Jesus Key Events The Messiah Jesus was born

Jesus – Key Events

The Messiah • Jesus was born into a time where people were hoping for a Messiah - a saviour some believed that this would be a military messiah who would help them defeat the Romans. Others believed it would be a political or religious Messiah.

Jesus is Born There is historical evidence that Jesus did exist as a human. The Gospels are seen as good evidence that Jesus existed – they were a way of recording years of stories and traditions Josephus is the most famous Jewish historian who recorded that Jesus Christ lived and was crucified by the Romans

Jesus ‘ Impact • “There is overwhelming evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, both in secular and biblical history. Perhaps the greatest evidence that Jesus did exist is the fact that literally thousands of Christians in the first century A. D. , including the twelve apostles, were willing to give their lives as martyrs for Jesus Christ. People will die for what they believe to be true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie. ”

Pick Two Events • Pick two events of Jesus' Life – a)Describe / Explain the events you have picked b)Express what meaning you think they hold to Christians today c) Any Relevance to your life?

Birth Christmas The Events Baptism – A new Beginning Temptations – Turning away from evil

The Events The Last Supper / communion Miracles / Hope

The Events Crucifixion / Suffering Resurrection / Life after Death

Example • Birth – Mary and Joseph, stable, etc – (Could use some of the evidence in the Clips) • Christians very important – birth of saviour. Many go to Mass to reflect and think of others at Christmas. Give to the homeless, Salvation army etc • To me Christmas is a time for family – to be together ….

Example - Temptations • Jesus in the desert with the Devil – Stone into bread etc • For Christians it shows that even Jesus was tempted but he remained strong – giving them hope through their struggles. Strength and courage shown • To me – Modern temptations are still here – drugs, alcohol, money – perhaps we all need a time of reflection to face these!

The Impact of Jesus (at the time) BBC • Whatever one thinks about the historicity of the events described in the Gospels, and there are many different views, one thing is not in doubt: • Jesus had an overwhelming impact on those around him. The Gospels speak regularly of huge crowds following Jesus.

The impact of Jesus • Perhaps they gathered because of his reputation as a healer. • Perhaps they gathered because of his ability as a teacher. • Whatever the cause, it seems likely that the authorities' fear of the crowd was a major factor leading to Jesus' crucifixion. • In a world where there was no democracy, mobs represented a far greater threat to the Romans' rule than anything else.