My Belief's

Jesus' youth

As stated previously, after birth of Jesus nothing is known of His life until He is twelve. His family had to travel to Jerusalem to the temple and while there His family started to return home, traveled a days before noticing Jesus was not with them. When they returned to Jerusalem they found Jesus talking with priests in temple. When asked why He had stayed behind, Jesus replied, "I must be about my Fathers business."  Jesus was speaking of God the Father, not Joseph. This was last time Joseph is mentioned as alive.

 

Some Christian denominations have stories of Jesus performing miracles in his youth, but these stories are not recorded in Bible and are probably not true.

 

In his thirties, Jesus began his public teaching and display of recorded miracles, yet still never travelled more than 200 miles from his birthplace. Over a three year period, despite his efforts to keep a low profile, Jesus' reputation spread nation wide. The Roman governors and rulers of Israel's provinces and the leaders of the Jewish people (the religious counsels) took note of him.

 

Jesus' key messages included:

      God loves you and is with you, we are to love one another, each person is of immense value, the kingdom of 

      God has come to earth, each person must face reality of judgment of heaven or hell, God forgives those who ask

 

Jesus' most controversial act was that he repeatedly claimed to be God, which was a direct violation of the Jewish law. Therefore the religious leaders asked the Roman government to execute him. In each of several official trials, the Romans found that he was not guilty of breaking any Roman law. Even the Jewish leaders recognized that other than Jesus' claim to be God, Jesus followed the Jewish law perfectly. Still the religious leaders, using the argument of political disfavor, persuaded Pilate, a Roman governor of the Southern province of Israel, to authorize an execution.

 

Jesus was brutally tortured and then hung by his hands, which were nailed to a horizontal wooden beam (cross). But this was not the end of Jesus' ministry and time on Earth as the Bible records that up to 500 people saw Him alive after His death and there are many recorded events after His death.

 

I would like to point out some of miracles that Jesus did were in full view of many other including His severest critics. These miracles are the strongest evidence that Jesus was more then "a good man, a good teacher" .

 

Jesus restored sight to numerous blind people, Jesus cured people of leprosy, demon possession,  a paralytic, a woman dying of fever, healed from distance without ever seeing person in need, healed withered hand, restored hearing. Jesus stopped a storm at sea, turned water into wine, walked on water and allowed another to also walk on water, fed 5000+ people with a few fishes and loaves of bread another time did same with 4000+, raised numerous people from dead, raised Lazarus from dead after Lazarus was in grave four days, restored a severed ear that had been cut off man by Peter. These are just a few of continuous performance of miracles.

 

The greatest miracle of all was He predicted His own death and that He would rise from the dead after three days. Then when Jesus was crucified by Roman soldiers and put into a tomb and this tomb was guarded by Roman soldiers, Jesus appeared alive to two Marys, John, Peter, Thomas(who may have preached in Inda, exclaimed when meeting Jesus after resurrection, "My Lord and My God"),  to all His disciples except Judas, and up to 500 people at one time. Jesus remained on Earth for 40 days AFTER his death and resurrection.

 

A second point about Jesus. Jesus taught and performed His miracles in plain view of His harshest critics, those who hated him, those who convinced Pilate to kill him. Yet, none of miracles Jesus did were disputed by those in first century. If miracles not true, why not dispute them.