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Where did Jesus live his
life during his earthly journey? Little is given of the first thirty
years of his life. He probably lived the typical life of a Jewish child
of his time. It is recorded that at the age of twelve, he went to
Jerusalem with his parents at the feast of passover. As the family was
returning home, they discovered that the child was not with them. After
returning to Jerusalem and searching for three days, they found him in
the temple sitting among the teachers listening and asking questions.
When his parents finally found him, they were amazed that he could cause
such sorrow in their hearts. His response to their questioning of how he
could act in such a way, revealed an understanding of his purpose in
life at the very beginning of his coming of age. He responded with,
"How is it that ye sought me? Know ye not that I must be about my
Father’s business." He returned home with them and was subject to
his parents as any other Jewish boy of Nazareth.
The next eighteen years of his life is covered in a single statement:
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and man." He went to school, learned the trade of his father, and
grew to manhood as other young men. The implication seems clear that
although he processed many exceptional attributes as a man he was, in
fact, fully man. To the average person on the streets of Nazareth, he
probably stood out no more than any other industrious, honest, and
respectful man of his time. He lived among the people.
The first we see of Jesus again is at about the age of thirty. A prophet
name John began to preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins. He warned the people to give of their goods to feed and to cloth
the poor. He told the tax collector not to take more than their Roman
employers appointed them. To the soldiers, he said that they should not
be violent in the exercise of their duty, falsely accuse anyone, and be
content with their wages. Into this everyday way of life, Jesus came to
be baptized of John.
After a season of separating himself in the wilderness where he prayed,
struggled with normal human desires, and returned in the power of the
Spirit of God within him, Jesus began his journey to live as his
heavenly Father desired. He began by teaching in the Jewish synagogues.
In Nazareth, as was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the
sabbath and stood up to read, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
After much discussion, the people who heard his gracious words wondered
who is this man. They said, "Is not this Joseph’s son?" They
were struggling to see him as anything other than the son of Joseph.
When he further identified himself as the fulfillment of the word of God
he read, the people of the synagogue became angry. They rose up against
him, driving him out of the synagogue, and took him outside the city to
throw him off of a hill.
When Jesus escaped their impending wrath, he went into Galilee and
taught them in their synagogues. Although Jesus began his journey of
fulfilling the will of his heavenly Father in the synagogues of Galilee,
he would soon begin meeting the people where they actually lived. He
went into Simon’s house and began to preach and to heal the needs of
the people. He departed and went into a deserted place and the people
sought him out.
He stood by the lake of Gennesaret and preach to the people. He entered
into one of the ships and it became his pulpit. After preaching to the
people, he told the fisherman to cast out into the sea. Jesus told them
to let down their nets and they took in so many fish that the boat began
to sink. Being astonished, they were told, "Fear not: from
henceforth thou shalt catch men." They brought their ships to land
and followed Jesus as he journey through the land.
They met a man in the streets of a certain city who had leprosy. Jesus
reached forth his hand and healed him. Then, Jesus told the now healed
man to tell no one but go show himself to the priest. He was to offer
himself for the cleansing rite according to Moses. He was to be a
testimony unto them that he had been made clean from leprosy.
So many people were coming to Jesus because of the miracles that he
withdrew from the multitudes and went into the wilderness. After
praying, he began to teach the people as they came out of the cities to
hear him.
Once when Jesus was teaching in a certain house, a man sick with palsy
was brought by his friends to be healed of Jesus. They could not get in
the house for the crowd. They went to the housetop and lower the man
down through the roof. Jesus was to heal the man and to forgive him of
his sins. Although the scribes and the Pharisees questioned the action
of Jesus among themselves, the people were amazed and glorified God.
After this miracle in a home, Jesus departed and in the streets of the
city saw a tax collector, a man name Levi, sitting at his place of
business. He simply said to the tax collector, "Follow me." He
rose up from his work and followed Jesus.
Levi gave a great feast in his own house for Jesus with a great number
of fellow tax collectors and friends. Jesus sat down with them and
immediately the Pharisees ask the disciples why Jesus was eating with
publicans and sinners. Jesus responded, "I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance."
Later, as Jesus and his disciples were passing through a grain field,
some of his disciples took some of the grains, rubbed the husk off, and
ate them. After questioned by certain of the Pharisees why his disciples
were doing something not lawful on the sabbath, Jesus took this occasion
of walking through the grain field to teach the ways of God.
It eventually came to pass that Jesus went out into a mountain to pray
and continued all night in prayer to God. When it was day, he called
unto him his disciples and chose twelve to walk closely with him. On a
hill side of Judaea, he called those who would spearhead the preaching
of the gospel after he completed his earthly journey.
As Jesus and his disciples were coming down the mountain, a great
multitude of people out of Judaea and from the sea coast came to hear
him. They desired to be healed of their diseases. When Jesus saw the
hungering needs of the people, he was moved with compassion and began to
speak to the people. On a hill side of Judaea, one of the most powerful
messages preached by Jesus was delivered to the people.
After he had finished preaching, he departed into Capernaum. In
Capernaum, there was a certain centurion’s servant that was sick at
the point of death. When the centurion heard that Jesus was coming into
Capernaum, he sent elders of the local Jewish synagogue to bring Jesus.
On the way to the centurion’s home, Jesus was met by friends of the
centurion sent to tell him that it was not necessary for Jesus to have
to come all the way to the centurion’s home. The centurion knew that
Jesus could just speak the words and the servant would be healed. On the
streets of Capernaum, the words were spoken and the miracle occurred.
The day after, Jesus was approaching the gates of a city called Nain. A
funeral procession was making its way out of the city through the gate.
The dead son, the only son of a widow, was being carried to his grave
site. Jesus was moved with compassion, again, and spoke to her,
"Weep not." He touched the open coffin and said. "Young
man, I say unto thee, arise." Meeting a funeral procession passing
through the gates of the city, Jesus met the need of the widow woman. He
brought her son back to life.
It was not long after the raising of the son, Jesus was approached by a
Pharisee. He desired Jesus to come into his home and to eat with him.
While he was eating with the Pharisee and other guests, a certain woman,
a sinner as judged by everyone, came in and begin to wash the feet of
Jesus. Wiping his feet and rubbing them with a fragrant oil, she was
expressing her great joy for her being forgiven for so much.
The Pharisee began to think in himself that if Jesus was a prophet, he
would know who and what this woman was. Jesus recognizing the thoughts
of the Pharisee proceeded to give a great lesson of life: to whom little
is forgiven, the same loves little, but to whom much is forgiven much
love is given in return. Sitting in the home of a Pharisee eating a meal
with the Pharisee’s friends, Jesus spoke wonderful words of hope and
of life.
Jesus continued his journey of life by going throughout many cities and
villages preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.
Great multitudes of people heard him speak on hillsides, in streets, at
homes, and wherever Jesus saw the needs of people. He lived his life and
experienced the gospel among the people.
Once, caught in a storm at sea, Jesus calmed the fears of his disciples
as he journeyed across the sea. Upon arriving at the shore, he was met
by a person who lived in the tombs of a nearby graveyard. In the
countryside, Jesus spoke deliverance to the tormented man who had not
lived in a city or a house for many years.
There was the ruler of a synagogue who sought Jesus because his twelve
year old daughter was dying. When Jesus and the man was on their journey
to his house, they were thronged by a multitude. A woman in the crowd,
who had been sick for twelve long years, reached out to touch the hem of
Jesus’ garment. On the streets of that city, the woman was made whole.
Jesus journeyed on to the man’s house, even though by this time the
girl had died. When he came to the home, he entered into the house with
Peter, James, John, and the parents of the girl. He said to all that was
grieving in the home, "Weep not, she is not dead, but asleep."
In the bereaved home of weeping family and friends, Jesus spoke the
words, "Maid, arise." She did.
The very next event and words in the journey of Jesus were, "Then
he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and
authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to
preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick." Then, he said,
"And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide...." It is
always on the hillside, in the street, at the home, and among the tombs
that Jesus is to be experienced.
Where did Jesus live his life during his earthly journey? The
manifestation of Jesus Christ does, in deed, take place in our
relationships--personal, family, church, and the world. |
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