Jesus Jesus of History Jesus the Christ

A Faithful Jew Raised in a Jewish home ▫Mary and Joseph are devout Jews who bring Jesus up in the Jewish faith  Circumcised  Presented at the Temple  Sacrifice of lamb and turtledove Practiced his faith ▫Celebrates the Jewish holidays  Passover, Tabernacles, Dedication  Travels to Jerusalem for feasts  Studied the Torah and teaches with it  Goes to synagogue on the Sabbath

Human Mind, Human Heart Joys and trials of human nature: ▫Close friends and family ▫Shared meals and celebrations  Wedding  Dinner with Martha, Mary and Lazarus  Visited the homes of others  Experienced hunger, frustration, pain, fatigue, suffering and sorrow  Cries  Psychological fear, genuine pain, and emotional anxiety  Dies We join our everyday experiences to those of Jesus and are able to grow in holiness

Life in the 1 st century Historical background ▫Under Roman control since 63 AD ▫Local kings ruled but must remain faithful to the emperor ▫Three territories of Palestine ruled by the three sons of King Herod  Eventually Judea was given over to the control of a Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate Realities of Roman occupation ▫Roman money ▫Roman presence ▫Roman taxes, in addition to local taxes ▫Opposition met with violence and cruelty  crucifixion Roman religion ▫Emperor worship ▫Mystery religions  Greek influences  Egyptian influences

Geography Palestine (Canaan) ▫Galilee  Rural area, less sophisticated and less educated ▫Samaria  Despised by other Jews, claimed they were unclean because of their intermarriage and interaction with outsiders ▫Judea  Included Jerusalem and the Temple  People were more sophisticated, educated and well to do. About the size of New Jersey

Historical Context Jesus is at odds with the society of the day ▫Cruelty and oppression from leaders  Jesus just barely escapes death as a baby  Jesus is criticized by the religious/political leaders (Pharisees, Sadducees,) ▫Tax collections  Jews employed by Rome to collect taxes were despised by the people ▫Political and economic oppression  Threats of violence and cruelty were a constant presence in their lives  Zionists are waiting for a political leader to save them from Roman oppression ▫Jesus associates with the “Marginalized people”  Poor, sinners, women, sick, tax collectors

Society’s Make-up Religious leaders ▫Pharisees: lay reformers who held a strict view of the Law ▫Scribes: teachers of the Law; included Pharisees. A high priest presided over their group which was called the Sanhedrin ▫Priests: offered sacrifice at the Temple Political leaders ▫Roman leaders: put in authority by the Emperor of Rome ▫Jewish kings: didn’t have any real power except over internal affairs ▫Sadducees: ruling class, wealthy men, who favored the Romans ▫Zealots: a group of Jewish people who plotted to overthrow Roman rule Citizens ▫Wealthy class: those who owned land and had money ▫Lower class: worked for the wealthy (most of the population) ▫Outcasts: included the poor, sick, sinners and women (& tax collectors)

God Became Flesh, Why? God became flesh in the person of Jesus to: ▫Redeem us from our sins ▫Give example of how we should live ▫Make it possible for us to share in His divine nature ▫Explain God’s mercy and forgiveness ▫Proclaim the Kingdom of God Why God and not a human? ▫Only someone free from sin could save those enslaved by sin but a human must make the sacrifice.

Jesus’ Public Years Baptism of Jesus ▫Shows Jesus’ connection with God’s people ▫The Trinity is made manifest at Jesus’ baptism ▫Begins Jesus’ public life.

John the Baptist baptized people at the Jordan River as he encouraged them to repent and convert. He repeated that He was preparing the way for the Messiah. As Jesus preaching increased, John’s following decreased

Jesus’ Public Years Temptation of Jesus in the desert ▫Evil waits for an opportune moment to tempt us ▫Evil uses our weaknesses against us  Material power  Miraculous power  Political power ▫If we trust in God we can safely complete our journey

Jesus’ Public Years Proclamation of the Kingdom ▫“Kingdom of God is at hand”  Proclaimed by Jesus in his parables and by his miracles  God’s reign or rule in our lives in this world and in eternity. It is identified by peace, love and harmony.  It can exist in this world but the full coming of the kingdom is in the future

Jesus’ Public Years Call of the Apostles ▫Call of Simon, Andrew, James and John ▫Call of the rest of the Twelve ▫He sends them out to preach ▫Jesus calls us to help him proclaim the message of the kingdom of God

Jesus’ Public Years Transfiguration ▫We are given a glimpse of Jesus’ divinity ▫He is glorified by the Father and the Spirit ▫Jesus is accompanied by Peter, James and John ▫Jesus is joined by Elijah and Moses (prophets and the Law) ▫Sets the stage for Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection

Parables Jesus used metaphors or similes drawn from common life experiences or nature to illustrate moral or spiritual truths. These accounts would challenge the audience to make a radical choice about entering the “Kingdom of God”. Many times the parable would follow a question. ▫Parables about the Kingdom ▫Parables about forgiveness and mercy Core elements of a parable: ▫Comparison ▫Elements from everyday life ▫Surprise twist ▫Description of God ▫Comment on how people relate to each other ▫Explains how God wants us to relate to each other ▫Description of the Kingdom of God

Miracles Jesus used wonders or signs attributed to divine power that show that Jesus is the Messiah and that the Kingdom of God is present in him ▫Even though miracles pointed to his divine authority and power Jesus did not perform them to this end. He did it out of compassion for the suffering of the persons and to give them a glimpse of the kingdom of God  Miracles of natureHarmony with nature  Miracles of healing take away suffering  Miracles of exorcism overcome evil  Miracles of Resurrection overcome death

Paschal Mystery Last Supper Institution of the Eucharist Passion and death Sacrifice for our sin, Redemption Resurrection Victory over death Ascension Kingdom of God is present Jesus’ life & teachings