Biography of Jesus Christ

Jesus, also known as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth

or the Son of God, is the founder of Christianity. He is believed to be the
promised Messiah sent by God to save human kind and he is also
regarded by Christians as the Incarnation of God. The essence of
Christianity centers around Jesus life and teachings, these can be found in
the New Testament of the Bible.
Jesus was born in 6-4 BC in Bethlehem to Joseph and Mary. In
Matthew 1, Jesus lineage was traced to the house of David. According to
Matthew and Luke, Joseph was not His biological father but was only His
legal father. Christianity believes that Jesus was born through the Virgin
Birth. According to the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Jesus, He was
conceived in Marys womb without the involvement of a human father 1.
Furthermore, in the Gospel of Luke, Mary was told by the Gabriel that she
will give birth to the Son of God through a virgin birth:
The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will
overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be
called the Son of God (Luke 1:35, New International Version). For with
God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).
During Jesus birth, Herod the Great was seated as the ruler. When
Herod heard of Jesus birth, Herod felt that his kingship was under threat,
so he demanded that all male babies under two years old in Bethlehem
to be killed; this is known as the Massacre of the Innocents (Matthew
2:16-18). Consequently, Joseph received a warning from an angel to flee
his family to Egypt to spare Jesus life. The family stayed in Egypt until
Herods Death (Matthew 2:13).
The next account of Jesus life was when he was 12 years old.
According to the Gospel of Luke (2:41-52), Jesus parted from His parents
during a pilgrimage to visit a temple. He found several days after.
Furthermore, in this gospel, Jesus was already aware of his divinity. After
this account, there were little to no other accounts of Jesus early life.
The accounts of Jesus life continued when He was in His mid 30s.
The first account of Jesus adult life was written in Mark 1:2-18, where
Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized. After Jesus baptism, He
started His ministry. He travelled to different villages to tell parables and
performed miracle. Several people became his disciples, including the
twelve apostles; the twelve apostles names were stated in Matthew
10:2-4. Jesus first miracle was done in a wedding in Cana, as requested
by His mother; Jesus turned water to wine (John 2:1-11). The Synoptic
Gospels reveal that Jesus traveled through Judea and Galilee to preach.
He continued His preaching and soon after, He attracted larger crowds
that began to proclaim Him as the Messiah.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus appointed Peter as the head of the

Church (Matthew 16:18-19). Followed by that, Jesus predicted his own
death (Matthew 16:21). Furthermore, there are many accounts in the
gospels that suggest Jesus knew his faith, that the Son of God is to suffer
and face death. Upon returning to Jerusalem, Jesus was greeted by a
large crowd and praised him as the Son of David and the Son of God. The
priests and the Pharisees felt threatened by Jesus growing popularity
among the people, thus they felt a need to stop Him. In Matthew 23:3-4,
it was stated that the chief priests and the Jewish authorities gathered
with Caiaphas, the high priest, to plan to kill Jesus. Moreover, according
to the four gospels, before his death, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead
and had many confrontations with the tax collectors, merchants in the
temple and the high priests.
Jesus and his twelve apostles met for the Passover meal; the
gathering is eventually called The Last Supper. This event is deemed
by Catholicism as the institution of the Holy Eucharist 2. Furthermore,
Jesus told the apostles that one of them would betray Him; Jesus knew it
was Judas. As Judas took the bread, Jesus told him What are you going
to do, do quickly (John 13: 27). After the Last Supper, Jesus and his
disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Shortly after Jesus
said his prayer, the soldiers came and arrested Him. Jesus was taken to
the high court where he was mocked and beaten. He was brought before
Pontius Pilate to stand trial. Pilate did not find any fault with Jesus, but
the priests suggests that anyone who claims to be king is speaking
against Caesar and the crowd wanted Him dead. Pilate gave in to the
demands of the crowd and ordered Jesus crucifixion. However, Pilate did
not claim any responsibility for Jesus death (Matthew 27:24).
The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus, crowned Him with
thorns and lead Him to Mount Calvary. Along with two thieves, Jesus was
crucified. The inscription INRI was placed above His head meaning, King
of the Jews. His disciples and mother were all present. In the gospels,
various events took place before Jesus actual death, these include the
taunting of the soldiers and the crowd, the conversation between Jesus
and the two thieves and Jesus agony. Before Jesus took his last breath,
He called upon God and said Father, into your hands I commit my spirit
(Psalms 31:5). The sky immediately darkened and an earthquake erupted
after Jesus death (Matthew 27:51). When the soldiers who were guarding
Jesus saw what has happened, they said Truly this man is the Son of
God (Matthew 27:54).
Jesus was brought down from the cross and was brought to a near
by tomb. Three days after the death of Jesus, His tomb was empty (John
2-:1-18). Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and eventually appeared to
all of His disciples. According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus gave the
apostles last instructions to preach the gospel to the world:

This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the
dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins
will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my
Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed
with power from on high (Luke 24:46-49).
Afterwards, Jesus lead the disciples out to the vicinity of Bethany and
blessed them. While blessing them, Jesus ascended to heaven. The
disciples praised Jesus and felt great joy. They began to spread Jesus
teachings throughout (Luke 24:50-53).
Sources:
1
Immaculate Conception and Assumption. (n.d.). Retrieved July 08, 2016, from
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/immaculate-conception-and-assumption

Catholic Church. (1994). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican City: Libreria
Editrice Vaticana.
The Holy Bible, new international version. (2011). Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Publishing House.
Jesus
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(n.d.).
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Sanders,
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(n.d.).
Jesus.
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