Site Home > Wiki of Christianity > Jesus
Key Pages
Categories |Jesus is the central figure that separates Christianity from other religions. Christians believe that he is both God and a man; that he created the world and mankind, and that he is alive today. He was born around the 4 BC and grew up in Galilee and Judea (current day Israel and Palestine) where he taught about God's love and the repentance of sin. He died on a cross for the sins of all humanity and rose again 3 days later. A Christian believes that faith in him brings salvation.
Jesus is the name commonly used in English, translated from the Hebrew "Yeshua". Christ (or Messiah) was the title of Jesus (not his surname) and means "anointed". Other titles for Jesus include "Son of God" and "Son of David".
The Bible speaks about Jesus in a way that is difficult to comprehend. It tells us that Jesus is God in human flesh (John 1:1 and John 1:14). This doctrine is called the hypostatic union. Somehow, by a mystery not understandable to human minds, Jesus is both fully divine and fully human at the same time. Because of the apparent impossibility of this, there have been disagreements regarding Christ's nature since the times of the early church and these disagreements have caused considerable tension at times. None-the-less, throughout the history of the church, time and time again, its people have, because of the words in the Bible, returned to the understanding that Jesus is both God and human.
Many historians (including non-Christian historians) agree that there is good historical evidence of the life and crucifixion of Jesus. Apart from the Bible, there are numerous mentions of Jesus in historical texts. But perhaps most compelling that Jesus existed is that fact that just a few short years after his death, thousands of people were boldly proclaiming his name and were willing to die throughout the Roman Empire.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, probably about 4 BC. He was born to Mary who was a virgin married to Joseph, a carpenter from Galilee. The precise date of his birth is not known, but it is celebrated at Christmas.
Jesus is widely regarded as a great teacher. Throughout the gospels, people are frequently quoted as addressing him as "teacher".
Sermons and statements
Most of the direct teaching from Jesus' is recorded in the the gospels. These are 4 books (Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of John) in the Bible. One of the most well know sections of teaching is called the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus called on his followers to live holy lives of love, loving God, loving family and friends and even loving enemies. Jesus also taught about himself, that it was only through him that a person could come to know God.
The gospel accounts of Jesus' life record numerous miracles that Jesus performed. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and calmed the storms. These miracles act as a testimony to the deity of Christ, as well as to his compassion.
Jesus often taught using illustrations and stories known as parables. His parables often tell of the kingdom of God and the nature of God. Sometimes the meaning is clear, at other times it can seem hidden. Some of his most famous parables include the story of the Good Samaritan which teaches about loving each other, and the story of the Prodigal Son, which teaches about God's love.
Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem around the year 30 AD. He was executed because of his claims to be the Son of God, which was considered blasphemous by the religious leaders of his day. In his death, the Bible tells us that he bore all the sins of mankind so that we could be clean and without sin in the eyes of God. His death is remembered on Good Friday but it is not the end of the story.
Three days after the crucifixion, Jesus appeared to his disciples, risen from the dead. He sent his disciples out into the world and today millions of people today know the risen Lord Christ and celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
There are numerous prophecies about the Christ in the Old Testament. These prophecies, sometimes called Messianic Prophecies, were clearly fulfilled in Jesus. One of the most commonly cited Messianic prophecy is Isaiah 53 which talks about the suffering servant.
No Jesus, No peace; Know Jesus, Know peace. - Anonymous Quote
There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus. - Blaise Pascal
Jesus, like any good fisherman, first catches the fish; then He cleans them. - Mark Potter
Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is himself the way. - Karl Barth
Category: God | Category: Jesus