Life And Times Of Jesus And Mohammed

Life and Times of Jesus and Mohammed

Nicholas J. Walkowski

Axia College of University of Phoenix

In the following paragraphs, I will attempt to compare and contrast the lives of Jesus and Mohammed. Although there are many differences, there are many similarities as well. From all the research I have done on the two individuals, the one thing that stands out is that Mohammed was a messenger of God and Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus and Muhammad have at time been confused amongst scholars as being one in the same. Both of these individuals were born at completely separate times; however, both men served very similar purposes while on Earth. Jesus promoted Christianity and Muhammad promoted Islam during periods of time when Judaism was strong. Both Jesus and Muhammad are known for their methods in establishing and strengthening each respective religion. This paper will compare and contrast the lives and history of Jesus and Muhammad, describe how both were worshipped, and the impact each death had on its respective religion. Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary and conceived by the Holy Spirit through Immaculate Conception.

The birth took place in Bethlehem in the 4th year before the Common Era or BCE (Fisher, 2005). Mary and Joseph were required to travel to Bethlehem during the pregnancy and upon arrival found that there was no place to sleep. The couple ended up staying in a stable and the same night, after the long journey, Mary gave birth to a baby boy. The baby's name was Jesus, which means "God Saves" (Fisher, 2005, p.288). Many shepherds came to pay their respects to the new parents and considered Jesus the Savior. When Jesus was 12 he traveled with his parents to Jerusalem for Passover. His parents found Jesus in a temple discussing the Torah with Rabbis. His knowledge was certainly above the average child his age. Upon leaving Jesus stated aloud "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Fisher, 2005, p.289). Jesus' claim explains his close connection to God to be revealed later in his life. There is no written history of Jesus' young adulthood; however when he was 30 years old, Jesus asked John the Baptist, who was performing Baptism ceremonies in the Jordan River, to baptize him. John believed that to baptize the Savior was not his place, but Jesus was adamant. Some believed that this was the Messiah's way of dedicating himself to God. Many miracles were performed by Jesus as he journeyed throughout the land spreading his teachings of love.

Jesus healed the sick, resurrected the dead, walked on water, performed exorcisms, and very symbolically turned a few loaves of bread into enough food to feed many hungry people (Fisher, 2005). The son of God had many followers of all different classes and encouraged female disciples, such as Mary Magdalene. The primary concern of Jesus was to teach to love God and to love each other; these are the two commandments of Judaism which are most important. The teachings were based on the idea that "God is forgiving to those who repent" (Fisher, 2005, p. 294). During his teachings, Jesus traveled to Galilee. The appointed ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas, considered Jesus a threat; therefore, Jesus remained outside Galilee to continue his teachings. Considering himself a shepherd that would sacrifice himself for his followers, Jesus explained that his teachings were from God. During the Last Supper, instructions were given by Jesus. Unfortunately, Judas one of the disciples, traded information resulting in Jesus' arrest for 30 pieces of silver (Fisher, 2005). Once captured, Jesus was sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, and questioned. When Pilate could not calm the people of Jerusalem, Jesus was given to military guards who beat and crucified him on a cross.

Before Jesus died on the cross he cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me" (Fisher, 2005, p.301). Disciples of Jesus were terrified and went into hiding; although once Christ had risen from the dead, many disciples claimed they had been visited by Jesus and he explained his resurrection. Those who were witness to the resurrection helped create Christianity and gained strength in the Roman Empire. Many people came to believe that Jesus had been God in human form. The resurrection changed the minds of many, including one person in particular, Saul, who was a persecutor of Christians. Saul was visited by Christ and instructed to "open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Fisher, 2005, p.303). Jesus' death changed Saul's life; he was baptized and renamed himself Paul (Fisher, 2005). Paul's new mission was to spread the Christian word across the Mediterranean and help develop the expansion of Christianity. Many believe that Christianity was created because Jews, who believed that they alone were the chosen ones, were offended by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Jews refused to accept Jesus as the Messiah. The theological distance between Judaism and Christianity became exceptional. The cross became the symbol for the Christian religion, and the impact of Jesus' death and subsequent resurrection, in turn, caused Christianity to flourish (Fisher, 2005).

Much like Jesus, Muhammad was known for restoring the true religion of God. Muhammad was born in approximately 570 Common Era and is considered the last of the prophets (Fisher, 2005). His father died before he was born, and Muhammad's Uncle became his primary caregiver,