The Life of Christ - Term Paper Example

?The Life of Christ Table of Contents Introduction 3 Christ’s Birth 3 Christ’s Ministry 5 Bibliography 8 Introduction The journey of Christ was focused on delivering and inflating peace, spreading the miracles of saving his people from their sins through self-enthusiasm. It is worth mentioning in this regard that a degree of mystification regarding the exact year of Christ’s birth persists in the history of Christianity. According to the various studies of the Synoptic Gospels, including Mathew 2:1 and Luke 2:1,2, Christ was born few years before King Herod’s death within the period of 6-4 BC. Luke stated that Christ’s ministry was instigated by John the Baptist in the 15th year of the sovereignty of Tiberius Caesar, who became the emperor after King Augustus1. Emphasising on the various biblical specifications, the discussion henceforth intends to briefly outline the life of Christ, taking into consideration the three years of his ministry. Christ’s Birth Luke 2:1-7: History of Christ’s Birth The history of Christ’s birth has roots in the social context of the then Roman dynasty, which was strongly influenced by social segregations, brutal and inhuman treatments of slavery, and replication of dominion powers over the weak. As per the Synoptic Gospels, it was during the reign of King Augustus that Jesus was born in the midst of conflicts between emperors and various social classes. Jesus was the child of Mary and Joseph, who were peasants belonging to the tribe of Judah and were the citizens under the lordship of King Herod2. It was during this period that social conflicts began within the region due to taxation imposed by King Augustus and the reluctance of Jewish community to abide by such norms. Consequently, the Jewish community members were asked to travel to Bethlehem, where the register was located to perform census of the Jewish people and make them entitled to the taxation charges3. Thus, Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. At that time, Mary was expecting a child, owing to which the long journey to Bethlehem imposed a vast suffering upon her. Irrespective of the physical weakness, the couple had to travel as per the decree of King Augustus. However, the actual reason for Mary and Joseph enduring such suffering was the verdict of God ordering that the child should be born in Bethlehem. After the weary travel, when the couple learnt that all the inns had been already filled with travellers from Nazareth and other regions of the realm of King Herod, they lodged in an animal shed. It was in this shed that Mother Mary gave birth to Lord Jesus Christ, which was known to only few people in the village. The circumcision and the naming of the child had been arranged when he was 8 days old, according to the Hebrew Law, and he was formally given the name of Jesus. Therefore, the word of God was conveyed by Gabriel, who said, “You shall call his name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins”4. Christ’s Ministry Similar to the history of the birth of Holy Christ, the instigation of His ministry can also be observed as enlightened with spirituality and chronology of mesmerizing events. The historical content depicts that Christ’s ministry began during the period of AD 27 and continued till his crucifixion. However, contradictions have been persisting concerning the duration of His ministry, which has often been deliberated as a period of 3 years, 2 years, and even 3 and a half years. However, most of the testaments obtained affirmed that Christ’s ministry continued for 3 years5. Christ’s ministry began with His baptism, which was performed by John the Baptist and which led Holy Spirit to “come on Him in a special way”. As per the predicaments, Christ had to fast for 40 days following His baptism in order to defeat the ‘Satan’, a spirit who dared to challenge the religious beliefs of Hebrews. However, as per the true meaning, the word ‘Satan’ refers to the fallen angel who was entitled by the God Himself to test the strength of human beliefs in Him. Critics have often argued about the meaning of Holy Spirit’s coming on Jesus after His baptism, as He was already begotten of God’s grace since His birth. It can be thus affirmed that the Holy Spirit was enacting or rather anointing the tasks to be performed by Christ to achieve the purpose He was sent for6. During the first year of His ministry, Christ already gained a reputation of a boon to the mankind. During this period, He was appraised to be healing the sufferers miraculously and simultaneously gaining power over devils or the sinners. In the first year of His ministry, throughout His journey covering the villages of Galilee, Christ preached about the relationship of God with humankind and God’s expectations from people to be gracious, truthful and merciful. His preaching sounded in the villages of Jerusalem as well. It was during this period that Christ has driven the moneychangers from the temple, as they polluted it by selling animals for the purpose of sacrifices and transforming the house of God into the abode of thiefs. It is worth mentioning in this regard that Jesus had to witness criticism since His baptism as He intended to gain the reputation of God’s Son, or a ‘Messiah’. Following His first Passover in Jerusalem, critics were found to argue on the basis of His role of destroying the temple, questioning His miraculous strength7. The other two years of His ministry were followed by three more Passovers and various miraculous events. The second Passover took place in AD 28. In His second Passover, Christ offered a feast to His followers, which was later believed to compensate their evil deeds and the influence of Satan on their spirits, giving peace and holiness to the people. Chronologically, the third Passover was probably performed during AD 29. As mentioned in John 6:4, “And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh” (pp.35). In His fourth and final Passover, which is believed to have taken place in AD 30, three years after the beginning of His ministry, Christ was crucified. And thus, his crucifixion in Jerusalem marked the end of His ministry8. Conclusion In the Biblical conversations, at the very beginning of Christ’s journey, or public ministry, John the Baptist conveyed to the people that Christ was the ‘Messiah’ for whom they have been waiting since the creation of this world. This motivated two of the twelve Apostles whom Jesus later selected during His three years ministry to follow Him and later preach His words9. These apostles were believed to be Andrew and John. They also consecutively brought their brothers James and Simon Peter, who were later also acknowledged as two apostles. The public ministry of Christ proceeded for about three years – from AD 27 to AD 30. The first ministry was known as the period of “obscurity”. During this period, Christ emerged from the virtual anonymity into the notice of the general public, steadily gaining the faith of the common people and the reputation of being the God’s Son. The second year of Christ’s ministry was spent entirely in Galilee. By the end of this second year, the popularity of Christ was confronted by various arguments, as His opponents became more prominent and increased in number10. Finally, in the third year of His ministry, Christ was crucified. Later it was strongly believed that the morality and the spiritual guidance offered by Christ during His ministry enlightened the lives of various people throughout the Israel region. Bibliography Barker, Kenneth L., ed. NIV Study Bible. Michigan: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1995. Dankenbring, William F. “A New Look at the Birth, Ministry, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ!” http://www.triumphpro.com/crucifixion-birth-ministry-ressurection.pdf (accessed September 12, 2012). Harris, Stephen. The New Testament: A Student's Introduction. United States: McGraw-Hill Companies, Incorporated, 2011. Horner, Barry E. “The Life of Jesus Christ.” Expositions. http://www.bunyanministries.org/expositions/life_of_jesus_christ_notes_1-36.pdf (accessed September 12, 2012). Metzger, Bruce M., and Michael David Coogan. The Oxford Companion to the Bible (Oxford Companions). Oxford University Press, 1993. McManners, John. The Oxford Illustrated History of Christianity. Oxford University Press, 2001. Nicholls, John. “Where Christ preached”. The Testimony, June/July 2009. http://www.testimony-magazine.org/back/jun2009/nicholls.pdf (accessed September 12, 2012). Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church. “The Life of Christ – A Brief Study Guide.” The Uniqueness of Jesus Christ. http://oakbrookonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/03/Life%20of%20Christ%20-%20Life%20Development%20Instutitute.pdf (accessed September 12, 2012). Scripture Scholar. “The Two Year Ministry of Jesus.” Abstract. http://www.scripturescholar.com/Jesus2YearMinistry.pdf (accessed September 12, 2012). Swatos, William H., and Peter Kivisto. Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, Volume 1. Rowman Altamira, 1998. Stalker, James. “The Life of Jesus Christ”. Fleming H. Revell Company. http://baptistbiblebelievers.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=rGZQXezsYDM%3D&tabid=258&mid=844 (accessed September 12, 2012). Xenos Christian Fellowship. “Chronological Study of the Life of Christ.” Classes. http://www.xenos.org/classes/chronc.htm#birth (accessed September 12, 2012). Read More