7 Things You Didn't Know About Jesus
Do you think you have a strong understanding of Jesus?
You'll discover some odd truths about Jesus concealed in the pages of the Bible in these seven subjects. Check to see if any of them are new to you.
1. Jesus Was Born Years Before We Thought
Our new calendar, which claims to begin with the birth of Jesus Christ (A.D., anno domini, Latin for "in the year of our Lord"), is incorrect. According to Roman historians, King Herod died about 4 B.C. However, Jesus was born when Herod was still alive. In reality, Herod ordered the slaughter of all male children aged two and under in Bethlehem in an attempt to assassinate the Messiah. Although the exact date is unknown, the census listed in Luke 2:2 most likely took place about 6 B.C. Considering this and other information, Jesus was born between 6 and 4 B.C.
2. Jesus defended the Jews During the time of the Exodus
The Trinity is always in sync. When the Jews fled from Pharaoh, as mentioned in the book of Exodus, Jesus provided them with sustenance in the wilderness. In 1 Corinthians 10:3-4, the apostle Paul revealed this truth: "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ." (New International Version). This was not the only instance in which Jesus played an active part in the Old Testament. The Bible lists several other appearances or theophanies.
3. Jesus Was More Than a Carpenter
Mark 6:3 refers to Jesus as a "carpenter," but he most certainly had a wide variety of construction skills, including the ability to work in wood, stone, and metal. The Greek word for carpenter is "tekton," an ancient term that dates back to the poet Homer around 700 B.C.
While the term tekton originally applied to a woodworker, it has since evolved to include workers in other materials. According to some Bible scholars, wood was scarce during Jesus' period, and most houses were built of stone.
4. Jesus Speaks Three, Maybe Four Languages
The gospels tell us that Jesus spoke Aramaic, the common language of ancient Israel, and some of his Aramaic words are mentioned in the Bible. As a devout Jew, he also spoke Hebrew, which was used in temple prayers. However, several synagogues used the Septuagint, which was a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek.
Jesus may have conversed with Gentiles in Greek, the Middle Eastern commerce language at the time. While we cannot be certain, he may have conversed in Latin with a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:13).
5. Jesus was most definitely not sexy.
There is no physical depiction of Jesus in the Bible, but the prophet Isaiah does: "He had no beauty or majesty to draw us to him, nothing in his presence that we should envy him." (NIV, Isaiah 53:2b)
Since Rome persecuted Christianity, the earliest Christian mosaics portraying Jesus date from about 350 A.D. Paintings of Jesus with long hair were common during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, but Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:14 that long hair on men was "disgraceful."
Jesus stood out because of what he said and did, not because of how he appeared.
6. Jesus Could Be Astounded
On at least two occasions, Jesus seemed to be taken aback by events. He was "amazed" by the people's lack of confidence in him in Nazareth, and he was unable to perform any miracles there. (Matthew 6:5–6) As recorded in Luke 7:9, the great faith of a Roman centurion, a Gentile, also astounded him.
Philippians 2:7 has long been a source of contention among Christians. According to the New American Standard Bible, Christ "emptied" himself, while the later ESV and NIV versions state Jesus "made himself nothing." The sense of this emptying of divine force, or kenosis, is still debated, but we can be assured that Jesus was both completely God and fully man in his incarnation.
7. Jesus Wasn't a Vegetarian
God the Father developed a system of animal sacrifice as a key component of worship in the Old Testament. God did not impose such prohibitions on his followers, in contrast to the laws of modern vegans who do not consume meat on religious grounds. He did, however, include a list of unclean foods to avoid, including pork, rabbit, water creatures without fins or scales, and some lizards and insects.
As a devout Jew, Jesus must have eaten the Passover lamb that was served on that holy day. Jesus is also said to have eaten fish, according to the gospels. Christians' dietary restrictions were later abolished.
In addition to these things above, there are many facts about Jesus you may not know.
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