7 Things Jesus Want You to Know

Thanks to the Bible and other testimonals of faith, we are able to educate ourselves on the Son of God – Jesus. While we may know a great deal, it is important to further familiarize ourselves with his presence. By continuing to learn about Jesus, we are giving him the rightful tribute and honor that he deserves. Here are seven things the son of God would want you to know about himself.

The Word Christ

Since early Christianity, Christians have commonly referred to Jesus as “Jesus Christ.” Christ is not actually a name, but a title. When the Bible talks about the Messiah in the Old Testament, it is referring to the same title as the New Testament calls Christ. Both Messiah and Christ mean anointed one. Jesus was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit and was the promised redeemer. The first promise of a redeemer in the Bible was in Genesis 3:15. The word Christ appears in the Bible more than 500 times.

Jesus Titled Himself

On several occassions Jesus gives himself the title of the almighty. Jesus said he was the bread of life and the living bread. He was the light of the world. Jesus was the good shepherd. Jesus outright claimed to be the son of God and also liked to call himself the son of man. He said he was the way, the truth and the life.

Refuses Painkillers

After the trials, Jesus is led to Calvary carrying his cross – the route traditionally thought to have been taken is known as the Via Dolorosa. The three Synoptic Gospels indicate that Simon of Cyrene assists him, having been compelled by the Romans to do so. In Luke 23:27–28 Jesus tells the women in the multitude of people following him not to weep for him but for themselves and their children. At Calvary, Jesus is offered a concoction usually offered as a painkiller. According to Matthew and Mark, he refuses it.

Jesus’ Birthday

Jesus’ birthday is generally celebrated on December 25 each year. However, the Bible does not tell us exactly when his birthday was. Various scholars have put the birth of Christ sometime in winter or early spring. We celebrate his birth at Christmas, but there is no record in the Bible of the early Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus.

His Family

John the Baptist was Jesus’ second cousin. Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Elisabeth (the mother of John) were cousins. John was about 6 months older than Jesus. They were likely together often as children and young men growing up.

Jesus had several half-brothers and sisters. At least some of his brothers were named James, Joses, Simon and Judas. His sisters are not named in the Bible. History says that James became the head of the church in Jerusalem.

Healing

In the gospel accounts, Jesus devotes a large portion of his ministry performing miracles, especially healings. The four accounts together record about 35 or 36 miracles. The miracles can be classified into two main categories: healing miracles and nature miracles. The healing miracles include cures for physical ailments, exorcisms, and resurrections of the dead. The nature miracles show Jesus’ power over nature, and include turning water into wine, walking on water, and calming a storm, among others. Jesus states that his miracles are from a divine source.

Jesus and Simon

There was a man conscripted to help Jesus carry the cross up to Golgotha – this man was Simon. He was from Libya. Simon had two sons who were apparently known to the early church. Mark 15:21 says that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus as if the readers of the Gospel would know those two men.