most uncommon claim – that he was the Son of God.
The following sections, what I call the CliffsNotes version of Jesus’ life, give you the gist of what he did on earth. But, to Christians, his life is far more compelling than just this simple narrative. Specifically, Christians believe that Jesus wasn’t just a man who did great things; he was God in the flesh, who came into the world as a man (well, actually as a baby, like everyone else; read the next section for the details) for the express purpose of dying for the sins of all people (see Chapter 3).
Accounting for the early years
Jesus was a Jewish man from the small town of Nazareth, which was situated in Roman-occupied Palestine (modern-day Israel) some 2,000 years ago. Nearly all of what is known about his life is recorded in the Bible’s four Gospel narratives – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – although a few non-biblical historical documents talk about Jesus as well (see Chapter 2), but not in great length.
When you read these Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, you get the basics of who he was and what he did, but keep in mind that the Gospel writers took a kind of For Dummies approach to writing – they weren’t concerned with documenting all events and teachings, just the essential facts of what Jesus’ followers needed to know. (Rumour has it that the Gospels were originally called Jesus Chronicles For Dummies, but I’ve not yet been able to substantiate that report.) Along this line, John closes his Gospel by saying that Jesus did many more things than are written down, and that “if they would all be written, even the world itself wouldn’t have room for those books.”
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem. His parents, Mary and Joseph, were very typical Jews living in first-century Palestine. However, Christians believe their son wasn’t conceived in the typical “the birds and the bees” manner. Instead, his conception was miraculous. After a visit from the Archangel Gabriel, Mary became impregnated by the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus, even though she was a virgin (Luke 1:26-38). Like other Jewish boys, Jesus was circumcised as an infant and grew up going to the local synagogue. The Gospels share just one incident of his youth; when Jesus was twelve years old, he got into an in-depth theological discussion with the Jewish teachers at the Jerusalem temple. The leaders were amazed, not only because he was so young, but by the extent of his wisdom and understanding for a person at any age.
Although inquiring minds want to know, exactly what Jesus did between the ages of 12 and 30 is largely unknown. Evidently, that information isn’t critical for his followers to know about, because the Bible is largely silent about this period of his life. However, a couple facts can be stitched together. He was a carpenter (see Mark 6:3), learning the trade from his father. Jesus may have taken over his father’s shop at some point, because Joseph apparently dies sometime during this period of Jesus’ life. Very likely, Jesus spent these years as a carpenter, providing for his family and preparing for his ministry to come.
In profile: Jesus of Nazareth
Name: Jesus (translated from the original Aramaic Yehowshuwa). Although some people think of Christ as being part of his actual name, it’s actually a title ascribed to him (meaning “The Anointed”). In fact, Jesus didn’t have a last name.
Also known as: Messiah, Christ, Saviour, Son of God, Son of Man, Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, The Holy One, Emmanuel, The Way, The Truth, The Life, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, The Word, The Lord
Traditional date of birth: The exact year is unknown. The Church in the Middle Ages thought it was 0 B.C., though modern scholars believe it was around 6 B.C. The day of his birth is also unknown, though Christians traditionally celebrate it on December 25. Traditional birth year (as observed in the Middle Ages) separates B.C. from A.D. in dating systems.
Place of birth: Bethlehem
Place he grew up: Nazareth
Date of death: Was crucified in approximately A.D. 33
Place of death: Golgotha, outside of Jerusalem
Length of ministry: 3.5 years
Claim to fame: Claimed to be God in the flesh, sent to the world to die for the sins of the world. Rose from the dead after three days.
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