CFE101 HO Jesus - 1REVIEWER REVIEWER V PDF

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CHAPTER 11 JESUS OF NAZARETH ✔ The Christian Paradox Paradox – “expecting one thing and being caught off guard with another…it will unsettle our common conventions and make us see reality anew” (William Bausch) ● We do not solve paradoxes, we learn to live with them, for, at the heart of the paradox there is deep truth, truth that can only be experienced and penetrated in the very teeth of the tension. ❖ Jesus is the central paradox of Christianity. Christianity has from its very inception, wrestled with the problem posed by Jesus himself: “Who do people say that the son of man is?” (Mt 16:13) Christians believe that the human Jesus, a Jew who lived in a specific time and place in history, is also God, fully human yet fully divine. ✔ Jesus in His Time ● Most of the information we have about Jesus comes from the New Testament, particularly the four gospels. However, there are several references to him in secular literature (i.e. Jewish writer- Josephus and the Roman authors – Suetonius, Tacitus, Pliny.) ● It is unchallenged historical fact, therefore, that Jesus was a real human being, a Jew who lived at a specific time in history and in a specific place. He was influenced by the people, the politics, the culture, the religion of the land in which he lived. ✔ The Political Situation ● Palestine was a vassal state of the Roman Empire. Though maintaining a presence in the territory, the Romans did not govern Palestine directly but selected a family of Idumean Jews, the Herodians, to look after the internal running of the state. Herod the Great – the most famous Herodian and ruled from 37-4 B.C.E. By Roman permission, Herod had internal power even to the extent of meddling in the Jewish religion. ● When Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.E., the territory was divided into three.

Herod Antipas – he was given the territory of Galilee where Jesus did most of his ministry. Pontius Pilate – The Roman procurator at the time of Jesus’ ministry who lived in Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast just north of present-day TelAviv. Samaria – located to the North of Jerusalem with the principal city Sechem (Modern day Nablus) a scant of 50 kilometers from Jerusalem. Samaritans – most Jews regarded them with suspicion which, at the time of Jesus, had hardened into real hatred. They had retained some of the Jewish religious observances and Scriptures, and this hybrid religion made them anathema to true religionists. They were also regarded as backward and rebellious people that is why the Jews taunted Jesus of being friend with a Samaritan and being a Samaritan himself. ✔

The Jewish Religious Leaders

Sadducees – the priestly class, the ruling overlords of religion. Being priests, their main focus was the temple and the acts of worship performed there, which Jesus saw as nothing more than empty ritual. - The head of the Sadducees, the High priest, was a political appointee with considerable prestige and influence even to the extent of being regarded as the symbol of true religious observance and hence a unifying force in Judaism. Pharisees – also sticklers for the observance of the law but were much more conservative in political matters that the former. They had considerable influence among the people. They are portrayed in the gospels as the “bad guys” seemingly always in conflict with Jesus. Scribes – called the “jurists” of Israel. They studied the Pentateuch (the law) and wrote legal opinions about its proper interpretation. - They were also called teacher, because of their learning, were often called “rabbi” (teacher) or “doctor of the law.” Sanhedrin – Literally translated, it means senate or assembly. The Sanhedrin, composed of 70 members drawn from the various parties and the important

people of the land, should not be identified as a body totally opposed to Jesus. Tax Collectors – usually portrayed as sinners, outsiders whom Jesus seems to have associated rather freely, much to the anger and dismay of many Pharisees. - It was such sinners that Jesus was often accused of favoring and to whom he said he had been sent by his Father.

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The Birth of Jesus ▪ Are there exact evidences to support the details about the birth of Jesus? - Factually and historically, we know hardly anything about the birth and childhood of Jesus. Nevertheless, the gospels give us extraordinarily little to go on. ▪ What do we know about the actual birthdate of Jesus? - We know that he was born in the reign of Herod the Great (who is referred to in the Gospel according to Matthew) and therefore that he must have been born before 4 B.C.E., which we know from other sources was the year of Herod’s death. ▪ Why not 0 C.E.? - The simple answer (though it is far more historically complex) is that when the calendar was being developed in the sixth century, a mistake was made and never corrected. ▪ Why December 25 (for those who follow the Julian calendar) or January 6 (for those who follow the Gregorian calendar)? - The best answer seems to be that this is the date of winter solstice, after which the sun begins its return to the northern hemisphere, thus symbolizing the rising light of Christ returning to the earth and shining on the darkness. ● The gospel writers saw the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus as far more important for preserving the faith of the early church. Therefore, we must emphasize that the major point at issue is always the faith needs of the early communities; the stories are little preoccupied with historical fact.

The Infancy Narratives ❖ Infancy narratives – the accounts of the birth and early childhood of Jesus in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke ▪ Are the narratives historical and biographical? - They were not intended as mere factual narrations but as proclamations of the birth of the Messiah. The details surrounding the story point to a specialness, an extraordinary birth, a divine event. The truth is a deeper truth; it is the witness of believers who joyfully tell of the nativity of God’s own son. - These stories were never intended to be biographical; their purpose is theological and faith-inspiring. The infancy stories in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke are there to complete the main theme of the gospels; the salvation brought about by Jesus Christ. - The stories maybe understood as theological meditations arising from the prayers, the questions, the surmises and the poetry of the early Christian communities.

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The Ministry of Jesus The best historical evidence we have seems to indicate that Jesus began his “public” life at about the age of 30. For about three years after his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, Jesus assumed the life of an itinerant preacher and teacher. ▪ What was so attractive about Jesus? - There is little doubt that Jesus was a charismatic figure of imminence fascination. He is described by one of his own disciples as one “who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.” Ministry – referred to as Jesus’ teaching and his deeds. It means service – Jesus served the needs of the people of his time and he still serves our needs. As he serves our needs, so must we serve one another’s needs and carry on his work in the world. -

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Teaching a) The Kingdom of God - Without question, the notion of the Kingdom of God is absolutely central to Jesus’ teaching.

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With the evolution of the political fortunes of Israel and their decision to adopt kingship as their form of government, the king became the symbol of the presence of God among the people. Thus, the kingship of God is a common theme in the Old Testament. Although Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God, it would be better to speak of the reign of God, a period in which, “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” As the forces of evil and sin are overcome, everyone will observe God’s will and live according to his ordinances. Thus an era of peace, justice, harmony and proper human development will be established everywhere, all hostility will cease, all enmities disappear, all pain, sorrow and suffering be assuaged. In short, the world will be saved. We believe that the kingdom of God has come in Jesus; the kingdom is established in the world. But the evidence of our experience seems to indicate otherwise. Why are there hatred among people? Where is the Kingdom then? – We are now brought to another Christian paradox – the kingdom of God is simultaneously a present and future reality. Has Jesus made a difference? – The kingdom of God has arrived. This is from the evidence in the Gospel of Luke where disciples of John went to Jesus to ask if he is the one they are waiting. The disciples witnessed a lot of miracles performed and that these are the things which they, the disciples of John, reported to John. The kingdom of God topic would not be complete without resolving the anomaly in the scriptures. Matthew called the Kingdom of God the “Kingdom of Heaven” which made people look at it that the kingdom of God can only come in heaven. However, that is just one part of the paradox. b) The Primacy of Love For Jesus, love is the pre-eminent Christian virtue, the virtue in which “the whole law and the prophets” is contained. Jesus had been using love also as the basis of his preaching about the Kingdom because of his own

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intense conviction of the uncompromising love of God his Father for everyone. * God’s reign is God’s love. The radical nature of the love Jesus teaches is graphically expressed, particularly in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, where Jesus asserts that we are “to love our enemies.”* opportunity giving Greatest example – The good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-35)

c) Parables – How Jesus Taught - As to details, Jesus had been teaching using parables, proverbs, pronouncement stories *, prophetic statements and sometimes apocalyptic images. However, the most prominent is the parables because it has been the most remembered and recorded one. Parable – from the Latin parabola, meaning a comparison. - It invites us to make comparisons between a story drawn from familiar everyday life and some other less evident, perhaps hidden reality. - The parables are not meant to supply us with concrete answers to particular problems. Rather, they are meant to make us examine our own life in light of the story and in light of our Christian duty, and to question our assumptions, our attitudes, our way of acting. B)

Healing a) Outreach to Sinners and Social Outcasts - That Jesus was a deeply compassionate person shines through the gospel story; in fact, he has been called “the compassion of God.” His compassion reaches out to any situation where he perceives human suffering or even discomfort. - Jesus seemed to seek out the least fortunate in society; the prostitutes, the dishonest and despised tax-collectors, the sinners – in other words, the people whose company others shunned. Many times, the accusation was thrown at him that he ate with sinners and tax collectors for he visited their homes. - Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

power, which is greater than the power of evil. ▪ If we keep looking for the sensational, for magic, we shall miss the workings of God’s power in our lives. ▪ God’s power is ever active in the world, but it takes faith to see it. Miracles are for believers. Miracles confirm and strengthen the faith of those who already believe. The gospel miracles are not there merely for their apologetic value. Jesus refused to work miracles just to convince unbelievers. In fact, Jesus’ miracles are almost always associated with faith. He often demands faith before he will work a miracle. * After every miracle, he proclaims that he did it because of the persons faith.

Again, he said his mission was to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” b) Cure of Diseases Jesus not only taught about the kingdom of God, but he also worked actively to bring about in his own time and in the circumstances in which he lived. He did this especially by his works of mercy and healing. - In Jesus’ time, disease and sickness were considered evil. The sick person was thought to be in grip of the power of evil because of some sin, or perhaps because of someone else’s sin. - The belief in their time was that sin deserved punishment and that punishment could be visited even on other generation. The point is that, in curing illness and disability, Jesus was overcoming the power of evil, a clear sign of the arrival of the kingdom of God. Thus, Jesus reveals God’s power to heal and to save. - What is very important for us is that Jesus’ teaching and ministry clearly indicate that we should see healing (in all its forms) as one of the most important works of the Christian life. -

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Miracles Can miracle take place? Does God suspend the laws of nature that he himself created, or does God, in order to be true to himself, respect those very laws. The tendency of most modern science is to discount all miracles. – if we are not able to explain certain occurrences, it is just because the state of our scientific knowledge does not presently allow it. In considering Jesus’ miracles, we have to adopt a theological worldview, which is the worldview of the gospel writers. The gospel miracle stories are woven into the whole scheme of Jesus’ teaching on the reign of God; they are signs of the breaking in of God’s power to overcome evil, which is the firm basis for our faith. The original term used in the synoptic gospels is “dynameis”, meaning “works of power”. The gospels are speaking of works of God’s

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Jesus the Saviour i. The Meaning of the Word Salvation – has the same root as the word “salve” (for example, a medical substance we apply to the sin to soothe and assuage some injury, such as sunburn). A salve is used to heal, to cure some hurt, to relieve pain. In the same way, salvation means being saved from some evil that threatens us or has affected us. Salvation heals us, assuages the pain, and makes us whole and healthy again. ii. Experiencing the Need We all need salvation. For some times in our lives we may have thought of consoling ourselves that what we did is less evil than those who we really know as evil person, however, if we have, in any way, contributed to the pain others are experiencing then we are still evil. This is the reason why we all need salvation from evil that surrounds us and that is within us. iii. Jesus Saves As far as the whole of humanity is concerned, it is God’s desire that all, absolutely everyone, should be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (1 Tim 2:4). One of the ways in which we frequently speak of salvation is that

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“by his death on the cross Jesus has saved us.” God’s grace and favour have affected the whole universe and are available to all who freely wish it. But perhaps the most important aspect of salvation is its healing of human sin, which is the cause of the moral evil of which we are so conscious. We should note that Jesus does not solve the problem of evil (which is indeed a deep mystery); he himself was subject to suffering, and he died, by the help of his grace, offer a way of handling evil so that we are not defeated by it and do not contribute to its growth. a) Jesus saves us from meaninglessness o Jesus assures us that human life has real meaning. That God should choose to be one of us should be evidence enough. By his presence and his teaching, he shows us how to make a success of our human life; he assures us of resurrection to eternal life. Because of him we can hope. b) Jesus saves us from the evil of sin o Sin enslaves us – we become slaves to our own passions, desires, and selfishness. Jesus does not prevent us from committing sin (God will not interfere with our free will), but he does three things; he suffered and died on the cross to redeem us from sin; by his grace and goodness he forgives sin; and he gives us the example of how to live so as to free ourselves of the alienation that is sin. c) Jesus saves us form the evil of suffering and death o Jesus himself suffered and died in the same way we do, and in his suffering and death he gives us a way of handling these experiences of evil. As for suffering, we can unite our suffering to that of Jesus, thus making it meaningful. As for death, we have already seen that what gives death its “sting” is sin. Often it is not so much

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It is worth emphasizing again that salvation is now. Our common belief is that the salvation would be for the next life. However, it is now and we can experience it. We have to make salvation offered by God now a reality. Jesus has brought salvation; we are living in the new age of salvation. Jesus means “God Saves”.

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The Death of Jesus Again, it is our belief that it was a result of the death and resurrection experience (historical fact) that the Apostles came to a clearer realization that Jesus was indeed the chosen one of God, the Messiah. Thus, God had set a seal on the life and message of Jesus. This faith was the basis for the formation of the church. - Jesus fully understood that his mission was to do the will of God. _ with this he also understood that having such mission entails being in conflict with the law and the leaders during his time. - It would be wrong for us to regard the death of Jesus as some from of martyrdom , that is, some form of “dying for faith.” It was more an example of how the forces of evil in the world, working through the selfishness of people bent on preserving their own privileged positions, can, for a time at least, overcome the forces of good. 1. He associated with outcasts and sinners and therefore, by insinuation, was a sinner himself. 2. He was accused of not observing the law of Moses; for example, he healed the sick on the Sabbath day. 3. He spoke of God in the most intimate terms as his Father, his “Abba.” 4. He was accused of being a threat to the security of the nation. -

CONCLUSION - We must come to “recognize” Jesus in all our human vicissitudes, to believe that he is indeed risen from the dead, that he is alive

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and with us at every step of our journey through life. Faith in Jesus is the centre point of the Christian life, the energizing core that gives meaning and purpose to life. Jesus’ whole desire for us is that we should come to know God through him. An essential aspect of hearing and accepting the Good News is that we tell others about it, that we do not keep this wonderful experience to ourselves but share it with others and become true missionaries of Jesus’ message....