All world religions have at least one human entity at the core of their beliefs- Buddhism has a prince named Siddhartha, Islam has a prophet named Mohammed, Judaism has such names as Moses and King David, while Christianity has a man named Jesus Christ. All of these men were said to be inspired by a higher power to perform their earthly responsibilities, no matter if that power was seen by believers as a universal force, Allah or the Judeo-Christian God. Men and women throughout history have claimed to be emissaries between the world of the divine and the world of mankind- some became the cornerstones of major world religions while others were punished as blasphemers or removed from society out of fear or a sense of order.
Into this world stepped Jesus Christ, or Joshua Bar Joseph as he might have been called in his native Aramaic language. At the time of his birth, the Jews were at the political and military mercy of the Roman Empire. Life under Roman rule was little better than life under numerous other empires who sought to control Palestine and ancient Israel. Jewish prophets and religious leaders had been predicting the arrival of a Messiah, who would liberate his people from all oppressors and establish a new Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the role of Messiah had also become an opening for charlatans and misguided zealots to raise up armies and fight impossible battles against their oppressors. By the time of Jesus Christ, any talk of a militant Messiah was considered treasonable by the Romans and extremely ill-advised by the Jewish religious leaders.
Jewish scriptures suggested that the true Messiah would be directly descended from King David, a legendary ruler over the Jews. In Nazareth, a small town in Palestine, a carpenter by the name of Joseph became engaged to a young girl named Mary. Joseph's lineage was traceable directly to the house of David. But Joseph's plans of a traditional marriage were disrupted by the unexpected news that his virginal fiancee was already pregnant. According to Christian scripture, Mary had been visited by a spirit sent by God- she would remain a virgin, but would also carry a child conceived by God. This is often referred to as the Immaculate Conception in modern Christian teachings. Joseph had the right under Jewish law to have her sent away, but another spirit convinced him to spare her. Joseph agreed to raise the child as his own. Late in her pregnancy, Mary would have to travel with Joseph to his hometown of Bethlehem in order to be counted for an official Roman census. According to Christian scriptures, a lack of available rooms caused Jesus to be born in a stable meant for livestock. In essence, Jesus Christ would be born like a lamb.
Information concerning Jesus' childhood and adolescence is notably scarce. The assumption is that Joseph would have trained Jesus to be a carpenter, a valuable trade in his day. One incident in Christian scriptures suggests that a 12 year old Jesus already had a sense of his divine purpose. During a trip to Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary could not find their young son. After searching for hours, they discovered Jesus teaching in the temple- something ordinarily reserved for elders and trained rabbis. When asked why he had slipped away, Jesus preternaturally responded that he was doing his 'Father's' business- a direct reference to his divinity and connection to God. Jesus may have remained a journeyman carpenter or he may have gone on a spiritual quest, as alleged in certain non-Christian texts. Jesus's early adult life is not chronicled in any accepted Christian text.
At the age of 30, a significant age in Jewish religious tradition, Jesus Christ suddenly appeared again in Judea. John the Baptist, a blood cousin of Jesus, had been preaching the imminent arrival of the true Messiah, but he was perceived to be a misguided religious fanatic who lived outside of traditional society. Jesus' arrival at the Jordan river assured John that his labors were not in vain, and John felt compelled to baptize Jesus. According to Christian scripture, the holy spirit of God descended upon Jesus upon baptism and Jesus was clearly recognized as the Son of God. This was the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry. He selected 12 men from a multitude of occupations to follow him as he preached from city to city. These twelve men would be called his apostles, and those who chose to follow him would be called disciples. For the next three and half years, Jesus Christ and his disciples travelled throughout Palestine and ancient Israel, preaching a combination of traditional Jewish beliefs with a new emphasis on the kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ did not declare himself to be the Jewish Messiah, although many of his followers began to believe he fulfilled the scriptures. Some became discouraged when Jesus did not actively preach military insurrection against their Roman oppressors. Jesus' messages were mostly focused on personal responsibility and ethics, not politics. As Jesus' reputation grew, the traditional Jewish religious orders feared his unconventional teachings would draw dangerous attention from the Romans. Word of a legitimate Messiah sent by God to defeat the Romans would naturally cause a major pre-emptive strike. Partially out of fear for their own safety and partially out of jealousy of Jesus' power, Jewish leaders, collectively called the Sanhedrin, sought a way to keep Rome appeased while putting down a potential threat to their traditions and teachings. Jesus Christ's message was that the new world under God would not be ruled by the old laws and traditions. By interceding for men, the true Messiah would fill the void formed by the original sin of Adam. Once God and his creation (mankind)were reconnected through a blood sacrifice, a new society would arise. This idea frightened both the Romans and the Jewish leaders.
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem in order to observe the Passover holiday, his following was at an all-time high. By now he was a wanted man by the religious leadership, but surprisingly not considered a major threat by the Romans, who had seen numerous false Messiahs over the years. Once Jesus had been captured and brought to the Sanhedrin for examination, he would also have to be charged with serious crimes against Rome in order to guarantee a death penalty. Understanding
his role in the inevitable chain of events to follow, Jesus faced both the Roman ruler Pontius Pilate and King Herod with equal humility. Sentencing a man to death for treason was not a difficult decision to make, although Pilate sensed that the Sanhedrin was almost too desperate in its cry for blood.
Jesus Christ was sentenced to a slow, painful death through crucifixion- a method designed to create maximum humiliation of the victim. Jesus realized his earthly ministry had come to a dramatic close, so he willingly commended his spirit back to God, his Father. Three days later, according to scripture, his tomb was found to be empty. Jesus reappeared to His apostles several more times and encouraged them to spread the good news (gospel in Greek)of His triumph over physical and spiritual death. The bridge between Man and God had been restored by His intercession, and those who believed in His divinity and teachings would be able to experience salvation and an eternal reward in Heaven. Followers should remain faithful to the ethical and spiritual teachings of His earthly ministry and actively seek out others to join them
through salvation.
Although Jesus Christ demonstrated an astounding understanding of Jewish law and was properly called rabbi by his earliest followers, his teachings actually show a synthesis between Western and Eastern philosophies. Jesus was more concerned with eternal spirituality, not the laws concerning a pious earthly existance. His parables favored the humble over the proud and the poor over the unenlightened rich. Two thousand years later, Jesus' teaching still come across as effective object lessons for leading a moral and ethical life.
