Infancy:
7.1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem according to the prophesy of Micah:
"But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel." Micah 5:2
But when Herod ordered the killing of all the baby boys in Bethlehem, Jesus' father Joseph was warned by God in a dream to escape to Egypt. Egyptian Christians say that Jesus and his family stayed there only about three months, then returned to Israel. They settled in Nazareth.
King Herod the Great had a large indoor swimming pool close to Bethlehem. The swimming pool was part of one of his fortresses. The tomb of Rachel is also in Bethlehem.
Church historian Eusibius tells us that God judged Herod the Great immediately after he killed the babies in Bethlehem. His guts rotted and his private parts became infected and wormy. He died a very painful and horrible death. Eusibius says that Herod killed about 25 baby boys.
Youth:
7.2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, but grew up in Nazareth, where He worked with his father, Joseph, the carpenter. Mark 6:3 tells us that Jesus was also a carpenter before He began his public ministry.
"Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" Mark 6:3
7.3 One of the early church leaders, a man by the name of Justin Martin, writing in the third century, tells us that Jesus and His father Joseph made high quality farming tools, (such as plows and yokes), that were still in use at that time. This is a good example to any of us who are workmen.
7.4 Jesus grew up in Nazareth where the Bible says He was subject, (obedient), to His parents.
"Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them,..." Luke 2:51
7.5 We can see from the Bible verse at the top of this page that Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters.
7.6 Jesus lived in Nazareth until he was ready to begin His public ministry. The town was small in Jesus' day. There were only about 365 people living there because there was only one little well.
Nazareth is surrounded by hills. Olive and fig trees grow on the hillsides, along with winter wheat. In the Spring there are a lot of wild flowers. The area is very pretty.
Year of Preparation:
7.7 Jesus began His ministry with being baptized by John in the Jordan river. This probably took place near Bethabara at the north end of the Dead Sea. Read John 1:28, then find Bethabara on the map.
7.8 At this time Jesus still had His home in Nazareth. He traveled from there to the Jordan river to be baptized by John, but His home was in Nazareth. Even though His home was in Nazareth He did not return there until the end of His first year of ministry. Then He preached in Nazareth, but was rejected. After being rejected he moved to Capernaum and made a new home there.
7.9 Three important events took place during the Year of Preparation:
Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan river.
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil.
Jesus called his at least six of His disciples for the first time.
Year of Popularity:
7.10 At the beginning of the Year of Popularity Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum. Capernaum was a good place to use as a base for Jesus' ministry. Capernaum was a small town of less than 1,500 people in Jesus' day. The main highway from Damascus to Egypt and the main road from Galilee to Jerusalem met at Capernaum. There was a customs house for traders coming from Damascus, with a small group of Roman soldiers stationed nearby. Peter and Andrew had homes there, and Peter's mother-in-law lived next door. Each house had only two rooms, but the rooms were big. The three small houses surrounded a courtyard. This living arrangement was common in Palestine. Most of the cooking was done in the courtyard. Between the courtyard and the road there was a large area where a crowd might gather. Peter's house was only 90' from the synagogue. Capernaum was a fishing village, but there was also a glass factory there, and a factory for making milling and grinding stones for processing grain and olives. "Capernaum" might mean "Village of Nahum", or possibly "Beautiful Village." Jesus stayed at Peter's house when he was in Capernaum. We know this because He was considered to be a member of Peter's household for taxing purposes. (Matthew 17:24-27) see artifacts
note: After having been to Israel, I think the name "Capernaum" means "Beautiful Village." It really is a beautiful place.
7.11 The brothers Peter and Andrew, and probably also the brothers James and John lived in Capernaum, where they had fishing businesses. Matthew was also from Capernaum, where he worked as a customs official (Matthew 9:9). Phillip and Bartholomew were from Bethsaida. If you look up these places on the map, you will see that Capernaum, (where at least five of the disciples lived), lies only five miles west of Bethsaida, where at least two other disciples lived. In fact, all of Jesus disciples were from Galilee except for Judas Iscariot. It seems likely that "Iscariot" means "man from Kerioth." Kerioth was a small town in Judah (see Judges 15:25).
7.12 It seems apparent that one of the reasons Jesus chose to live in Capernaum was because five of His disciples were from there, and others lived nearby.
7.13 From Capernaum Jesus could travel to other towns in Galilee, and he could go by ship to places in Iturea/Tachonites and Decapolis.
Year of Passion:
7.14 Jesus continued his ministry in Galilee until the middle of the third year, the "Year of Passion." Then, He left Galilee and ministered in the province of Perea for the last six months of His life before going to Jerusalem where He knew He would be crucified.
7.15 The Jews thought of Jerusalem as the center of Israel. The city itself was divided by the boundary between the tribe of Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin. Jerusalem was a fortress city. It was built on the mountains of Moriah. Steep ravines surrounded the city on three sides. The only easy approach was from the north. More than 50,000 people lived in Jerusalem in Jesus' day. Formidable walls enclosed the city on all sides. Sixty-one towers were built on the walls for added defense. Herod the Great built a fortress palace against the wall on the west side. The temple stood like a fortress on the east side. Just north of the temple was the Fortress of Antonia. The "upper city" was divided from the "lower city" by another wall. Within these fortifications were the palaces of the High Priests, the rich homes of the Sadducees, the crowded living quarters of 17,000 priests, and the homes and markets of the common people. In Jesus' day there were about 10,000 Levites who were temple guards. Most of these men and their families probably lived in Jerusalem or nearby.
Resurrected Life:
7.16 After Jesus rose from the dead He commanded his disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel.
Discussion Question: What was it like to be a disciple of Jesus?
Can we still be his disciples?Memory Verse:
He will feed his flock like a shepherd: He will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11