It is a very difficult task to find out what Jesus was really like. The Bible, for example, rarely touches on what Jesus was like because its purpose was to give His message, not to describe what He looked like. He was on Earth to deliver a message, not to become a famous personality.
But Jesus came on Earth at a time very different from ours. And His message, although timeless, was set in the time He gave it. So, in order to understand Jesus better, we need to know what He said and did, but also what the Holy Land was like at the time.
The other thing you must understand is that this unique story has two quite different parts. One part is the simple historical fact that Jesus was born, lived and was eventually executed in the Holy Land. There can be no argument over that. The other part is that the accounts we have of Jesus tell us that He was involved in many things for which there is no historical evidence. Many of these are called miracles. Jesus also talked of God. These are matters of faith, rather than history.
The land around Jerusalem is a hilly, almost mountainous land in the Middle East. In the time of Jesus it was called Judea. Now it is partly in Israel and partly in Palestine. It has long, dry and very hot summers, making it seem almost like a desert. Nevertheless, winters are wet and cold and it is not uncommon for snow to fall.
Jesus came into the world at a time when the Middle East was an unsettled place, just as it is today. In the days of Jesus, it was a time of turmoil because the land where most Jewish people lived was part of the Roman Empire, and the Jews didn’t like it. So there was always tension in the air, and sometimes there were riots and rebellions.
Each part of the Roman Empire was overseen by a Roman governor, but it was ruled on a day to day basis by local people. In 37 BC the Romans made Herod the King of Judea. The Romans thought of Judea as one of Rome’s most rebellious possessions.
Just about the time when Mary was about to give birth to Jesus, the Romans decided to count all of the people in Israel so they knew how much tax to expect. As a result, everyone had to go back to the home town of the head of the household, so that each family could be counted.
Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth, where they lived, to Joseph’s home town of Bethlehem to be counted in the census.
When Herod heard the news of Jesus birth he appeared in public to agree with the Magi that this was wonderful news. But actually he was very upset, because he did not want any trouble in his kingdom or anyone challenging his rule. He gathered all the chief priests and scribes and asked them where the Saviour would be born. They told him in Bethlehem, because it was written in the Jewish holy books:
“out of you shall come forth a governor, who shall shepherd My people, Israel.”
Herod was cunning. He told the Wise Men what the scriptures had said and so to go to Bethlehem. Herod then asked that he might be told if they found the Christ Child. The Magi eventually reached the place where Jesus was and saw the young child with Mary, and they fell down and worshipped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him symbolic gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Then the Magi were warned in dreams about Herod’s deadly intentions for the child and they decided to return home by a different route, in order to stop him killing Jesus. So that left Herod with a problem. He knew there was a child, but he could not pinpoint which one it was.
So when Herod instructed that all newly-born boys should be killed, Joseph and Mary had time to escape to Egypt with Jesus until Herod died. After that, they believed they were safe, and that is why Jesus grew up in Nazareth.
In His early years, Jesus visited the Temple in Jerusalem many times. It was there that people were amazed by how much He knew about religion. But as soon as Jesus began His ministry, things were different. Now the temple and its priests were a threat, just as they felt threatened by Jesus and what He taught.
Jesus taught for many years, gathered disciples and performed many acts that people believed were miracles. There were many who felt unsettled by this. Things came to a head on the final year of Jesus' life, at the time of Passover.
On the Sunday before the Passover holiday in springtime, a member of each Jewish family had to go to Jerusalem and make a sacrifice to God at the Temple. Jesus and his Disciples decided to go to Jerusalem even though they all knew danger awaited Jesus there. Up to this point they had been avoiding the place because they knew the Pharisees were laying plans against Jesus.
As they drew close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of his Disciples into a nearby village. He told them they would find a donkey, and they should bring it to Him. It was a common custom in many lands in the ancient Near East to cover the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. It was a sort of ‘red-carpet’ treatment.
That Jesus should enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey has many meanings. Many Christians think it was a sign of humility. The donkey may have been a symbol of peace, as opposed to the horse, which is seen as the animal of war.
Therefore, Jesus’ entry on a donkey may have been a symbol of peace,
However, the Jews saw it quite differently. In the Jewish Bible (the Old Testament), the prophet Zachariah prophecies that the Messiah will enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
So some of the religious leaders plotted a way to get rid of Jesus.
The priests decided it was time to act. While Jesus was in Bethany, one of his Disciples, Judas Iscariot, met with the priests and agreed to betray Jesus. Since Jesus believes He must die in order to save humankind, we can also see Judas’ action as necessary and important, not as a simple betrayal.
The priests do not want to arrest Jesus in public, because they are worried about causing unrest, so they agree with Judas that they will wait until Jesus is away from most of the crowds.
The date chosen was the day of the Passover supper (which Jews know as a seder), but it was also when many of the traditions we associate with Christian communion were born. Jesus was starting a new holy day with this meal.
Once in the Garden of Gethsemane, also called the Garden of Tears by some, Jesus told his Disciples to keep watch while he went a little way off and prayed.
Then the Temple guards arrive, along with Judas. Judas had earlier told the guards that he would give Jesus a kiss, so the guards would know who he was. Now Judas walked up to Jesus and gave him a kiss.
Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do?”
When his Disciples saw the soldiers arrest Jesus, Peter drew a sword and struck one of the guards, cutting off his ear.
But Jesus told the Disciples to put away their swords, and told them that all those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Jesus reminded his Disciples that it was time for Him to die, to fulfil the scriptures, and nothing would save Him now.
Jesus was then tried and convicted in what we would now call a 'kangaroo court', with no evidence and the outcome a foregone conclusion.
Jesus was then taken out of prison on the last Friday and made to carry His cross to the point of execution at Golgotha (where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands).
Now we come to the end of Jesus’ time on Earth. Many Christians commemorate this time by remembering 14 events that traditionally tell about what happened from the time Jesus is condemned to die, until he is laid in the tomb. These events are called the Stations of the Cross.
The word ‘station’ stems from Latin ‘station’, meaning: I stand. As far back as the 16th century these stations could be seen along the street called the Via Dolorosa (also known as the Road of Sorrows and The Sorrowful Way) in Jerusalem, a well-known journey for pilgrims ever since.
Jesus was dead. But it is, of course,
not the last time He will be seen on Earth,
for this is the time of the Resurrection.
The day after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and another woman called Salome went to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for burial according to the Jewish tradition of the time.
When they got to the tomb, they began to wonder how they would roll away the large stone in front of the entrance, because it was very heavy. But then they saw the stone was already rolled back.
Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed. He said he knew that they were looking for Jesus, but that He was no longer there because He had risen. Instead they should tell His Disciples that He would meet them again in Galilee.
The story of the Resurrection demonstrated that those who follow Jesus can indeed live forever with God.
In the days and weeks that followed, Jesus came back to his closest followers.
The end of the story – and the beginning?
The Disciples went to a mountain cave, where Jesus met with them and told them to teach his words to everyone they can, and to baptise them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. However, John ends his gospel in a very interesting way, by saying that there are many other things Jesus did and said, but that it is far too much to write down. It’s almost like he is saying, “Stay tuned to this channel and I will tell you even more later on.” And that, of course, is what Christians believe today.
We have many videos on the life of Jesus. Here is just one to start you off. The others can be accessed through the topic below.
