The Story of Jesus

From the earliest written gospels, we have the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. “Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven, give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us, our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 

The name Jesus is a corruption of Yeshuah; in the Old Testament, it is Joshua. 

Jesus spoke the language of the people, Aramaic, he also read in the synagogue, so he knew Hebrew, and when interrogated by Pilate, the Roman governor, he may have spoken to him in the Latin language. 

Herod Antipas thought that Jesus was John the Baptist who he had imprisoned on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea in the Machaerus fortress and caused his death by beheading. Jesus was also, like John, a revolutionary spiritual teacher whom Herod was afraid of. It is likely that John and Jesus were of the true royal line, unlike king (tetrach) Herod. We know a little about John, an ascetic who proclaimed the end of the world and who baptised all people without exception in the Jordan river in the name of forgiveness of sins. He also, like Jesus, had a miraculous birth and was a messiah in his own right. During his imprisonment, he asked if Jesus would step up to take his place, and Jesus accepted the role. We know far more about the life of Jesus, his birth, miracles, teaching, his disciples, his torture and death and resurrection. We know also that he fulfilled the Old Testament scriptures where the life of the messiah was foretold of a glorious king, a conqueror who would give sovereignty to the nation,  a suffering messiah, humble victim, whose destiny was sacrifice. 

There are many questions about this enigmatic figure! Who was he and what was his ministry about? Certainly, we know he was a miracle worker and healer. We know he left a commandment to his disciples that they love one another as he had loved them. And we know that, at the last meal he had, he gave to his disciples a memorial in the form of a simple meal to be performed for the forgiveness of sins. At that time in Judea, there were many rival religious groups and many were extremely strict, oppressive and God was unforgiving! Jesus was inclusive and invited all people to be healed and be included in God’s heaven.

     We can assess whether Jesus was Jewish by asking, do we know his family background and place of birth? Did he have a Jewish name? Was he circumcised? Did he speak in terms of the Psalms and other Jewish holy books of his time? Were his associates Jewish with Jewish names? Did he honour Jewish festivals, such as Passover? Did he know the Old Testament stories? Did he know Jewish law? Did he keep Sabbaths and attend Temple events? To these questions, we answer that Jesus was definitely Jewish and it is likely his brother James continued to teach his message after Jesus was crucified. He was perhaps an Essene, like the Baptist, as money was kept in common amongst his group of followers. 

    His uncle, Zachariah, father of the Baptist, we know was a high priest in the Temple, Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man who had a stone family tomb, and he and Nicodemus were likely to be Sanhedrin members. Christianity is not a cult or a secret society. Jesus said “What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light, and what you hear in your ear, proclaim from the rooftops. (Matt. X.27).

     The gnostic Gospel of James describes Mary, (Miriam) as being the daughter of Joachim and Anna and they gave Mary to the Jerusalem temple when she was a child. The Jewish religion is passed through the female line, and Mary was of the royal line of King David so from birth she would have been an important royal female. Joseph is thought to have been older than Mary, and was also a royal descendant. He might have been widowed and had previous offspring but his union with Mary was one of great religious and political potential. 

     Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married and their combination could provide a strong contender to the throne, but such a union would pose a threat to Roman occupation and also to the puppet Hashemite King Herod who was occupying the Judaic throne with endorsement from the Romans. Mary, when a young teenage girl, was engaged to Joseph, but had become pregnant when an 'angel' appeared to her prior to her marriage. She would have been stoned for sexual intercourse outside of marriage but Joseph saved her from death by marrying her. 

     Upon discovering she was pregnant, she visited her relative, Elizabeth, who was the wife of the powerful High Priest of Jerusalem, Zachariah. They themselves had experienced a miracle of pregnancy when an angel appeared and told this elderly couple that they would bear a child. Zachariah, nonplussed at their considerable ages, did not believe the angel and was struck dumb. He was not able to speak again until Elizabeth announced that the baby would not be named after her husband, but would be named Jonathan, the best friend of King David. 

     When Mary was heavily pregnant, she travelled by donkey with Joseph to pay their taxes to the Roman governors of the land. A painful and dangerous journey for Mary and her unborn child. She only just arrived in King David’s royal town of Bethlehem, when the child was born in a stable as there was no room elsewhere. How poorly prepared were this couple to bear a royal child - the potential long awaited Messiah foretold over generations of prophets. It is unlikely Joseph was with her at the birth, as this was considered a private matter between women only.  The story tells us that animals were in the stable that night and she laid the baby boy in a feeding trough for the animals. Angels immediately took the story of the birth to the poor shepherds guarding their flocks on the hillsides. They were delivering the new born lambs for slaughter in the Temple. King David was once a shepherd who became Judah’s first King. The Magi followed a star to Bethlehem and paid homage to the baby boy, bringing expensive gifts. Soon the puppet King Herod knew of the birth of a rightful King of the Jews, born of the bloodline of King David. Joseph had a dream about this and took the newborn boy and the exhausted young mother to safety in Egypt until the jealous King Herod died.

    Because Joseph was older than Mary, a royal child could result in their union, but it is thought that Joseph soon died. Who would support the royal son? It is likely that Zechariah took Mary into his own household, as many nearest of kin would have done in those days. This would mean that he and his wife had two sons who were of high bearing who chose not to follow in the ways of the strict Jewish religious Sanhedron. John would not follow in the footsteps of his priestly father, but as an ascetic, dressed in goatskins, calling for repentance and baptising people in the river Jordan.

 

     At Passover, all Jews travelled to Jerusalem. At twelve years of age, Jesus was missing after his parents visited the Temple. When they found him three days later, he said 'Surely you knew I would be doing my father's business'. We do not know if his uncle still occupied the position of High Priest at the Jerusalem temple. Jesus was teaching the rabbis what he had learnt from his uncle and his mother and father. 

     Jonathan, known as John, was a popular preacher who criticised the new political leader due to the  marriage to his brother’s wife. When Jonathan had asked who was to come after him, it was confirmed that Jesus was his successor. In the last week of his life, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, such as his mother rode upon in the weeks surrounding his birth. All the people who had seen his miracles and heard him preach, laid down palm fronds on the road to honour him. Zacharius climbed a tree to catch sight of this popular teacher and healer and Jesus said 'Come down Zacharius, I am coming to stay at your home!'

     As Jesus and his disciples had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, a historical celebration of the end of Jewish slavery in Egypt, and the escape from captivity when a lamb was killed and it's blood sprinkled on their doorpost so the angel of death would pass over them. Jesus attended the last supper, when he was betrayed by Judas. This was when Jesus broke the bread and gave it to the 12 disciples at the table, asking that they remembered him by breaking bread that was to be the equivalent of his body, and by drinking wine that would be the equivalent of his blood. Then he walked to the Garden of Gethsemane with Peter, James and John. As Jesus prayed, beads of sweat appeared on his brow. The disciples could not remain awake. Judas led the authorities to Jesus in exchange for 30 pieces of silver. The High Priests pressured the Roman General, Pilate to give the death penalty because they could not do this themselves, but Pilate's wife had a dream and warned her husband to refuse any involvement. Pilate put the matter back in the hands of the Jewish leaders. He held court but offered the crowd a choice, to release Jesus or the criminal Barabbas. The crowd chose Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified.

     Jesus was known as a wise and caring teacher and healer, but he was also a rebel and like others, preached against the Jewish hypocrisy and the oppressive Romans. Jesus was a reluctant military leader who was expected to oust the Romans from Israel. His father Joseph was a 'techton meaning possibly a stone mason or carpenter, and working with mathematics every day, so it is likely Jesus was schooled. But he failed to be a political leader and attacked the Jewish priests for being self serving. He was called Rabbi, and would have been married, according to the religion, we assume to Mary Magdalene. As a prisoner of the Romans, he was flogged with forty lashes, humiliated, a crown of thorns was placed on his head, and he was executed by crucifixion in front of Mary Magdalene and his mother. The soldiers gambled for the single piece of cloth he wore, and placed a plaque at the top of the cross bearing the words 'King of the Jews', which must have pleased the Romans. As he died, it is said the veil of the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple was torn in two! The disciples fled in fear. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus and young John stayed to see his final moments of life. 

     Pilate was happy to agree to the crucifixion of Jesus during the Passover when thousands were gathering and his death would be publicised across the regions. His disciples were persecuted following the death. But the words of Jesus and his life and death spread, and they withstood the rigorous persecutions. The ethic in the earliest years was to have money kept in common, to share vegetarian meals, to be kind and selfless. 'Do unto others as you would be done by' was his commandment to his followers. 30 pieces of silver was the forfeit price for killing a slave! 

     There are many intentional hidden mysteries within the New Testament. There were no nuclear families; there were extended families which were part of a greater tribe. Those named in the New Testament would have known each other well, perhaps they were even related. Names described the person and were taken from the ancient historical Bible and showed a person's character and responsibility within society. The first born child would be named after their father. This is a great secret, as Jesus was not named after his father, Joseph, because of the appearance of an angel who announced to Mary that she would hear the Messiah, whose name denoted this role. The word messiah means 'anointed one' and it was Mary Magdalene, a supporter of the disciples, and one that Jesus had healed, who anointed him with expensive spikenard oil. Angels in the Bible looked like ordinary men and often a woman would become pregnant when they appeared. Religious and political laws of the time explain many of the events the occurred. Jesus was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. It was the responsibility of the next of kin to take care of the body of a dead person. So Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, his colleague, would have been important supporters in the life of Jesus. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb perhaps to wash the body after death. Only a very close relative would perform this highly personal act. When Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples didn't recognise him on the road to Emmaus. Jesus shared a meal with his disciples 7 weeks after Passover at the next celebration of The Feast of Weeks, and then he disappeared. Where did he go? Why are there so many duplicate names in the life of Jesus, so many named Mary, Joseph, John, etc? 

      Was Jesus the one prophesied in the ancient Jewish texts to be the messiah? Was his teaching, so upsetting to the Jews, intended to become a new religion? He taught the Jews that their rigid discipline does not denote spirituality, but presented a new teaching of caring, generosity, sharing, truth and justice, humility and self sacrifice are more valued and spiritually mature. The God of the Jews was presented by the priests as a jealous and unforgiving dominant figurehead, whereas Jesus, son of the father, showed that God was really meek and mild, loving and liberal. Jesus' life and death demonstrated the true nature of the Jewish God to the Jewish people. 

Article: Wendy Stokes First published in Psychic World Newspaper. https://wendystokes.co.uk