christianity Before Christ
Where Christianity Was Born
One of the major religions of the world today is Christianity. The history of Christianity, however, and how it all began is most interesting. It all started about 2,000 years ago in the country of Judea, which is the present-day Israel. Israel had become a melting pot of various cultures, with many cities and farms. The Romans had control over Israel at this time and the Jews resented them. The Romans were a pagan people and the Jews refused to conform. The one hope that the Jews had was that their Messiah would come and deliver them from roman rule.
Jesus of Nazareth was born during this tempestuous time of Jewish history. He was a well-taught Jew who observed the Jewish faith. He also knew Jewish law very well. When Jesus was in his early thirties, he began going to various villages, teaching and healing people along the way. His teaching began to revolutionize the world. Jesus questioned the religious leaders of that day, telling them that they needed to repent for their self-righteous attitudes and become servants. People began to question their leaders and the whole community was in an uproar.
Not long after Jesus began teaching, there were some men who believed and followed him everywhere he went. These men became known as the twelve disciples. Jesus taught his disciples about the will of god and a “new covenant” in which man could be saved without obeying the laws of the Old Testament. Jesus spoke of a loving, faithful God who was going to extend grace to people who serve him.
The new covenant that Jesus spoke of was a result of Jesus himself dying on a Roman cross, judged unjustly, for the sins of all humanity. He promised to rise again three days after being crucified, proving that he ws their promised Messiah. The disciples became excited and began to teach Jesus' ways to everyone they met.
To make things even more interesting, the life of Jesus fulfilled many of the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the coming of their Messiah. Jesus' ability to understand and quote the law upset the religious leaders and scholars of the day, along with his knowledge of the prophets. They decided that the only way that Jesus could be silenced was for him to be put to death.
Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' own disciples, betrayed him and Jesus was then taken before the Roman ruler, Pilate. Pilate could not find any fault in Jesus, but the people demanded that he be killed. They were so angry that they demanded that Barabbas, a thief and murderer, be released instead. Pilate ultimately decided to allow Jesus to be crucified, consenting to the demands of the Jewish people.
On the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion, some ladies came to place spices on the body of Jesus. To their amazement, he was gone. When Jesus' disciples heard that his body was missing, they remembered his promise to rise from the dead on the third day. Although the religious leaders did their best to stop the gossip, word quickly spread that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead.
Shortly thereafter, Jesus appeared to his disciples and gave them instructions. Jesus told them that they would receive the gift of the Holy spirit in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. He taught them about the supernatural power that they would have after this event. They left, excited and ready to build churches for the kingdom of God.
If you visit Israel on one of the many Holy Land tours, you will be privileged to see where many of these events took place. You will see where Jesus was born, lived, taught in the temple and eventually crucified. An Israel tour will also take you to the Upper Room, where the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. There is no end to the excitement of walking where Jesus walked and imagining all that happened there so many years ago.
Clip: The Christs Before Christ
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