Jesus Christ is God. He is the second person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus also became a man and lived on earth.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
******* Read lesson 7 The Incarnation in the St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism book #2 ********
Why did God become man? 4 Reasons
- To save us by reconciling us with Himself: God had to intervene to take away our sins.
- To show us God’s love for us: John 3:16 (quote above)
- To be our model for holiness: Jesus shows us the WAY to live.
- To make us children of God: We are a part of His family as sons and daughters through a covenant relationship.
Let’s take a closer look at the childhood of Jesus and life with the Holy Family. We know that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and that according to Luke 2: 40 “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” We also know that the Holy Family lived as a faithful Jewish family following all the traditions expected of them.
Read: Matthew 2: 13-23. Joseph upon word from an angel took the Holy Family to Egypt to keep Jesus safe from King Herod. When it was time to return to Israel where did Joseph move the family? ____________________________ When and how did they know when to return? ________________________
READ ——-> Luke 2:41-52 Boy Jesus in the Temple
This is the only scripture we have about Jesus’ life during childhood. We know they lived, worked, and prayed together as a family. We can piece together more about their life based off of historical records and archaeological discoveries. Here is an interesting chart of the languages used in Israel.
What was day to day life like for people in First Century *Israel? Read: Daily Life in the Time of Jesus and Watch: Life in Ancient Judea then answer the following questions.
What kind of an economy did we see? (Hint: trade, jobs, etc.) How did people make a living?
What did people wear? Look at these examples: one, two, three and Watch: Clothing and Fashion in Ancient Rome to see what was typical fashion found in Rome and Greece.
Look at this First Century home it would be built of sun-dried mud bricks or of rough-hewn stones with dirt floors. A dirt roof rested on branches, reeds, and rafters over wooden beams that made a reasonably waterproof ceiling. Access to the roof by was by an outside ladder or stairs. Another one: Ancient house of Israel
This is a house that would have been home to an extended family living and working together. Families needed to work together to make everything they needed to eat, wear, or use. What could not be made was bought. In most communities people traded goods/products or services for things they needed.
Reflect on the differences in your life from what you have learned about first century Israel. Any noticeable differences from now?
* The Roman name for Israel is Palestine. This is important to understand given the current political climate and the disputes happening in Israel and Palestine (October 7, 2023 attack) that is confusing historical record and attempting to ignore the truth of Israel’s existence. After the Roman conquest, the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) was occupied by the Roman Empire. They renamed this region Syria-Palestina. The majority population of Syria-Palestina at this time was Jewish people and occupying Romans. It is important to note that the religion of Islam didn’t even exist at this time in history and Arabs still lived in their homeland, the Arabian peninsula. Islam emerged around 610 AD and it wasn’t until 638 AD that Islamic conquering of Israel began. Over the long history of Israel conquering by various powers happened and it was often interchangeably referred to as Jewish Palestine, Syria-Palestine, and other names. The State of Palestine was created November 15, 1988.
Sources:
What sort of clothing did people in Jesus’ time wear? – Msgr. Charles Pope
Where Solomon mined, 3,000 year old ‘fashion collection’ unearthed – Raoul Wootlif The Times of Israel February 2016
Jerusalem in the time of Jesus map
***** FFF week 6 parent Moral Theology week, students in class together October 3, 2023 ******
The Small Pencil Catechist 