Key Christian beliefs about Jesus

• Incarnation


  The Christian belief that God became a human being in Jesus
• John the Gospel writer: 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us'
• Jesus


  • Fully God
  • Fully man
  • Had the power to perform miracles
  • Could forgive sins
  • Lived a sinless life
  • Experienced hunger and thirst
  • Wept at the death of his friend Lazarus
  • Suffered fear and pain when he was crucified
• Jesus makes God known to human beings


  No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known
• The incarnation


  Shows God's supreme love for humanity since it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that people's sins can be forgiven and they can have eternal life
• John: 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life'
• Took place in Jerusalem on the night before Jesus' crucifixion

  The Last Supper
• Passover


  Jewish festival that uses symbolic food and drink to recall the rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt
• The Last Supper


  1. Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples

  2. Bread is Jesus' body, "Take, eat, this is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

  3. Wine is his blood, "This is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you."
• Maundy Thursday

  From the Latin 'mandatum', meaning commandment; Jesus said to his disciples, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
• Jesus predicted


  He would be betrayed by one of his disciples and that his disciple Peter would deny knowing him three times
• Jesus washed his disciples' feet
• Why is the event of the last supper important for Christians?

  ➢ The Last Supper forms the basis of the Eucharist – the drinking of wine and breaking of bread at weekly worship for most Christians – a way of remembering Jesus’ sacrifice.

  ➢ Jesus taught by example the importance of humility and serving others – Jesus demonstrates this by washing his disciples’ feet.
• The last days of Jesus' life - Betrayal and arrest


  Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives when Judas arrived with the chief priests and temple guards. Some of the disciples wanted to fight, but Jesus told them to put their swords away. Jesus was taken away to the house of the High Priest. Peter followed at a distance, but when questioned, he denied being a follower of Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would.
• The last days of Jesus' life - The Trial of Jesus


  First, Jesus was taken before the Jewish council which charged him with blasphemy (speaking disrespectfully about God). They did not have the power to sentence him to death, so they took him to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, asking for his execution. Pilate could find no evidence against Jesus, so eventually, he offered the people a choice – he would release either Jesus or another prisoner, Barabbas. The people chose for Barabbas to be freed, and for Jesus to be condemned to death.
• The last days of Jesus' life - Crucifixion


  Jesus was crucified on a Friday (Good Friday). A sign on the cross said he was king of the Jews and he was mocked by bystanders who challenged him to escape death. Jesus spent more than three hours on the cross before he died. Roman soldiers pierced his side with a spear to check that he was really dead.
• Why is the event of the crucifixion important to Christians?

  • The crucifixion is the ultimate sign of God’s love for humanity, since God chose to allow his only Son to die in such an agonising way to bring about forgiveness from sin and atonement. “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)
• The last days of Jesus' life - Resurrection


  1. Jesus' body hastily buried in a tomb with a large stone placed over the entrance

  2. Women went to anoint the body with spices

  3. Women found the tomb empty

  4. Two angels appeared to the women and told them Jesus had risen

  5. Women passed this on to the disciples

  6. Disciples came to see the empty tomb for themselves

  7. Jesus appeared to two followers travelling to Emmaus

  8. Two followers returned and told the disciples what they had seen

  9. Jesus appeared to the disciples, showing his hands and feet and allowing them to touch him
• The disciples did not believe the women at first
• Why is the event of the resurrection important for Christians?

  ➢ It proves to them that Jesus really was the Son of God.

  ➢ It reassures them that death is not the end.

  ➢ The resurrection is the basis of the Christian faith. Saint Paul wrote, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians)
• The last days of Jesus' life - Ascension

  The ascension is the return of Christ to heaven which took place 40 days after the resurrection, according to Gospel of Luke. Jesus was taken up from his disciples in a cloud; two angels appear and explain to the disciples that Jesus has been taken to heaven.
• Why is the event of the ascension important to Christians?

  ➢ They believe this removed Jesus from the limitations of being in human form, enabling him to be present to all followers wherever they are.