Jesus Christ Life Reveals His Mission

Theology 1Chapter 6 – Part 1 and 2

Mr. Perrotti

Prayer

• Chapter 6 describes how Christ was fully human and fully Divine. As a man he dealt with many of the same issues as we do, doing all that without sin.

• As Christians we are called to live as Christ did, the perfect role model like His Mother Mary. Pray today that he continues to open our eyes to Him and give us the strength to live as He did. Allow Jesus to become your best Friend!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIS-RuoZxCI.com

The Son of God Humbled Himself

• God’s love for us is so great that he took on the frailty of humanity in order to save us from our sin.

• This is called in the Incarnation of Jesus.• The Son of God made man!• John’s Gospel call this “The Word made flesh”• The “Logos”

Jesus was fully Man

• Like us he experienced:– Jesus experienced hunger and thirst. – He endured insults and injury. – He was deserted by his friends. – Jesus was tired, and afraid, and sad, and

angry. – Jesus was tempted, and yet never sinned.

He was fully man!

The Humanity of Jesus

• In John’s Gospel he writes “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

• The Gospels of Matthew and Luke remind us that Jesus is firmly rooted in the human family by each presenting a detailed genealogy for Jesus and his family tree.

• These genealogies are records of the human ancestors of Jesus. Each one makes statements about what is important in his human origins

Writing for Different People

• Writing to different audiences, Matthew and Luke each emphasize different things about Jesus’ family history that illustrate what they believe about him.

• Mathew as we remember wrote to the Jewish Christians, so it was important for Matthew to make that connection.

• Luke’s family history was shorter as the Gentiles were more concerned about who Jesus was, not who he had come from!

Matthew

• Matthew writes to a Jewish-Christian audience, and wanted to show that Jesus shared the heritage of the Chosen People.

• To review, he showed Jesus as greater than those great Old Testament Heroes like Moses, David and Abraham.

• He tells us that Jesus is the son (descendent) of Abraham, and of David. Since Abraham is the father of the Hebrews, and David was Israel’s greatest king, this gives us important information about Jesus’ status as Messiah and King.

Matthew Goes a Step Further

• Matthew also, however, included some details that were not typical for a genealogy directed to his audience.– The Evangelist lists five women in the

ancestry of Jesus. – Female ancestors would not normally be

a concern for a Jewish audience. – Also, some of the women Matthew

includes had backgrounds that might cause concern for his readers

Not Fitting His Readers Expectations

• Perhaps Matthew included Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, Ruth, and Mary to show that God is a God of surprises.

• He chooses whomever he wants to be his instruments, even if they do not fit people’s expectations—as Jesus did in choosing his apostles.

• God does work in mysterious ways!

Luke

• Luke wrote for a Gentile-Christian audience, so what he emphasizes in his genealogy of Jesus is quite different from Matthew’s.– Instead of focusing on the Hebrew kings

and tracing Jesus’ lineage only as far back as Abraham, the father of the Hebrews, Luke’s genealogy goes all the way back to Adam—the first human being.

Luke

• Luke is making the point that Jesus is truly human; son of Adam, the ancestor of all human beings; but also, Son of God.

This was important to Luke. He wanted the Gentiles to see the humanness of Jesus from its origin.• Remember the Gentiles were learning

about the entire story of Jesus!

Why so different?

• There are differences in the names of the ancestors included in the genealogies of Matthew and Luke.

• The two family trees were not intended to be comprehensive.

• They are condensed summaries of the lineage of Jesus.

• The shortening may have been done to aid in memorization for early Christians who would pass on the stories orally.

Jesus the Foster son of Joseph

• Before his public ministry, Jesus worked as a carpenter—the trade he learned from his foster father, Joseph.

• Matthew 13:55 tells us that Jesus was known as “the carpenter’s son,” and Mark 6:3 identifies Jesus as “the carpenter, the son of Mary.”

• During His ministry, He was referred to as the man from Nazareth.

He was Proud of His Human Heritage

• Jesus also used many metaphors from the carpentry trade in his teachings.

• The images Jesus chose for his parables of building towers, – wine presses, – storage barns, – and homes with a good foundation show not only an understanding of the trade, but also an appreciation for the importance of hard work.

Raise in the Jewish Faith

• Luke makes it clear that Mary and Joseph raised Jesus in the Jewish faith.

• According to Jewish law,– Jesus was circumcised and presented in

the Temple.– Growing up in Nazareth, his primary

language would have been Aramaic, but he also would have learned Hebrew so that he could study the Torah—the body of Jewish literature, teaching, and law.

The Presentation in the Temple

• On the Eight Day as Jewish custom required Jesus and Mary presented Jesus to be circumcised as a reminder of the great covenant God made with Abraham.

• It is here were they meet Someone, the blind member of the synagogue who spent his life praying for the messiah.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myj-oA752L0.com

Jesus’ Education

• There would have been much emphasis on memorization in Jesus’ education, and he clearly learned the Scriptures well.

• He was raise like any other Jewish boy working and learning from his father the ways of the Jewish Religion.

• His schooling would include extensive teaching about the Hebrew Scripture, Torah and Psalms.

Lost in the Temple

• When he was accidentally left in the Temple as a boy, he was found later, amazing the priests and scribes with his knowledge of God’s word.

• He was there as part of a pilgrimage His parents took him on as a boy!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f2qZqOZ-y0.com

I Must Do My Father’s Work

• Jesus had an intimate knowledge of the Scriptures.

• The Gospels are full of passages in which Jesus quotes from the Old Testament, and gives interpretations of the Scriptures that astound his listeners.

By Nature, One of Us

• Every human being possesses two qualities that define our human nature: – a human body and – an immortal soul.

• Jesus, like all of • us, had both a body and a soul.

Jesus was Truly Human

• The Gospels, especially the Passion Narratives, make it clear that Jesus had a human body.

• Jesus encountered physical hunger and thirst, fatigue, pain, and every other experience that comes with possessing a human body—even death– His Paschal Mystery was a much as

being fully man and fully God.

He Just Like You and Me

• The human soul, or spirit, has two faculties: intellect and free will.

• Like all human beings, Jesus’ intellect enabled him to– reason, – learn,– and reflect upon his emotions.– His will allowed him to choose between

good and evil.

Temptation is Not Sin

• In the exercise of our intellect and will, something all human beings experience is temptation.

• Jesus, too, was tempted. • Temptation is not, itself, a sin.– It is a test of the right use of our freedom. – Unlike the rest of us, Jesus passed every

test. – During his forty days of fasting in the

wilderness, Jesus was tempted repeatedly by Satan, but never gave in.

The Temptation of Jesus

• Remember the three temptations of Christ had as much to do with Jesus being fully Human as it did with Jesus being fully God.

• The Devil tempted Jesus three different ways:– With Food and Water– With Power– With GloryThese are all vices that can cause us to sin, Jesus resisted the devil's temptations!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ycgPo-GPQ.com

Jesus’ Greatest Challenge!

• Jesus was tempted at other times as well. Certainly, one of the greatest temptations Jesus faced was to turn away from his mission during the terrible time of his passion and crucifixion.

• This occurred after the last supper in the Garden near the Mt. of Olives.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh84vr6O8gQ.com - Keep an eye on the devil in the tree.

His Wisdom

• Jesus also had a human intellect. The Gospels tell us that he grew in wisdom and knowledge—revealing that his human knowledge was not unlimited.

• There are things that, even as the Son of God, Jesus did not know.

• To be truly human, his intellect had to be like that of all other human beings.

• But as Jesus responded perfectly to his Father’s will, his human knowledge grew to attain a fullness of understanding of the eternal plan of Salvation.

Jesus loved others and was loved in return.

• Beginning with the pure affection shared between himself and Mary and Joseph, Jesus knew unselfish love.

• He also had close personal friends like Martha, Mary, Lazarus, and his apostles.

• Jesus even showed deep affection for people he didn’t really know.

• Most of His miracles were performed on complete strangers.

As a human being, Jesus experienced emotions.

• Jesus wept, showing grief at the death of his friend, Lazarus.

• He got angry when he saw all the vendors at the temple.

• He laughed and sang with his Apostles.• He helped care for His dying foster

Father, Joseph.• He rejoiced when His apostles answered

the question “Who do you think I am?”

Fully Human!

• Jesus was joyful.•

• The Gospels even mention that his opponents criticized him for taking too much enjoyment at festive occasions.

• But it was important to Jesus to celebrate joyful times with his friends and loved ones.

He Liked His Quiet Time

• Jesus needed time alone, but also enjoyed human companionship.

•

• He often withdrew from the crowds to find time for solitude, but Jesus also chose companions to help him in his ministry.

• The 12 Apostles were His closest friends.

• Even in that group he favored Peter, James and John, the inner circle!

He Showed Emotions

• Jesus showed compassion.•

• When he encountered people who were hurting from illness, poverty, or sin; his emotion moved him to help them.

• He brought about many miraculous cures, forgave people’s sins, and showed concern for the welfare of his followers.

He Had Great Presence and Impact

• Crowds of people flocked to him to hear what he had to say about God’s Kingdom. Sinners, children, and regular people all were drawn to Jesus.

• Some of the religious authorities, however, saw him as a threat.

• Because he taught with his own authority, and not merely by quoting other teachers, Jesus drew fierce criticism from many leaders in the Jewish community.

He Was a Member of a Family

• As a human being, Jesus was a member of a family. But did Jesus have siblings?– The Gospels mention “brothers and sisters” of

Jesus, but the Church does not understand these to be children of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

–

– It could be that “brothers and sisters” refers to cousins or other close relatives. The Church teaches that Mary remained a virgin, and had no children other than Jesus.

– The Aramaic translation did have a word for cousins, or extended family.

The life of Jesus follows the pattern predicted by the prophets

• Jesus came from the family heritage they specified.

• His miracles—deeds that cannot be explained by ordinary human intervention—verify that he is the Son of God.

• Even his passion and death fulfill what the prophets predicted about the Messiah.

He Fulfilled the Old Testament

• Old Testament prophets describe many details about the coming Messiah

• Jesus fulfills their prophecy with remarkable accuracy. On every account, the divine credentials of Jesus are established

• In our next lessons we will look at how Jesus was fully God –The Divinity of Christ.

• Born the Son of Joseph and Mary fully Human and yet fully God!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udZigHDJ0jM.com