The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

 Main Idea:  Jesus of Nazareth preached of God’s love and forgiveness…Acco rding to Christian stories Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and rose from the dead.

The Life of Jesus of Nazareth  Lecture Focus:  Have you ever given anyone advice? Was it really important? Maybe you could have helped them in another way.

The Life of Jesus of Nazareth  During the Roman occupation of Israel, many Jews hoped God would send a Messiah to help them win back their freedom from Rome.  Israelite prophets had predicted a messiah would come to help…a messiah is a religious champion.

The Life of Jesus of Nazareth  Many Jews expected the messiah to be a great king, like David, who would restore the Israelite Kingdom.

The Life of Jesus of Nazareth  A few decades before the first Jewish Rebellion against Rome, a Jew named Jesus left his home in Nazareth and began preaching.  From about 30 C.E. to 33 C.E., Jesus preached throughout Judaea and Galilee, the area just north of Judaea.

The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

 He soon assembled a small band of 12 close followers called disciples.  Disciples were looked at as personal supporters of Jesus.

The Life of Jesus of Nazareth  Questions:  1) What does the term Messiah mean?  A religious champion  2) What two areas did Jesus of Nazareth travel to and preach?  Galilee and Judaea  3) What is a disciple?  Follower of Jesus

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  According to the Christian Bible, Jesus preached that God was coming soon to rule the world.  He urged people to turn from their sins…give up their bad behaviors.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  The main points of Jesus of Nazareth’s message are given in a group of sayings known as the Sermon on the Mount.  In these sayings, Jesus made it clear that a person had to love and forgive from the heart.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  Among Jesus’ sayings were “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy” and “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God”. (Original page from book of Matthew )

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  Jesus told his listeners to love and forgive each other because God loves and forgives all people.  According to Jesus, God’s command was simple…he repeated the age old Jewish teaching: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength”.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  Jesus also stressed the Jewish teaching: “ Love your neighbor as yourself”.  This message of love and forgiveness helped shape the values many people in Europe and America hold today.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  To a significant degree, these ideas were embedded in the Jewish environment in which Jesus lived.  Thus, Rabbi (Jewish Religious Leader) books too speak heavily of loving God and your neighbor.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  A famous Rabbi named Hillel the Elder declared, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your friend. This is the entire Torah. The rest is just commentary. Go and learn.”

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  To present his message, Jesus often used Parables.  A parable were stories that used events from everyday life to express spiritual and moral ideas.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  Take the story of the “Prodigal (wasteful) Son”.  This story explained how a father welcomed back his reckless son and forgave his son’s mistakes.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  Another parable, told of a shepherd who left his flock unguarded to go after one lost sheep.  Both of these stories taught that God forgives mistakes and wants all people to turn away from bad deeds

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  In the parable of the “Good Samaritan”, a man is beaten by robbers as two people pass by the injured man not offering help.  However, a Samaritan, a member of a group of people who lived in northern Israel, stops to help.

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  He treats the man’s wounds and pays for his stay in an inn.  Which man do you think truly showed love to his neighbor???

What did Jesus of Nazareth Teach?  Questions:  4) What is a Parable?  Stories that used events from everyday life to express spiritual ideas.  5) Give an example of one that we discussed.  The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son or the Good Shepherd

What is the Crucifixion?  Jesus and his message drew strong responses from people.  His followers spoke of instances in which they believed he healed the sick and preformed other miracles.

What is the Crucifixion?  Some people believed he was the long awaited Messiah  While other Jews rejected him and said that he was a deceiver.

What is the Crucifixion?  Above all, Judaea’s Roman rulers feared the effects of Jesus’ preaching.  The Roman’s thought that a person who could spark such strong reactions might threaten law and order.

What is the Crucifixion?  About C.E. 33, Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, an important Jewish holy day.  When he arrived in Jerusalem he was greeted by large, cheering crowds.

What is the Crucifixion?  In an event known as the Last Supper, Jesus celebrated the holy day of Passover with his 12 disciples.

What is the Crucifixion?  What is Passover?  Passover is a Jewish festival that commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

What is the Crucifixion?  Fearing trouble, leaders in Jerusalem arrested Jesus and charged him with treason, or disloyalty to the government.

What is the Crucifixion?  According to the Christian scriptures, Jesus was crucified, or hung from a cross until dead.  This was Rome’s way of punishing political rebels and lower class criminals.

What is the Crucifixion?  The death of Jesus Christ involved a few co-conspirators, each doing their part to push the process along.  Their motives ranged from greed, to hatred, to duty… they were Judas Iscariot, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, and an unnamed Roman centurion.

What is the Crucifixion?  1 ) Joseph Caiaphas, High Priest of the Jerusalem temple, was one of the most powerful men in ancient Israel, yet he felt threatened by the peace loving Jesus of Nazareth.  Caiaphas feared Jesus might start a rebellion, causing a clampdown by the Romans, so he decided Jesus had to die, ignoring all the laws to make sure that happened.

What is the Crucifixion?  2) The Sanhedrin, Israel's high court which enforced law.  Although Jesus was innocent, the Sanhedrin voted to convict, with the penalty being death, but this court had no authority to order execution, for that they needed the help of the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.

What is the Crucifixion?  3) Pontius Pilate held the power of life and death in ancient Israel.  When Jesus was sent to him for trial, Pilate found no reason to execute him…instead, he had Jesus brutally flogged.

What is the Crucifixion?  The Sanhedrin and Pharisees were not satisfied, they demanded that Jesus be crucified, a torturous death reserved for only the most violent criminals.  Always the politician, Pilate symbolically washed his hands of the matter and turned Jesus over to one of his centurions.

What is the Crucifixion?  4) Judas Iscariot The irony behind the death of Christ was that one of his closest followers, Judas turned him over to the Roman authorities for 30 silver pieces.  After Jesus was killed Judas hung himself out of pure guilt.

What is the Crucifixion?  After Jesus’ death, his followers made a startling claim.  They announced that Jesus had risen from the dead.

What is the Crucifixion?  Christian tradition states that Mary Magdalene, one Jesus’ followers, was the first to see him alive again.  Others including Jesus’ disciples, reported seeing him as well.

What is the Crucifixion?  The disciples also pointed to his empty tomb as proof that Jesus was in fact the Messiah.  These reports of Jesus’ resurrection, or rising from the dead, led to a new religion known as Christianity.

What is the Crucifixion?  Questions:  6) Why did the Romans fear Jesus?  They thought he might threaten law and order  7) What was the name of Jesus’ friend who betrayed him?  Judas, for 30 silver pieces  8) What does the term Crucified mean?  Roman punishment where a person is hung from a cross until dead  9) What were the main ideas Jesus taught during his life?  Love and forgiveness  10) What does resurrection mean?  Rise from the dead