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Jesus is the epitome of an iconoclast. An iconoclast is a person who shatters the norm. He is the most essential part of Christianity. He is the reason behind everything in the Christian faith. But few people really know who their talking about. After reading these next few pages you will first of all know much more about who he really was and also will not doubt His existence. If you are a Christian, your faith will be much affirmed.

The early years: Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem. He was born in a stall that was dirty and smelly. This would be considered a very weak birth by the people of His day. His name in Hebrew is Yshua (Joshua) which means "God is Savior" and it was just as common then as it is now. He was circumcised in Jewish tradition in order to show that He as a Jew was sanctified and favored of God and was in covenant with God, just as the rest of the Jews. He came from a poor household. His dad didn't make much as a carpenter, enough to live, but poor nonetheless. The evidence for this is that at his birth his mother offered the most inexpensive sacrifice acceptable, which was two turtle doves (Luke 2:24). He was from Nazareth which in that day was basically similar to Compton is now. It was considered to be the armpit of Israel (Jn. 1:45-46). However, despite his humble birth and poor upbringing, at the age of twelve, when a Jewish boy become a Jewish man, he was in the temple and astounded the Pharisees. Basically it's like an 8th grader going to Harvard and astounding the Professors.

To get a clearer picture of who he was, it helps to imagine Jesus doing things. But most people when they think of Jesus think of this Caucasian with long hair and a long beard wearing white robes and sometimes with a blue sash. In truth, he absolutely blended in with everyone else. He wore coarse linen, never brushed his teeth, had what we would consider really short hair (1 Cor. 11:14) and could blend in with any crowd of average people.

Now that we know what he looked like, what would he have been like to know? What was his personality like? Well, he likened himself to a bridegroom. I suppose this means that he was overflowing with near uncontainable joy and anticipation and bubbling with love. Also, every teaching that he ever taught, he lived. He was the only person ever to live who was never a hypocrite in any way. He was absolutely humble by the true meaning of the word. He put everyone else's needs before His even though He was God and truly deserved the attention. He was a master teacher who astounded anyone who heard him. And the funny thing was, despite his holiness, sinners were absolutely drawn to him. These days people who are usually seen as holy are thought to and do repel sinners. Jesus was absolutely unusual and individual in his overabundance of love and patience and freely forgave those who desired it and who had faith in him.

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