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 ********
In our previous two lessons we had been learning from the book of Genesis about God’s creation story. It ended with Adam and Eve eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil thereby releasing sin into the world. The first sin created a space between God and man. While it was too late for Adam and Eve to repair the friendship with God we know that God kept His promise to send us a Savior. In this lesson we are going to discuss the promise of Jesus Christ that God gave us.
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.
A Roman census initiated by Caesar Augustus required everyone who owned property to register it in person for taxation purposes. Because Joseph was from Bethlehem, registering for the census required the set them on the road to that village. Jesus was born in a poor town that was known for its flocks of sheep and its fields of wheat. In Hebrew Bethlehem means “House of Bread” and it became the source by which the newborn King Jesus came to earth and said, “I am the bread of life”. The Gospel writers make a point to give us the reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem; It was to fulfill a promise the Lord had made through the prophet Micah.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the Lord, by the majestic name of the Lord, his God; And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be peace.
Micah 5: 1-4
Only a child born in Bethlehem qualified for consideration as the promised Messiah. This important link was forged through family history and prophecy. If you remember Bethlehem was King David’s hometown, a village long associated with David’s ancestors. (His great-grandmother was Ruth). While Jesus was born in Bethlehem he spent his childhood in Nazareth, another small agricultural village in lower Galilee, of northern Israel. The village population was predominantly Jewish.
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. There were many languages being spoken and many people knew at least two fluently.
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.
Assignment:
- Where was Jesus born? What does the name Bethlehem mean?
- Reflect on the differences in your life from what you have learned about first century Israel. Any noticeable differences from now? Write a paragraph about the differences from today’s typical family home and that of one Jesus may have lived in as a boy. What would they have eaten?
For the younger students learning a song to help you remember the Gospels. Many adults may remember as a child hearing the Matthew, Mark, Luke, John Song. I found a lovely full version of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John by Priscilla Herdman that is a nice song to teach younger children. Play this song for the children and have them learn how to sing it.
* 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
***** This lesson was originally written for FFF week 6 October 3, 2023. We are re-teaching this lesson and adding in additional material for FFF week 6 October 6, 2026******
