Lesson 5

Question 1

Jesus the Teacher

Answer 1

-Jesus was a teacher, providing guidance and advice on the application of law to moral problems.

-Jesus is sometimes described as “Rabbi” (Mark 9:5; 11:21).

-Rabbi was a term of respect but could also be used for educated teachers who interpreted the law, surrounded by followers.

Question 2

Richard Dawkins quote about Jesus as a teacher?

Answer 2

“Jesus was a great moral teacher”.
Richard Dawkins’ interview in The Guardian, 2011

Question 3

Jesus the teacher

Answer 3

-Jesus spoke on moral issues and ideas: the importance of love, self-sacrifice, concern for the poor and the dispossessed, the importance of honesty, just and peace, etc.

Question 4

How is Jesus best understood?

Answer 4

Perhaps Jesus is best understood as a teacher of wisdom, with the ‘message’ Jesus has for people today being a moral message that has carried far beyond the time it originally occurred.

Question 5

Sermon on the mount

Answer 5

-The direct moral message of Jesus’ teachings are extensively concerned with love – love of each other, love of neighbours and love of enemies.

-It is therefore clear why Jesus is a role model for all Christians.

-In particular, Jesus used his Sermon on the Mount to outline specific teachings he wanted people to practice. His teachings on retaliation and loving your enemies are a focal point in Matthew (Matthew 5:38-48).

Question 6

An eye for an eye

Answer 6

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

Question 7

Love for your enemies

Answer 7

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbourand hate your enemy.’But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,’

Question 8

Why was Jesus a good teacher?

Answer 8

-Only someone with authority and considered a role model could teach such important messages to such large crowds of people.

-As the Son of God, Jesus had a unique relationship with God. He would therefore understand the true message of God and would want to relay it to mankind. He would have the knowledge of scripture and understand the symbolism behind the message.

-Since Jesus was human and could therefore empathise with his followers, Jesus knew the problems people were facing in society. As a result of this, his teachings were relateable.

Question 9

James Stuart quote about teachings of Jesus

Answer 9

“The teaching of Jesus has had a power and an effect with which the influence of no other teacher can even for a moment be compared.”

Question 10

Matthew quote about Jesus as a teacher

Answer 10

“he taught as one having authority, not as the teachers of the law” (Matthew 7:29).

Question 11

Jesus’ authority as God’s authority

Answer 11

-The Gospels in particular contain a number of statements which can clearly be taken to mean that Jesus is God in human form.

-The Christian religion is based on the belief that the historical figure of Jesus, as well as leading a normal human life as a teacher and healer, had, and continues to have, a unique authority from God.

-This is expressed by the term ‘Son of God’ in the Nicene Creed.

-The earliest followers of Jesus were those who encountered him during his lifetime, and even then, some people believed that he spoke and acted with authority from God.

-A good example of this can be found in the story of the healing of the centurion’s servant in the Gospels by both Matthew and Luke.

Question 12

John 1030

Answer 12

(John 10:30)“The Father and Iare one.”

Question 13

John 1:1

Answer 13

John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.“

Question 14

Concept of the trinity

Answer 14

-All the mainstream Churches today believe in the concept of the Trinity.

-This means that they believe that there is only one God who is indivisible, but that the oneness of God is understood in three ‘persons.

-Most Christians believe this to mean that God is understood in three roles.
1. As creator and sustainer of all that exists, God is ‘the Father’.
2. As the source and force of life in creation, and as an ongoing presence in the world, God is the Holy Spirit’.
3. As God incarnate (made flesh) the man Jesus is God in human form, or God the Son, Jesus Christ is one aspect and together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is God.

-This is the view of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and most Protestant Christians.

-Two of the titles used of Jesus in the Gospels are particularly interesting: Son of God and Son of Man.

Question 15

Son of Man - what does it means/impacts

Answer 15

-Some lesser known sects may believe that Jesus is not divine

-Free to interpret teachings

-Some within the liberal Christian movement may also reject that Jesus was anything other than human but this is not the usual mainstream Christian belief (because it goes against the Trinity)

-Some historical movements viewed Jesus as human rather than divine such as the Adoptionists and the Cathars but they did not spread widely or gain much support.

-The impact this belief has on Jesus’ authority is that they might look at the context, historical setting of Jesus’ teachings and only select and adhere to those that reflect 21st Century society or those that are achievable.

• For example, in Matthew’s Gospel it states ‘you must be perfect…’ Jesus is likely to be exaggerating to the crowds and therefore this instruction should not be taken literally.

Question 16

Unitarians (son of man)

Answer 16

-Today within the UK the Unitarians are one of the few movements within Christianity that still reject Jesus’ divinity.

-There are an estimated 7000 Unitarians who believe that Jesus was a great man and prophet of God with a special status but was only human

Question 17

Son of god - what does it mean/impacts

Answer 17

-Jesus also has authority over death indeed his resurrection is pivotal to the Christian faith and is another example of his divinity

-According to memorable examples from scripture, Jesus was able to exercise supernatural authority over the forces of nature.This sets him apart as unique and unlike any other prophet/ key figure leading to the conclusion that he is at least more than a mere human being.

-There are 19 examples of Jesus carrying out healing miracles suggesting that his ability to heal were not one off events

-Many Christian denominations take Jesus’ teachings literally as he is speaking with God’s authority and therefore practice pacifism because of extracts such as those in Matthew’s Gospel.

-Most mainstream Christians accept this

-The largest Christian denomination, RCs in their declaration of faith the Nicene Creed profess their believe in Jesus as the Son of God.

Question 18

Jesus’ authority as only human

Answer 18

In general, there are two kinds of Christian who hold that Jesus’ authority was only human:

-Those who, historically, have followed teachings of a particular sect in which it was believed that Jesus was not divine.
-Those who take a liberal’ approach to scripture

Question 19

Adoptionism (SOM)

Answer 19

-In the early centuries of the Church

-Theodotus active in the late second century CE) and Paul of Samosata both taught that Jesus was born human, but was later adopted by God at his baptism.

-Adoptionists accordingly believed that Jesus’ authority was something he acquired from God when he was baptised, not something he had as a right because he was God the Son.

-They base their view on Gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism. This view, called Adoptionism’, was rejected as heresy by the Church towards the end of the third century CE, at the Synod of Antioch.

Question 20

Arianism (SOM)

Answer 20

-In the third and fourth centuries CE, Arius, a priest in Alexandria, and his followers taught that Jesus was not truly divine.

-They believed that he was created by God to fulfil a specific role, and that the title ‘Son of God’ was an honour bestowed on him by God.

-There was a long and bitter dispute between followers of Arius and those who supported a Trinitarian view.

-In 325CE, the Council of Nicea ruled that Arius was wrong and he was sent into exile. Disagreement in the Church continued for several years, however, until the Council of Constantinople in 381CE re-affirmed the ruling of the Council of Nicea.

-The statement of faith that is used in many Churches today, known as the Nicene Creed, was put into its final form at the Council of Constantinople.

Question 21

The Cathars

Answer 21

-Between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, the sect known as Catharism arose in the south of France.

-They taught that created matter was too corrupt for the perfect God to become incarnate as Jesus Christ.

-Because of this, the Cathars concluded that Jesus Christ could not be God in human form.

-Their views about the authority of Jesus were therefore similar to Arianism, and were condemned by the Pope in 1184 in a papal bull called Ad abolendam (towards abolishing’ - abolishing heresy).

-Catharism did not spread widely in the Church and died out early in the fourteenth century, mainly as a result of a crusade against its supporters proclaimed by the Pope.

Question 22

Unitarianism

Answer 22

-In the middle of the eighteenth century, the Unitarian movement became popular in Britain.

-This is a Christian sect which has a deistic understanding of God: that once creation was complete, God ceased to act within the created order.

-For most Unitarians, Jesus has a special place as a great man and a prophet of God, but he is only human and has no divine authority.

-Some Unitarians believe that Jesus became God’s son by adoption, meaning that at his baptism God adopted Jesus as his son, which gives him special status.

-On this kind of understanding, Jesus’ authority is spiritual, but human reason and human experience are the final judge of how people should act. Today there are around 7,000 Unitarians in the UK.

Question 23

Son of gods authority

Answer 23

-Authority is attributed to God the Father; it is resident in his very nature. Authority alludes to Deity’s right to command and enforce obedience.

-What is less recognized in some segments of universal religion, however, is the authority of Jesus Christ.

-The authority of the Lord Jesus may be studied from various vantage points, e.g., his eternal authority before the universe existed, his incarnate authority as God’s Son in the present order of things, and his authority as it will be after this material world has been obliterated.

Question 24

Christs incarnate authority

Answer 24

-In discussing the authority of Jesus during his earthly sojourn, it is important to understand something of the nature of Christ’s in-the-flesh existence.

-Though he maintained his full divine nature as the Son of God, for the love of others he made the decision to not “grasp” (hold on to) his status of “equality” with the Father (in the matter of authority).

-His exercise of authority, therefore, was subservient to, and consistent with, that of his Father’s (cf. Jn. 5:30; 6:38).

-This is what the Lord had in mind when he spoke of the “authority” that was “given to” him by the Father (Jn. 17:2).

Question 25

Conditions of nature (SOG)

Answer 25

-Jesus was able to exercise supernatural authority over the forces of nature.

-When the Lord was in a boat with his disciples on the Sea of Galilee, a storm “came down” upon that body of water The waves were crashing over the vessel, covering it, and it began to be filled with water. The disciples, though experienced fishermen, were terrified. They awoke the Lord, who was asleep in the stern
Christ “rebuked” both the wind and the sea, and immediately the wind ceased, and there was a “great calm” upon the water

-When entering Jerusalem a few days before his death, Christ and his disciples came to a fig tree at the roadside. It was leafed out, but had no fruit; this was strange since fig trees bore the fruit first, then came the leaves.
Christ thus spoke to the tree saying, “Be without fruit forever more.” Instantly the tree withered away, beginning from the roots

-Jesus’ authority, even over nature, was phenomenal. Once again, these miracles over nature demonstrate Jesus’ status as the Son of God.

Question 26

Sickness (SOG)

Answer 26

-no fewer than nineteen specific cases of miraculous healing performed by Jesus in the three and half years of his ministry.

-Modern medical specialists struggle with overcoming a wide variety of ailments that plague the human body. It takes medications, surgical procedures, the healing properties of time, etc., to effect the temporal cures that we so cherish as slowly-dying human beings.

-The healing miracles of Jesus involved of a wide variety of ailments, e.g., leprosy, congenital blindness, restoration of a severed ear, deafness and impediment of speech

-In this connection it is appropriate to mention that one aspect of the Saviour’s miracles was to establish his authority.

-At Capernaum the Lord encountered a man afflicted with palsy, who had been brought to Christ on a stretcher by four friends. Seeing their faith being demonstrated, Jesus said to the crippled man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

-The miracles of Jesus authenticated his claim of being God’s unique Son.

Question 27

Death (SOG)

Answer 27

-There were three cases during Christ’s ministry when he raised people from the dead—the daughter of Jairus, a widow’s son , and Lazarus of Bethany

-In addition, there is the subtle suggestion that in some way, the Lord was instrumental as well in the resurrection of his own body

-It is certainly a great miracle, perhaps the greatest miracle that is performed – such a great demonstration of power underlines Jesus’ status as the Son of God.

-Indeed, McGrath suggests that the Resurrection of Jesus plays a key role in Christian theology.

Question 28

Demons (SOG)

Answer 28

-Demons were evil spirits under the control of Satan.

-These were permitted to inhabit the bodies of some people during the earthly days of Christ and his apostles.

-Almost certainly this was for the purpose of allowing the Saviour and his men the opportunity of demonstrating the superiority of Christ’s authority over Satan

-The New Testament clearly indicates that demons were under the ultimate control of the Savior.

-Demons tormented a man who lived in the country of the Gerasenes. When Christ expelled the evil spirits from the unfortunate man, the demons asked the Lord’s permission to enter a herd of swine nearby. Even they acknowledged the Messiah’s authority

Question 29

Those who accept Jesus’ authority as only human

Answer 29

-Christians who believe that Jesus authority is human authority are free to interpret and evaluate the teaching according to their experience and judgement.

-might think that Jesus really was saying that pacifism is always the right response to violence, because he contrasts pacifism with the old ‘law of retribution’ in Leviticus 24:19-20, which laid down the punishment of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and so on. In which case, some Christians would say that Jesus was simply wrong it would be cowardly not to defend your family from attack, for example.

-another approach to what Jesus is saying here is to ask what kind of speech form he is using, because the form of speech governs meaning.

Question 30

Quote and evaluation

Answer 30

“You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

-Clearly this is an impossible demand, since to carry it out humans would have to have all of God’s qualities.

-Instead, Jesus is probably using hyperbole, which is deliberate exaggeration to achieve an effect.

-so Jesus is saying. Don’t be satisfied with anything less than the impossible’ - it is not the achievement of the impossible that is required, but its attempt.

Question 31

Those who accept Jesus’ authority as gods authority

Answer 31

-A Christian who believes that Jesus is God incarnate reads the text with the assumption that what Jesus says is what God requires them to do, though they might qualify this by saying that what the text says needs be clearly explained and understood. The passage from Matthew’s Gospel very clear. Christians must:

o do nothing to resist an evil person who attacks them
o give freely more than is asked to anyone who makes a demand of them
o lend without expectation of being paid back
o love their enemies
o be perfect.

Question 32

Impact these expectations have on Christians

Answer 32

-These expectations are a challenge to normal human behaviour.

-Most people have the urge to defend themselves if attacked, to limit what they give to charity or to those who ask, give loans only if they are likely to paid back, and hate their enemies.

-They generally believe that although trying to be a good person is worth doing, no-one can be perfect. Jesus seems to be telling people to go against human nature.

Question 33

a Christian who assumes that Jesus is teaching with the full authority of God has to take these teachings seriously

Answer 33

-There are many Christians who are pacifists because they accept the teaching of Jesus as authoritative, so whatever the provocation, they will not resist attack and will try to show love towards those who might be their enemy.

-During the First World War, many Christians became conscientious objectors and refused to fight with the enemy. Many were punished for their beliefs by imprisonment.
-Others volunteered to provide medical support on the battlefield.
-The Religious Society of Friends (more commonly known as Quakers) is a Christian organisation which puts this teaching into practice, by refusing to bear arms or engage in conflict.

-does not mean that all Christians are pacifists. Many Christians consider this passage in the light of other teachings of Jesus where he appears to allow or encourage conflict, for example Luke 22:36:

“He said to them, “But now, let him who has a purse take it, and likewise a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one.”