Gospels 1 - Jesus life story ...

Monday, Nov 30, 2009. The four gospels in the New Testament are the heart of the bible. They reflect the life story of Jesus. This person Jesus is the key person in this whole book. He is in the center of all the thoughts and arguments.

Jesus was born around the year zero of our calender. Today, there are still many discussions about it, a majority of scholare believes his birth was in fact in the year 4BC or 6BC. Our modern calender was introduced in 1582 by pope Gregory, who used the estimates of his time to determine the dates of the birth of Christ, which he dated into the new year zero. Jesus lived 30 years without big public involvement. In these “hidden years” he has been a child, young boy and a young adult as all the others. Then, he had three years of strong public activity, which ended with him being executed as a criminal at a cross on a hill close to the city of Jerusalem.

Why should we be interested in the life story of a person who died around 2000 years ago? What is so interesting about Jesus? These questions bring us right into the central story of the gospels.

Jesus is something special. He is a normal human, but at the same time he is not just a normal human! This story as it is reflected by the gospels is just amazing. His speeches are stunning! The stories he tells, the parables and images, are a must-see! These things are so far beyond the usual, that we can truly say they are unique and exceptional. You should really see and read them, and get insight into the things he is telling us!

Why bother about a dead man? The answer is: because he is not a dead man. The bible tells the story of his death, and then the story of his resurrection. He died, but then was raised from the dead on the third day. When you hear this story the first time, you either put it into the realm of myth, or you just think that it is too crazy to have any relation towards reality. But when you get to know the gospels, the words Jesus spoke, the way he acted … at some point you will ask yourself: could it be true that he is really the person he claims to be? Could it be true that the resurrection took place, and that God is as powerful and present as the bible tries to tell us.

You will need to find your own answer - faith need to be discovered by every person individually at some point. Yes, there is the faith of the church, the faith of many who came to Jesus over time. This faith can be encouraging, but it will not be your faith, when you walk with the crowd, but remain outside in your heart. God wants us to discover him and to fall in love with him - and the gospels are his love letters to us! Here, he shows who he is and how much he loves us. Come and see! [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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