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Jesus  was
with us for a very short time, and his ministry was only about
3 years long. Even though his ministry was a short one, it
is a wonderful story of the Son of God. We've tried to present
some basic information about Jesus, His ministry, and how
you might accept the wonderful gift of salvation he'd like
to give to you.
For more wonderful information about Jesus,
please use the links below:
Ministry
of Jesus
Accept the Gift
Birth of the Savior
Mary, a virgin, was engaged to Joseph,
a carpenter. God sent an angel to Mary to tell her that although
she was a virgin, she would soon bear a son.
Joseph was also visited by an angel that
instructed Joseph to marry Mary, despite her being with child.
We can imagine that the stigma of being an unwed mother was
even greater than it is today, so it is important that this
message came from God.
Joseph and Mary traveled to the town of
Bethlehem to take part in the census (all people were required
to return to the place of their birth to be counted.) While
they were there, Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in
a manger because there was no room in the inn for them.
Later, the baby Jesus was brought gifts
by wise men. Herod the Great was king, and he was wicked and
threatened when the wise men told him that Jesus would be
the “King of Israel.” Herod then sent soldiers to
Bethlehem to kill all the children. Joseph was pre-warned
by an angel that this was happening and he and his family
escaped to Egypt until Herod died, when they returned to Nazareth
to raise Jesus and the rest of the family.
For more details, the full Christmas Story
can be found in: Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:5-2:45
Baptism
Although Jesus never sinned, John baptized
him. When Jesus came up from the water, the Holy Spirit descended,
and God spoke from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved
son."
Disciples
The disciples were: Peter, Andrew, James
the son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas,
James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot.
They traveled with Jesus as he preached. After Jesus died,
they went through the land preaching the word to the masses
as Jesus had commanded, and started many of the early churches.
Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivered his most famous sermon
on a mountain near Capernaum. In it, Jesus taught: Love your
enemies. Do not judge others. Do not be anxious about tomorrow,
but trust God. Treat others, as you would have them treat
you.
Miracles of Jesus
Jesus did many miracles to show others
that he was God's son. God gave Jesus power over nature, power
over disease, and even power over death!
The Trial
The Jewish leaders were very threatened
by the following that Jesus had in the area. They decided
that the only way to deal with him was to have him put to
death. They accused him of blasphemy. Pilate, a Roman governor,
tried Jesus. Even though he wanted Jesus to be set free, he
left the choice up to the people. Able to either set Jesus
free or Barabbas, a murderer, the crowd was persuaded to choose
Barabbas. He was set free and Jesus was flogged and crucified.
Crucifixion
Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion,
a horrible death that consisted of flogging, nailing to a
wooded cross, until Jesus was dead. Also crucified at that
time were two criminals, one of which asked to be saved before
he died.
Burial
His body was placed in a tomb. Jesus had
promised the disciples he would come back after he died. His
enemies knew this. So, to prevent anyone from stealing the
body, they had Roman soldiers guard the tomb of Jesus. As
was customary, there was also a huge stone rolled in front
of the tomb.
Resurrection
Three days following his death on the
cross, an angel came down on earth to the tomb where Jesus’
body lay. The soldiers guarding the tomb were very frightened
and fled. The angel rolled the stone away and sat upon it,
appearing to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary that had come
to the tomb. He told them Jesus was not there for he had risen
and would see them in Galilee. Jesus then appeared several
times following this, telling us to go forth and spread the
news!
Timeline of Jesus’ Life and
Ministry
6-4 BC - Birth of Jesus Christ
5-4 BC - Escape to Egypt. Slaughter of children
4 BC - Herod the Great dies (spring).
7-8 AD - Jesus visits Jerusalem as a child
29 AD - Ministry of John the Baptist begins
29 AD - Christ's ministry begins
33 AD - Jesus is Crucified (Friday, April 3rd, 3:00pm)
33 AD - Jesus is Resurrected (On the Third Day after the Crucifixion)
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