Following Jesus’ Teaching And Example Flashcards
What does Christianity teach about following Jesus’ teaching and example? (4 points)
-Christianity teaches us to love our enemies
-Christianity teaches us to follow Jesus’ example by loving God and our neighbour
-Christianity teaches us that God loves everyone unconditionally, we see this in the parable of the Prodigal son when the father forgives his son just as God forgives us and invites us into relationship with him
-Christianity teaches us that Jesus’ most important commandment was “You must love God with all your heart, with all your soul and and with all your mind”- Luke 10:27
EXPLAIN why following Jesus’ teachings and example is important for Christians today (4)
-Following Jesus’ teachings and example is important for Christians today as Christianity teaches us to follow Jesus’ example by loving God and loving your neighbour
-Jesus taught that the most important commandment was to love God with all your heart, soul and mind (Luke 10:27)
-Following Jesus’ teachings and example is important for Christian’s today as Jesus taught us to love our enemies and by doing this it would lead to more people being happy and a more positive world
-Following Jesus’ teaching and example is important for Christian’s today as Jesus teaches his followers to pray for those who oppress them
People can’t be expected to follow Jesus’ example in the 21st century. How far do you agree (8)
Some Christian’s may expect people to follow Jesus teachings in the 21st century as:
-His teachings are universal and timeless so they remain relevant
-If more people followed His teachings today the world be be a better place filled with love, peace and forgiveness
-Jesus taught to reach out to outcasts, this would allow more people to feel included and valued in society
-Some may say that the world is in need of Jesus’ teachings more than ever as it’s suffering (war)
HOWEVER
Some Christian’s do not expect people to follow Jesus teachings in the 21st century as:
-Following Jesus’ teaching is hard in a world where it doesn’t come naturally to put others first, where the individual is not the most important
-People who are not religious are unlikely to see the relevance of the teachings as they do not live by them
-Many people claim to be Christian but don’t behave in a way Jesus has taught therefore this shows that some people do not understand the value of the teachings of Jesus
-Jesus warned his disciples that following him would be costly, and still today people are at risk for being Christian
The world would be a better place if everyone followed Jesus’ teachings and example. How far do you agree (8)
Some people think the world would be a better place as:
-If everyone tried to love their neighbour as themselves the world would be more compassionate and fairer and as a result there would be less suffering
-Ensuring people on the outskirts of society feel more valued and included is essential in creating a more equal world
HOWEVER
Some think it would not be a better place as:
-The world is a competitive, ruthless place and people should look out for themselves rather rah considering strangers
-‘Turn the other cheek’ is an unrealistic teaching as it could allow violent and aggressive people to remain unchecked. People have to be demonstrated that they can’t be dominated or there will be life long consequences
-The story of the prodigal son is unfair, people who act out of duty should be recognised as being selfless unlike the prodigal son who was rewarded for his selfish behaviour
-Following the teachings of Jesus would lea to a world without violence and discrimination
-Martin Luther Kind Jr lived by following Jesus’ example and helped develop a more equal and fair society and showed it it possible to love your enemies
-Jesus’ humility and rejection of great power and wealth is a good example to follow in todays world where materialism helped create inequality and threatens the environment
What is The Golden Rule?
Jesus says that the basis of all human conduct should be to treat others the way you want to be treated. He points to the dignity of all people regardless of their status in society, race, religion or nationality
How does Jesus use the parable of The Good Samaritan?
Jesus uses the parable of the Good Samaritan to point out clearly what he means by ‘loving your neighbour’. Jesus makes the Samaritan the central character in his parables because he would be the last person the Jewish people would expect to help the man who had been robbed. Of course the ones you would have expected to help walked on by
How does Jesus use the parable of The Prodigal Son?
The parable of the Prodigal Son is all about forgiveness. Forgiveness is key to the nature of God and is unconditional. The father does not bring up the issues of the past but is just happy that is son has returned for in his eyes he was dead. The elder son also had to learn to forgive just as the father does. We must be unconditional in our forgiveness just like our Father
How did Jesus use the parable of The Sheep and the Goats?
In the parable of The Sheep and the Goats Jesus uses an image that would have been common to his listeners in separating the sheep and goats. He uses this image to get them to think about how people should take care of others. If God is our Father the everyone is a brother or sister, we take care of everyone
It shows that on judgment day God will be more concerned with how people have lived than whether they were religious
How may Christian’s follow Jesus’ teaching and example?
-Look for ways to love their neighbour through charitable work, or showing love and kindness through day to day interactions
-Make a point of forgiving people who do wrong to the
-Make an effort to reach out to people who are on the fringes of society or who are seen as outcasts
-Challenge injustice when they find it, or those who are hypocritical or self righteous
-Willing to put their own lives on the line for their faith
-Many Christian’s have died for their faith
How may following Jesus’ Teachings make the world a better place?
-If everyone followed the golden rule then people world be treated better and happiness would generally increase
-If everyone follows the teachings of the Good Samaritan there would be no more rivalry or animosity between nations or people as we would all see each other as neighbours, this would lead to more peace in society
-Following the teaching of the Prodigal Son would lead to greater forgiveness and reconciliation in society. Revenge and anger would be replaced by moving forward together
-In the parable of The Sheep and the Goats Christian’s are encouraged to serve God by serving each other especially those most in need. Catholics put this into practice by supporting charities such as St Vincent de Paul or Mary’s Meals
Why do Christian’s follow Jesus’ teachings?
-As an incarnation of God his words have tremendous authority and Christian’s can be sure they will be right
-The incarnation also makes him the ultimate role model- Christian’s want to be like Jesus
-They believe that by following his teachings they will make the world a better place e.g. encouraging kindness
-The believe they will be judged on how well they have followed his teachings (evidence in Sheep and Goats)
Why may people think you CANNOT be expected to follow Jesus’ teachings?
-It is not realistic to expect ordinary people to able able to live like the Son of God
-Humans are limited in what they can do for others - we can’t make a blind man see or walk on water
-Jesus was meant to be without sin so wasn’t subject to the same temptations as ordinary people
-It’s too hard to be loving and kind to people who are hateful to us - it goes against human nature
-Many just wouldn’t be able or willing to give their life for their beliefs or for other people as we naturally want to preserve our own lives
Why may people think YOU CAN be expected to follow Jesus’ teachings?
-Even for people who don’t have Jesus’ miraculous power they can still look for practical ways to leve their neighbour e.g. helping and caring for the sick
-People like Martin Luther King Jr showed that it is possible to love your neighbour as Jesus did
-Their are many Christian’s who are trying to live by Jesus’ teachings in their day to day life and encouraging fellow believers to do the same
-It is challenging but not impossible and still a goal worth aiming for as it would make the world a better place
Why may people say Jesus’ teachings are STILL RELEVANT in the 21st century?
-Teachings are universal and timeless so they remain relevant today
-Some may say that the world is in need of Jesus’ teachings more than ever as its full of suffering e.g. war etc
-If more people followed Jesus’ teachings today the world would be a better place filled with love, forgiveness and peace
-Jesus taught to reach out to outcasts this would allow more people to feel included and valued in society
Why may people say Jesus’ teachings are NOT STILL RELEVANT in the 21st century?
-Following Jesus’ teachings is hard in a world that sees the individual as most important, it doesn’t come naturally to put others first
-People who are not religious are unlikely to see the relevance of the teachings as they don’t live by them
-Jesus himself warned the disciples that following him would be costly and that they would need to take up their ‘cross’ by following him. Still today people risk their lives by being Christian
-There are many people who claim to be Christian yet don’t behave in the way Jesus said they should, this shows some people do not value the teachings of Jesus
