The Life And Times of Jesus

1. The Birth of Jesus

The name Jesus Christ has been spoken by generations and for over 2000 years now, it is a name that elicits curiosity among pockets of societies. It is a great name that will linger on. It all started with an angelic visit to a 15 year old virgin girl in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. In the words of Luke 1:26-38 ‘In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.'

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.'

'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.' 'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May it be to me as you have said’. Then the angel left her.

Mary was a humble Jewish girl who feared God and followed his laws religiously. As the angel Gabriel stated, she was highly favored and even though she did not fully grasp the magnitude of this news, she was willing and ready to be used of God. Young virgin Mary recalled the prophesies made over 700 years earlier by prophet Isaiah of how a savoir would be born in the house of David in which she and her betrothed partner Joseph hailed from. It had been written in the holy books that a virgin would conceive and bring forth the messiah. With the puzzle pieces fitting in place, this young couple was ready for the responsibility; to be guardians of the savior of mankind.

Joseph, a young carpenter feared God and to put his mind to rest on the matter, God sent an angel to assure him about God’s plan of supernaturally bringing the messiah into the world through him and Mary. Joseph protected Mary with their secret and soon they were married. A few months after this, Roman Emperor, Augustus called for a census to determine the size of his empire. Every Jew had to register at their ancestral home town. For this reason, Joseph and his bride left Nazareth for Bethlehem; their ancestral home land and the birth place of King David.

The long journey on foot took about 3 to 4 days and Joseph brought along a donkey in which his wife sat on. Upon arrival, the place was crowded and hardly any space or inn to rest. The only place Joseph found shelter and space was with animals in a grotto. It was at this stable that Mary gave birth to a baby boy who was wrapped in Joseph’s swaddling clothes and was laid in a manger.

Swaddling clothes were necessary for long distance travelers just in case someone died on the way due to the hardships. These clothes would be used to wrap a dead body. So Jesus came into the world in the City of David Bethlehem, fulfilling one of the greatest promises told by ancient prophets like Isaiah who had long passed on. The King was born in total poverty and simplicity.