40 Facts About Jesus That Many People Don't Know

[Music] 100 Facts About Jesus Some people believe that Jesus Christ was just a man or a brilliant teacher; he was, however, so much more. According to the Bible, Jesus is one of a kind in both his person and his mission. He wasn't just some spiritual person during his time on Earth; he was both God's Son and God Himself—God in human flesh.

Number One: Jesus's closest friend, John, is the name of the man who was Jesus's friend before hearing Jesus's call to follow him. John had a successful career as a fisherman. John worked in the fishing industry at both the wholesale and retail levels.

We know he had contacts in Jerusalem, which most likely included a retail business selling the fish he had caught in Galilee. As a result, he existed in two worlds: the rural North and the urban city of Jerusalem in the South. As such, he stood out from the majority of the apostles, who were all Northerners, with Judas Iscariot being the only native Southerner.

He was Jesus's cousin and brother of one of the other disciples, James. This closeness was evident at the cross when Jesus asked John to look after his mother. John, however, was not just close to Jesus because he was a cousin; he was also part of an inner circle, along with James and Peter, of those who were particularly close to Jesus.

He refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, intending to deflect attention from himself by not actually giving his name but supplying us with the insight that, of all the twelve, John was nearest to Jesus. John was the disciple who sat next to Jesus at the Last Supper as the two of them reclined to finish their meal. This occurred during the Passover feast.

Jesus wanted his close buddy to be there with him as they experienced this life-changing moment together. Not only was John the disciple who was closest to Jesus, but he was also the last of the original apostles to live. He composed his gospel as an older man, reflecting on the life of Jesus with his own particular wisdom.

Number Two: Jesus never wrote any of the books in the Bible. Jesus never wrote a book, not even the Gospels. Aside from his life story, more than one-third of the pages in the Gospels are devoted to Jesus's death.

Many Old Testament prophecies are about Christ, and the Book of Revelation is a revelation about Jesus Christ; it was, however, written by John of Patmos, also known as John the Revelator, John the Divine, and John the Theologian. However, this does not imply that he was unable to read or write. Jesus possessed the ability to read and write.

The New Testament demonstrates these abilities. In a Nazareth synagogue, he opened a scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read from a portion of it. In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus is seen writing on the ground.

All that we can know for sure is that Jesus could have written letters or books if he so wished. Why he did not leave anything for us in writing, whether it be a systematic arrangement of his teachings or his inner thoughts, we simply do not know. Number Three: His family members were among his twelve disciples.

Indeed, at least five and probably seven of the twelve were Jesus's relatives. However, his brothers remained skeptical until after the resurrection, when James and Jude not only became believers but penned two of the books of the New Testament. Number Four: Jesus gets his name from an angel.

"And coming to her, the angel said, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. '" But she was greatly perplexed at what he said and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was.

The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus. " (Luke 1) Number Five: We don't know how many Magi visited Jesus.

We’re used to seeing three wise men accompanying Christmas nativity scenes. This is most likely due to the fact that they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The holy scriptures make no mention of the number of Magi who traveled from the East to pay their respects to the newborn king.

Number Six: Jesus had several half-siblings. The Gospels tell us that Jesus had brothers (Matthew 12:46, Amplified Bible). While he was still talking to the crowds, it happened that his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.

Matthew even names his brothers and mentions his sisters: "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary? And aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

Aren't all his sisters with us? Where, then, did this man get all these things? " (Matthew 13:55-56).

Number Seven: Bethlehem means "House of Bread. " Bethlehem is the name of the town that is mentioned in the Bible as being the place where Jesus was born. This is expressed with two words in Hebrew.

It is difficult to miss the importance of the names Beth and Lehem, which both mean "home" and "bread," respectively. Not only did the prophet Micah foretell that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, but Jesus repeatedly referred to himself as the bread of life. Micah foretold that the Messiah would be born there (John 6:35, Amplified Bible).

Jesus replied to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me as Savior will never be thirsty, for that one will be sustained spiritually. " Number Eight: Luke gives us our only view of Jesus in his adolescence.

In the return caravan from Passover in Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary became separated from Jesus. When they figure out Jesus is missing, they both rush back to the ancient city in a panic. They don't find him for three days (Luke 2:46), and when they finally discover him, he's not frightened or upset in the way that an average youngster would be in this situation.

The things that they find out are incredible. Three days later, they found him in the court of the temple, sitting among the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard him were amazed by his intelligence, his understanding, and his answers.

When they saw him, they were overwhelmed, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Listen, your father and I have been greatly distressed and anxious looking for you. " And he answered, "Why did you have to look for me?

Did you not know that I had been in my Father's house? " (Luke 2:46-49, Amplified Bible). Number nine: Jesus grew up as a carpenter.

Joseph was known as a carpenter; Jesus must have learned the trade because he's identified by the crowd in his hometown as a carpenter too (Mark 6:3, Amplified Bible). "Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? Are his sisters not here with us?

" And they were deeply offended by him, and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that he was anointed by God as the Messiah. The Gospel also mentions carpentry in Matthew 13:54-55, saying, "Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. 'Where did this man get his wisdom and these miraculous powers?

' they asked. '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 13:54-55). The word translated as "carpenter" in both cases could also mean "builder" or "laborer," so it stands to reason that carpenters were the people you called when you needed something fixed or built, similar to a modern-day handyman.

Number ten: Jesus was likely very ordinary looking. We don't have a lot of information about Jesus's physical appearance, but Isaiah prophesied about it (Isaiah 53:2): "For he grew up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground. He has no form nor comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

" When Judas betrayed Jesus, it is also well known that he was required to kiss Jesus in order to assist the authorities in identifying him (Matthew 26:48). "Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, 'Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he; take him. '" In point of truth, following his resurrection from the tomb, Mary Magdalene mistook him for the gardener.

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?

" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him. " One thing is obvious: if it were essential for us to know what he really did look like, Matthew, Peter, and John, who spent three years with him, would certainly be able to give us an accurate description, as would his own brothers, James and Jude. Yet these New Testament authors offer no details about his physical attributes.

Number eleven: Jesus's first miracle was performed at the wedding feast of Khanna. Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine. In this fantastic event, he demonstrated his supernatural authority over physical forces.

This miracle signaled the start of his public ministry. Jesus, his mother, and his disciples were invited to a wedding in Khanna of Galilee. As the party went on, his mother informed him that they had run out of wine.

Because weddings frequently lasted several days, this was an embarrassing situation. Despite the fact that intoxication is forbidden in the Old Testament, wine is commonly mentioned in terms of celebration, blessing, and joy. Mary was confident that Jesus could fix the problem.

The servants were instructed by Jesus to fill six stone water jars, each holding 20 or 30 gallons, then draw some out and bring it to the head waiter. The head waiter had no idea where the wine came from, but he knew it was terrific. Guests were typically served good wine first, followed by wine of lesser grade; however, the groom was hailed by the head waiter for suddenly presenting them with excellent wine at that moment in the celebration.

This was a transformational miracle that demonstrated the change in people's lives that occurs when they believe in Jesus and obey his word. This was the first of his miracles or signs, as John refers to them. While Jesus was not yet ready to manifest his identity to the crowd (who had no idea where the wine came from), he performed this sign to reveal his glory to his disciples so that their faith would be strengthened.

Number twelve: The last book and the very last verse of the Bible focus on him (Revelation 22:21, Amplified Bible): "The grace of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, be with all the saints, all believers, those set apart for God," arriving at the final blessing that this magnificent Book of Revelation and the word of God have to offer us—a novel that is otherwise replete with the rumblings of divine wrath. It comes to a quiet conclusion here. John expresses his hope that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be bestowed upon the people of God.

Number thirteen: Jesus started his ministry when he was about 30 years old. Many people wonder about the optimum. .

. Time to start a ministry. Luke 3:23 (Amplified Bible): "When he began his ministry, Jesus himself was about 30 years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son by marriage of Eli.

" Numbers for free tells us that a man must be at least 30 years old to hold the office of priest. Interestingly, this is about the age Jesus was when he kicked off his ministry. This does not imply that everyone has to wait until a certain age to start ministering.

Number 14: Jesus likely spoke multiple languages. Aramaic was the primary language spoken by Jews in 1st-century Palestine. He would have studied the Torah in Hebrew, as did all Jews.

Did he understand Greek? He and the centurion and Pilate were most likely conversing in Greek. Although the Romans spoke Latin, they would have communicated with Hellenistic Jews in Greek.

In 1st-century Palestine, Aramaic was the primary language spoken by Jews, and like most Jews, he would have studied the Torah in Hebrew. Number 15: Jesus needed solitude to pray and recharge. Jesus's ministry was quite public.

According to the Gospels, Jesus went around communities teaching. He constantly battled with the Pharisees and Sadducees, yet he never declined an invitation to someone's home. He built his public ministry on the very deliberate practice of spending time in solitude and prayer.

Luke 6:11-14 (King James Version): "And they were filled with madness, and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew.

" Number 16: There might be relatives of Jesus still alive today. The majority of Christian scholars agree that Jesus did not have any children; as a result, it is unlikely that one of his children carried on his ancestry. However, remember he had brothers and sisters, according to Matthew 13:55-56, so it is possible that their DNA could be found in modern people today.

Number 17: Jesus frequently showed emotion. Many contemporary depictions of Jesus portray him as emotionless and otherworldly. The Gospel writers, on the other hand, depict a passionate Savior.

Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus. We witnessed Jesus turn tables in Matthew 21:12-13. Why did Jesus express emotion here?

The temple had devolved into a site of materialism and commercialism rather than the worship of the one true living God. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he prayed that God would hear his people's prayers from the temple and forgive, defend, and bless them. However, these thieves were robbing the people and reaping a financial benefit by utilizing God's house.

Jesus is also compassionate. Matthew stresses Jesus's ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing throughout the communities. As he did previously, Jesus was deeply concerned with the spiritual state of the people; they had no spiritual direction; they were sheep in search of a shepherd.

Number 18: Jesus is among only three people in the Bible to fast for 40 days. Only three people in the Bible fasted for 40 days: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Depending on how one is hydrated, severe starvation begins between 35 to 40 days.

It was during Christ's fast that the devil tempted him in the desert. Matthew 4:1-3 (Amplified Bible): "Then Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he had gone without food for 40 days and 40 nights, he became hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.

'" Number 19: Jesus quotes Deuteronomy to the devil. Imagine if your entire spiritual welfare depended on how well you knew the book of Deuteronomy. When Satan tempts Jesus in the desert, he answers every enticement with a passage from this one book from the Pentateuch.

Jesus had fasted for 40 days and was nearing starvation when the devil lured him to use his power to make stones into bread. Jesus responds with a quote from Deuteronomy 8:3: "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. '" Next, Satan tempts Jesus to prove his uniqueness by throwing himself off the temple.

The devil reminds Jesus that God won't allow him to fall. This time, Jesus pulls a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16: "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test. '" Finally, Satan offers Jesus the world and all its splendors if only Jesus will worship him.

Jesus answers him from Deuteronomy 6:13: "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. '" (Matthew 4:10) Number 20: His appearance was so awful at the cross that people looked at him in astonishment.

Isaiah further described the appearance of Christ as he would appear as he was being scourged prior to his crucifixion: "His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man, and his form marred beyond human likeness. " (Isaiah 52:14, Amplified Bible): "Just as many were astonished and appalled at you, my people, so his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form marred more than the sons of men. " These words describe the inhuman cruelty he suffered to the point that he no longer looked like a human being.

Matthew 26:67: "Then they spat on his face and struck him with their fists, and some slapped him. " Matthew 27:30: "They spat on him and took the reed and struck him repeatedly on the head. " John 19:3: "And they kept coming up.

. . " to him, saying mockingly, "Hail, King of the Jews!

Good health, peace, long life to you, King of the Jews. " And they slapped him in the face. His appearance was so awful that people looked at him in Number 21.

Jesus drank wine. Christ's first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding of Kana almost certainly involved a fermented beverage. Traditional Jewish marriages typically included serving fermented wine.

If Jesus had merely offered grape juice at the wedding, the host of the feast would have been upset about it. Instead, he commented that the wine was an improvement above what had been provided in the past, claiming that it was a fine wine. The Greek word for "drunk" in John 2:10 is "mephuel," which means to be drunken or intoxicated.

In Acts 2:15, when Peter is defending the apostles against accusations that they were inebriated, the identical term that we have here is used. According to the testimony of the host of the feast, the wine that Christ made had the ability to intoxicate all who drank it. Of course, just because Jesus turned water into wine doesn't prove that he drank the wine at the wedding, but it would have been normal for him to do so.

In Luke 7:33-34, Jesus said, "For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon. ' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at a man who is a glutton and a heavy wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners,' including non-observant Jews. " Number 22.

Jesus raised three people from the dead. It's difficult to imagine a miracle that packs more of a punch than bringing someone back from the dead. At least three times this miraculous act is recorded as having been performed by Jesus in the Gospels.

The widow of Nain's son—this is the first resurrection Jesus performed. As Jesus, his disciples, and a huge multitude approached the town of Nain in the region of Galilee, they ran into a funeral procession. The deceased man was his mother's only child, and she had been a widow for his whole life.

The woman would have no means of support and no hope because she did not have a husband or grown children who could care for her. Jesus was moved to compassion as a result of the scene. He first softly asked the widow to stop crying, and then he commanded the woman's deceased son to get up.

Instantly the son woke from death, sat up in his coffin, and began to speak. Jesus had performed many miracles, but this is the first time reported in Luke's Gospel that he raised someone from the dead. When they saw it, everyone was terrified; the people were in awe and worshiped God.

This miracle was a foreshadowing of a larger resurrection miracle to come. Jairus's daughter: Jairus, a synagogue leader, pushed through a crowd to get to Jesus. Amid joy, a messenger arrived from Jairus's house with devastating news—his daughter was no longer alive.

Nonetheless, Jesus urged Jairus to act in faith no matter what, and his young girl would be rescued. So, with faith, Jairus welcomed Jesus into his house, and Jesus told the mourners to stop crying because the girl was simply sleeping. As a result, they mocked him.

He took the girl's hand in his and urged her lifeless corpse to stand up. Her spirit returned at that instant, and she awoke as if she had been sleeping. Then Jesus urged her astounded parents not to tell anyone.

The formal acknowledgment of his Messiahship awaited his entry into Jerusalem. Lazarus: Mary and Martha informed Jesus that their brother was sick. Instead of hurrying to Bethany to be with his companion, Jesus and his disciples lingered for a few days.

When Jesus ultimately decided to go to Bethany, the disciples cautioned him; the Jews had attempted to assassinate him the last time they were in Judea. Jesus informed them that Lazarus had passed away. Both Mary and Martha expressed their anguish.

Upon their arrival, Jesus claims to be the resurrection and the life. Four days after Lazarus's death, Jesus calls out, "Lazarus, come forth! " and Lazarus rises from the grave.

Number 23. Jesus's ministry only lasted about three and a half years. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus participated in at least three different Passover feasts while he was on Earth.

There is one that is described in John 2:13, another one in John 6:4, and then there is one that took place during the time when Jesus was being crucified. This indicated that his mission continued for at least two years. While it is possible that there were further Passover celebrations that are not mentioned in the scriptures, before they had their first Passover, we do know that a lot of things that took a lot of time would have transpired, including the following: the total amount of time spent ministering as a result of all of his activities would have been several months, not to include the 40 days that passed between Christ's resurrection and the time he ascended into heaven.

In the end, experts think that Jesus's mission lasted for only approximately three and a half years, which is an incredibly short amount of time to transform the world. Number 24. God spoke to Jesus audibly three times.

There are three moments in the New Testament where God communicated out loud to Jesus. First, God spoke to Jesus at his baptism (Matthew 3:16-17, Amplified Bible): "After Jesus was baptized, he came up immediately out of the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he John saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on him. And behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased and delighted.

'" Second, God spoke to Jesus at the Transfiguration while He was still speaking; a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased. Listen to Him! " When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified (Matthew 17:5-6).

Third, God spoke to Jesus before the crucifixion. "Now my soul is troubled and deeply distressed. What shall I say?

'Father, save me from this hour of trial and agony'? But it is for this very purpose that I have come to this hour, this time and place. Rather, I will say, 'Father, glorify, honor, extol Your name!

'" Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again" (John 12:27-28, Amplified Bible). His soul was tormented because He understood what would be expected of Him: He would suffer separation from His Father while dying for the sins of the world. Nonetheless, His anguish did not force Him to abandon His work.

Jesus came to suffer and die for sinners; He was dedicated to God's will, so He prayed, "Father, glorify Your name. " After this, a voice responded from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. " The Father had been glorified through miraculous signs throughout the Son's service.

The ultimate exaltation, however, had to come through the cross and resurrection. The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to Him. Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not Mine" (John 12:29-30).

The crowds had previously been split over Jesus; they were now split even over the voice from heaven. Some thought it was an angel, while others said it was just thunder. Jesus said that this voice was for their benefit, not His; the Father verified the Son in order for them to believe.

Number 25: Only one miracle is recorded in all four Gospels. More than 40 miracles are recorded in the Gospels; while most of them appear in multiple accounts, only one miraculous event appears in all four Gospels: the feeding of the five thousand. The twelve grew restless as the evening progressed.

There were so many people in need of food; it was a hopeless situation. So, they begged the Lord to send the crowd away. Jesus would not send them to the nearby villages to get food.

They complained that they only had five loaves and two fish, for there were about five thousand men. He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each. " They did so and had them all sit down.

Then, He took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, gave thanks, blessed them, broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were completely satisfied, and the broken pieces which they had left over were abundant and picked up: twelve baskets full (Luke 9:14-17). Number 26: Jesus was under extreme stress before the crucifixion.

As Jesus prayed in the garden before His crucifixion, we see a glimpse of the agony He is experiencing (Luke 22:44, Amplified Bible). "And being in agony, deeply distressed and anguished almost to the point of death," He prayed more intensely, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling down on the ground. The clinical name for this condition is hematidrosis.

It is especially interesting that only Luke, the physician, finds this phenomenon interesting enough to mention. Number 27: Mary was present at Christ's birth and death. Mary watched her son be crucified.

Even in His torment, Jesus was concerned for the care of His mother, instructing John to care for her (John 19:26-27). So Jesus, seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved esteemed standing near, said to His mother, "Dear woman, look; here is your son. " Then He said to the disciple, "John, look; here is your mother.

Protect and provide for her. " From that hour, the disciple took her into his own home. Number 28: A sign was placed on the cross explaining Jesus's crime.

According to Matthew's Gospel, a sign is made that explains the charges leveled against Jesus. John tells us that since the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, the inscription read: "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek (19:20). The letters "I N R I" appeared on the sign; in multiple creations of art and crucifixes, this comes from the first letters of the Latin inscription "Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum.

" Number 29: Crucifixion was not rare in Rome. The Romans kept their power through intimidation. If there was even the slightest hint of dissent from a group of individuals, Roman authorities would flog and crucify the perpetrators as a warning to the populace.

The number of people crucified in Rome is estimated to be in the tens of thousands. It is critical to remember that the uniqueness or depth of Christ's suffering on the cross has no bearing on the impact of the Gospel; it stems from who was crucified and what happened afterward. Number 30: Where Jesus would be buried was prophesied.

It was predicted where Jesus would be buried; according to Matthew, after Jesus died, a wealthy man offered up his burial plot (Matthew 27:57-60, Amplified Bible). When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, so that he might bury Him.

Pilate ordered that it be given to him, and Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth for burial, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. He rolled a large stone. .

. Over the entrance of the tomb, Isaiah predicted Jesus's burial hundreds of years before. Isaiah 53:9 (Amplified Bible) states, "His grave was assigned with the wicked, but He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

" According to the prophecy, Jesus was executed as a criminal but ended up in the tomb of the wealthy. Jesus's tomb was triple protected. The Romans were wary of any of Jesus's followers stealing His body because they knew He had promised to return in three days.

They did everything they could to keep it safe from outside interference. This included three distinct safeguards: a large stone—a disc-shaped stone, which is commonly depicted in art—was placed in front of Jesus's tomb; a guard—we don't know whether they used Roman guards or Jewish temple police, but Pilate demanded that a guard be stationed in front of the tomb; and a Roman seal—a Roman seal was both a sign that the contents belonged to Rome and a warning; anyone caught breaking such a seal would almost certainly be crucified. It would have been nearly impossible to reach the body.

Jesus's resurrection was physical. Some believe that Jesus was raised in a spiritual body rather than a physical one; however, Jesus's physical body was raised from the dead. He tells the disciples in Luke 24:38-39 (Amplified Bible), "And He said, 'Why are you troubled, and why are doubts rising in your hearts?

Look at the marks in My hands and My feet, and see that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see; a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you can see that I have. '" To help push this point home, Jesus ate in their presence.

"Do you have anything here to eat? " He asked. While they still did not believe it because of their joy and amazement, they served Him broiled fish, which He ate in their presence (Luke 24:42-43, Amplified Bible).

They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and He took it and ate it in front of them. A prophecy was spoken to Jesus as a child during the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Mary and Joseph were welcomed by an elderly man named Simeon.

Simeon was given a promise by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he passed away. It was the Holy Spirit who led him to realize who Jesus was. As he held the infant in his arms, he thanked God for allowing him to experience the salvation that God provided.

He spoke to Mary, saying, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. A sword will pierce your own soul too" (Luke 2:34-35). The last sentence of his prophecy proved true as Mary watched her son be crucified.

The risen Jesus appears to His disciples and followers twelve times. The New Testament chronicles Jesus's appearances after His resurrection to a total of twelve different individuals or groups: Mary Magdalene, the woman at the tomb, Peter, the travelers on the road, the disciples without Thomas, the disciples including Thomas, the disciples while they fished, the disciples on the mountain, the crowd of 500, those who were at His ascension, and Paul. Jesus commands us to be His witnesses.

The last words of Matthew's Gospel are referred to as the Great Commission, where Jesus handed the church its assignment to spread the Gospel. Matthew 28:18-20 (Amplified Bible) says, "Jesus came up and said to them, 'All authority, all power of absolute rule in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.

And lo, I am with you always, remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion, even to the end of the age. '" Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus says something very similar to His disciples: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The Baptist was Jesus's second cousin because Mary and Elizabeth were cousins; Jesus and John were also cousins.

The angel Gabriel also announced John's birth to his father, a priest named Zechariah, who was married to Elizabeth. Because both Zechariah and Elizabeth were elderly, the birth of John is regarded as a divine miracle. The number 14 and the number 40 reoccur several times in the life of Jesus.

Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days. Jesus preached for about 40 months. Forty days separated the ascension of Jesus from His resurrection.

The prophet Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah the Morashtite, one of the twelve minor prophets, predicted that the Messiah would be born in a small village near Jerusalem. The Book of Micah states, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.

" Again, the Book of Matthew recalled and confirmed this prophecy: the Virgin Mary did give birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. His conception was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. The Old Testament revealed hints of the coming Messiah, but only the book of Isaiah was specific with the details.

In Isaiah 7:14, the prophet said, "Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: behold, the young woman shall conceive and bear. . .

" A son shall be called His name Emmanuel. The New Testament's Book of Matthew confirmed the fulfillment of the prophecy through the birth of Jesus.