The Story of Jesus Christ: A Summary of His Life

From the 4th century to the present day, there have been numerous ongoing debates about the nature of Jesus Christ. In the article below, let us explore the story of Jesus, summarizing His life and biography.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus Christ, also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity, regarded by Christians as the Son of God and the awaited Messiah (Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament. According to Christian teachings, Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, lived a life of teaching, performing miracles, and spreading messages of love, forgiveness, and salvation. His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection are key events in Christian belief, symbolizing the redemption of humanity from sin and the promise of eternal life for believers.

The Birth of Jesus

The Birth of Jesus Christ: According to the two Gospels of the New Testament, Luke and Matthew, Jesus Christ was born to a virgin named Mary, the wife of Joseph, a carpenter, in Bethlehem of Judea. In Luke’s account, Jesus was placed in a manger after birth because Mary and Joseph could not find lodging for the night as they traveled with a group of people to Bethlehem.

Angels announced that this child would be the Messiah, and wise men came to worship Him. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, during the reign of King Herod (a Jewish puppet king under Roman rule), some wise men from the East came to Jerusalem to inquire about the Messiah’s whereabouts. King Herod, fearing a threat to his power, secretly instructed the wise men to inform him of Jesus’ location. Guided by a star, the wise men traveled to Bethlehem and offered gifts to Jesus, recognizing Him as the King of the Jews.

When Herod’s plan to use the wise men to find Jesus failed, he ordered the massacre of all male infants in Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate Jesus. However, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt after being warned by an angel, and later, they settled in Nazareth, in the region of Galilee.

Biography of Jesus Christ

1. Early Life:

After His birth, Jesus’ family fled to Egypt to escape King Herod’s massacre of infants and only returned after Herod’s death in Jericho.

Jesus spent His childhood in the village of Nazareth in Galilee. The only recorded event from this time is when Jesus, at age 12, accompanied His family on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He was separated from His parents but was later found in the Temple, engaging in discussions with Jewish scholars.

2. Baptism:

Immediately after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus began His ministry, around the age of thirty. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus and John were cousins, as Mary and Elizabeth, John’s mother, were relatives.

3. Mission and Work:

Jesus personally taught and mentored Peter, Andrew, James, and John, who were initially fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, shaping them into great disciples known worldwide today. According to the Bible, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee with His disciples, teaching and healing. His authoritative, powerful teaching, combined with His masterful use of parables, attracted large crowds. People gathered wherever He was, sometimes so many that Jesus had to preach from a boat. He also taught in Jewish synagogues.

Jesus used various teaching methods, including paradoxes, metaphors, and parables. He taught that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, people must follow God’s laws and that true blessings are heavenly. His most famous sermon is the Sermon on the Mount. Two of His most well-known parables are the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Jesus had many disciples, with the twelve apostles being the closest. Peter was appointed as the chief apostle due to his strong faith. According to the New Testament, Jesus performed numerous miracles, including healing, casting out demons, and raising Lazarus from the dead.

The Jewish leaders at the time, including the Sadducees and Pharisees, often opposed Jesus. The Sadducees and Pharisees believed in God as a spirit, whereas Jesus taught about God taking human form and declared that He Himself was God. This fundamental difference led to their opposition. Jesus frequently criticized the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy and emphasis on outward appearances. Many viewed Jesus as a social reformer, while others saw Him as the King who would liberate the Jews from Roman rule. The authorities, however, perceived Him as a growing threat to the religious and political institutions of the time. Many believed Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior of humanity.

4. Arrest and Trial:

On the day Jesus and His disciples entered Jerusalem for the Passover, He went to the Temple, drove out the merchants and money changers, overturned their tables, and rebuked them, saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers.”

At that time, the chief priests, scribes, and elders, who saw Jesus as a threat to their power and influence, gathered at the high priest Caiaphas’s house to plot His death. One of Jesus’ twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

On the night of Passover, Jesus instructed His disciples to prepare the feast, and they celebrated it together. During the meal, He declared that the bread and wine symbolized His body and blood, which would grant eternal life. He urged His disciples to be united in love and warned them of His impending arrest, suffering, and crucifixion. Jesus, overwhelmed with sorrow, prayed with such intensity that His sweat became like drops of blood. He also foretold that His disciples would abandon Him. Later that night, in the Garden of Gethsemane outside Jerusalem, Roman soldiers identified Jesus through Judas’ betrayal with a kiss.

When Jesus was arrested and bound, His disciples fled, fulfilling the prophecy of Scripture. Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and elders were assembled, trying to find false testimony against Him to justify killing Him, but they found none. The crowd spat on Him, struck Him, and some slapped Him.

Judas Iscariot, overcome with guilt for betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, hanged himself in despair.

Early the next morning, Jesus was handed over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. At the Sanhedrin, the crowd, incited by the religious leaders, accused Jesus of blasphemy and handed Him over to the Roman authorities to be crucified—not for blasphemy but on the charge of inciting rebellion. Under pressure from the Jewish leaders and the crowd, Pilate reluctantly ordered Jesus’ crucifixion. The soldiers flogged Him, placed a crown of thorns on His head, spat on Him, and mocked Him in every possible way. They then forced Him to carry the cross on which He would be crucified, leading Him to Golgotha. There, they nailed His hands and feet to the cross. Above His head, they placed a sign that read, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Jesus was crucified from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., enduring extreme agony for six hours.

After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea approached Pilate and requested permission to bury His body, which was witnessed by Mary, Mary Magdalene, and other women.

5. Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ:

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion, an event known as the Resurrection, which is celebrated annually on Easter Sunday.

According to the Bible, Mary Magdalene (who went alone at first, later joined by the apostle John, though other women were with Peter) came to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning and found it empty. Despite having heard Jesus’ teachings, the disciples still didn’t fully understand that He would rise again after His crucifixion.

In the Gospel of Matthew, guards were stationed at the tomb. An angel descended from heaven and rolled the stone away, causing the guards to faint from fear. Jesus then appeared to the two Marys—Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Later, Jesus appeared to the remaining eleven disciples, instructing them to spread the Good News and baptize people in His name.

In the Gospel of Mark, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices (as was the custom at the time) but found the tomb empty. The disciples then went out and preached everywhere, with Jesus confirming their message through accompanying miracles. Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after His resurrection.

In the Gospel of John, when Mary Magdalene reached the empty tomb, she saw two angels dressed in white. The angels asked, “Woman, why are you crying?” She replied, “Because they have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put Him.” As she turned, she saw Jesus standing there but did not recognize Him. The four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles all record that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to His disciples at various places during the forty days before His ascension into heaven.

However, while the two Marys were returning from the tomb, some of the guards went into the city and reported everything to the chief priests. The priests gave the guards money and instructed them to say, “His disciples came during the night and stole Him away while we were asleep.” In other words, even though the chief priests knew the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, they bribed the soldiers to spread false information, and these rumors persist to this day.

Did the Jews of that time believe in Jesus?

Today, all Christian churches believe in Jesus Christ. However, 2,000 years ago, many Jews (or the people of Judea) did not believe in Jesus and even had Him crucified.

The reason for this rejection was that during that era, the Jewish people believed in God as a divine, spiritual being. When Jesus came and proclaimed that He was God in the flesh, His teachings about God taking on human form were too radical and contrary to the deeply rooted Jewish traditions and beliefs. Because of this, they accused Jesus of blasphemy and sought to kill Him.

At that time, crucifixion was a punishment used by the Romans for the most heinous criminals. This demonstrates how much the Jews despised Jesus during that period, as they considered Him a threat to their religious views and societal norms.

The Birth Date of Jesus Christ

Most people worldwide believe that December 25th is the birthdate of Jesus Christ and celebrate Christmas on that day. However, there is much debate over whether December 25th is truly the date of Jesus’ birth.

1. Historical Evidence:

Origin of Christmas:

December 25th was the Roman winter solstice, marking the birth of the sun. At that time, the cult of the sun god Mithras had spread throughout the Roman Empire. Worshippers of the sun god believed that the sun was born on the winter solstice, the day with the shortest midday. They believed the afternoon following the solstice was a sign of the sun’s rebirth, growing stronger each day.

Romans celebrated December 25th with large festivals before and after that day. Initially, this day held no significance for early Christians. However, after Roman Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity as the state religion, the Roman Church became more secularized. In an effort to extend its influence, the Church began to adopt the sun god’s festival, officially declaring December 25th as the birth of Jesus Christ in 354 AD.

Many Christmas customs, such as caroling, gift-giving, and the Christmas tree, are closely tied to pagan traditions.

Gift-giving originated from the Roman festival of Sigillaria, where dolls were gifted to children, and this practice spread to Christmas after it became a Christian holiday.
Decorating the Christmas tree stems from the ancient practice of worshiping evergreen trees in places like Babylon, Egypt, and Rome. These cultures decorated their homes with greenery and performed rituals to ward off evil, using red ornaments to symbolize the sun.
The image of Santa Claus, with his white beard and red suit, comes from a 1931 Coca-Cola advertisement.
These pagan traditions entered the church even before December 25th became widely known as Christmas and have since become popular globally.

2. Biblical Evidence:

Israel is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Desert, with short springs and falls, long summers and winters, and significant temperature variations. This is due to the country’s Mediterranean climate, interspersed with subtropical conditions.

In Israel, winter is the rainy season with falling temperatures. For this reason, sheep were typically brought back to barns no later than October for winter shelter. Therefore, shepherds watching their flocks outdoors in mid-December, especially at night, would have been unlikely.

According to the Bible, when the shepherds were watching over their flocks at night, an angel appeared to them to announce the birth of Jesus Christ:

“And everyone went to their own town to register. Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2:3-11)