Thesis 3: JESUS CHRIST

“The Lord and Christ whom God has made is this Jesus whom you crucified” (Ac 2:36).

Introduction: The Name “Jesus Christ”

The name “Jesus” comes from the Hebrew word “Jeshua” which means “Yahweh (or God) saves.”1 The title
“Christ” is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah” which means “the anointed one.”2

I. The Mystery of the Incarnation

Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was sent into the world at the appointed time for our salvation (CCC 422;
Gal 4:4-5). This action of God is also known as the Incarnation (Lat. “enfleshing”) – which means that Jesus
the Son of God assumed3 human nature. John 1:14 testifies to this when it says: “The Word was made flesh.”
There are four reasons for this: 1) in order to save us by reconciling us to God; 2) in order to show us the love of
the Father; 3) in order to be our model of holiness; 4) in order to make us partakers of the divine nature.

II. The Person of Jesus Christ

Because of the Incarnation, Jesus Christ has two distinct natures: divine and human. Jesus is true God and true
man. The Council of Ephesus (431) declared that He is equal with the Father. The Council of Nicaea (325)
declared that He is consubstantial with the Father.

Nevertheless, Jesus is one person. The reason is that we do not speak of a mingling or a mixture or even a union
of two substances (divine and human) in Jesus. In Jesus, we speak of the union of two distinct natures (divine
and human) that form one person.

Jesus is truly man. He became all that we are in every detail except sin (Heb 2:17). He experiences hunger, 4
gets angry,5 He cries,6 feels pain,7 etc. These experiences point to the fact that Jesus is truly human. The Fathers
of the Church look at the humanity of Christ as the means of salvation. Gregory of Nazianzus said “What is not

1
The name “Jesus” expresses both the identity (God) and the mission (saves) of the Son of God. Only God can forgive since sin is
always an offense against God (CCC 430-431). Also, the name signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son.
2
The title “Christ” is proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that “Christ” signifies – to inaugurate
God’s kingdom definitively (CCC436). There are two titles of Jesus mentioned in the CCC 454 & 455: a) Son of God (Mt 16:16-17) =
signifies the unique and eternal relationship of Jesus Christ to God His Father [He is the only Son of the Father and He is God
Himself]; b) Lord (Phil 2:11) = indicates divine sovereignty.
3
When we speak of the Incarnation, we do not speak of the Son of God “becoming” flesh in the sense that what remains of Jesus is
only his humanity. Instead we, speak of the divinity of Christ assuming (taking on) the flesh. By saying this, we assert that the divinity
of Christ did not disappear, but remained.
4
“He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was hungry” (Mt 4:2).
5
“So they reached Jerusalem and he went into the Temple and began driving out the men selling and buying there; he upset the
tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers” (Mk 11:15).
6
“Jesus wept” (Jn 11:35).
7
“This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps” (1 Pt
2:21).
assumed is not saved.” It means that in order to save humanity, God has to assume human nature through Jesus
Christ.8

Jesus is truly divine. He performed many miracles.9 Moreover, He forgave sins.10 The Fathers of the Church
talk of Jesus as Lord11 – meaning divine. Even Paul’s earliest document already spoke of Jesus Christ as Lord
(1 Thess 1:1). Regarding the Magisterium of the Church, there are two important councils concerning the
divinity of Jesus: Nicaea (325) and Chalcedon (451). The council of Nicaea proclaimed that: “We believe in
one God, Jesus Christ only Son of our Lord, only begotten of the Father, consubstantial with the Father.” The
council of Chalcedon defined the person of Jesus in two natures: divine and human. Today, the Church
declares: 1. Jesus is true God and true man in the unity of His divine person 2. His nature is both divine and
human, not mixed, but united 3. As true God and true man, He has human intellect and will, perfectly attuned
and subjected to His divine intellect and will.12

At the beginning there were those who denied the human nature of Christ. Later on, many began to deny the His
divinity. Among the heresies are: Adoptionism (Jesus was only an adopted son of God at baptism.), Arianism
(Being created, Jesus is not the same substance with the Father.), Nestorianism (There are two persons [divine
and human] in Jesus.) and Monophysitism (The human nature of Jesus is gone when the divine nature assumed
it.).

To answer these heresies, the Council in Constantinople II (553)13 used the term hypostasis (Gr. “substance”).
They said that the union of two natures in Jesus is a hypostatic union. It means that there is only one hypostasis
(person) who is our Lord Jesus Christ – the Second Person in the Trinity. Everything that Jesus did is attributed
to His person as the Second Person in the Godhead.

III. Jesus Christ as the Primordial Sacrament of Salvation

And because He is true God and true man at the same time, He becomes a sacramentum (mysterion14) – a sign.
Jesus Himself said that anyone who sees Him sees the Father, who is God Himself (Jn 14:9). He is a
sacrament15 because in Jesus we see the Father Himself. So the Fathers of the Church call Jesus sacramentum
Dei (sacrament of God) or myterium Dei (mystery of God). Thomas Aquinas referred to Jesus as the
fundamental sacrament, not only because He is a visible sign that points to the Father or that from Him we

8
Only a true human being can represent us before God. And yet only God can become the perfect sacrifice.
9
“Then he gave the messengers their answer, 'Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame
walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the good news is
proclaimed to the poor” (Luke 7:22).
10
“Seeing their faith he said, 'My friend, your sins are forgiven you'” (Luke 5:20).
11
Clement of Rome: “The Lord Jesus Christ, the Scepter of the Might of God.” Ignatius of Antioch: “The Physician is One, of the flesh
and of the spirit, begotten and not begotten, who was God in Flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Irenaeus: “Jesus Christ is rightly called the
one and only God and Lord, in that all things are said to have been made by him.”
12
For that which is perfectly human is perfectly attuned to God’s will.
13
The Second Council of Constantinople is the 5th General Council.
14
Mysterion = (Gr. “hidden reality”)
15
Sacrament is a sacred sign, perceptible to the senses, that points to a sacred reality through which we receive graces.
receive salvation, but also because from Christ all the other sacraments flow. He is the primordial16 sacrament
because in him rests all the other sacraments (including the Church) as their origin.

IV. The Mission of Jesus Christ

Being the primordial sacrament of salvation, Jesus has a twofold mission: 1) to establish the kingdom of God 2)
and to save mankind which finds its fulfillment in the Paschal Mystery. Jesus came to establish the kingdom of
God.17 Also, Jesus came to save us from our sins.18

V. The Dynamics of the Paschal Mystery

The Paschal Mystery refers to the passion, death and burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. That’s why
we speak of dynamics of the Paschal Mystery. “The Paschal Mystery of Christ's cross and Resurrection stands
at the center of the Good News that the apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the world.
God's saving plan was accomplished ‘once for all’ by the redemptive death” (CCC 571).

The passion and death of Jesus is the free offering of Jesus Himself by shedding His blood for our salvation. “I
have the power to give it up and get it back again” (Jn 10:18). Handed over by Judas, He was condemned to
death and died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures (1 Cor 15:3) in order to save us from our sins, and
to show His love for us. This free gift was His initiative.

He was buried (Jn 19:42). It means that He truly died. It is the proof of Jesus’ humanity.

Jesus’ resurrection, which is a historical and transcendental event, speaks of His divinity. It can be proven
through the: 1) empty tomb, 2) and the appearances of the risen Lord 3) and the condition of Christ’s risen
humanity (He can be touched. He can eat.). Jesus’ resurrection was the work of the Trinity: 1) the Father raised
Jesus up (Gal 1:1); 2) the Son raised Himself up (“I have power to give and take it back” [Jn 10:18].); 3) and the
Holy Spirit raised Jesus up (Rm 8:11).19

VI. The Threefold Office of Jesus Christ

Through His Paschal Mystery Jesus fulfilled His threefold office: 1) priestly office (He freely offered Himself
as the High Priest as the perfect, dedicated and consecrated victim in order to give perfect praise to God and
sanctify all men.); 2) prophetic office (a. He proclaimed the word of God with authority; b. He accompanied
His teachings with miracles and mighty deeds; c. He died as a martyr); 3) and kingly office (As King He rules
over the universe. Nature and demons obey him. For His kingly office has one aim: to serve and save mankind.

16
The word “primordial sacrament” was termed by Carl Feckes (20th century).
17
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand” (Mk 1:15).
18
“She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins” (Mt
1:21). “The Son, therefore, came, sent by the Father. It was in Him, before the foundation of the world, that the Father chose us and
predestined us to become adopted sons, for in Him it pleased the Father to re-establish all things. To carry out the will of the Father,
Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom. By His obedience He brought
about redemption” (LG 3).
19
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you” (Rm 8:11).
“For the Son of man himself came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk
10:45). His office is the office of service.

Questions / Points:

1. The human will is subject to the divine will. The Son of God assumed (not replaced) human nature. Because
He is truly human, His knowledge is limited. He has to learn. That’s why He has to grow in knowledge and
wisdom. But as the Son of God He has the power to penetrate human knowledge, to know the human mind.
There are two wills in Jesus. The human will is perfectly attuned and subject to the divine will.

2. Those who killed Jesus cooperated actively. It is not only because of our freedom, but also because in God
every moment is present because He is eternal. Everything happens in God. We are not passive. Nor did it
happen by chance. Everything happened according to the mystery of God.

3. What is the meaning and significance of Jesus’ resurrection in our life? 1. The resurrection is a confirmation
of all Jesus’ works and teachings 2. It is the fulfillment of the promises of the OT and NT. Jesus said that those
who believe in him, he will raise up on the last day. But how can he raise them up if He Himself is not raised?
3. It affirms the divinity of Jesus Himself.

4. Did Jesus die? Jesus died because He is truly human. But because He is truly God, He is resurrected.