Person Of Jesus Christ

Question 1

What is Jesus the son of God?

Answer 1

-Tue phrase ‘Son of God’ meant different things to Jews and gentiles at the time of Jesus. For Jews, it tended to mean someone specially chosen by god, perhaps with angelic or supernatural aspects.
-For gentiles, it was a way of saying someone was divine. For Jesus to be known as son of God in the NT was a way of saying all of this at once to both audiences
-The special nature of his conception and birth seem to show Jesus as being very literally the son of god. At his baptism and transfiguration, god specifically calls Jesus his son, but Jesus does not seem to use the title of himself
-Some think that this was because the idea of him being divine was written into the texts later, whereas others think that this is because Jesus did not want to attract unnecessary attention from the religious authorities

Question 2

What was Jesus’ knowledge of God?

Answer 2

-Jesus calls god ‘abba’ or dad but spends time in prayer. It seems from some of the gospel accounts that he did not see himself as equal to God.
-In John’s gospel, there are a number of sayings of Jesus that begin ‘I am’, written in Greek in the same way that the Greek version of the OT referred to the unspoken name of God.
-This seems to be a clear indication that Jesus was referring to himself as God, although some point out that John’s gospel was written a long time after the other gospels and so the point may have been John’s own addition to the Jesus story to match the theology of early Christianity, rather than reflecting historical truth

Question 3

How do miracles show Jesus was the ‘son of God’?

Answer 3

-Jesus’ miracles seem to suggest that he had God’s power in a special way. The NT talks of miracles as works of power and great wonder. John’s gospel uses the word for a ‘sign’ to describe the miracles, suggesting that these are signs that point to Jesus’ divinity
-Magicians were commonplace at the time of Jesus and some think that on their own miracles do not specifically show Jesus to be divine
-Unlike the magicians, however, Jesus did not perform miracles as tricks to make people believe- after his miracles he often asked people not to talk about what had happened
-Also, miracles such as the calming of the sea showed Jesus performing actions that only God was thought to be able to do, which points further to Jesus’ divinity

Question 4

How does resurrection show him as the Son of God?

Answer 4

-Jesus’ resurrection was enough proof for the disciples of the truth behind Jesus’ message and authority that they began a new religious movement. The gospels make an effort to show Jesus as having really died and really being buried, only for that tomb to be found empty with the grave clothes discarded
-Paul’s letters, written before gospels, speak of Jesus’ appearances to his followers but not the empty tomb making some thinkers suggest that the resurrection should not be taken literally
-However, the literal truth of the resurrection event is central to Christian belief. The emphasis is that Jesus, as God, raised himself from the dead to show that, for humans, death js not the end
-It is the ultimate sign for Christian’s that Jesus came to earth both as human and divine: he died but broke through that barrier and therefore is a special intermediary between God and humans; he knows what it is to be human but also shows that God is completely in control
-‘If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins’ -Corinthians 15:17

Question 5

How was Jesus a teacher of wisdom?

Answer 5

-Jesus’ sayings were often too similar to those in the book of proverbs, one of the examples of wisdom literature in the OT, and his one liners gave insight and were memorable to those who heard them
-Jesus’ parables were stories that were designed to catch the attention of his contemporaries and to think differently about the world around them
-In Christianity, Jesus’s wisdom comes from the fact that he is God as well as human. His experience of the world is completely different to ours. Some argue that encounters with heaven such as his baptism or transfiguration might have given him the wisdom that he communicated in his teaching, but for others, this direct access to god would be more of a sign that he was not human, simply divine
-Jesus, in challenging the Judaism of his day, wanted people to take responsibility for their actions but to get their priorities right: for example, he said that the was made for humans, not the other way round- the sabbath law needed to be kept in perspective
-Religion and morality help humans get to God- purity is about what is on the inside, not what rituals are being followed

Question 6

What are the teachings on repentance and forgiveness, inner purity and morality?

Answer 6

-A theme in Jesus’ teachings was repentance and forgiveness. Jesus praised the repentance of Zacchaeus the tax collector of those of his disciples who left behind old lives to follow him
-Indeed, Jesus taught that people should not forgive an action just once or just 7 times, but 70 times 7 times- a light hearted way of telling people that forgiveness should be a constant thing, not a one off event
-The prayer Jesus left the church, the ‘our father’, places forgiveness at the centre of daily prayer for the Christian when it says, ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’

Question 7

What is a key text for Jesus as a teacher of wisdom?

Answer 7

-Matthew 5:17-48 is towards the beginning of the sermon on the mount
-It is a series of teachings of Jesus, apparently given while he was on a mountain, surrounded by crowds. Some think it is similar in content and approach to wisdom literature
-The moral teachings put the accountability onto the believer, not onto religious practices
-It is important to seek inner purity and have correct moral motivation

Question 8

What are the sections of Matthew 5:17-48 in sermon on the mount?

Answer 8

-Teaching about the law
-Teaching about anger
-Teaching about adultery
-Teaching about divorce
-Teaching about vows
-Teaching about revenge and enemies

Question 9

What is the meaning of the teaching about law?

Answer 9

Jesus has come to fulfil the law, not to replace it. Christian’s need to be more faithful than the teachers of the law

Question 10

What is the interpretation about teaching about law in SOTM?

Answer 10

Christian’s must not pick and choose their interpretation of the law and all people are responsible for moral decisions, not just the teachers of the law

Question 11

What is the meaning of teaching about anger in SOTM?

Answer 11

Whoever is angry needs to make peace with their brother as being angry is as bad as the murder that it can lead to

Question 12

What is the interpretation about the teaching about adultery in SOTM?

Answer 12

The Christian must be pure in their thoughts, as well as their deeds- both are as important as the other

Question 13

What is the interpretation of the teaching about anger in SOTM?

Answer 13

Christian’s might Struve for harmony in all aspects of their lives- and repent to bring about that harmony

Question 14

What is the meaning of the teaching about adultery in SOTM?

Answer 14

Whoever thinks lustfully about a woman has committed adultery in his heart- it is better to cut off parts of your body that cause you to sin than for your whole body to go to hell

Question 15

What is the teaching about divorce in SOTM?

Answer 15

Divorce, which used to be allowed for many reasons, is now to be very rare

Question 16

What is the interpretation for the teaching about divorce in SOTM?

Answer 16

The Christian way does not have easy ways out of difficult situations

Question 17

What is the meaning of the teaching about vows in SOTM?

Answer 17

Don’t swear by oaths- just let yes mean yes and no mean no

Question 18

What is the interpretation of teaching about vows in SOTM?

Answer 18

There should be no hidden agenda for the Christian; personal integrity is key

Question 19

What is the meaning of the teaching about revenge and enemies in SOTM?

Answer 19

Turn the other cheek- go thr extra mile- love your enemies

Question 20

What is the interpretation of teaching about revenge and enemies in SOTM?

Answer 20

Christian’s must always strive to be the ‘bigger people’ in a situation

Question 21

What is the second key text for Jesus as a teacher of wisdom?

Answer 21

-Luke 15:11-32 is known as the parable of the lost son
-A man’s younger son asks for his inheritance early, wastes the money and then comes to the realisation that he has done wrong and decides to return to his father
-Jesus shows through the story the process of realising you have done wrong, turning your life around and being forgiven. While the focus is on the sinner, the younger son, it is clear that God’s forgiveness is total: the father runs and embraces his son even before the son has said ‘sorry’
-The idea seems to be that nothing is bad enough for God not to forgive if a person repents. The wisdom that Jesus is teaching in this passage seems to be that God’s love and forgiveness is huge, but humans need to remember that they are responsible for their actions and need to repent

Question 22

How does Jesus’ challenge to political authority show him as a liberator?

Answer 22

Jesus clashed with the politicians of his day on many occasions
-He talked about the kingdom of god- a political statement because it suggested that authority was going to be taken away from those with earthly authority
-He made tax collectors, who represented the government, turn away from their former lifestyles and follow him
-In the last week of his life he:
-Publicly entered Jerusalem on a peaceful donkey, not a military horse, suggesting he would bring about peace where the government could not
-Turned over the tables in the temple, objecting to the fact it had lost its religious focus
-Was crucified by the Roman government as a trouble maker

Question 23

What was Jesus’ challenge to religious authority?

Answer 23

-Jesus was accused of not following the strict laws relating to the sabbath, but he said that following the laws needed to be kept in perspective
-Jesus was criticised for eating with outcasts, but he said that he was here to help those people who needed him most
-Jesus was said not to respect the purification laws, but he pointed out that following rules is not the same as worshipping God properly
-The religious authorities objected to Jesus forgiving sins because only God could forgive sins

Question 24

How was Jesus a liberator?

Answer 24

-Jesus certainly inspired those who are seen as the underdogs of society. The liberation he broigjt seems to have been less about upsetting and reforming the authorities and more about preparing people for the new kingdom- the one where God is in charge
-The liberation Jesus brought was liberation from spiritual states as much as physical states and applied to all sectors of society, including those from other countries

Question 25

What are the 2 key texts which show Jesus as a liberator?

Answer 25

The women with the flow of blood
The parable of the Good Samaritan

Question 26

What is an outline of the woman with the flow of blood?

Answer 26

The woman who had been bleeding for 12 years would have been an outcast from society because she could not have taken part in synagogue worship as the blood would have made her ritually unclean according to the law

Question 27

How is the woman with the flow of blood liberation?

Answer 27

Her interaction with Jesus makes her liberated from the spiritual aspects of her illness- from being an outcast

Question 28

What is an outline of the parable of the Good Samaritan?

Answer 28

Before the famous parable, Jesus encourages the teacher of the law to follow the law in the scriptures

Question 29

How is the parable of the Good Samaritan liberation?

Answer 29

Not only does the Samaritan set an example of how to be a neighbour but the parable teaches that people must be neighbours to everyone, whoever they are. Jesus teaches that all are equal and so all people are liberated by him

Question 30

Why was Jesus only a teacher of wisdom?

Answer 30

-Much of Jesus’ ministry was made up of him teaching, through sayings, through parables and through the example of miracles. Some suggest that his main aim was to purify Judaism, rather than to start a new religious movement: he seemed to expect the new kingdom to come quickly and most of his work was with Jewish people around him, rather than the gentiles as well
-Some modern scholars have tried to strip away the elements of the gospel that are likely to have sprung up after the time of Jesus and, in removing the supernatural elements, we are left with a teacher of wisdom
-Some people find it difficult to accept that Jesus was divine, especially as there is little evidence that Jesus taught this about himself

Question 31

Why was Jesus more than only a teacher of wisdom?

Answer 31

-Jesus’ teaching was certainly authentic- it engaged people on a new level and made people think about the situation that they lived in, but some would argue that this does not mean he was ‘only’ a teacher of wisdom:
-They would say that it is the whole picture- the miracle worker who rose from the dead- that have Jesus particular authority
-Jesus also started new systems that would last beyond his time on earth, such as the Eucharist, and he saw himself as having followers who would carry on his work
-He also taught his followers how to pray, suggesting that they would need to be in it for the long haul

Question 32

What are the arguments that political liberation was not the prime focus for Jesus?

Answer 32

-Jesus told his followers to pay taxes and Paul also echoed this view that Christian’s need to be lawful citizens
-Jesus escaped when he realised that people would try to make him king by force
-He did not resist arrest by the guards when he could have done- and he stopped his followers from using violence
-He seems to have agreed with the political views of the zealots, who wanted to overthrow the Romans- for example, he rode into Jerusalem not on a military horse, but on a donkey
-He seems mainly concerned with inner purity rather than outward shows of force
-Jesus said that he had not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfil them. He was trying to develop people’s understanding, not replace it
-The emphasis on the marginalised is particularly evident in Luke’s gospel and some scholars think that this was editing done by Luke to make Jesus more relevant for his particular audience

Question 33

Why could it be said Jesus’ relationship with God was very special?

Answer 33

-Jesus was known to speak with authority and he certainly had at least a special relationship with God, giving him the confidence to teach within the context of his time. As a teacher of wisdom, prophet and liberator, he sits in the tradition of many Old Testament figures who had special relationships with God
-Jesus modelled an excellent religious lifestyle, taking time to pray, always remembering God was at the centre of the decisions people make and perhaps understanding that religion needs to be reinterpreted for each new situation
-As a miracle worker, he was certainly special, even raising people from the dead; but even in the OT there are examples of people being brought back to life

Question 34

Why was Jesus’ relationship with God truly unique?

Answer 34

-It seems from the Gospels that there was more to Jesus than this. His miraculous birth, surrounded by unusual visitors, a moment of religious experience at his baptism and then again at his transfiguration and his resurrection from death by crucifixion all seem to suggest that Jesus was more than just another prophet
-Jesus seemed to embody both the Jewish and gentile understandings of what it meant to be a son of God
-In the modern quest for the historical Jesus, even where many of the stories might be understood as inventions by the gospel writers, there remains a basic tradition of Jesus being a miracle worker and inspirational teacher
-The resurrection, however, is a key moment that changes our understanding of everything that has gone before

Question 35

Did Jesus think he was divine?

Answer 35

-It is difficult to understand how Jesus could have been completely God and completely human. From our perspective, it seems that if he was aware of being one then he could not have been aware of being the other
-Many Christian’s would explain this by suggesting that the nature of knowledge is different for God than it is for us
-Christian’s believe that Jesus did not just exist when he was born, but that he is an eternal part of the trinity- God as the father, son and Holy Spirit. Jesus, therefore, existed before the universe was created. In John 8:58, Jesus states clearly that he existed before Abraham, once more using the special ‘I am’ phrase
-Even as a child, Jesus showed wisdom beyond his years when, having been lost by his parents, he said to them, ‘Didn’t you know I had to be in my father’s house’

Question 36

How did Jesus experience emotions?

Answer 36

-Jesus certainly experienced emotions and had moments where he felt abandoned by God. He was also very aware of his mission from God to intervene in the world in a unique way
-It may be that this sense of mission helped him to focus more on his human nature while he was on earth
-At the very least, this shows immense trust in God, but perhaps this was a trust founded in thr knowledge that everything was part of the plan for the salvation of the world that had been in place since the fall