Jesus of Nazareth

Quick facts:

Born: 6 BC-4 AD in Bethlehem, Judea
Died: April 3, 30 AD in Jerusalem, Judea

Mother: Mary
Brothers: James, Joses, Judas and Simon. 
Cousin: John the Baptist 
Aunt: Elizabeth 
Uncle: Zechariah 

Ethnicity: Jewish (Judean)
Job: Construction worker/carpenter

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the Roman province of Judea, however He grew up in a small village in a region call Galilee. He was a Jew, specifically from the tribe of Judah. As a twelve year old He showed an impressive ability to understand the Hebrew Scriptures but also upset His parents.

Other than that we don't know very much about the majority of His life until He is baptized by His cousin known as John the Baptist. After coming up from the waters of the Jordan river He saw the spirit of God descending on Him like a dove. He then goes out into a wilderness and remains there fasting from food for some forty days. In the wilderness the devil comes to tempt Him but He overcomes the tempter.

When Jesus returns to His home region He begins preaching “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” He preforms a number of miracles, and chooses twelve men to be His Apostles; namely Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon and Judas. Three of these men; Peter, James and John were especially close to Him. Jesus both preached warning people of God's judgement and taught on things such as the Kingdom of God, prayer, forgiveness, hatred, judging others, loving others, adultery, divorce and the unforgivable sin. 

Most of His teachings were based heavily on the Hebrews Scriptures but He gave unique teachings on prayer, forgiveness, the Kingdom of God and Himself. He insisted that salvation could come only through Him; saying "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." and according to the Gospel of John when His apostle Thomas asked "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus replied "I Am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him." 

Jesus used the title "Son of Man" for Himself and claimed He would return to judge the world. (Thus the Christian idea of the Second Coming.) The two most significant events in Jesus's life during what is known as His "earthly ministry" are His transfiguration and His feeding of the five thousand. 

In the former Jesus takes His apostles Peter, James and John alone to a high mountain. Then His clothes become dazzlingly white and the Prophets Elijah and Moses are seen with Him. Peter full of fear Peter offers to make tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah to stay in. Then a cloud appears and covers them. "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!" After this only Jesus is seen. As Jesus and His three apostles go down the mountain Jesus tells them orders to not to tell anyone about what happened until after "the Son of Man had risen from the dead." But the Apostles didn't understand what He meant by "rise from the dead" because the concept of one man rising before all others wasn't largely understood. One of men who was there, Peter, includes a reference to the event in one of his letters, that part of his letter can be read here. 

The feeding of the five thousand is one of the rare events recorded in every first century Greco-biography we have--despite their different audiences. Jesus is teaching a large crowd of five thousand men and because it's getting late Jesus's apostles ask Him to send the people away for food. Jesus tells them“They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” The Apostles remark that they only have five loaves and two fish. He has the food brought to Him and has the people sit down in the grass. Jesus takes the bread, looks up to Heaven and thanks God (Whom He calls His Father) He breaks and passes out of the bread and everyone is well fed. When the leftovers are collected they end up with twelve basketfuls of broken bread. 

After telling His apostles that "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again." But at the time His apostles didn't understand what He was talking about. 

He decides to go to Jerusalem because, in His words "for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!" He is well received when He enters Jerusalem on a donkey as a member of the great Passover Pilgrimage and some say He is a Prophet from Galilee.

In Jerusalem Jesus becomes angry with the money changers by The Temple, saying "My Temple shall be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves!" (He was quoting the Prophet Isaiah.) He knocks over tables and cages. 

It is at this point that Jesus teaches on the Last Days in detail after which He has supper with His Apostles in Jerusalem. While at the table Jesus tells them that someone eating with Him will betray Him. The Apostles are troubled by this, "Surely you don't mean me?" they ask Jesus. Judas did agree to betray Jesus for silver. At this time Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to His apostles saying “Take it; this is my body.” He took a cup of wine, gave thanks and gave it to His apostles and they drank it. “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” He told them. 

After singing a hymn together they left and went to the Mount of Olives which was a short walk east of Jerusalem. Jesus told His apostle Peter that he would betray Him, but Peter refused to believe it. When they got to the mount Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him and told His other Apostles to stay there. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, Stay here and keep watch." He told them. He went a little further away from His three apostles and prayed: "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” After praying He found that Peter was asleep “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

As Jesus was saying this Judas arrived along with crowd armed with clubs; they had come from the chief priests--what Jesus had talked about was coming. “Rabbi!” Judas said, then he kissed him. Immediately he was seized Him. "Am I leading a rebellion, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I was with you, teaching in the Temple courts, and you did not arrest Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” Everyone deserted Him. 

Jesus was taken by force before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish religious court of Jerusalem). Peter followed Him at a distance. People were brought in to testify against Him: They claimed He was going to destroy the Temple and build another in three days. Caiaphas (who had been the high priest since 18 AD) questioned Jesus about His silence: “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” Jesus remained silent. 

“Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” He asked the Man of Galilean. 

“I am, “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of Heaven.”

The high priest tore his robes in anger. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” He said. 

“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” He asked the assembly. 

The Sanhedrin agreed that Jesus should be put to death. 

Some expressed their hatred more than others; some of them spat on Him, they blindfolded Him and hit Him, “Prophesy!” They said. The guards also beat Him like a criminal. As this was going on Peter, one of His best friends, denied He even knew Jesus. 

Jesus was taken to the Governor Pontius Pilate where He was question:

“Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. 

“You have said so"

The chief priests accused Jesus of a number of things.

"Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” Pilate asked.

But Jesus remained silent. 

At the time a criminal named Barabbas was under arrest for his role in an uprising. Very early on April 3, Pilate decided to consult the people go who should be freed: Jesus or Barabbas. 

“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked. 

Because of the chief priests the crowds asked for Barabbas to be released. 

“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

"Crucify Him!`` The crowd shouted. 

“Why? What crime has he committed?”

``Crucify Him`` They shouted even more loudly. 

Pilate, wanting to please the people let Barabbas off and had Jesus flogged.

The Roman soldiers  put a purple robe on Jesus and put a crown of thrones on His head. “Hail, king of the Jews!” They called out mockingly. They hit Him and spit on Him. After mocking Him by bowing before Him they took back the robe, put His own clothes on Him and lead Him towards a place outside the city to be crucified. 

After carrying His cross with a man by the name of Simon being forced to carry the cross part of the way. He was put on the cross at about nine in the morning. As He suffered He was offered wine mixed with myrrh, but He refused to drink it. Above His bleeding head were the words ``THE KING OF THE JEWS`` 

Even on the cross He was mocked among the Jewish authorities ``“He saved others, but He can’t save Himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.`` 

A few last sayings of Jesus on the cross are recorded in the Gospels:

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”-Mark 15:34, quoting Psalm 22. 

“Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”-Luke 23:46

"It is finished.”-John 19:30 

He died after suffering suffering on the cross for three hours. His mother and a few other women stayed by Him. 

A man named Joseph who came from the town of Arimathea was granted permission to take Jesus's body down and laid the body in a tomb in the area. 

Three days later after the Passover was over some women who had known Jesus went to anoint His body but when they got there they reported seeing an angel who told them to tell the others. They did so and Jesus's Apostles realized His body was gone. According to one of Paul's letters Jesus appeared first to Peter and His Apostles, then to 500 brothers and sisters at the same time, He then appeared to James and eventually Paul himself. 

Within seventy years of Jesus' Crucifixion four biographies, one early church history, twelve letters and the Book of Revelation expediently mention Jesus as rising from the dead. These are the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John along with Acts and the following letters: Romans, 1 Corinthians, 
2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians 1, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, 
1 Hebrews, 1 Peter and Revelations. Seventeen documents in all.

According to the Gospels of Luke and Matthew Jesus was seen ascending into Heaven by the eleven Apostles (Judas who had betrayed Jesus, had hung himself.)

Timeline:

6 BC-4 AD: Jesus is born in Bethlehem in the province of Judea while his parents are travelling.

8 AD: Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Passover and shows Himself as understanding the Tanakah.

30 AD: Jesus is baptized, fasts for forty days and begins preaching, teaching and healing.

31 AD: Jesus give His sermon on the mount.

April 3, 33 AD: Jesus is put to death by crucifixion.

April 6, 33 AD: Jesus rises from the dead three days latter.

May 13, 33 AD: Jesus is seen ascending into Heaven by His apostles.

Sources:

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John