Jesus Christ, believed by many to be the Messiah foretold in Jewish sacred texts, was born of a virgin mother in Bethlehem. He began his ministry after being baptized by John the Baptist and performed miracles, but faced opposition from both the Romans and Jewish hierarchy. He was eventually betrayed by Judas Iscariot, tried by Pontius Pilate, and crucified. However, he was said to have been resurrected and ascended to heaven, encouraging his disciples to continue his ministry.
Jewish sacred texts often foretold the coming of a Messiah, a political and spiritual savior who would free the Jews forever from their captors. Many people believe this promised Messiah arrived in the form of a man of Palestinian descent called Jesus Christ in Greek, although his cultural name would have been closer to Yeshua bar Joseph or “Joshua, son of Joseph.” While the historical Jesus may have been born into humble and oppressive circumstances, he would have grown up to be one of the most revered religious figures in the world.
The circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ appear to fulfill the ancient scriptures concerning the true Messiah. He was said to have been born of a virgin mother, Mary, who had been “visited” by God’s spirit while she was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth. When the Roman government ordered a mandatory census for tax collection, Joseph and Mary returned to Joseph’s hometown, a small village called Bethlehem. This was another circumstance foretold in the Jewish scriptures, referring to the birth of the Messiah in the relatively dark city of Bethlehem.
Christ’s early childhood is not well documented, although several gospel accounts describe him as extraordinarily versed in Jewish scripture and aware of his divine nature at the age of 12. Very little information about his training or travels as a teenager or young man exists, but some scholars speculate that he may have traveled to India to further his spiritual education before returning to Palestine in his thirties.
Gospel accounts written by or assigned to four disciples of Jesus Christ indicate that he returned to the area to be baptized into his new ministry by a proselyte and itinerant prophet named John the Baptist. Once baptized, Jesus is believed to have received the Holy Spirit, a powerful spiritual force, directly from God. At this point, he decided to begin a new ministry that would free the Jewish people both from the oppression of the Roman government, and, above all, , by the strict religious laws imposed on them by God.
Jesus Christ’s early ministry largely involved the selection and training of twelve disciples who would continue missionary work after the prophesied death of the Messiah. Jesus also performed a series of miracles and healings, which may have attracted many new members to his fold, but also served to gain unwanted attention from both the Romans and the Jewish hierarchy. As Christ and his disciples continued to preach a new form of religion not based on Jewish law, significant opposition began to form.
Jesus Christ’s ministry continued for about three and a half years, ending on the Jewish holiday of Passover. During a traditional dinner, Jesus informed his disciples that he would soon be betrayed from within and handed over to the Romans to stand trial as a political insurrectionist. Within hours of this declaration, Christ was in fact betrayed by Judas Iscariot, a believer in the Zealot movement, and handed over to the Roman authorities, led by Pontius Pilate.
The trial and subsequent punishment of Jesus Christ under Roman law seemed to appease Pilate, who found little legal reason to execute Jesus. The matter was left in the hands of the Jewish leaders, who wanted to neutralize the religious and political threat posed by Christ, but did not they had the power to put him to death. Eventually Pilate ordered the release of a second prisoner and allowed Jesus to be crucified on a cross, a slow and humiliating form of execution.
Jesus Christ endured several hours of exposure on the cross and eventually lost the strength to stand up for fresh air. Unlike other crucifixion victims, Jesus’ legs were not broken to hasten the dying process. The manner and circumstances of his death also matched the Messianic prophecies, although the general Jewish population at the time did not recognize Jesus as the true Messiah. His body was removed from the cross and given to a wealthy follower of Jesus named Joseph for immediate burial in a recently completed tomb.
For modern Christian believers, the real miracle of Jesus Christ occurred during this time inside the tomb. When visitors arrived at the tomb several days after the burial, they encountered a spirit being who informed them that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, but had been brought back to life by God. The resurrected Christ later appeared to his disciples and encouraged them to continue the ministry he had begun. The Gospel accounts say that he ascended to heaven in front of several hundred witnesses.
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