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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