Jesus Christ

I had to answer "What is the role of Jesus and His impact on the Christian lifestyle?" For my religions class today, and I just wanted to share this here.

Jesus.  Who was He?  Who is He? 

It is hard to describe Jesus in a few brief sentences; He is and was so many things.

Here are the undeniable facts:

There was a man named Jesus.  He was crucified for claiming to be the Son of God by Pontius Pilate and his court.  That is proven through not only the gospels, but non-Christian sources and historians as well.  Our calendars are also based off of this man’s lifetime.  The years “BC” are Before Christ, and the years “AD” – like now, it is 2017 A.D, meaning anno Domini, which is Latin for “in the year of our Lord.”

It’s what happened after His death that some people believe or chose not to believe, but Jesus Christ was a man, and that’s a fact.

Jesus is our center of Christianity.  In the Apostle’s Creed (recited in many church services, a “belief statement,” if you will), the part about Jesus goes like this: “… Jesus Christ, His [God’s] only Son, our Lord.  He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. (Depending on denomination of Christianity: He descended into Hell.)  On the third day, He rose again. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again to judge the living and the dead…”

Jesus played many roles.  He is referred to with many names within the Bible, here are, I think, all of them: Almighty One, Alpha and Omega, Bread of Life, Cornerstone, Deliverer, Good Shepard, high Priest, Head of the Church, Holy Servant, Peace, Rock, Sacrifice, Son of God, Son of Man, Holy Child, Christ, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Word, I am, Immanuel, Gift, Judge, King of Kings, Lamb of God, Light of the World, Messiah, Mighty One, Hope, Teacher, Prophet, Redeemer, Risen, Savior, Door, Vine, Son of the Most High, Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

To put it as simply as possible, Jesus’ role was to come to Earth of save us from our sins.  He was the ultimate sacrifice, He was perfect.  He came so we could have life, and live it to the full.  He came to teach us, to love us, to save us.  John 3:16 is the most commonly quoted verse, saying “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”  In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus was the Messiah, who was prophesied in the Old Testament many times. 

In the Old Testament, there are many rules about the way we are to atone our sins.   (Sins are anything that takes us away from God.  Once, it was explained to me as this: If you shoot an arrow at a bull’s-eye, and it doesn’t hit it, no matter how far off it was – if it still hit the board, or if it went flying in the other direction, it missed.  The same is with our thoughts, words, and deeds.  If they do not hit the bull’s-eye of God’s wishes, it is sin.)  In the Old Testament, sacrificing animals was the way to earn God’s forgiveness.  Jesus changed this.  Jesus affected Christian life and beliefs, changing them from what we knew as Jews, and making us Christians. When he died, the temple veil was torn.  No longer did we have to go through someone to speak to God, or to earn His forgiveness – for, this was earned through the sacrifice of Jesus.  His love never fails us.  We cannot earn our way through good acts.  Jesus is our way to the Father.  Jesus taught us how to pray directly to God, He taught us how to love.  As Christians, we are to follow His lead.  He taught us the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…).  He taught through parables and miracles.  Best of all, He taught us through His perfect life, and His sacrifice for us.

Living a perfect life didn’t mean Jesus had no emotions or that He was just nice and let people walk over Him.  Jesus was so angry when He saw people turning the temple into a market; He flipped all of their merchandise tables over.  Jesus did amazing, remarkable, and passionate things.  Living like Jesus did, loving like Jesus did, and allowing Christ to shine through is the goal of the Christian faith.  Jesus didn’t just hang out with the elite, the political heads, or the wealthy.  He hung out with sinners, he hung out with the lepers, and he hung out with those of other races he wasn’t supposed to associate with.  He showed love to the least of us, just as He has called us to do.  

Jesus went through mockery, abuse, physical beatings, whippings, a crown of thorns, and death in one of the most gruesome ways.  Crucifixion is horrific.  Jesus had to carry a huge board He was sentenced to be killed on up a hill.  Then, they nailed Him onto that board through His hands and His feet.  The arms are slightly above the heart level, eventually causing the person being crucified, in this case Jesus, to slowing come to their last breath.  It is a long process.  Jesus took on the cross as an innocent, perfect man, to take up for all of our Sins.  Then, He (in some denominations beliefs) went to Hell to get those worthy of saving to bring to Heaven.  Then, He rose from the dead.  People went to His grave and He was not there.  Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, doubted this, and had to touch the holes in His hands and feet.   Jesus will come back to Earth again someday.