Jesus of Nazareth
Two thousand years ago an itinerant preacher called Jesus lived in the area around the river Jordan and the Sea of Galilee. He taught a powerful vision of the Kingdom of God. This was no esoteric, imaginary kingdom in the sky. He taught about a practical, down-to-earth kingdom, one that we can bring about here in our own world.
He taught that, to bring about this kingdom we had to do two things:
¶ Love God with our whole being
¶ Love and care for our neighbours as we do for ourselves and our own families.
Jesus was crucified by the Romans. The charge they put on his cross was “King of the Jews”.
After his death many of Jesus’s followers claimed that he visited them; that they saw him, as real as flesh and blood; that he spoke to them; that he told them to carry on his work; that, after a while, he was seen no more on earth.
Many people still claim that they see Jesus in spirit, and hear him speak to them in their hearts.
In the early years after Jesus died, four people wrote down a version of his life and teaching. They were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You can read their accounts in the Christian Bible.