- Reconstruction of part of Herod the Great's Temple in Jerusalem.
- Here Simeon and the prophetess Anna recognised the baby Jesus as the promised Messiah; here his parents found the 12 year-old Jesus talking with the teachers of the Law.
- Here Jesus was later to expel the money-changers from his 'Father’s house.
- Picture by Leen Ritmeyer
Simeon knew that the Messiah would come because he was a student of the Scriptures. From the words of the prophets he understood that God had promised that one would come who would be
"... a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel."
Simeon was quoting from a wonderful passage in the prophecy of Isaiah:
"I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison."
There were many other details that students of the Old Testament knew about the promised Messiah as shown in the previous article.
Many have questioned the miracle of Jesus' birth, including those who would count themselves Christian. They have put forward arguments regarding the Hebrew word 'almah' used for 'virgin' by Isaiah, which could be translated as 'young woman' (Isaiah 7.14). However, there is no question as to how the writers of the gospels understood the birth of Jesus:
"Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that holy one who is to be born will be called the Son of God"."
The angel Gabriel's words to the virgin Mary tell us that Jesus was to be born by the power of God (the Holy Spirit). The child would be a descendant of Adam through his mother but unlike other children he would have no earthly father; his father was God.
To the student of the Bible it would not just be Isaiah's words that referred to Jesus' birth, but another equally important Scripture. As shown earlier (see page 4), after the fall of Adam and Eve, God had cursed the serpent with the words:
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
It was to be the 'Seed' of the woman, not of man, that would bruise the head of the serpent. He would defeat the curse, as we read in the New Testament:
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
There was no doubt that Jesus was the one promised. The faithful servants of God who had searched the Scriptures prayerfully and examined the prophecies of the Old Testament were overjoyed at having witnessed the wonderful event of Jesus' birth. Anna, a prophetess was, like Simeon and others, moved with joy when she saw the young child Jesus:
"... she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem."
The Son of God, not the second person of the Trinity
The fact that Jesus was miraculously born of a virgin does set him apart from other human beings in one respect. This does not mean that he was different in nature to us. In the letter to the Hebrews this is made perfectly clear:
"Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he (Jesus) himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death ..."
Jesus was a man just like us. He
"was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin"
Like us, he was in need of saving from death, and
"offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to him (God) who was able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear."
In Luke's gospel record there is a brief but powerful word picture of the child Jesus. We are told that
"Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men."
This is echoed in the words of the letter to the Hebrews:
"though he was a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered."
Jesus constantly reiterated his dependence on God his Father, in his teaching:
"... Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner."
"My doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me."
The New Testament writers paint a clear picture of Jesus. He was certainly special for he was the one promised from the foundation of the world, but he was a man tempted, suffering and in need of help from God.
His Father's business
Only Luke, having interviewed many eye-witnesses, presents one other story from the childhood of Jesus. When he was now twelve years old, like all other Jewish boys, he would have been going through preparation for his induction into religious responsibility, to become a 'son of the Law' (bar-mitzvah). This would happen when he was thirteen.
- A present day bar-mitzvah ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
It was the custom that all Jewish men should go up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the three major feasts:
- Passover,
- Pentecost and
- Tabernacles
In reality, for many, particularly the poor, it was difficult to make that journey three times every year.
However, Luke tells us that Jesus' parents went up every year to celebrate the feast of Passover (see Luke 2.41)
and when Jesus was twelve they made that journey with a large group of friends and relatives.
When the feast was over the party of Galileans began to make the long journey back home from Jerusalem to Nazareth. As they settled down for the first night, Jesus' parents began to look for the boy, but were horrified to find that he was nowhere to be found. It was on the third day, having returned to Jerusalem, that they found him, sitting in the temple at the feet of the teachers taking part in the discussion.
Luke's presentation of the scene that follows is at once perfectly human and recognizable by any parent two thousand years later, while at the same time being unique and profound:
"... when they saw him, they were amazed; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have sought you anxiously"."
Like any mother, relief at finding a 16 missing child is followed shortly by chiding and her painful love is evident. The answer of Jesus was a reminder that he was not like other children:
"Did you not know that I must be about my (heavenly) Father's business?"
These are Jesus' first recorded words; in them he recognized that God was his Father and that he had been called for a special purpose. He had become a 'son of the law', and during this Passover feast had begun the work of explaining from the Scriptures God's plan for the world, the real meaning of Passover, and how the Law of Moses pointed forward to him as the Passover lamb.
Like the teachers of the Law, Jesus' earthly parents failed to understand the mission of the young man before them. Luke tells us that
"they did not understand the words which he spoke to them."
Though they had searched for him, it would be many years before Jesus' mother would appreciate fully what he was talking about.
Baptism and temptation
Jesus' ministry began when he was about thirty years old, the age at which those who were eligible could serve in God's house (Numbers 4.35). Up until this point in his life he had been living in Nazareth, but he now made his way to Judea where John the Baptist, his cousin, was preaching repentance. Mark's gospel account tells us that
"John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."
John recognised the work that Jesus had to do, but he was reluctant to baptize him.
- The barren hills of the wilderness of Judea where Jesus was tempted.
- Picture by David Shankbone
However Jesus insisted and through this simple but profound act foretold what was to come. His baptism predicted his own future death and resurrection. It was the means by which Jesus was to bring true redemption to his followers, as the Apostle Paul reminds us:
"... do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
When Jesus rose from the water, the Holy Spirit, God's power, descended on him as a physical witness of God's blessing and a voice from heaven announced:
"You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
In any other human being, this mark of Divine blessing might have sparked arrogance, but Jesus, rather than being filled with pride at his Divine selection, was immediately plunged into a spiritual struggle.
For forty days he wandered in the punishing Judean desert, fasting, praying and bringing his own body and human appetite under control. Despite his calling, despite the gift of the Holy Spirit and the godly acknowledgement of his parentage, Jesus was subject to human temptation.
The Gospels record three specific temptations that Jesus struggled with. Firstly, he was tempted to give in to his physical needs and turn the stones into bread to break his fast. Secondly, he was tempted to test or challenge God by throwing himself from the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. Finally he was tempted to turn from the worship of God and give in to human ambition and seize control of the world at that time.
Jesus dealt with each of these temptations by immersing himself in the Scriptures. He subjected his own will and his own desires to the will of God as expressed in the Law of Moses and the prophets. He recognized that his life must conform not to his own desires, to his own will and understanding, but must be shaped and guided by the Divine purpose and subject to God his Father.
Though brief, the record of Jesus' early life is full of significance and illuminates how his life was shaped and prepared to fulfil the purpose of God. Born of a virgin, in fulfilment of 18 Scripture, Jesus recognized while still a child that his Father was in heaven. As a young boy he grew up to become a 'son of the Law', the physical embodiment of the Law that he had come to fulfil. As Jesus said, not long before he died:
"But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave me commandment, so I do."
He now entered a new phase in God's purpose − ministering in the temple ‒ a new spiritual temple into which he would gather faithful Jews and Gentiles, as Simeon had prophesied on seeing him as a baby in the temple:
"A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles ..."
That light was later revealed to the Gentiles as Paul reminded the Gentile believers at Ephesus:
"Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord."
Jesus Christ His ministry
A message to Jews and Gentiles
The basis for the ministry of Jesus was announced by the angel who appeared to the shepherds just before his miraculous birth. The angel said that he was bringing good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people, and that Jesus was to be a Saviour. The announcement was greeted with a great chorus of praise by a multitude of angels, saying
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!"
The need for a Saviour had come about as a result of the sin that entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God's command in the Garden of Eden. With it came the sentence of death which has overshadowed the human race ever since (see Romans 5.12).
Although Jesus was a Jew, and God had chosen the Jews as His own special people, the definition of 'men' in the angelic message includes the whole human race. The universal impact of the work of Jesus is emphasised in the instructions he gave the disciples at the end of his ministry. He said to them:
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."
The disciples did just as they were asked, but we notice from the accounts of their preaching, recorded in Acts, that they gave the Jews the first opportunity to hear the message, followed by the Gentiles, even though in the sight of God all men are equally in need of salvation. The Jews also carried a heavy responsibility, because they rejected the Saviour and put him to death. The Apostle Peter explained this to his Jewish audience on the day of Pentecost:
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know – Him, being delivered by the carefully planned intention and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it"
The gospel of the kingdom of God
It is important that we understand what the kingdom of God is by defining it according to the Scriptures. This will help us avoid the misunderstanding that was apparent even among the disciples of Jesus, and for different reasons is misunderstood by many people today. The Jews rejected the testimony of Jesus during his ministry because he failed to take up arms against the Romans in order to forcibly restore freedom to their nation. Instead he urged them to repent of their own faithlessness towards God.
When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, on trial for his life, he explained:
"My kingdom is not of this world. If my Jesus referred to the kingdom in the prayer he taught his disciples to pray: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"."
This is plain language, but it had nothing to do with the political ambitions of the Jews. When the time came for Jesus to go into heaven after his resurrection, the disciples too thought that at last the time had come to set up the kingdom. They asked him:
"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
They clearly understood the kingdom to be a very real and literal state of affairs, firmly established on the earth. They were absolutely correct, but Jesus told them,
"It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority."
All this would seem very strange to those who remembered the urgent words of John the Baptist before
Jesus began his ministry. John said:
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
The kingdom did not come in a literal sense at that time, and the disciples were still waiting when
Jesus ascended to heaven over three years later.
- The greatest desire of the Jewish people was to get rid of the hated Roman legions that occupied their land.
- When they realised Jesus was not the political liberator they longed for, they rejected him.
An indication of what John the Baptist meant is provided by Jesus when he was in discussion with the Pharisees in a conversation that was witnessed by the disciples. The Pharisees rejected Jesus' claim to be the Son of God and the anointed king of Israel (the Messiah). It was pointless for the Pharisees to look forward to the kingdom of God if they rejected the king, and if they thought they would enter the kingdom simply because they were Jews. Repentance, as John the Baptist called for, could not be further from their thoughts, as Luke tells us:
"Now when he (Jesus) was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there'. For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you"."
Jesus' reply was not what they expected; he was telling them that the future inhabitants of the kingdom were being called to be his disciples and he was destined to be its king. They would respond to the gospel (good news) of the kingdom, but the Pharisees would reject him and his teaching, just as they had already rejected the preaching of John the Baptist.
Then Jesus turned to the listening disciples. He told them about his impending death and explained to them what it will be like on the earth when the kingdom literally comes. Rather than the world eagerly waiting for the kingdom, most people would be busy with their own affairs, just as it was when the flood came and destroyed the world of Noah's day, and when fire and brimstone annihilated the godless people of Sodom. That is a fair description of the world we live in today, and so there is every reason to take careful note of how Jesus tells us we should prepare for the kingdom. We cannot predict the date, as Jesus told his disciples but we can observe the signs and learn the importance of repentance.
Fit for the Kingdom
The ministry of Jesus was largely taken up by helping the Jews understand the kind of people they should be in order to inherit the kingdom. Being Jewish was not enough. In Matthew's gospel account we read Jesus' summary of the characteristics which will give God pleasure. He described as 'blessed' those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who
are persecuted for righteousness sake,
"for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
The promise of God is that anyone who seeks the kingdom of God will be given all that is necessary to sustain the present life (see Luke 12.31), even though the present life will be subject to the character-building process of difficulty and trial. God never promised an easy path to the kingdom. Jesus told his disciples that all God's servants must be prepared to give up their present lives if they really want to be in the kingdom. He said:
"Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"
Jesus said this just after he told them that he himself was going to be put to death.
It was the leaders of the Jews in Jesus' day who struggled the most to accept his teaching. The well-known parable of the Good Samaritan, recorded in Luke chapter 10, was told in response to an insincere question by a lawyer who wanted to know what he should do to inherit eternal life. We note that he wanted an explanation of the actions required, oblivious of the need to cultivate an attitude of mind as much as the performance of a deed.
Jesus challenged him by demanding to know what were the first two commandments of the Law. He was referring to the ten commandments, given by God through Moses to the children of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt. The answer was correctly given:
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself."
However, the lawyer hadn't finished. "And who is my neighbour?" he asked
- A monastery clings to the side of the Wadi Qelt, part of the precipitous road from Jerusalem down to Jericho.
- This is the setting for Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan.
The parable gave the unexpected answer. It concerned a man travelling on the hazardous road from Jerusalem to Jericho, who was set upon by thieves. The road was well known for banditry and the impact of the story would not be lost. Two men came upon the wounded traveller, one after the other, a priest and then a Levite. In the story, they would have been making the journey to Jerusalem, the spiritual heart of the nation, and of all people they should have been the first to put the principles of the Law into practice without regard to the rituals they were no doubt going to perform in the city. But they passed by on the other side. The third traveller to arrive was a Samaritan, who carefully and generously ministered to the injured man. The irony of the story is the fact that the Samaritans and the Jews were hostile neighbours, but in the parable the Samaritan showed the Jews the example to follow. Jesus said
"Go and do likewise."
However, not all the Jewish leaders were in need of such a pointed lesson. A scribe (an expert in the study of the Law of Moses) came to Jesus, and knowing the answer, asked him what was the first commandment. Jesus answered:
"The first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one, And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength ..."
Then he went on to cite the second commandment:
"You shall love your neighbour as yourself."
The scribe acknowledged the truth of Jesus' reply, and went on to confirm that the keeping of these commands was more important than the ritual aspects of the Law such as burnt offerings and sacrifices. This was a most unusual admission, and a lot more discerning than the lawyer already referred to. Mark records that
"when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God"."
God's love for His people
Despite the frequent illustrations of spiritual blindness, we should not forget that God loved the Jews, even though their attitude and actions were often abhorrent to Him. He loved them out of regard for the faith of their fathers, the patriarchs
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as recorded in the book of Genesis. In John chapter eight we read of a lengthy conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees, where Jesus challenged their claim to be the real descendants of Abraham, because Abraham would have accepted that Jesus was the Messiah, and unlike the Pharisees he lived a life of faith 24 and obedience.
God maintained His own faithfulness towards the Jews despite their frequent denial of Jesus. Later, in his writings, the Apostle Paul reminded the Gentile believers that they should not attempt to take the moral high ground over the Jews, because they too were subject to the same human weaknesses and temptations as the Jews (see Romans chapter 11).
The parable of the Prodigal Son found in Luke chapter 15, was told to illustrate the depth of the love of God towards anyone, Jew or Gentile, who is prepared to turn back to Him, however sinful they have been in the past. It is an encouragement for anyone who thinks they might be beyond redemption.
In the parable, the younger of two sons persuaded his father to give him his inheritance in advance and he
"journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living."
Eventually the money ran out and he was left destitute. He remembered the love and care he enjoyed at home, and with some effort made up his mind to overcome his pride and see if there was any way he could return to his father's house.
The reaction was not as he expected. His father had been looking out for him, and as soon as he appeared on the horizon ran to meet him. The carefully prepared speech of repentance was swept aside in the rejoicing that followed. The parable of the Prodigal Son is a wonderful illustration of the boundless love of God for those who truly seek Him, but there is another aspect to the story. The older brother, who had remained at home in apparent loyalty to his father, refused to join in the celebrations. Here perhaps is a hint of the typically misplaced indignation of the scribes and Pharisees who thought that their outward show of service to God was superior to the true repentance of one who confessed his sin and who took determined steps to overcome.
Confirmed by miracles
During the course of his three year ministry, Jesus performed many miracles, supernatural events which cannot be explained according to the known laws of nature. Many of the miracles focus on the great change which will take place when Jesus returns to the earth to set up the kingdom of God.
From the feeding of the multitudes (Mark 8.1– 10; John 6.1–14) to the healing of illnesses (John 4.46–54; Matthew 12.10–13 and many others), to the raising of people from the dead (Matthew 9.18–25; John 11.38–44). Jesus proved how the power of God can change things beyond our present experience, giving us an indication of how dramatically the world will change in the future.
None of the miracles were carried out for the purpose of popularising Jesus or for his own personal benefit. During his temptation, before his ministry began, he had three opportunities to
remedy his situation by miracle, but he resisted.
"The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Gustave Doré 1832–1883
As well as showing Jesus' compassion for those who were suffering, all the miracles were performed for one reason: to prove beyond all doubt that he was the Son of God and taught the truth for the benefit of his hearers. At the end of his gospel record, John, who recorded just eight miraculous signs, wrote:
"... truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."
Conclusion
One of those who witnessed the ability of Jesus to perform miracles was Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. Early on in the ministry of Jesus, shortly after he had turned water into wine at a wedding feast, Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly at night and said:
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."
Jesus answered him with a statement that should give us cause for thought.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The miracles had been effective in convincing Nicodemus that Jesus 26 was who he claimed to be.
So the challenge to Nicodemus was to be reborn; to change his life, to repent, to renounce the hypocrisy of the Jewish teachers of the Law, and follow Jesus. Nicodemus probably struggled with this throughout Jesus' ministry. However, after Jesus' death on the cross, he joined Joseph of Arimathea in begging Pilate for Jesus' body, so that they could give Jesus a proper burial. (see John 19.38, 39).
There is much we can learn from the account of Jesus' ministry preserved by the gospel writers. Perhaps like Nicodemus we struggle to make the changes in our present lives that Jesus asks of us. But like him we also must be reborn if we want to 'see the Kingdom of God'.
Based on the "Light on Jesus Christ" special issue in 4 parts:
- Jesus Christ - Introduction, the plan of God and advent foretold
- Jesus Christ - His Early life and His Ministry
- Jesus Christ - His death and His priestly role
- Jesus Christ - His second coming to the Earth and your future
Next article (part 3) is Jesus Christ - His Later Life, Death and Resurrection
Author Many people were involved in writing and checking this article
Country UK
Source Light on a New World special edition: "Jesus Christ"
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