Jesus of Nazareth

Their story, briefly

1. Born in Bethlehem to Mary and Joseph; raised in Nazareth as a carpenter.
2. Began public ministry around age 30 — taught, healed, forgave, called twelve disciples.
3. Crucified under Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem during Passover.
4. Rose bodily from the dead on the third day; appeared to over 500 witnesses.
5. Ascended to the Father; will return to judge the living and the dead.

Key passages

• John 1:1-18
• Luke 2:1-20
• Mark 10:45
• John 19:28-30
• 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

How their life points to Christ

He is the center of Scripture. Every promise from Genesis to Malachi reaches for him; every letter from Romans to Revelation looks back at him. The Bible is finally his story.

Common misunderstandings

• Jesus did not invent himself in his ministry years — Scripture says he is eternal, with God in the beginning (John 1).
• He did not come to start a new religion against Judaism; he came as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures.
• He did not teach merely a 'be nice' ethic — he taught his own deity, his death for sins, and the urgent need to follow him.