(CNN) – With Easter approaching, and the movie “Son of God” playing in wide release, you’re going to hear a lot about Jesus these days.
You may hear revelations from new books that purport to tell the “real story” about Jesus, opinions from friends, and airtight arguments from co-workers who can prove he never existed.
Beware of most of these revelations. Much of what we know about Jesus has been known for the last 2,000 years.
Still, even for devout Christians there are surprises to be found within the Gospels, and thanks to advances in historical research and archaeological discoveries, more is known about his life.
With that in mind, here are five things you probably didn’t know about Jesus.
Jesus came from a nowhere little town.
Nearly all modern-day archaeologists agree the town of Nazareth had only 200 to 400 people. Jesus’ hometown is mentioned nowhere in either the Old Testament or the Talmud, which notes dozens of other towns in the area.
In fact, in the New Testament it is literally a joke.
In the Gospel of John, when Nathaniel hears the messiah is “Jesus of Nazareth,” he asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Jesus probably didn’t know everything.
This is a thorny theological question. If Jesus is divine, wouldn’t he know all things? Indeed, on several occasions Jesus predicts his death and resurrection.
On the other hand, if he had a human consciousness, he needed to be taught something before he could know it. The Gospel of Luke says when Jesus was a young man he “progressed” in wisdom. That means he learned things. Otherwise how would he “progress”?
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus initially refuses to heal the daughter of a non-Jewish woman, saying rather sharply, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
But when she replies that even the dogs get the crumbs from the table, Jesus softens, and he heals her daughter. He seems to be learning that his ministry extends beyond the Jewish people.
Jesus was tough.
From age 12 to 30, Jesus worked as a carpenter. “Is not this the carpenter?” says the astonished crowds when he begins to preach.
The word used for Jesus’ profession in the original Greek is tekton. Most contemporary scholars say it’s more likely a general craftsman; some even translate it as “day laborer.”
It was tough work that meant lugging tools, wood and stones all over Galilee. Jesus doesn’t simply stride onto the world stage after having dreamily examined a piece of wood when the mood suited him. For 18 years, he worked hard.
Jesus needed “me time.”
The Gospels frequently speak of Jesus’ need to “withdraw” from the crowds, and even his disciples.
Today by the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus carried out much of his ministry, you can see how close the towns were, and how natural it would have been for the enthusiastic crowds to “press” in on him, as the Gospels describe.
There’s even a cave called the “Eremos Cave,” on the shoreline, not far from Capernaum, his base of operations, where he may have prayed.
Eremos means “desolate” or “solitary,” from which we get the word “hermit.” Even though Jesus was the son of God, he needed time alone in prayer with the father.
Jesus didn’t want to die.
As he approaches his death, and prays hard in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus says, “Remove this cup.” It’s a blunt prayer addressed to the father.
Unlike the way some Christians portray Jesus as courting death, and even desiring it, like any human being, the idea of death is terrifying. “My soul is sorrowful even unto death,” he says.
But once Jesus realizes that this is somehow the will of the father, he assents to death, even on a cross.
It’s natural to want to know as much as we can about Jesus. But beware of the more outlandish claims about the son of God such as he fathered children or he was married to Mary Magdalene, or he spent time in India and so on.
The Rev. James Martin is a Jesuit priest, editor of America magazine and author of the new book “Jesus: A Pilgrimage” (HarperOne). The views expressed in this column belong to Martin.
