Knowledge of Jesus Christ Flashcards
Son of God
Divine
Jesus seemed to have a unique relationship with God
e.g used ‘abba’ (dad) to address God
Jesus performed miracles such as walking on water and the healing of the blind man- resurrection is evidence that he is the son
Son of God
Not divine
Jesus had special insights or knowledge of God which he shared with his followers- he taught them to pray to the Father to address God
Jesus showed by example how humans could live focused on God’s way, for example “love God and love you neighbor”
Son of God
Gospels
‘I am the light of the world’
Use of ‘I am’ the unspoken name of God could indicate divinity
However this was a later edition- could emphasizes want for divinity
Jesus as a liberator
Key texts
The healing of the bleeding women (Mark 5:24-34)
Parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:20-37)
These can help us to investigate how far Jesus challenged the political and religious authorities
Was his mission to start a political revolution or was he more concerned about liberating the poor
Political liberator
Convincing
Jesus wanted to liberate people from oppressive religious and political exploitation
Presenting Jesus as merely a teacher of inner purity isn’t enough; Jesus’ teaching is about is about action transformation of society
His political actions eventually led to his death because he was too much of a revel and was stirring up popular feeling against religious and political authorities
Jesus had a significant influences on liberation theology
Political liberator
Not convincing
Jesus himself resisted being seen as a political leader. He denied being a king and he advised obedience to the political authorities
There is no convincing evidence that he was part of the zealot movement
His treatment of religious minorities was not politically motivated- concerned more overcoming prejudices and respect
Better describes as a teaching of wisdom (Sermon of the mount)
His criticisms of religious authorities was not politically motivated
Jesus as Liberator
Jesus reaches out to the marginalized in society by singling out the religiously unclean woman in the crowd
This challenges the religious traditions and authorities
The ‘Good Samaritan’ would normally be ostracized from the religious community because of his mixed-race heritage
Yet Jesus uses him as a hero for challenging stereotypes
Jesus suffered crucifixion, the punishment of the political criminal at the time- indicating his true mission and his failure
SOme argue that ersus;s messgae of poltical revolution has eeb purosefully edited out of the gospels to make chrisitnsity less of a threat to the Roman state.
Teacher of wisdom
Repentance and forgiveness
Parable of the lost son
The son’s actions would have been shocking at the time because he was effectively wishing his farther had died
The extravagant forgiveness of the father envisages a more living and less judgmental God, contrasting with the unforgiving elder brother who many wold have sympathized with
Genuine repentance seems to be a realization and admition of wrongdoing and conscious decision to take a new direction
The parable gives reassurance that this who repent will be forgiven
Teacher of wisdom
Inner purity and moral motivation
The ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (Matthew) can be used to show that Jesus is more convinced with internal motives than with outward appearances, unlike the pharisees
Jesus talks of keeping the law, avoiding anger, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge and loving enemies
This can be a challenging teaching to uphold and put into practice as Jesus says even looking at someone with lust or hate is as good as committing adultery or murder
