Kurt Eisele's Web Assignment I: Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus' Birth
Jesus was born in Bethlehem sometime around 4 B.C.. His parents, Mary and Joseph, traveled to Bethlehem for a census. The town was crowded, so there was nowhere to stay. All they could find was a farmer's stables in which to sleep. Jesus was born in a manger among the farmer's animals.
Baptism by John the Baptist
When Jesus had grown up, He asked His cousin John-most commonly known as John the Baptist- to baptize Him in the River Jordan. John was shocked and thought Jesus should be the one to baptize him.
Temptation in the Desert
After Jesus had been baptized, He went into the desert to fast and pray for forty days. While he was there, the devil came to him three times, tempting Jesus to succumb and follow him. The third time, the devil said that if Jesus followed him, he would give Jesus command over all the kingdoms in the world. Jesus said no, and continued to pray.
Sermon on the Mount
One day, Jesus called many people up to a mount to preach. He was telling people in a way that they could understand how to live out the law. He talked about issues like anger, retaliation, adultery, prayer, and so on. I found it remarkable when He taught about retaliation, saying that when someone hits us on the cheek, we are to turn the other one and resolve the conflict. In today's society, a society in which being tough is cool, that is very hard to do.
Jesus' Life and Teachings
Throughout Jesus' life, He preached primarily in Galilee. He did many wonderful things, like raising Lazarus from the dead (upper picture), feeding a crowd of five thousand with very little food, healing lepers, restoring sight to the blind, and even just preaching the Good News to crowds (lower picture). When people heard of these awesome things, many followed Jesus.
The Last Supper
On the night before he died, Jesus called his disciples to a meal. He broke bread, passed it around, and told them to eat it, that it was His body, given up for us. He did the same thing, this time with a cup of wine, telling them that it waqs His blood, given up for us. This sacrament that is the Eucharist is still looked back on and celebrated at every mass today.
Garden of Gethsemane
After Jesus and his disciples shared the Last Supper, Jesus went out into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jesus spent a lot of time praying to God (upper picture). After he had prayed, Judas came into the garden with soldiers. He kissed Jesus (lower picture), so the soldiers knew who Jesus was. Jesus was then taken and eventually killed.
Passion of Jesus
Jesus was condemned to death by King Herod and Pontius Pilate under the charge of blasphemy. He was whipped, scourged, and crucified (upper picture) to save us from our sins. He dealt with a lot of suffering (lower picture), and even questioned God. He said "Father, why have you foresaken me?" After about three hours, he died on the cross and was buried.
Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension
Three days after His death, Jesus' tomb was found empty. An angel came, and explained that Jesus' body was not stolen, but he had risen from the dead(upper picture). After about fifty days, he ascended into heaven (lower picture), and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
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