What a wonderful time of the year! We will celebrate the third most sacred event in this world's history on Sunday, December 25. Although we know Jesus was not actually born on December 25 we have elected to celebrate it at that time.
There have been many stories told about the cold and winter night when Jesus was born, but given the circumstances we know that it was in the Spring at the time of the Passover when He was actually born. Scholars have estimated that Passover came on or about April 6 on our calendar. There is still much discussion as to the actual year. It doesn't really matter, though. What DOES matter is that we recognize that the Savior of the world was born, that He experienced His young life as did His earthly peers of the time. We suspect that He learned the trade of His step-father and we are pretty sure that He became proficient as a carpenter.
We know that He did not take a ministry upon Himself until the age of 30, because that was the age that a man was considered knowledgeable enough to preach by the culture of the time. We do know that He went to the temple beginning at age 12, and we suspect that He went there often so as to learn line upon line, and precept upon precept. What kind of things did He learn? He learned of Jewish law. He learned what the Jews knew about the scriptures and how they were to be treated. He learned the perversions attached to the scriptures that would create the environment the Pharisees wanted or needed to satisfy their existence. He learned the details of the Law of Moses an how the Law had been changed over the generations. He learned to speak to large groups. All that He learned was to prepare Him for His life's mission.
We know He began his ministry with 40 days and nights of fasting and communing with His physical Father. We know that He was temped in much the same way as we are tempted using basic human needs and desires. We know that He resisted those temptations and was able to overcome Satan's enticements.
We know that He preached, taught, expounded, exhorted, and loved His followers. We know that He loved all of the inhabitants of the world so much that He was willing to give up His physical comfort and even His very life for us. We know that He suffered a total withdrawal of the spirit as He paid for the Sins of all the inhabitants of the world, past, present, and future. We know that His payment is conditional upon our accepting that sacrifice, repenting of our sins, and keeping His commandments. We know that He suffered torture, was degraded, spit upon, and scorned.
We know that He was lifted up on the cross at Calvary. We know that He died there on Friday afternoon. We know He laid in the grave through Saturday until Sunday morning and was resurrected on Sunday morning. We know that He visited with the other flocks of His fold as He said He would do. We know that He preached the same gospel to those other flocks as described in the Book of Mormon.
We know that He lives and is concerned about each of us and our lives.
This is my testimony: I know that Jesus lives, that He is the Christ, the Savior of the world. I know that his Father lives and is the Father of our spirits. I know that Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father are physical exalted beings who know each of us by name. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820 for the purpose of setting in motion the restoration of the Gospel after having been dormant for hundreds of years. I know the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is available to us today. I know that the fullness of the Gospel is taught in the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
I hope that each of my readers will seek out those truths for themselves.
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