Ten Things You May Not Know About Jesus

Jesus Christ is unquestionably the greatest teacher the world has ever known and the most recognized figure in human history. The Bible tells us, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes,” (Matthew 7:28-29). 

No figure has been more frequently mentioned, painted, written and sung about than Him. Jesus was also the greatest help to mankind the world has ever known, and yet He was misunderstood, persecuted and finally crucified. 

Despite being the most famous figure in our modern history, many people still don’t know much about Him, except the fact that He lived in Nazareth, was baptized by John the Baptist, walked on water, performed miracles, was crucified on a cross and then rose from the dead. 

Here are ten things you may not know about Jesus Christ...  

1 - Jesus Was Not Born on December 25, 1 A.D.

Our current calendar, which supposedly starts from the time Jesus Christ was born (A.D., anno domini, Latin for "in the year of our Lord"), is wrong. We know from Roman historians that King Herod died about 4 B.C. But Jesus was born when Herod was still alive. In fact, Herod ordered all male children in Bethlehem two years and younger slaughtered, in an attempt to kill the Messiah. "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi." Although the date is debated, the census mentioned in Luke 2:2 this holy event possibly could have occurred around 6 B.C. Taking these and other details into account, Jesus was born between 6 and 4 B.C., not 1 A.D.  There is no record of his birth date but it is generally celebrated on December 25 each year. This occurrence first took place in the year 336 A.D. when a few Roman bishops proclaimed the following Latin words, "25 Dec.: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae.", which translated means, "December 25th: Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea." Many scholars say that he was born sometime late Winter and early Spring, but this is just speculation.

2 - A Heavenly Host Visited the Night Jesus Was Born

According to Luke 2:13-14, it states, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!' While mankind does not know a lot about angels, we do know that angels play a pivotal role throughout the holy scriptures. The heavenly angels are known to come in different forms that fulfill the various roles the Creator designed for them. For example, angels spoke with Zechariah, Joseph, Mary [before Jesus was born] and the shepherds [the night Jesus was born]. Besides the Book of Revelation, where John witnessed a multitude of angels, the only other time a multitude of angels is mentioned in the Bible is the night Jesus was born. This multitude of angels was chosen specifically by the Creator to be seen and heard by the modest shepherds for a purpose... to proclaim a great king had been born on this particular night during mankind's history.

3 - Jesus Was A Carpenter's Son

Not a lot is written about Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, but it states in Matthew 13:55, "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?" This small detail in the Book of Matthew has led many scholars to deduce Joseph was indeed a carpenter. Likewise, in Mark 6:3, it mentions only that Jesus was a carpenter. This purported biographical detail has produced more questions than answers for other biblical theologians. While the Bible does not reveal much detail about Joseph's role as Jesus' father, according to the Book of Matthew, Chapter 1, Joseph was an excellent example of integrity and righteousness. Joseph is last mentioned in scripture when Jesus was 12 years old. Perhaps Joseph died before Jesus was an adult and this is the reason Jesus was listed as the 'carpenter' instead of the 'carpenter's son' in Mark 6:3. Regardless, the Bible states that Jesus grew up in the home of a carpenter and later became known as a carpenter himself.

4 - Jesus' Official Ministry Started When He Was 30 Years Old 

It is recorded that Jesus was a preacher as early as an adolescence. The Bible describes a time when Jesus was 12 years old and was found by His parents, preaching in the temple to the adults. In Luke 2:48-50, it says, “When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.’ ‘Why were you searching for me?’ He asked. ‘Didn’t you know I’d be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what He was saying to them.” While Jesus was incredibly wise for His age, Jesus didn’t truly begin His earthly ministry until age 30. This is the age of spiritual maturity in scripture and in the Judaic culture of Jesus’ day. During the 1st century A.D., thirty was the age at which a man would be fully recognized as a rabbi. Thirty was also the age at which the Levites entered into work; the age in which it was lawful for scribes to teach. Thirty was the age when the Jewish community felt like individuals were ripe for leadership. Hence, Jesus' ministry officially started when he turned 30 years old. Most of the time when the number 30 is mentioned in the Bible, it is in reference with some significant event or responsibility.

5 - Jesus Often Spoke in Parables

One of the methods Jesus used to communicate His message was through parables. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Sometimes His teachings were quite simple, but other times they required much thought and introspection. When Jesus started telling parables to the people, His own disciples asked the obvious question, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (Matthew 13:10). Jesus’ answer to them was quite revealing. In Matthew 13:11, 14, 15, He said, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…but to them it has not been given …And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive, for the heart of the people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so that I should heal them”. Unwillingness on the part of the people to receive Jesus’ message of the kingdom was the reason that He taught in parables. The truths of the kingdom of God were heard by them but not understood. It was not because the Judaic God was hiding the truth from them – it was because they did not want to hear it.

6 - The Reason Judaism Refers to Jesus as the "Scion of Joseph"

There is no specific doctrinal view of Jesus in traditional Judaism. Monotheism, a belief in the absolute unity and singularity of one God, is central to Judaism, which regards the worship of a person as a form of idolatry. Therefore, consideration of Jesus as a godly deity is not an issue in traditional Jewish thought. The rejection of Jesus as Messiah has never been a theological issue for Judaism because Jewish eschatology holds that the coming of the Messiah will be associated with events that had not occurred at the time of Jesus, such as the rebuilding of The Temple, a Messianic Age of peace, and the ingathering of Jews to their homeland. Judaism has never accepted any of the claimed fulfilments of prophecy that Christianity attributes to Jesus - such as being resurrected - and therefore continues to refer to Jesus as the "scion of Joseph", or the "son of Joseph".

7 - Jesus Is Known As "Īsā ibn Maryam" In Islam

In Islam, Jesus is known as Īsā ibn Maryam (son of Mary) and is considered an important prophet. Islam also holds that Jesus was born of a virgin, but he was not the son of Allah (God). Most Muslims also believe that Allah brought Jesus to heaven and that he wasn't actually crucified. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a prophet and called him an imposter, while the Christians considered him to be the son of God and worship him as such. But Islam considers Jesus to be one of the greatest and most forbearing of prophets, in addition to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Muhammad. This is in conformity with the Islamic view of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Divine guidance, and the complementary role of the subsequent mission of Allah’s messengers, but Muslims do not recognize Jesus as a Supreme Being equal to Allah. According to Muslims, the message of Allah to humanity, which is to worship God and God alone and to live according to His instruction, was revealed to Adam, who passed it on to his children, grandchildren, etc. All the subsequent revelations to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are in conformity with that message. Thus, Islam views any contradictions among revealed religions as man-made elements introduced into these religions. While the Quran infers that Jesus was a Messiah, because he was born of a virgin and performed miracles, he is not the true Messiah the Muslims are waiting for. 

8 - The Bible is the Best Selling Book of All Time (Which Includes the Biography of Jesus)

According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed. Sales estimates for other printed religious texts include at least 800 million copies for the Qur'an and 190 million copies for the Book of Mormon.  Among non religious texts, the Quotations from Mao Tse-tung, also known as Maoism's "Little Red Book", has produced a wide array of sales and distribution figures — with estimates ranging from 800 million to over 6.5 billion printed volumes. However, exact print figures for these and other books may also be missing or unreliable since these kinds of book may be produced by many different and unrelated publishers, in some cases over many centuries. All books of a religious, ideological, philosophical or political nature have thus been excluded from the modern-day lists of best-selling books for these reasons. But, among many theologians, it is still believed that the Bible - which houses the most accurate biography of Jesus in the world - still remains the #1 best-selling book in the 21st century.

9 - Jesus Was Considered A Radical Teacher

During the 1st century A.D., Jesus was considered to be a radical person because He talked to women, spent time with the sinners and allowed His followers to pick up grain on the Sabbath. Not only did that shock the rabbis of the day, but His teachings were considered blasphemous. When Jesus started teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven and what the Creator was really like, He encountered two groups of people: Those who loved Him and those who felt threatened by Him. His teachings went against all the man-made traditions of many centuries prior to Him coming onto the scene. While His followers adored Him, the high priest [of that era] and his followers stood steadfast against Jesus and held to the customs of their Hebrew ancestors. Some of His 'radical' teachings included the forgiveness of sins and healing, as well as love and acceptance. The powers that be [during Jesus' day] feared that Jesus would take away their authority and power, especially those of the Pharisees, who basically governed the Jewish sect with an strong hand. Because He was well loved and accepted among many, some scholars believe that jealousy played a pivotal part when it came to the Pharisees successful bid to have Him executed. 

10 -  Jesus: Most Recognized Name in History

According to a new internet search program created by Steven Skiena (Computer Science Professor at Stony Brook University) and Charles B. Ward (Google Engineer), Jesus is considered the most recognized person in history, with Napoleon ranking second and Mohammed third. He had such a profound impact upon mankind that the world marks time by His birth, death and resurrection! The Apostle John summed up his precedence with one sentence, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). Over 2,000 years ago, when the Roman Empire ruled the world with an iron fist, Jesus came onto the scene and took a nation by storm with not only His teachings, but claiming to be the fulfillment of many prophecies written hundreds of years before He was even born. While Christians believe He is indeed the fulfillment of various prophecies scattered throughout the Old Testament, Islam holds steadfast in their description of Jesus being a great prophet. And the Jews, who believe Jesus was basically a trouble-making teacher of falsehoods, still await for their Messiah to arrive. Regardless of religious beliefs on the subject, it cannot be denied all three Abrahamic religions instantly recognize the name of Jesus in religious history. With over 2.4 billion Christians, 1.8 billion Muslims, and 14.0 million Jews, more than half of the world continues to believe there was a man from the 1st century A. D. whose name was Jesus. 

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More Things About Jesus 

(according to whatthafact.com and whatchristianswanttoknow.com)

> Food Habits: Jesus ate bread (Matthew 26:26) which has been a common food throughout history. He also ate clean meat such as lamb (Luke 22:15) and fish (Matthew 14:19) . He also ate eggs (Luke 11:12-13) because he once said eggs are a good gift. The Old Testament says that Jesus would eat butter and honey and also ate broiled fish and honeycomb (Isaiah 7:15).

> Jesus and His Cousin: John the Baptist was Jesus’ second cousin. Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Elisabeth (the mother of John) were first cousins (Luke 1:36). It has been determined that John was about 6 months older than Jesus (Luke 1:36). They were very likely to be together during their childhood and even as young men growing up.

> Jesus and Simon: There was a man conscripted to help Jesus carry the cross up to Golgotha. This man’s name was Simon (Matthew 27:32). This man was from Cyrene which was also called Niger in Acts 13:1. This is not in the country known as Niger today. Rather he was from the country of Libya. 

> Jesus' Family: Jesus had several half brothers and sisters (Mark 6:3). At least some of his brothers were named James, Joseph (Joses), Simon and Judas (Jude) but there was no names mentioned for his sister in The Bible. Going by the history it says that James became the head of the church in Jerusalem.

> Jesus Had A Passionate Side: The Bible shows some of very passionate scenes from the life of Christ. He caused the downfall of the money changers in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13) and was moved to tears at the news of Lazarus’ death (John 11:35).

>  Jesus Quoted Psalms 22:2 On The Cross: First century Jews always sang the Psalms and they were sung in entirety. It is found out that Jesus quoted the Psalms during the darkest hour on Calvary. Both Matthew (27:46) and Mark (15:34) records it.

> Jesus Was Anointed With Perfume: Just before his death, Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus with a strong fragrance. When He was taken down from the cross the strong perfume was sprayed on him and the amount of the perfume was same as that of the King. So when He rose from his death, He was fragrant. The Psalms (45:8) also allude to it prophetically . [Note - All four gospels present an account of Jesus being anointed by a woman with a costly jar of perfume (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8 ). Matthew and Mark relate the same event but do not give the woman’s name; Luke tells of a different woman, also anonymous, on an earlier occasion; and, in yet another event, the woman in John is identified as Mary of Bethany.]