Similar to how He repaired roofs, walls, and buildings, He repaired our lives once and for all.
If there is one person the world has misinterpreted, it is Jesus Christ. Due to Jesus being a prominent figure in history, many people have erroneous views concerning who He is, where He is from, whether He died or not, and whether He is truly God. While all of these questions are good to ask, it is important to receive correct answers. Rather than looking just anywhere for these answers, we need to consult the Bible. The Bible is the only way to truly find the answers we are looking for.
Who Was His Mother?
From the Bible, we learn that Jesus was born to the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38, 2:11). Mary was betrothed to Joseph when she was found to be pregnant. However, this pregnancy was not like other pregnancies. This pregnancy was done by the work of God (Luke 1:35). Therefore, Jesus was not born into sin as normal babies are, and He continued to live a life without sin (1 Peter 2:22).
It was because of Jesus’ sinless nature and His divinity that He was able to grow up and die the death that we deserved. Jesus is God in the flesh, which is why He was able to redeem us from our sins (John 1:1). By placing faith in Jesus, a person can be given forgiveness of sins and eternal life (John 3:16-17). The Apostle Paul tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame’” (Romans 10:9-11).
It's important to note that Mary has been the subject of much debate over the centuries due to the Catholic Church choosing to pray to Mary. What many fail to realize is praying to Mary makes her an idol, falsely elevating her to the level of the Lord. Despite the views of the Catholic Church, Mary knew she was a sinner in need of salvation just like we all are (Luke 1:46-55). Mary was a humble woman when Jesus was born to her, and she demonstrated much bravery, strength, and faith in God, but we don’t need to worship her. She is just a human like us, who had the privilege to carry the Lord into the world.
Where Is He From?
Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-20). However, He grew up in Nazareth, which is in Galilee (Luke 2:39). It was long prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem as Micah 5:2 says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
Remember, David was born in Bethlehem, which is well-known as the City of David. Similar to how King David came from this city, the eternal King would also rise up from Bethlehem. Many scholars and skeptics try to claim Jesus did not meet the criteria of being born in Bethlehem; however, this is normally due to them confusing cities and places of Israel. Without having a thorough knowledge of Israel and how their cities work, it is easy to get the locations mixed up.
In addition to being born in Bethlehem and growing up in Nazareth, Jesus lived in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). This was when Mary and Joseph had to flee due to King Herod’s edict. King Herod had planned to kill all the male sons under the age of two in Bethlehem; therefore, Mary and Joseph fled in order to keep Jesus safe. Within Old Testament prophecies, this was already foretold for the Messiah to live in Egypt as Hosea 11:1 says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
How Many Brothers Did He Have?
Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters according to the Bible, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?” (Matthew 13:55). Mark 6:3 also says, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”
James is the most well-known of Jesus’ brothers as he is the writer of the Book of James. He became the head of the Jerusalem Church and the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:13-21). Jude is also known more so than Joseph or Simon as he is the writer of the Book of Jude. Joseph and Simon as well as the sisters are not mentioned outside of Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3.
One cannot be dogmatic to say that a few of Jesus’ siblings never placed faith in Him as this view is not warranted. Joseph, Simon, and Jesus’ sisters could have placed faith in Him, but we are simply not told these facts. This is because the main focus of the Bible is Jesus. We don’t need to speculate as, ultimately, only God knows.
If it was important for us to know, we would have been told. Rather than focusing on what we are not told, we can start to study the Book of James and the Book of Jude to learn more about what the Lord’s half-brothers were teaching after Jesus’ ascension into heaven. It is important to also note here that each of Jesus’ brothers and sisters was only His half-sibling. They were not His full siblings because they were born the natural way.
Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, but James, Joseph, Simon, Jude, and the sisters were all born by natural means between Mary and Joseph. Many belief systems support the idea that Jesus’ siblings are also divine, but this is not true. Jesus was the only person to have ever been born supernaturally. His siblings were not divine as they are the natural children of Mary and her husband, Joseph.
What Was His Career?
Going back to the original Greek, Jesus was a tekton. A tekton translates to a craftsman or an artisan. While many Bible versions translate tekton to carpenter or stone-mason, Jesus was most likely a craftsman. It could mean He was a carpenter, a stone-mason, a woodworker, or a builder, or all of these things plus many more. Most likely, Jesus was skilled as a craftsman and was able to help in any area that was needed.
If a person needed help repairing a roof, He could do this, and if a person needed help carving a work of art, He could do this as well. However, the ultimate thing Jesus did during His life on earth was His ministry. He started His ministry when He was thirty and continued His ministry up until He died for the sins of the world. Jesus’ death on the cross, His resurrection, and the redemption He has provided for us is by far the greatest thing He could ever build or sculpt.
Ultimately, He fixed and repaired our broken relationship with the Father by dying for our sins and paying our sin debt in full (1 Peter 2:24, 3:18). Similar to how He repaired roofs, walls, and buildings, He repaired our lives once and for all. Jesus is our great and powerful Savior, who has redeemed us, brought us into the Kingdom, and now surrounds us with His love, power, and protection.
Photo Credit: ©Alessandro Bellone/Unsplash
