The Life of the Christ - ForMinistry

Resources for the Reader
Christ—A Greek word meaning “the Chosen One” and used to
translate the Hebrew word “Messiah,” often referring to the
one that many of the Jews believed God was going to send to
rescue them from their enemies. The term “Christ” is used
in the New Testament both as a title and as a name for Jesus.
See the article on p. 44.
circumcise—To cut off the foreskin of the male organ. This was
done for Israelite boys eight days after they were born to show
that they belonged to God’s people (see Genesis 17.9-14).
cistern—A hole or pit used for storing rainwater. Cisterns were
sometimes dug in the ground and lined with stones and
plaster, and at other times they were cut into the rock. The
CEV sometimes translates “cistern” as “well.”
clan—A group of families who were related to each other and
who often lived close to each other. A group of clans made
up a tribe.
clean and unclean—(1) In Old Testament times, a person who
was acceptable to worship God was called “clean.” A person
who had certain kinds of diseases, who had touched a dead
body, or who had broken certain laws became “unclean,”
and was unacceptable to worship God. If a person was
unclean because of disease, the disease would have to be
cured before the person could be clean again. And becoming
clean involved performing certain ceremonies that sometimes
included sacrifices. (2) Animals that were acceptable as
food were called “clean.” Those that were not acceptable
were called “unclean” (see Leviticus 11.1-47; Deuteronomy
14.3-21). (3) Many things including tools, dishes, houses,
and land could also become unclean and unusable, especially
if they were touched by something unclean. Some
unclean objects had to be destroyed, but others could be
made clean by being washed or placed in a fire for a short
time. (4) After a Jewish mother gave birth to a child, she was
considered ritually “unclean” (see Leviticus 12.1-8). When
a woman gave birth to a son, she had to stay home for seven
days, and on the eighth day, a baby son was circumcised (see
Leviticus 12.3). Then the mother had to stay home for
another thirty-three days. After this period apart from
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Word List
society, she offered a sacrifice to the Lord to make herself
“clean” again (see Luke 2.24).
commandments—God’s rules for his people to live by. The
most famous are the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20.1-
17; Deuteronomy 5.6-21).
council—(1) A group of leaders who meet and make decisions for
their people. (2) The Old Testament refers to God’s council
as a group of angels who meet and talk with God in heaven
(see Job 15.8; Jeremiah 23.18-22).
cross—A wooden structure to which Romans either nailed or
tied condemned prisoners, who hung there until they died.
It was made of two pieces of lumber crossed in a “T,” “✝,” or
“X” shape. Jesus was put to death on a cross (see Matthew
27.31-56).
David—King of Israel from about 1010 to 970 b.c. David was the
most famous king Israel ever had, and many of the people of
Israel hoped that one of his descendants would always be
their king (see 1 Samuel 16–30; 2 Samuel 1–24; 1 Kings
1–2).
demons and evil spirits—Supernatural beings that do harmful
things to people and sometimes cause them to do bad things.
In the New Testament they are sometimes called “unclean
spirits,” because people under their power were thought to
be unclean and unfit to worship God. See Mark 5.1-13;
7.24-30.
devil—The chief of the demons and evil spirits, also known as
“Satan.” See Job 1.6—2.7; Matthew 4.1-11; Luke 4.1-13;
John 8.44.
disciples—Those who were followers of Jesus and learned from
him. The term often refers to his twelve apostles. See
“apostle.”
elder—An older person of wisdom who had special influence
and authority within a secular or religious community.
Elijah—A prophet who spoke for God in the early ninth century
b.c. and who opposed the evil King Ahab and Queen Jezebel
of the northern kingdom. Many Jews in later centuries
thought Elijah would return to get everything ready for the