# The salient points in the story of Jesus
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 4, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999 "2015-08-04T19:53:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/1 "2015-08-04T19:53:05Z")
This thread is about determining the points in the story of Jesus. It is not about the veracity of the story or Christianity or whether Jesus is pro or against anything.
So, this is what I have so far, have I missed anything? Would there be anything to add to what I’ve written if one wanted to summarize the story of Jesus according to the Bible?
Nativity, childhood where he speaks with priests, works as carpenter.
At age 30, meet John the Baptist who calls him the son of God and baptizes him.
Jesus goes in the desert to decide what he’ll do for 40 days. Tempted 3 times by the devil.
Starts the Galilean Ministry. Visits villages, acquires disciples, performs miracles like at the Cana wedding. Throws moneychangers out of the Temple. Speaks parables. Is rejected by some communities. Gives the Sermon on the Mount.
He becomes more popular and is proclaimed as the son of David and the Messiah. Jesus says Peter is the leader of the church. The Pharisees hate him and challenge him. Jesus warns disciples of the Pharisees’ conspiracy against him and that his fate is to suffer and die and then rise from the dead. Then there is the Transfiguration where Jesus talks with Elijah and Moses, God calls him his son.
Jerusalem ministry. Pharisees and priests want to stop him, he debates with them. He raises Lazarus from the dead.
Judas betrays Jesus. Jesus and disciples have the last supper where Jesus says Judas betrayed him. Soldiers arrest Jesus. Jesus is maltreated while disciples go into hiding. The religious trial condemns Jesus. Judas hangs himself.
The Roman civil court of Pilate condemns Jesus. Jesus must walk to Mount Calvary. Crucifixion, burial.
Jesus resurrects 3 days later. He appears to Magdalene, Mary and the disciples. He tells the disciples to go and preach. After 40 days, Jesus leads the disciples to Mount Olivet, speaks his final words and ascends.
What did I miss and where would it fit chronologically?
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### Author:  [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/2 "2015-08-04T20:10:06Z")
I’m a few decades removed from any sort of organized Bible study, or even from casual reading, but I think that’s a pretty good outline. I can’t think of any narratively or doctrinally important points that you’ve missed. Maybe add “hides for an indeterminate amount of time in Egypt” between Nativity and childhood speaking to priests.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/3 "2015-08-04T22:15:26Z")
At 12, Jesus parents returned to Palestine (?), but unbeknownst to them, JC hung back to speak with the Temple Elders (or something like that). Each parent thought he was with the other. Significant to the Catholics for some reason I forgot.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/4 "2015-08-04T22:36:42Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> TNativity, childhood where he speaks with priests, works as carpenter.
> [@btwm](#):
>
> At 12, Jesus parents returned to Palestine (?), but unbeknownst to them, JC hung back to speak with the Temple Elders (or something like that). Each parent thought he was with the other. Significant to the Catholics for some reason I forgot.
From the OP, emphasis added.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/5 "2015-08-04T22:45:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> From the OP, emphasis added.
Yeah, thanks, I saw that. Couldn’t hurt to be a little more specific.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/6 "2015-08-04T22:51:21Z")
Pretty good, though not immune to nitpicking.
You don’t necessarily have everything in the right order chronologically, but even the four gospels themselves don’t always agree on the chronology. As far as I can remember, the Bible never explicitly states that he worked as a carpenter (only that his (step-)father Joseph did) or that he was exactly 30 when he began his ministry. And it may be worth mentioning that he did a significant amount of healing and of teaching/preaching in his ministry.
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### Author:  [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/7 "2015-08-04T22:53:23Z")
I think your chronolgy is a little off. The Money Changer Throwing Outing was after his entry into Jerusalem (obs, since that’s where the Temple is). And raising Lazaruz happens a few days before he goes to Jerusalem.
Generally, it’d probably be clearer if you divided into four subheadings: Nativity/early life, Ministry, Jerusalem/Crucifixion, Resurrection. That’d make the chronology a little clearer and the whole thing easier to read.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/8 "2015-08-04T23:04:44Z")
Given that the Gospels don’t always agree, there is probably not a factual answer to this. Let’s move this to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/9 "2015-08-04T23:06:45Z")
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> Generally, it’d probably be clearer if you divided into four subheadings: Nativity/early life, Ministry, Jerusalem/Crucifixion, Resurrection. That’d make the chronology a little clearer and the whole thing easier to read.
Perhaps we could have 4 variations on the outline, too. 😉
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [August 4, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/10 "2015-08-04T23:34:40Z")
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> And raising Lazaruz happens a few days before he goes to Jerusalem.
Does he raise Lazarus before or after the Transfiguration?
Does he raise Lazarus before or after he says he’ll be killed and come back to life?
I’m particularly curious about that because raising Lazarus is seen as one of his bigger miracles, right?
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/11 "2015-08-05T00:57:01Z")
[Feeding the multitude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_the_multitude) (aka loaves and fishes) is the only miracle to be mentioned in all four Gospels. Theologians don’t know why that one story was judged significant enough to be included in each of the canonical accounts (it’s also in the apocryphal Marcionite gospel), except perhaps because it was the most public of al the miracles.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/12 "2015-08-05T01:00:00Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Does he raise Lazarus before or after the Transfiguration?
> Does he raise Lazarus before or after he says he’ll be killed and come back to life?
> I’m particularly curious about that because raising Lazarus is seen as one of his bigger miracles, right?
That and the fish and loaves thingy.
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### Author:  [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/13 "2015-08-05T01:01:05Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Does he raise Lazarus before or after the Transfiguration?
We can’t say. The raising of Lazarus occurs only in John; the Transfiguration only in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Does he raise Lazarus before or after he says he’ll be killed and come back to life?
For the reason just given, Matthew Mark and Luke don’t address this directly. FWIW, though, they all present Jesus’s prediction of his resurrection as happening some time before he returns to Jerusalem, whereas in John the raising of Lazarus seems to be something which happens just before he returns to Jerusalem.
In John, Jesus predicts his own resurrection (in a coded way) at Jn 2:19 whereas Lazarus is not raised until Jn 11. But John does not present the events of Jesus life in chronological order; they are arranged symbolically or thematically. So it’s possible that an event narrated in Jn 2 could have occurred after an event narrated in Jn 11.
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> I’m particularly curious about that because raising Lazarus is seen as one of his bigger miracles, right?
Depends on what you mean by “big”. John gives it a good deal of airplay, but the other three gospels don’t mention it at all.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/14 "2015-08-05T02:02:39Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> … Jesus goes in the desert to decide what he’ll do for 40 days. …
I think you meant “Jesus goes in the desert for 40 days to decide what he’ll do.”
The way you wrote he went into the desert for an indefinite duration to make a plan for his actions in the 40 days after he returned. I think his plan was expected to last longer than a month-ish; like maybe for eternity? 😃
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/15 "2015-08-05T02:39:36Z")
That reminds me, why does the number 40 come back often in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? Is there an astronomical reason for it? Something else? Somebody picked 40 as an impressive number early on and then the writers followed with the same number because it had a precedent?
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### Author:  [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/16 "2015-08-05T03:14:18Z")
> [@kunilou](#):
>
> [Feeding the multitude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeding_the_multitude) (aka loaves and fishes) is the only miracle to be mentioned in all four Gospels. Theologians don’t know why that one story was judged significant enough to be included in each of the canonical accounts (it’s also in the apocryphal Marcionite gospel), except perhaps because it was the most public of al the miracles.
Well, everybody’s gotta eat.
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/17 "2015-08-05T03:40:34Z")
> [@Simplicio](#):
>
> I think your chronolgy is a little off. The Money Changer Throwing Outing was after his entry into Jerusalem (obs, since that’s where the Temple is). And raising Lazaruz happens a few days before he goes to Jerusalem.
While all four gospels have Jesus in Jerusalem for the Passover when he clears the temple of money changers, the Gospel of John has him doing it early in his ministry, not after the Triumphal Entry.
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/18 "2015-08-05T04:16:42Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> That reminds me, why does the number 40 come back often in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? Is there an astronomical reason for it? Something else? Somebody picked 40 as an impressive number early on and then the writers followed with the same number because it had a precedent?
Try [this](http://www.aish.com/atr/The_Number_40.html). I was told the reason Jesus received 39 lashes: to exceed 40 violated Jewish law, so if someone missed a lash, 39 kept you in the clear. I don’t know why/how this impacted the Romans (i.e. Pontius Pilate).
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### Author:  [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/19 "2015-08-05T05:39:59Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> Pretty good, though not immune to nitpicking.
>
> You don’t necessarily have everything in the right order chronologically, but even the four gospels themselves don’t always agree on the chronology. As far as I can remember, the Bible never explicitly states that he worked as a carpenter (only that his (step-)father Joseph did) or that he was exactly 30 when he began his ministry. And it may be worth mentioning that he did a significant amount of healing and of teaching/preaching in his ministry.
The original word is most commonly taken to mean “carpenter,” but could mean other things.
The Bible hardly even hints at Jesus’ age–that comes from tradition.
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> That reminds me, why does the number 40 come back often in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? Is there an astronomical reason for it? Something else? Somebody picked 40 as an impressive number early on and then the writers followed with the same number because it had a precedent?
Four is the number of earth/man–four major directions.
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#):
>
> Try [this](http://www.aish.com/atr/The_Number_40.html). I was told the reason Jesus received 39 lashes: to exceed 40 violated Jewish law, so if someone missed a lash, 39 kept you in the clear. I don’t know why/how this impacted the Romans (i.e. Pontius Pilate).
What I’ve been told is that the whip commonly used had 3 tails. Thus, each strike was actually 3 lashes. Therefore, 39 was the effective maximum.
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### Author:  [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-salient-points-in-the-story-of-jesus/726999/20 "2015-08-05T11:11:33Z")
> [@Flyer](#):
>
> The Bible hardly even hints at Jesus’ age–that comes from tradition.
[QUOTE=Luke 3:23]
Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.
[/QUOTE]
[Link](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+3&version=NIV).
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