Jesus and his importance among Christians

Introduction

Jesus or more commonly known as Jesus Christ is believed to be the SON OF GOD by the Christian faith. He is a significant figure and religious leader of Christianity born in the 1st century. Many believed that He is the Incarnation of God sent down to the world to save people and bring them back to the righteous path of God. His preachings and teachings are the core element of Christianity. To fully understand the importance of Jesus among Christians let’s first look at the early life of Christ.

Year and place of birth

The birth of Jesus is placed between 6 B.C and 4 B.C. in accordance with the biblical story of Herod’s death. History shows that Mary lived in Nazareth and later on, she traveled to Bethlehem where she gave birth to Jesus in a stable.

Parents

Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary who was informed by an angel Gabriel about the birth of a son from the Holy Spirit. Mary was about to get married to Joseph when she conceived Jesus and he then later became the earthly father of Jesus.

Physical Appearance

There is no concrete clue either in history or in the Bible as to what Jesus looks like. Recent research suggests that his looks must have been as simple as his teachings. The study proposed that he was an average Jewish man of his time with short hair and beard, olive-brown skin wore normal clothes along with a height of 5.5”.

Jesus and the fig tree

When Jesus entered the temple of Jerusalem he saw that the religious leaders there were busy buying, selling and merchandising and were making profits in the house of God from the guest of God which was a sin. Jesus stayed in Bethany during the night. The next day while leaving Bethany, he felt hungry and saw a fig tree at a distance. Since it was not the season of fig, he found leaves instead of fruit on the tree. At that moment he cursed the tree by saying:

May no one ever eat fruits from you again.

He then went to the temple threw out all the marketers and turn over the table of money changers saying that the house of God should only be used for praying. It is interpreted that Jesus was basically cursing the priests of the temple who were unable to provide religious nourishment to the pilgrim.

Jesus and the Samaritan woman

Jesus and his apostles were traveling through Samaria and came across a city called Sychar. It was noon and Jesus was tired so he decided to take a break at the well nearby while his disciples went to bring food. He was resting when a woman came to fetch water from the well. Jesus asked her to give him some water. The woman was shocked because of the Jews' bitter attitude towards the Samaritan due to having cultural and religious differences. He inquired from Jesus that how could a Jewish man spoke to a Samaritan woman. Upon which Jesus narrates the story of her life and also informs her that he is the Messiah by saying:

But whoever drinks the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

On hearing this, the woman ran to her people and told them the words of Jesus who immediately became his followers.

Execution process of Jesus

As Jesus started his ministry many people believed in him and put his faith in his teachings which not only gave them hope but also a path towards repentance. As his followers increased, the Jewish leaders feared that they will lose their power and authority. They conspired with the Romans and Judas Iscariot, one of the followers of Jesus betrayed him to the soldiers. He was caught and then put on trial for claiming to be the king of Jews. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus which was the Jewish punishment for this crime.

Jesus was then badly beaten and lashed, a crown of thorns was forced on his head, his clothes were torn apart. The soldiers then nailed his wrists and feet to a cross where he was left to die a slow and painful death. Later on, he was stabbed with a sword to confirm his death. His last words as he took his final breath we’re:

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit...it is finished.

Jesus has foreseen his death. He informed his followers not only about his death but also about his resurrection.

When and where Jesus died

Jesus died in between 30-33 AD and his age at that time is estimated to be 30-36years. His crucifixion took place on a rocky hill right outside the boundary of Jerusalem. The place is called Golgotha or Calvary (meaning a place of the skull). Christians believed that Jesus will once again return to earth before the day of judgment.

Importance of Jesus for Christians

Christians all around the world believed that Jesus was the MESSIAH who sacrificed his life on the cross as a penalty for all the sins of mankind. They think that in doing so he opened the way of reconciliation between God and sinners. He is important to Christians because of his teachings. They trust in his words and believe that by following these teachings, they can achieve eternal life after death. As Jesus said in the Bible:

I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME.

This quote by Jesus plays a vital role in the life of Christians today. They think that Jesus gave them a way through which they can build a close relationship with God. Jesus not only spread the word of God but also set an example by living his life according to God's command. Christians have faith that if they will lead their life in accordance with his principles, they will be given eternal life in heaven. Jesus gave people the message of love, hope, forgiveness and to have a firm belief in God. As Jesus said:

A NEW COMMAND I GIVE YOU: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, SO YOU MUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Jesus told his believers to pray to God and Christians believe that praying and loving God will not only please God but will also remove their sins.

AND WHEN YOU STAND PRAYING IF YOU HOLD ANYTHING AGAINST ANYONE, FORGIVE THEM, SO THAT YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN MAY FORGIVE YOU YOUR SINS.

On the third day of his crucifixion, Jesus was raised from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus lies at the heart of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Jesus is important to Christians for a number of reasons. They believe that by rising from the dead Jesus had shown them that God has supreme power over the universe. They also believe that if we will live a sinless life there will be nothing to fear, as God will raise them from the dead and they will be ascended into heaven where Christ will be waiting for them at the right hand of the Father. Thus, it can be concluded that Christians beliefs revolve around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Korean Jesus

Korean Jesus is the work of a Korean artist Woonbo Kim ki-chang who worked for a year to make his paintings a masterpiece. He created 30 paintings in his sacred series during the Korean War. In his paintings, he depicted Jesus as Korean and transferred the Christian image of Jesus into Korean. He used his country as the Biblical backdrop which created a magnificent and stunning effect.

Today Christianity is practiced all around the world having more than 2million followers. The religion that started with just a small number of people has now become one of the most dominant religions in the universe. The cross has become the symbol for Christianity symbolizing “The Father”, “The Son” and “The Holy Spirit”. Christmas is the day on which Jesus was born, hence it became the holy day for Christians, similarly, the Bible became their Holy book.