Jesus’ Public Ministry: Building the Kingdom of God Through Deeds

The Miracles of Jesus

 Miracle of Miracles from Fiddler on the Roof  How would the Jewish people of Jesus’ day define the term miracle?

The Miracles of Jesus  Miracle (for the Jewish people) Any event or experience that reveals God’s action in the world or desire to have a personal relationship with and participate in the life of his people Any event or experience that reveals God’s love for the world and its people A work or deed of God A blessing, gift, or grace of God

The Miracles of Jesus  Miracle (for the Jewish people) Both a historical and a present-day reality More inclusive than the modern day understanding  Big, extraordinary, tremendous, world-altering events or experiences  Small, ordinary, common, everyday events or experiences The seemingly unexpected or impossible that occurs in the world Looked to God as explanation for supernatural phenomenon, rather than science, reason, or logic

The Miracles of Jesus  Jesus teaches us about God (relationship with God) The Kingdom of God Discipleship  Appropriate response to God’s offer of the Kingdom  Relationship with other people

The Miracles of Jesus  Jesus teaches us about the Kingdom of God Promise of Unconditional Love Commitment to Poor and Outcasts Power over Sin and Evil Offering of Healing and Reconciliation Divine Presence Incarnated in Jesus

The Miracles of Jesus  Types of Miracles Healing Miracles  Restorations of Life  Exorcisms Nature Miracles

The Miracles of Jesus  The Synoptic Gospels The Healing of a Centurion’s Slave (Luke 7: 1-10) The Raising of the Widow’s Son (Luke 7: 11-17) The Calming of a Storm (Luke 8: 22-25) The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac (Luke 8: 26-39)  The Gospel According to John The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2: 1-12) The Curing on the Sabbath (John 5: 1-18) The Man Born Blind (John 9: 1-41) The Raising of Lazarus from Death (John 11: 1-44)

The Everyday Life of Jesus

 Jesus teaches us about God (relationship with God) The Kingdom of God Discipleship  Appropriate response to God’s offer of the Kingdom  Relationship with other people

The Everyday Life of Jesus  Jesus Eats with Tax Collectors and Sinners (Mark 2: 13-17; Luke 5:27-32; Matthew 9: 9- 13)  Jesus and the Adulterous Woman (John 7: 53 – 8: 11)  The Cleansing of the Temple (Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:45-48; Matthew 21:12-17; John 2: )

The Everyday Life of Jesus  The Cycle A Gospels from John for the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Weeks of Lent The Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4: 3-42)  The Third Sunday of Lent - The First Scrutiny The Man Born Blind (John 9: 1-41)  The Fourth Sunday of Lent - The Second Scrutiny The Raising of Lazarus from the Dead (John 11: 1- 44)  The Fifth Sunday of Lent - The Third Scrutiny

The Passion Narratives The Gospel According to Mark, The Gospel According to Luke, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Gospel According to John, 12-19

The Passion Narratives  Major Characters The Anonymous Woman in Bethany; Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (from John 12: 3) Judas Iscariot Caiaphas Peter Pontius Pilate Herod Antipas Barabbas

The Passion Narratives  Major Characters Simon of Cyrene Veronica The Repentant Thief The Roman Centurion Longinus The Women from Galilee (from Luke 23: 49); His mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (from John 19: 25) Joseph of Arimathea

The Passion Narratives  Traditional Understanding of the Crucifixion Jesus as the “Suffering Servant”  Passages in the book of the prophet Isaiah (42: 1-4, 49: 1-6, 50: 4-9, 52: : 12)  An unnamed servant of the Lord who suffers greatly, not as punishment for his own sins, but to save the people from their sins  Through his suffering and death, the “Servant” is glorified by God  For the early Christians these passages Foretold the mission of Jesus Explained the suffering Jesus went through in the Crucifixion Explained the belief that Jesus freed humanity from sin through the Cross

The Passion Narratives  Traditional Understanding of the Crucifixion Jesus as the “Paschal Lamb”  Passages in the Gospel of John “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  Links the death of Jesus with the Jewish feast of Passover The blood of the paschal lambs was the sign that spared the Israelites from death, led to their liberation from slavery in Egypt, and began their journey to the Promised Land By calling Jesus the new “Paschal Lamb,” John was suggesting that Jesus’ death on the Cross constituted a “new Passover” and that Jesus’ death on the Cross and Resurrection saved all humanity from death and sin

The Passion Narratives  Traditional Understanding of the Crucifixion Jesus as a “Ransom for Many”  Passage from the Gospel of Mark “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life [as] a ransom for many.” (Mark 10: 45)  For a Gentile audience (rather than the Jewish understanding of Jesus as the “Paschal Lamb”)  Ransom is the price paid to release a slave Often paid by someone other than the slave  Jesus’ death liberates humanity from slavery to sin  Jesus sets humanity free by demonstrating the incredibly freeing power of a love that knows no limits

The Passion Narratives  Traditional Understanding of the Crucifixion Jesus as the “Suffering Servant” Jesus as the “Paschal Lamb” Jesus as a “Ransom for Many” Shared belief that, through the Cross, Jesus gave up his life for humanity or that “Jesus Died for Our Sins”  Misunderstanding An angry God demanded that Jesus had to die as payment for past human offenses  True Meaning A loving and forgiving God desired that Jesus bridge the separation between God and humanity created by sin and, by overcoming sin, to free humanity from death

The Passion Narratives  Traditional Understanding of the Crucifixion “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3: 16-17)

The Passion Narratives  Traditional Understanding of the Crucifixion A sign of God’s unlimited and complete love for all people and formed a new covenant with all people  God so loved humanity that He became human in Jesus, giving totally of His divine Self to His people  Humans rejected and attempted to destroy God’s gift of love by crucifying Jesus  God responded not with anger and punishment, but by offering forgiveness and new life to anyone who accepts His love as expressed in Jesus  Ultimately, the power of God’s love is stronger and greater than the power of sin and death

The Passion Narratives  The Paschal Mystery The Passion, Death (Crucifixion), Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus and Pentecost What meaning does the Paschal Mystery reveal about who God is? What meaning does the Paschal Mystery reveal about who we are called to be?  What does it mean to say we believe in and follow a Crucified God?  What does it mean to say we believe in and follow a Resurrected God?

The Passion Narratives  The Meaning of the Crucifixion “Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me.”  Called to imitate the Cross of Jesus by totally giving of self to others with unlimited and unconditional love Involves great risk and personal sacrifice, sometimes even loving and forgiving our enemies  It is only through complete trust and faith in God that humans can fully love as Jesus did

The Passion Narratives  The Meaning of the Crucifixion “Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me.”  What burdens (crosses) do you carry?  How are you crucified in your everyday life?  How do you crucify others in your everyday life? Called to imitate the Cross of Jesus by totally giving of self to others with unlimited and unconditional love  Involves great risk and personal sacrifice, sometimes even loving and forgiving our enemies It is only through complete trust and faith in God that humans can fully love as Jesus did

The Passion Narratives  The Meaning of the Resurrection Love and Life conquers sin and death A New Life of Joy and Hope  Not pain and suffering