Christians and the Identity of Jesus Flashcards
What does the Jesus’ baptism tell us Him?
- Mark saw this as a starting point to Jesus’ ministry
- It shows that Jesus is special, God is His Father and He is full of the Holy Spirit.
- Mark shows that Jesus is God’s Messiah - God Himself proclaims Jesus as His Son.
What do Christians today see as important about the Baptism of Jesus?
- Christians see this as a sign of the Trinity - God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit - seen together.
- Today, most Christians use baptism as a sign that they are following in the footsteps of Jesus.
- Some Christians believe that the ‘original sin’ that Adam and Eve committed - passed on to all of us - is washed away at baptism.
Christians practice baptism in two ways.
What are these two ways?
- Infant baptism - this is done when a person is a baby - the Catholic and Anglican churches do this
- Adult baptism - this is carried out when a person is older and can decide for themselves whether they want to be baptised.
What significance do Catholics give to Peter’s Confession about Jesus?
- In Matthews Gospel we read the same story and Jesus says to Peter…. ‘On the rock I will build my church’
- Catholic Christians prefer this story in Matthews Gospel where they believe that Jesus was appointing Peter as the leader of His church - so they refer to Peter as the first pope.
What does the story of Peter’s Confession tell us about Jesus?
- This passage shows that Jesus’ reputation is spreading and that people are talking about Him
- This is the first time that anyone has recognised as Jesus as the Christ - Peter confesses this and the other disciples agree
What does the tranfiguration of Jesus reveal about Him according to Mark?
- Jesus undergoes a supernatural change - displaying His power and authority
- Mark shows this as an awesome and wonderful event.
- The appearance of Moses and Elijah show that Jesus is continuing the Old Testament line of prophets
Why does the Tranfiguration story cause problems for some Christians today?
Some Christians find it hard to believe that characters who lived hundreds of years apart can appear together - they suggest that it was just a vision that the disciples had and wrote about at a later time.
How is the story of the Calming of the storm interpreted by some Christians today?
- Some Christians find it hard to accept the miracle at face value - how can Jesus control nature?
- It is sometimes seen as an allegory where the storm represents the suffering that Christians have to face in life - especially those Mark was writing to.
- The allegory shows that when Christians face troubles they need to have faith that God can help.
How is the story of the Feeding of the 5000 interpreted by some Christians today?
- Some Christians find it hard to believe Nature Miracles and would interpret this story as an illustration of how God cares and provides for His people.
- It encourages Christians to care for the needs of others.
What does the story of Jesus walking on water reveal about Jesus?
- This shows Jesus’ power over nature
- Psalm 77 speaks of God’s path being through the sea - Mark is showing the link between Jesus and God here.
- When Jesus said ‘it is I’ He was using the Hebrew term ‘I am’ for God. - Mark is again showing the link between Jesus and God.
How do some Christians today interpret the story of the Healing of Legion?
- Some Christians believe demon possession can be explained as a mental illness of some sort - Showing Jesus can cure mental illness as well as physical.
- Other Christians believe that demons are real and people can be ‘controlled by evil’
- Pigs were considered unclean by Jews and may have been used by Mark to show that sin and evil can corrupt a person and make them unclean.
How do Christians view the story of Jairus’ Daughter?
- Some Christians think she was probably just sleeping - but then why would Mark record the story if Jesus had done nothing more than wake someone up?
- Other Christians see the story as proof that Jesus had power over death and was therefore truly the Son of God.
