CHAPTER 1
THE IMPORTANT PLAN
Do you know who the president of the United States is? You may have seen his photograph. You may have heard him speak on television. You may have even read a book about him. The president is very famous. It's easy to learn about his life.
But how do you learn about someone who lived long ago? Jesus is probably the most famous person who ever lived. People have heard about him. People have talked about him. People have written about him. The name of Jesus is known all over the world—more than anyone else's name in history.
Many people believe Jesus is God's Son. The people who believe this are called Christians. There are over two billion Christians today. That is about one third of the world's population.
The problem is, Jesus lived over 2,000 years ago. There wasn't TV. There were no cameras. Nobody has ever seen his photograph. Nobody has ever heard a recording of his voice.
So how can you learn about his life? How can you learn about the people he knew? How can you learn about the world he lived in?
One way is to look at archaeological evidence. Scientists called archaeologists have dug up items from long ago. They have found artifacts such as jewelry, clay jars, and furniture that, through scientific processes, have been proven to be from Jesus' time.
They study old buildings, walls, and roads. People built some of these hundreds and thousands of years ago. All these things are called archaeological evidence. They help us learn more about Jesus and his world.
Another way to learn about Jesus is to look at documents written by people who lived around the same time Jesus did. Long ago, people carved words on rock. Others wrote on clay. Still others wrote on early kinds of paper called papyrus. These written records help us understand even more. We can learn about what people were thinking and doing around the time that Jesus lived.
We can also look at the Bible. Bible scholars used to question whether or not the Bible is accurate. But now many agree that new archaeological evidence helps show the Bible is a true historical document.
They show that the Bible is not made up of myths, fables, or fairy tales. The people in the Bible had a real place in history. Documents and artifacts have been found that prove they existed. The events in the Bible happened in real places that you can find on maps. You can visit many of these places today.
The Bible gives a historical account of the life and times of Jesus. The Bible helps us understand who Jesus was.
Together, let's look at archaeological evidence, ancient historic documents, and the Bible. Together, let's learn about Jesus!
We start by looking at the world Jesus lived in. He was born a Jew. Being Jewish meant two things. One, that the person was a part of a cultural community that could trace his family origin back to the ancient Hebrew people of Israel and Abraham. And two, the person practiced Judaism as his faith.
Jesus grew up in a town called Nazareth. Nazareth was in a region called Galilee. Judea, Galilee, and Samaria were three of the regions where most Jews lived. Today, this area is the nation of Israel. During the life of Jesus, the Roman Empire ruled over this part of the world.
Jesus was born into a time of unrest. The Jews did not want the Romans to rule over them. The Romans made them pay heavy taxes. They took over their land and their soldiers marched through their streets. But worst of all, the Romans did not have the same beliefs they did.
The Jews were looking for someone to save them from the Romans. This person would be their Messiah. They had been waiting for the Messiah for many years.
The Jews had documents of faith called the Scriptures. The Scriptures talked about an important plan of God to send the Messiah. This plan started more than 2,500 years earlier, when God created the first people. Their names were Adam and Eve.
Sin and evil entered the perfect world God had made when Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil. But God promised Adam and Eve he would send a Messiah. The Messiah would take care of the sin problem forever.
The first great leader of the Jews was Abraham. Abraham is known as the "Father of the Jews." He believed in one God called Yahweh. Abraham's family were called Hebrews. At God's command, they moved everything they had to live in Canaan. This is where Israel is today.
Abraham believed God promised this land to his family forever. This promise was repeated to Abraham's son Isaac. Then it was repeated to his son Jacob. (God changed Jacob's name to Israel.)
In Jacob's time, there was a famine. Food was hard to find. Jacob's family moved to Egypt to find food. But Jacob took God's promise with him in his heart. One day God would surely bring Jacob's family back to the land he had promised to them.
Jacob's family grew bigger in Egypt. In fact, the Egyptians worried they would become too powerful. So the Egyptians made them into slaves. They were in Egypt for about 400 years.
Moses was another great leader of the Jews. Moses helped the Jews escape from Egypt and slavery. Moses led them from Egypt back to the land of Jacob. The escape from Egypt is called the Exodus. Every year, Jews celebrate the holiday of Passover. They remember the Exodus with a special meal and celebration.
He also gave them the Ten Commandments from God. These commandments are known as God's Law or the Law of Moses. These laws help people follow God, be kind to each other, and do good things.
The Jews eventually settled in the land of Canaan. They were now the twelve tribes of Israel and each tribe, or family, lived in its own region. Around 1000 BC they built a central kingdom and when King David was the leader he made Jerusalem the capital city.
Over the next thousand years, there were many kings in Israel. There were wars and battles for power. There were also many prophets.
These prophets were holy men and women. They read the Scriptures. They studied God's Law. They told God's words to the people. The prophets spoke about the coming Messiah. Other nations conquered the nation of Israel and life was hard. They made the Jews follow their rules and the prophets worked to encourage the Jews through all of this. Then in 63 BC the Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem. The Jews groaned under their hard rule. They longed for the Messiah to come and finally set them free.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Bible lists the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20.
1. "Do not put any other gods in place of me."
2. "Do not make statues of gods."
3. "Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God."
4. "Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy."
5. "Honor your father and mother."
6. "Do not murder."
7. "Do not commit adultery."
8. "Do not steal."
9. "Do not give false witness against your neighbor."
10. "Do not long for anything that belongs to your neighbor."
