Understanding Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior

1. Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior

2. Discussion Questions 1. Tell three things you believe about Jesus Christ. 2. Who is the person you know who is most like Jesus? Why is this so? 3. How would you like your personal relationship with Jesus to develop?

3. Beliefs about Jesus Christ God’s Son, took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ -in the prologue to the gospel of John -Doctrine of Incarnation -Why did the Word become flesh? -to save us from sin, death, and eternal separation from God -to be our model of holiness -to make us sharers in his divine nature

4. Jesus -Name Jesus comes from Hebrew word Yehoshua - “God Saves” -Jesus was born in Bethelem, raised by Mary and Joseph, began his preaching and healing ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, choose 12 apostles and many disciples, ran afoul of Jewish leaders, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead.

5. Christ -Christ translates the Hebrew title Messiah -After resurrection they saw he was anointed with the Spirit of God to accomplish salvation Son of God -Jesus was the unique Son of God Lord -when referring to Jesus proclaims his divinity -states that he is God “Jesus Christ is Lord” is the earliest and shortest Christian creed Other Titles and Symbols - Suffering Servant, Son of Man

6. Discussion Questions 1. Describe your own analogy for God becoming man. 2. What would Jesus’ first disciples have found attractive about him and his message? 3. Which title for Jesus best describes how you understand and relate to him?

7. Evidence for Jesus -Primary source of knowledge about Jesus comes from gospels -Entire focus is his acts, teachings, passion, death, and glorification, and the Church he started -Jesus’ parables are unparalleled stories proclaiming God’s kingdom -He also taught that: -God is Abba -God’s reign is in our midst -We should love our enemies

8. Contents of New Testament -Show how his words and actions reveal God’s active presence in the world - saving, redeeming, and healing people -Continues and fulfills the Old Testament - O.T. tells about God’s covenant with his Chosen People, N.T. reveals He has extended his salvation to all people New Testament consists of: -Gospels -Acts of the Apostles -New Testament Letters -Catholic Letters -Revelation to John

9. Formation of the Gospels 3 stages for Gospel Formation: 1. Historical Jesus - the very life of Jesus 2. Oral Tradition 1. Kerygma - preaching to unbelievers 2. Didache - teaching 3. Liturgy - participation in the work of God 3. New Testament Writings -Actual writings of the four gospels and the other New Testament writings

10. Discussion Questions 1. How do we know about the existence of Jesus? 2. Why are there four gospel accounts? 3. Why was the good new of Christ eventually written down?

11. Mysteries of Christ's Life -God is a mystery because he is so great, omnipotent, loving and perfect -word mystery in the N.T. refers to God’s saving plan that was gradually revealed in human history

12. Jesus' Early Life Infancy Narratives -Mark wrote for Gentile Christians and stressed Jesus as the Suffering Servant -Matthew wrote for a Jewish Christian audience and emphasized Jesus as the New Lawgiver -Luke wrote for Gentile Christians and highlighted Jesus and the Universal Messiah -John wrote many years later and presented Jesus as God’s unique Word who came to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life

13. Jesus' Public Life -Everything about Jesus’ life on earth reveals the Father -after Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led him to the desert to pray, fast, and prepare himself for his difficult mission ahead. -Jesus was tempted - but he never gave in to his temptations or sinned -He was opposite Adam and shown to be the new Adam

14. Jesus' Public Life -Jesus was a teacher that lived what he preached -He proclaimed the gospel through the Pascal mystery - his passion, death, resurrection, and ascension Jesus’ proclamation of the Good News includes: -God’s Kingdom is here -God is a loving Father -God is merciful -Jesus is present in his Church -To accept Jesus is to accept the cross

15. Miracles of Jesus -Prove that He is the Messiah, the Son of God Four Categories of Miracles - Exorcisms Nature miracles Healings Raisings from the dead

16. Discussion Questions 1. Why do you think God the Father allowed Jesus to be born into poverty? 2. How do you imagine Jesus’ hidden years in Nazareth? What kind of teenager do you think he was? 3. What do you find most unique about Jesus’ gospel message?

17. Christ Died for Our Sake Jesus Suffered Under Pontius Pilate -Jesus’ death was a redemption -for all people in all ages -gave people the hope of eternal life where there will be no suffering or death

18. He Rose Again -Apostles and other disciples believed in the resurrection when they actually saw Jesus Misconceptions of the resurrection: -reanimated corpse -metaphor -reincarnation -psycho ogical explanation -proof of Jesus’ divinity - truly the Son of God -Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection repair our friendship with God

19. Ascended Into Heaven -Resurrection forms part of the Pascal mystery- His death, descent to the dead, and his glorification -Glorification consists of His resurrection, ascension into heaven, and Pentecost -Pentecost -when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and gave them the power to preach that Jesus is risen and is Lord - birthday of the Church -Parousia - Jesus’ arrival in glory at his Second Coming- Jesus will judge the living and the dead based on how loving we were toward others

20. Discussion Questions 1. Who were the witnesses to the empty tomb? What is significant about their being the first witnesses to the fact that Jesus is risen? 2. Imagine that Christ is going to return tomorrow. What would you do differently today? Which people would you absolutely want to see? What would you tell them?

21. What We Believe Heresies- false teachings -Gnostic Docetism - held that God couldn’t have take on human flesh and that Jesus only appeared to be man -Arianism - taught that God the Father created Jesus as the greatest of creatures but that Jesus wasn’t equal to God -Nestorianism - that Jesus was two persons and that Mary was the mother of the human Jesus, not the divine Jesus -Monophysitism - that Christ’s divine nature absorbed his human nature, destroying His true humanity

22. Answering the Heresies Foundational Dogmatic Teachings about Jesus: -Jesus is true God -Jesus is “begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father -All things were made through the Son -There is only one person in Christ, the divine person -Mary is truly the Mother of God -There are two distinct natures in the one person of Christ -Jesus has a human intellect and a human will -In Jesus, God truly shared our humanity

23. Other Beliefs -Islamic faith acknowledges the existence of Jesus -Moslems hold Jesus to be one of the great prophets but they don’t believe Jesus is God and the savior or humanity -They believe that Jews and Christians are people of scripture -They believe Allah’s final revelation was given in the Koran and Mohammed is God’s greatest prophet Five pillars of the Islamic religion -Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Fasting, Hajj

24. Discussion Questions 1. What do you think are the three most essential teachings about Jesus Christ? 2. Which teaching about Jesus do you have the most trouble understanding? Believing? 3. Who is an experienced Catholic you can go to for help in understanding your questions about Jesus? Why did you choose this person?