Who was Jesus?

Birth and family life

Jesus was born around 4-6 BCE in Bethlehem in Palestine and was raised in Nazareth in Israel. The birth of Jesus is celebrated at Christmas on December 25. Mary was the mother of Jesus, and God is considered Jesus’ true father in a spiritual sense. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke state that Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph adopted Jesus and thereby became the earthly father of Jesus.

Jesus had two unnamed sisters and four brothers named James, Jude, Joseph and Simon. They are mentioned in Matthew 12:46-50, 13:55-56; Mark 3:31, 6:3; Luke 8:19; John 2:12, 7:3; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor. 9:5 and Galatians 1:19. James was an author and leader in the Jerusalem Church. Jude was also an author. There is little information about Joseph and Simon. Source.

During the time when Jesus lived, marriage was very typical. Marriage was not just about love. Marriage was seen as a duty to family and society. Having children to carry on the family line and contribute to the community was important. Jesus chose to remain single his entire life. He did not have a wife. He did not have children. He did not have romantic relationships to any women. From a conversation with Dr. Christian Casparis, I learned that Jesus had a close relationship to Maria Magdalene – a relationship that may also have had a romantic component.

What were the most important principles of Jesus?

Love
Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39).
Do to others what you would have them do to you. (Matthew 7:12).

Humility
The greatest among you will be your servant. (Matthew 23:11).

Justice
Jesus advocated for justice. He criticized religious leaders for their failure to uphold true justice and for doing things themselves that contradict their stated beliefs. (Matthew 23).

Forgiveness
Forgive 70 x 7 times. (Matthew 18:21-22). Indicating boundless forgiveness.

Mercy
Show mercy to others, regardless of their background or status. (Luke 10:25-37).

Peacemaking
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9).

Changing your mind
Jesus called for repentance, urging people to turn away from sin and toward a transformed life in alignment with God’s will (Mark 1:15).

Faith and trust in God
Jesus taught about the importance of faith and trusting in God’s guidance. He encouraged his followers to have faith even as small as a mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20).

Jesus spread love and loved everyone

Jesus welcomed and accepted everyone. He reached out to people and connected with people from all walks of life – in particular people who were marginalized in society. Jesus exemplified servant leadership by washing the feet of his disciples, an act of humility and service. He prioritized needs, which other people had, and acted selflessly.

Jesus loved all people – regardless of their social status or religious beliefs. He encouraged people to follow their hearts and to love each other. Jesus entrusted people with responsibilities and encouraged people to believe in themselves and their abilities. He helped people learn to solve conflicts peacefully. He lived a life of nonviolence – even when he was faced with strong opposition. Jesus forgave people. He guided people to become better versions of themselves and change their lives for the better.

What kind of work did Jesus do before becoming a Jewish preacher and religious leader?

Jesus is called a τέκτων (tektōn) in Mark 6:3, a term traditionally understood as carpenter but could also refer to makers of objects in various materials. Most probably, Jesus worked as a carpenter. Why? Because Jesus’ father, Joseph, was a carpenter (Matt. 13:55), and it was common for the son to carry on the work of his father. Source.

How did Jesus communicate?

In his communication, Jesus was good at asking questions to help people think and engage them. For example, in Matthew 16:13-17, he asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” This method encouraged personal reflection and deeper understanding.

When he spoke with people, Jesus communicated directly and with strong compassion. For example, his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-26) shows his ability to connect deeply and personally with others, breaking social norms to communicate his message of love and acceptance.

When he communicated, Jesus used images to help people remember was he said. For example, he spoke of the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16), “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), and “the vine and the branches” (John 15:1-8), all of which painted clear, lasting images in the minds of his listeners.

Jesus demonstrated an ability to adapt messages to different people. He spoke plainly to common people, used scholarly debates with religious leaders, and had private, deep conversations with his disciples. For instance, his conversation with Nicodemus (John 3:1-21) was markedly different in tone and content from his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

Not only was Jesus good at communicating using words. His actions spoke as powerfully as his words. For example, the miracles he performed communicated his message of love, service, and divine power effectively.

What miracles did Jesus perform?

During his life, stories say that Jesus performed numerous miracles. While many of these supernatural achievements are regarded by scientists as impossible, they are an integral part of the religious beliefs and traditions surrounding Jesus. Examples:
– Walking on water.
– Healing diseases.
– Raising the dead.
– Creating food.
– Turning water into wine.
– Calming storms.
– Exorcising demons.

Jesus repeatedly criticized religious leaders – expressing strong emotions

Again and again, Jesus criticized religious leaders strongly for their hypocrisy, i.e. criticizing or condemning the immoral acts of others while engaging in those acts ourselves. Jesus directly confronted the economic and religious practices sanctioned by the religious leaders.

An example: In the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus physically disrupted the commercial activities of people, who sold animals. In a highly dramatic action, he overturned the tables where tradesmen were selling animals to people. He made a whip out of cords and drove all of them out of the temple. He scattered the coins from the tradesmen all over the place. Why did Jesus express so much anger in this situation? Because he found that in the temple, God should be honored. This was not happening on this day. The sellers were exploiting people for personal gain and turning a place of worship into a marketplace. They were taking advantage of people’s religious obligations by charging exorbitant prices for animals. Jesus expressed strong anger because of the greed of the tradesmen. (Mark 11:15-18).

Jesus expressed emotions, he felt, in other situations as well. For example, he expressed emotions as he was going to die, The prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39) reflects a deeply human moment of suffering and pain, suggesting that Jesus faced his suffering and death with genuine human emotions, even if he had divine foreknowledge.

What would Jesus think of the neutrality of Switzerland?

Given Jesus’s emphasis on peace, love, and reconciliation, one might speculate that Jesus could appreciate Switzerland’s stance on neutrality as it aligns with principles of avoiding conflict and promoting peace. Neutrality, in the context of Switzerland, has historically been about staying out of conflicts and serving as a mediator or facilitator of diplomacy rather than taking sides in wars. However, it’s also worth considering that Jesus often challenged systems and structures that perpetuated injustice or inequality. He might encourage Switzerland, or any nation, to use its neutrality not just as a means of avoiding conflict, but also as a platform for promoting justice, equality, and compassion in global affairs. Source.

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/crucifixion-capital-punishment
https://chatgpt.com/share/b2acff97-f68a-4075-901c-8f97351a6d1f
https://chatgpt.com/share/fab287bc-1921-4029-b297-2dc072e31213
https://chatgpt.com/share/929ef6ce-651d-4cfb-bd31-9e8cf404fee7
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/youth-and-baptism/how-many-brothers-and-sisters-did-jesus-have.html
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/3-ways-jesus-challenges-authority/103944.htm
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-died-for-our-sins.html
https://www.history.com/news/why-pontius-pilate-executed-jesus
https://tifwe.org/jesus-career-before-his-ministry/
https://you.com/search?q=What+are+concrete+examples+showing+that+Jesus+was+a+great+leader%3F&cid=c1_80637a54-39d7-4239-8524-f064e21dfa52&tbm=youchat&chatMode=
https://you.com/search?q=Who+was+the+father+of+Jesus%3F&cid=c1_c6b7f5f3-67a9-4f3b-8f80-b22a6df5acdc&tbm=youchat
https://you.com/search?q=Who+was+Jesus&cid=c1_abf0eb2f-c312-4fe2-8711-7f7c08d7b0be&tbm=youchat
https://you.com/search?q=What+does+it+mean+that+Jesus+scattered+coins+all+over+place%3F&cid=c1_51856fbf-08b8-4822-ba34-0cdfa1517afe&tbm=youchat
https://you.com/search?q=Why+did+Jesus+have+to+die%3F&cid=c1_e3ec0c76-a85b-40d3-8a56-11b08cca0f3d&tbm=youchat