The Life of Our Lord

The narrative begins as Joseph and his wife, Mary, travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Unable to find lodging, they take shelter in a stable, where Jesus Christ is born and laid in a manger. Nearby, an angel announces the birth to shepherds, calling the child God’s own Son and directing them to the stable. Later, wise men from the East follow a star to Jerusalem, seeking a newborn king. They inform the ruler, King Herod, who, feeling jealous, asks them to report the child’s location. The star leads the wise men to Jesus, and they offer him gifts. Suspecting Herod’s motives, they return home by another route. An angel then warns Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt. Enraged, Herod orders the murder of all male children two years old and younger in his lands, but Jesus remains safe in Egypt until Herod’s death.

After Herod dies, an angel tells Joseph it is safe to return. Fearing Herod’s son, the new king, the Holy Family settles in Nazareth. At age twelve, Jesus travels with his parents to a religious feast in Jerusalem. On the way home, they realize he is missing and find him in the temple, astonishing learned men with his knowledge. He returns to Nazareth and lives there until he is about thirty. Around this time, John the Baptist, Mary’s cousin’s son, preaches repentance and baptizes people in the River Jordan. Jesus comes to be baptized, and as he emerges from the water, a dove descends and God’s voice declares, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” Jesus then spends forty days praying in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. His first miracle occurs at a wedding in Cana, where he turns water into wine, demonstrating his divine power and causing many to follow him.

Jesus chooses twelve poor men as his companions, called the Apostles. Among them are the fishermen Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, as well as Judas Iscariot, who will later betray him. After Jesus performs a miracle by filling their empty nets with a massive catch of fish, the fishermen leave everything to follow him. Jesus preaches to large crowds, delivering the Lord’s Prayer during his Sermon on the Mount. He performs many miracles of healing, curing a man with leprosy, a man with palsy, and a centurion’s servant. When a ruler’s young daughter dies, Jesus takes the girl by the hand and restores her to life.

Jesus’s actions create conflict with the Pharisees, a group of proud religious leaders. They criticize his disciples for picking corn on the Sabbath and condemn Jesus for healing a man’s withered hand on the same day. Jesus declares that it is always right to do good. He demonstrates this by raising a widow’s only son from the dead, calming a storm, and casting a demon out of a madman. Meanwhile, King Herod imprisons John the Baptist. To please his daughter, Herodias, after she dances for him, Herod grants her wish for John’s head on a charger, and the prophet is executed.

While dining at a Pharisee’s house, a sinful woman named Mary Magdalene anoints Jesus’s feet with ointment and dries them with her hair. Jesus forgives her sins, teaching a lesson about love and forgiveness. At the pool of Bethesda, he heals a man who has been ill for thirty-eight years. Because this occurs on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders’ hatred for him grows, and they plot his death. On a hillside, Jesus feeds a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves and two fish. Later, he walks on water to his disciples’ boat during a storm. During this time, Jesus begins to tell his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, where he will be killed and will rise from the dead on the third day.

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain, where his appearance is transfigured, his face shining like the sun. A voice from a cloud identifies him as God’s beloved Son. He tells the parable of the Unforgiving Servant to teach about forgiveness and the Laborers in the Vineyard to show that God’s mercy is available to all who repent. When the Pharisees bring him a woman accused of adultery, Jesus challenges the accusers by saying, “He that is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.” One by one, they leave, and Jesus tells the woman to sin no more. He also tells the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the rich man Dives and the beggar Lazarus to teach about compassion, God’s unconditional love for sinners, and the dangers of greed.

Six days before the Passover feast, Jesus travels to Bethany and raises his friend Lazarus, who has been dead for four days. This miracle convinces many that he is the Son of God but solidifies the Pharisees’ resolve to kill him. Jesus then rides into Jerusalem on an ass, where crowds greet him as a king. At a supper, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anoints his feet with expensive ointment. Judas Iscariot objects to the waste, revealing his greed. He then goes to the chief priests and agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus shares a final Passover meal, the Last Supper, with his Apostles, breaking bread and sharing wine as a remembrance of him. Afterward, he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, where he is arrested after Judas identifies him to armed guards with a kiss.

Jesus is taken before the high priest, Caiaphas. In the courtyard, Peter denies knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted. Overcome with remorse for his betrayal, Judas returns the silver and hangs himself. Jesus is then brought before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who finds no fault in him and sends him to Herod. Pilate later reports to the crowd that Herod also found no reason for his death. However, the priests incite the crowd to demand the release of a criminal named Barabbas and the crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate washes his hands of the matter and delivers Jesus to the soldiers. They scourge him, crown him with thorns, and force him to carry his cross to a hill called Mount Calvary. There, he is nailed to the cross between two thieves. He forgives his tormentors, promises paradise to a repentant thief, and entrusts his mother to the care of the disciple John. After three hours of darkness, Jesus dies, and an earthquake shakes the land.

A good man named Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus’s body in a new tomb, which is sealed with a large stone and guarded by soldiers. On the third day, Mary Magdalene finds the stone rolled away and alerts Peter and John. After they inspect the empty tomb and depart, Mary remains, and an angel informs her that Jesus has risen. Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene, then to other followers. He appears to the Apostles, even eating with them to prove he is not a spirit. He invites the doubting Apostle, Thomas, to touch his wounds, solidifying his belief. Jesus remains with his followers for forty days before leading them to Bethany, where he blesses them and ascends into Heaven.

The Apostles, empowered by Christ, begin preaching his gospel throughout the world, performing miracles and healing the sick. A persecutor of Christians named Saul has a vision on the road to Damascus, converts, and becomes a great teacher. The early Christians face brutal persecution but remain steadfast in their faith. The narrative concludes by summarizing the core of Christianity: to do good, love one’s neighbor, be merciful and forgiving, and follow the example of Jesus Christ to live and die in peace.