The Last Days Of Jesus' Life Essay

The religious leaders heard Jesus’ message but they rejected it. Jesus used agricultural images to portray the unfruitfulness of these religous leaders and their rejection of Jesus. They were unfruitful as outlined in the three situations. They should respond to the message and persevere the word and to bear fruit.

It is possible to write on the life of Jesus from the information gathered from the bible. I will be dividing my essay into three parts. In the first part of the paper, I will talk about the nature of the gospels, John’s views vs. the Synoptic, discuss if the authors of the gospels are eyewitnesses and how they used written sources. Also I will talk about the Q source. Then I will elaborate on the topic of how Matthew and Luke were similar. Then I will continue on by discussing how the Old Testament uses Moses, Samuel and Elijah to interpret Jesus, and finally whether or not the Sermon on the Mount happened. In the second part of my paper, I will talk about Jesus’s birth and childhood, his miracles, his resurrection, and what Jesus did to cure people, spirits and how they are interpreted to the prophet, magician and the mad man compared to Saul and Elijah. The final part of the paper I will talk about what Jesus talked about as regards to the Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of the Romans and what he intended by speaking of the end of the world. I will also speak of the reasons behind the Romans executing him. My sources for this paper will be the New Jerusalem Bible Readers edition as my primary source and lecture notes from Professor Trumbach.

• Writes about Christ suffering extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of Pontius Pilatus. Refers to an immense multitude of Christ followers willing to die for their beliefs. Pg. 82

Pontius Pilate, as Roman Governor, had a position to fulfill to the Roman population along with the Jewish community. During a time of Jewish Passover, along with the chaos Jesus had created, Pilate was under great influence from many outside factors. “The stir created by Jesus' preaching and the size of his following perturbed both the Roman and the Jewish authorities, fearful of any wind that might fan the smoldering discontent in Palestine into a raging flame of revolt.” (Hexter 62) In the Roman trial, Pilate was chosen to judge Jesus on the act of sedition, however counter to Hexter's perspective, repeatedly stated that he saw no case against him. In the Gospel of John, it is apparent that Pilate not only doesn't want to be involved but is puzzled at the situation at hand. “Your own nation and the chief of priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” (John 18:33) Pilate is attempting to keep order in his city and rather not involve

Throughout the first half of the book of Matthew, Jesus hinted at a forthcoming death but the first time Jesus blatantly predicted his death and warned his disciples was in chapter 16:21. The second time Jesus foretold the upcoming crucifixion was in 17:22 and third and final time was in 20:17. Concurrently in this unit, there is a transfer of power. Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate because as the governor, he was responsible to make tough judgments for the state.

“Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) is one of the most fundamental questions that Jesus asked his disciples. It is a question, from my personal viewpoint, that has a simple answer. Jesus is Lord! Needless to say, there is more to the identity of Jesus, but it is my belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the promised Savior foretold in the Old Testament by the prophets. There is an endless list that gives Jesus titles such as Ruler and King, Master and Teacher, Savior and Christ, but in Acts 2:36 Luke writes, “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus is the one who went to the Cross to bring humankind forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.

All four Gospels describe Jesus in his final week in Jerusalem. During which Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted moneychangers and merchants in the temple, and debated with the high priests who questioned Jesus’ authority. He told his disciples about the coming days and that Jerusalem’s temple would be destroyed. Meanwhile, the chief priests and elders met with high priest Caiaphas, and set plans in motion to arrest Jesus. One of Jesus’ disciples’ betrayed him to the Pharisees for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus took his disciples to pray with him, but they kept falling asleep. Soldiers and officials appeared, and Judas (who betrayed Jesus) was with them. He gave Jesus a kiss on the cheek to help the Pharisee’s know who he was and the soldiers arrested Jesus. One disciple tried to resist the arrest, drew his sword and cutting off an ear of a soldier. Jesus was then interrogated by the high priest, hit and spat upon for not answering. Jesus was mocked, condemned, and beat up in a high court because he stated he was the son of God. Pilate washed his hands of the responsibility of what happened to Jesus, but ordered him to be executed. Jesus hung on a cross for three days, died, was buried in a tomb, and rose again on the third day. With his dying on the cross he took the sin of the world.

In Jesus of Nazareth, Paula Fredriksen seeks to answer one pressing question about the historical Jesus: Why was Jesus crucified? Through an exploration of written sources, including the Gospels, Paul’s letters, works by pagan authors, works by Jewish authors like Josephus, and Second Temple Judaism sources, as well as archeological evidence, Fredriksen attempts to pull different understandings of Jesus, the society in which he lives, and the Christian movement that followed him into an historical image of Jesus. His message, journey, and impact are all topics of Fredriksen’s discussion, but her emphasis is on the information we know for certain: Jesus was crucified and none of his followers experienced the same fate. Fredriksen introduces the book with background information about historical Jesus research. She is careful to outline significant amounts of disagreement among scholars because there are so many different research methods, sources, and interpretations involved in the process.

Jerusalem is where Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and crucified for his crimes, blasphemy against Judaism and for treason against Rome. In his youth, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to be presented at the Temple and to attend the Festivals of the Passover. Jesus preached to the poor and the poor and healed the sick. Near the end of his life, Jesus was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death in Jerusalem. Jesus’ death sentence was carried out, by crucifixion, at Golgotha; which is traditionally located where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands today. From birth to death and from death to rebirth, Jerusalem was a vital part of Jesus’ journey as a man and the Son of God. The city of Jerusalem and the area surrounding it are heavily embedded in Christianity and Judaism.

This part spans over eight days, from April 2nd-9th A.D. 30. The Pharisees and the High Priest, Caiaphas, are determined to get rid of Jesus, no matter how they have to go about it. Passover has once again arrived and Jesus is well aware of the fate he is about to meet. In fact, he even predicts his death in front of the disciples multiple times, along with the betrayal of one of their own, Judas Iscariot. Throughout the days leading up to Passover, the religious leaders try everything they can think of to trick Jesus into committing a crime against Jewish Law.

As the soldiers torture and prepare to crucify Him, the atmosphere around them slowly turns uneasy as Jesus speaks and the soldiers say, “For all his sauntering soon. Ill speed them that him spare. Till he to dead be done” (70-73). While Jesus’s love for them increases, the

Jesus' decision to physically cast out the moneylenders from the temple stands as one of the most interesting events of his life, because it represents what seems to be the only moment in the Gospel narratives where he becomes visibly angry to the point of physical action. While one could argue that Jesus is frequently (and justifiably) angry with the disciples from time to time, this is the only moment that Jesus' anger moves him to physical force. Although the event is recorded in all four of the Gospels, this study will focus specifically on its rendering in Matthew, because when considered in the context of Matthew's larger narrative, one can see how Jesus' decision to cleanse the temple does not represent an aberration in either his character or theological message, but rather the natural culmination of Jesus' life and works prior to that point, and demonstrates a kind of revolutionary, anti-authoritarian element of Jesus' message of salvation that is all too often overlooked by Christians and critics alike.

The teachings of Jesus focused primarily on the "the kingdom of God" and were usually relayed through parables drawing on familiar images from agricultural life. He rebuked the hypocrisy of some Jewish leaders and taught the importance of love and kindness, even to one's enemies. Jesus' popularity grew quickly, but so did opposition from local leaders. Roman rulers were uncomfortable with the common perception that he was the Messiah who would liberate the Jews from Roman rule, while Jewish leaders were disquieted by Jesus' shocking interpretations of Jewish law, his power with the people, and the rumor that he had been alluding to his own divinity. In the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly suggests to his disciples his end is near, but they do not fully understand or accept the idea. The clearest expression of this is at the "Last Supper," which took place on the night before his death. All four Gospels record that Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples, asking them to "do this in remembrance of me." Christians celebrate this event in the sacrament of the Eucharist, or Communion. On this evening Jesus also predicts that one of them will betray him, which is met with astonishment and denial. But that very night, Jesus' fate was sealed when Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples and possibly the group's treasurer, led Roman soldiers to Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. As they arrested Jesus, the ever-colorful Peter defended his master with a sword, slicing off

Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet, teacher, who was also recognized as king of the Jews, was crucified before the festival of the Passover. His crucifixion has alarmed the cities of Jerusalem. For it is said that he shall resurrect after his death. Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Mathew 2:1) to Mary and Joseph, who is said to be a descendant from King David. Mary was visited by an angel whose name was Gabriel and announced her future pregnancy (Luke 1:26-32). Even before his birth, this man Jesus was prophesied to be the Messiah and the Savior (Luke 2:11).

The Passion of the Christ is one of many films about the life of Jesus but this particular one is different to the others. Released in 2004, directed by Mel Gibson and filmed in the ancient Aramaic language, `The Passion' focuses mainly on the death of Christ and shows us the full extent as to what he suffered to save mankind.