Jesus of Nazareth

The Word who became flesh

The center of everything. Born in Bethlehem under Roman rule, He grew up in Nazareth, proclaimed the kingdom of God, healed, taught in parables, was crucified in Jerusalem and rose on the third day.

In the beginning

The four Gospels tell the same life from different angles: Matthew shows the King promised to Israel; Mark, the Servant who acts; Luke, the Savior of all, including the outcasts; John, the eternal Son of God. John begins before the manger: “In the beginning was the Word.”

The world he was born into

Jesus was born under the Roman Empire, in a time of heavy taxes, military occupation and strong messianic expectation. He spoke Aramaic, read Hebrew and lived under Jewish Law, in a land crossed by Roman roads and religious tensions between Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes and Zealots.

What he taught

The center of his message was the kingdom of God, God’s reign breaking into the world. He taught in parables, healed, forgave sins (something only God would do) and placed himself above the Law and the temple, which divided crowds and provoked the authorities.

Why he died, and what changed

Handed over by the Sanhedrin and executed by Rome on the cross, his death is read by the New Testament as a voluntary sacrifice for sin. The central testimony of the Christian faith is the resurrection on the third day, which turned frightened disciples into witnesses willing to die.

Did you know?

• Non-Christian authors mention Jesus: Tacitus (Annals 15.44) and Flavius Josephus (Antiquities 18). Tacitus, Annals 15.44
• “Christ” isn’t a last name: it’s the Greek for “Messiah,” the Anointed One. John 1:41
• Most scholars date his public ministry to between c. AD 27 and 33. Luke 3:1

Where to read in the Bible

• Matthew 1–28
• Mark 1–16
• Luke 1–24
• John 1–21

Connections

• lord of the The Sabbath and Purity · factual · Marcos 2:28
• taught in the The Jewish feasts · factual · João 7:37
• falava The languages of Jesus’ time · factual · Mark 5:41
• linked to Adam and Eve · cross-reference · 1 Corinthians 15:45
• linked to Joshua · cross-reference · Hebrews 4:8
• linked to Joseph of Egypt · editorial reading · Acts 7:9–10
• linked to Boaz · editorial reading · Ruth 4:9–10
• linked to Solomon’s Temple · cross-reference · John 2:19–21
• heir to the throne promised to David · cross-reference · Luke 1:32–33; 2 Samuel 7:12–13
• linked to The Creation · stated in the text · John 1:3; Colossians 1:16
• linked to Moses · cross-reference · Acts 3:22; Deuteronomy 18:15
• linked to Rahab · stated in the text · Matthew 1:5
• linked to Melchizedek · cross-reference · Hebrews 7:3
• linked to James, the Lord's brother · stated in the text · Galatians 1:19

Topics: Son of God, Son of David

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