Cabarrus Catholic College

4th Year: Theology 7 – JESUS AND SACRAMENTS Module 2

Sr. Maritoni R. Serapion, OSS *** Messenger: Maritoni Serapion *** Gmail: srmaritonioss@gmail.com

Veni Sancte Spiritus! Veni Lumen Cordium!

(Come, Holy Spirit! Come Light of Hearts!)

Matthew 16: 13-18

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that
the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of
the prophets.”

He said to them, “BUT WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the
Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For
flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he
strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

During the time of Jesus, people gather and flock around him. We recall in the Gospels that after preaching, he fed five
thousand men, not counting women and children. Like the present stars, artists, famous personalities of our time,
Jesus was a STAR. He had followers, too! Wherever he goes, people follow! Even pharisees and scribes, secretly follow
him.
People wanted to see, listen, touch him. If Jesus had a Facebook or Twitter account, surely, he would have
innumerable followers.

Ikaw, who do you follow? Who do you watch on YouTube or read on Wattpad or follow on Facebook or get crazy over
with? To whom do you spend time and effort?

BTS? K-Pop? Ivana Alawi? JaMill? Or fictional characters in Wattpad? Sinong idol mo?
DO you get “crazy” or ecstatic seeing them on TV or drool about them when reading their stories?
BTS and McDonalds. Did you make sure to have ordered a BTS Meal and kept the paper bag as souvenir?

When Jesus asked his apostles, WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM, Peter always quick to respond, professes that Jesus is
truly the Christ. Coming from a personal encounter and relationship with Jesus, Peter was able to recognize who Jesus
truly was.

If I ask you to describe your idol, some would be able to tell their story from head to foot.

However, if Jesus appears in front of you and asks you the question: WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM, what will you
answer? How much do you know of Him? Would it only be at head-level knowledge of Jesus the Christ? Learned from
books or from tiring classes and reports in Theology from first year College until your last year in Cabarrus?

You had 6 Theology Classes, hopefully, you have gained much knowledge about this superstar named Jesus Christ. And
not only from a head-level knowledge, but from a personal encounter and communion with the Son of God. A
relationship outside the four walls of the classroom. A relationship born out from a day to day faith experience.

And when asked with WHO JESUS TRULY IS, would you be able to answer: YOU ARE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING
GOD. You are my Lord, my God, my Savior, my all.

You are about to leave the portals of this Catholic Institution. Has the school helped you deepen your faith and your
love for Christ? You may be the best teacher in the future or most famous/prominent figure years from now or have all
the riches in the world – but if you do not have Christ in your life – YOU HAVE NOTHING AT ALL. All else fails.

Yet it is never too late to know Him fully, that you may love Him deeply and follow Him ever closely.
This is your last Theology Class: JESUS and the Sacraments. May this module help you to answer with faith and
conviction: WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

God bless you!

JESUS AND THE SACRED SCRIPTURE

We can never separate Jesus from the Scriptures. The Bible tell us of his person: fully divine and fully human.
The books of the Old Testament are full of prophecies and foresights of the One who is to come in the fullness of time.
Fulton Sheen in his book: Life of Christ says Jesus was the only person ever pre-announced. All these prophecies come
to fulfillment in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In this lesson, let us
rediscover Jesus through the Scriptures.

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. Explain the interconnection of the old and new testament of the Bible
2. Understand how Gospel books developed
3. Read and share the Word of God

A. THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT CONNECTION

The famous comedian George Carlin once quipped, “I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a
whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me…they’re cramming for their final exam.”

The Old Testament lays the foundation for the teachings and events found in the New Testament. The Bible is
a progressive revelation. If you skip the first half of any good book and try to finish it, you will have a difficult time
understanding the characters, the plot and the ending. In the same way, the New Testament is only completely
understood when it is rightly viewed as a fulfillment of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants and
promises of the Old Testament.

If the only Word from God that we had was just the New Testament, we would come to the Gospels and not
really know why the Jews were even searching for a Messiah. Without the benefit of what God shares with us in the
Old Testament, we would be unable to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah through the many detailed
prophecies that were given Him, e.g., His birthplace (Micah 5:2); His manner of death (Psalm 22 and Psalm 69:21); His
resurrection (Psalm 16:10) and many more details of His ministry (Isaiah 52:19, 9:2).
Without the benefit of the knowledge presented to us in the Old Testament, we would be totally unable to
understand the Jewish customs that are mentioned only in passing in the pages of the New Testament. We would not
understand how the added traditions to God’s law made by the Pharisees only served in the end to pervert God’s law.
Consequently, we could not understand why Jesus was so upset as He cleansed the temple courtyard. Most
importantly however, we would ultimately be unable to understand that we can make use of the same wisdom that
Christ used in His many replies to His adversaries and to those who ridiculed Him.

The New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the apostles record many of the fulfillments of prophecies that
were written hundreds of years earlier by Old Testament prophets. In the circumstances of the birth of Jesus, His life,
miracles, death and resurrection as found in the Gospels, we can clearly see the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecies that foretold the Messiah’s coming. It is the life of Jesus Himself and all that He accomplished that is the
powerful validation of Jesus when He claims to be the promised Christ. Even those prophecies in the New Testament,
which are for the most part found in the Book of Revelations, are derived from earlier prophecies found in the books of
the Old Testament. These New Testament prophecies relate to events regarding the second coming of Christ. Bible
scholars have pointed out that approximately two out of every three verses in Revelations are steeped in Old
Testament verses.

Because the revelation in Scripture is progressive, the New Testament brings into focus teachings that were
only alluded to in the Old Testament. The Book of Hebrews describes how Jesus is the true High Priest and how His one
sacrifice replaces all of the previous sacrifices, which were mere portrayals. The Old Testament provides the Law,
which has two parts: the commandments and the blessing/curse that comes from obedience or disobedience to God.
The New Testament then clarifies that God gave those commandments to show men their need for salvation (Romans
3:19).

The Old Testament lovingly describes the sacrificial system God gave to the Israelites that was designed to
temporarily cover over their sins. The New Testament goes on to clarify that this system alluded to the sacrifice of
Christ through whom alone salvation is found (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 10:45-10). The Old Testament witnessed paradise
lost; the New Testament shows how paradise was regained for all of us through the second Adam (Christ) and how it
will one day be restored. The Old Testament declares that man was separated from God through sin (Genesis 3) and
the New Testament declares that man can now be restored in his relationship to God (Romans 3-6).

In summary, the Old Testament lays the foundation for, and was meant to prepare the Israelites for, the
coming of the Messiah who would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). The New Testament
shares with us the life of Jesus Christ and then looks back on what He did and how we are to respond to His gift of
eternal life and live our lives in gratitude for all He has done for us (Romans 12). Both the Old and the New Testament
reveal the same holy, merciful and righteous God who must condemn sin but who simultaneously desires to bring
Himself to a fallen human race of sinners through the forgiveness only made possible through Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
In both the Old and the New Testament, God reveals Himself to us and how we are to come to Him through Jesus
Christ. In both the Old and the New Testament, we find all we need for eternal life and godly living (2 Timothy 3:15-
17).

Accessed from The Old Testament and the New Testament Connection | ‫( מסע מבורך‬A Blessed Journey) (wordpress.com) on September 20,2021.

TASK 1:
A. Research for 5 Old Testament Prophecies and its fulfillment in the New Testament. Explain the connection and
the message of the scriptural passages. (Class, I read your answers. Please explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS. DO
not copy and paste.)
B. Take a moment of reflection about The Old and the New in yourself/in your life. How has this shaped or
directed or influenced your life? Share an experience or insights in one or two paragraphs.

B. FOUR GOSPELS AND ITS FORMATION

The word ‘Gospel’ comes from the Greek word evangelion which means ‘good news’. It is the message Jesus
proclaimed – the good news of the Kingdom of God – and the written accounts of it developed within the Christian
communities of the first century CE. The Gospels are the most important books of the Bible.

The apostles and disciples widely proclaimed their faith in Jesus and over time Christian communities sprang
up across the Roman Empire. The earliest Christians passed on their faith in Jesus by telling and re-telling stories of
Jesus’ words and actions. The Gospels are the product of a long process of this mainly oral sharing within the Christian
communities, over three or more decades, generally known as the oral tradition. It was many years before they were
organized into the written Gospels.

"The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays
its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament" which hand on the ultimate truth of God's
Revelation. Their central object is Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son: his acts, teachings, Passion and glorification, and
his Church's beginnings under the Spirit's guidance. (CCC 124)

The Gospels are the heart of all the Scriptures "because they are our principal source for the life and teaching
of the Incarnate Word, our Saviour" (CCC 125). The Gospels are testimonies of faith in Jesus Christ of the various
Christian communities that produced them. The Gospel writer, or evangelist, is writing from within and for a faith
community.

There are three stages in the formation of the Gospels (CCC 126):
a. The LIFE and TEACHING of JESUS
“The Church holds firmly that the four Gospels, "whose historicity she unhesitatingly affirms, faithfully hand on
what Jesus, the Son of God, while he lived among men, really did and taught for their eternal salvation, until the day
when he was taken up."

This is the historical life of Jesus in the first century Palestine. Jesus existed as a human person – an Arameain Jew.
He lived like any other Jew. He underwent circumcision. He went to the Synagogue and to the Temple like any Jew.
He called his disciples to be part of His mission and that is to proclaim the Kingdom of God. They became witnesses
to his ministries, miracles and teachings. Peter wrote, “With our own eyes, we saw his greatness.” (2 Peter 1:16)

This is the core of the writing of the gospels. It means that the gospels were not written out of the whims of the
evangelists.

b. The ORAL TRADITION

"For, after the ascension of the Lord, the apostles handed on to their hearers what he had said and done, but with
that fuller understanding which they, instructed by the glorious events of Christ and enlightened by the Spirit of
truth, now enjoyed."

This is the preaching or oral stage. It began after Jesus rose from the dead. The apostles, who were in hiding
because in fear that they might be the next in line to be arrested or crucified, were transformed. Filled with the
Holy Spirit, the apostles began preaching to everyone the Risen Christ.

The fundamental concern of the disciples was kerygma (or the proclamation of their faith in the risen Christ). As a
result, the words (teachings) and the works (actions) of Jesus were preached, contextualized, and applied to
various faith communities in the first century.
 One of the results of this proclamation was the emergence of the Small Christian Churches. All those who believed
and accepted the teachings of the Apostles formed a group of people who became the First Christian Community
(or the Church). The First Christian Community was in Antioch.

c. The WRITTEN GOSPELS

"The sacred authors, in writing the four Gospels, selected certain of the many elements which had been handed on,
either orally or already in written form; others they synthesized or explained with an eye to the situation of the
churches, the while sustaining the form of preaching, but always in such a fashion that they have told us the honest
truth about Jesus."

The disciples did not start writing down the teachings of Jesus because Jesus said that He will be coming back. But
then, they realized that the second coming of Christ (also called Parousia) would not happen during their lifetime.
Besides, there emerged also some false prophets teaching falsely about what Jesus said and did. Another reason for
the writing were the following:
1. To preserve the teachings about their Lord for the future generations
2. To spread the teachings of Christ to all

But just like what John said, “There are also many other things that Jesus did… I do not think the whole world would
contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

IN THE FIRST CENTURY, most important information was passed on orally as few people could read. There were set
language patterns to preserve the accuracy and recall of the message. In the early years of the oral tradition there
were still eyewitnesses to what Jesus said and did. As the decades passed the eyewitnesses were dying out and Jesus’
second coming was no longer considered imminent, so it became necessary to write extended accounts that express
the distinct emphases of the believing communities and their evangelists.

In recent decades there has been increased understanding of the importance of the first
century Jewish context of the Gospels. Scholars and archaeologists have uncovered an increasing amount of
information about first century Jewish culture, beliefs and writings and have come to understand more deeply the
setting of the Gospels.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is the ‘starting point’ of the Gospels, not the end. The oral tradition and
the written Gospels depict the life of Jesus through the lens of his resurrection. They are not simple biographies
recounting in exact order the words and deeds of Jesus. The Gospels are works with theological depth written from
within the heart of the faith community to strengthen the faith of believers. The Gospels witness to Jesus, instruct the
community and set out to change the reader forever.

The Church came before the Gospels. The communities of believers preserved the memories
and traditions about Jesus. The Gospels come from the Church. As the Pontifical Biblical Commission (1993) stated, the
New Testament “took form within the Christian Church, the existence of which preceded the composition of the texts”
(Section I, F). Likewise, the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “the first generation of Christians did not yet have a
written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition” ( CCC, 86).

The Four Gospels

The Gospels are the heart of the Scriptures. The four Gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They bring
the Good News of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Incarnation means Jesus, the Word of God became flesh and lived
among us. The Gospels also herald that Jesus came to fulfill the promises God made to our ancestors, and to overcome
the slavery of sin and death.

Characteristics of the Gospels

• The Gospels are the main source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus (see CCC, 125).
• The Gospels are God’s Revelation.
• When we encounter Jesus in the Gospels, we encounter God’s most definitive and perfect Revelation.
• Each Gospel presents a unique perspective on Jesus.

The Synoptic Gospels
• Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called synoptic Gospels.
• Synoptic comes from a Greek word meaning “seeing the whole together.”
• These Gospels are similar in style and share much of the same content.
• Many scholars believe that both Luke and Matthew used Mark as a source when writing their Gospels.
• Some scholars also propose that Luke and Matthew may have used a second source known as the Quelle, or
the Q Source.

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Who was Matthew? Jewish Christian well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures
Approx. Authorship Date: AD 85
Intended Audience: Mixed community of Jewish Christians and Gentiles
Issues Addressed: Possible rejection and some persecution of Jewish Christians for their belief in Jesus

Matthew’s Image of Jesus

• Matthew wanted his Jewish Christian readers to know that believing in Jesus was a continuation of their
tradition.
• Matthew highlights Jesus as the fulfillment of many Old Testament hopes and prophecies.
• He validates the community’s link to the covenant promises of the past, while justifying their new devotion to
Christ and his mission.
• Jesus is presented with clear ties to Jewish ancestry. The genealogy at the beginning of the Gospel is one
example.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Who was Mark? Gentile Christian who may have been a disciple of Peter
Approx. Authorship Date: AD 65–70
Intended Audience: Non-Jewish Christians
Issues Addressed: Members of the community being persecuted (even to death) for their beliefs

Mark’s Image of Jesus

• Mark includes an aura of secrecy in this Gospel known as the messianic secret.
• Those who should recognize Jesus as the Messiah fail to do so.
• Mark emphasizes the humanity of Jesus.
• Central to Mark’s Christology is the image of Jesus as the Suffering Servant.
• True discipleship must imitate Jesus in both his ministry and his suffering.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Who was Luke?
Approx. Authorship Date:
Intended Audience:
Gentile convert to Christianity, and the author who wrote not only the Gospel of
Luke but also the Acts of the Apostles
AD 80–90
The audience of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is identified as
Theophilus, meaning “lover of God.”

Luke’s Image of Jesus

• Luke paints a picture of Jesus as the compassionate Savior who welcomes all.
• Much of Jesus’ ministry and preaching is directed toward the plight of the anawim.
• Luke emphasizes the presence of women in the ministry of Jesus.
• The final groups given special attention in the Gospel of Luke are those who are sick and sinners.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

The Gospel of John is not one of the synoptic Gospels.
Who wrote it:
• Many people credit this Gospel to a man named John, “the [disciple] whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23), but the
actual author is unknown.
• Many believe the author was a member of a Christian community founded by the Beloved Disciple.
• Its tradition and teachings represent the whole Johannine community rather than just one individual.
Approx. Authorship Date: AD 90–100

Characteristics of John’s Gospel

Twofold purpose:
• To evangelize both Gentiles and Jews
• To strengthen the faith of the local community as well as Christians everywhere

Two books in one Gospel:

• In the first half of the Gospel, Jesus teaches mainly through signs that reveal his identity.
– These signs are found in John 1:19—12:50 and are known as the Book of Signs.

• The 2nd half of the Gospel focuses on the Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension - events that glorify
Jesus.
– This is known as the Book of Glory and is found in John 13:1—20:31.

John’s Images of Jesus

• The synoptic Gospels emphasize the humanity of Jesus.
• The Gospel of John emphasizes the divinity of Jesus.
• John uses high Christology—a term used to describe how John proclaims from the very beginning that Jesus is
God, the Eternal Word of the Father. 

References:
Ave Maria Press accessed on September 20, 2021.
The Gospels – Scripture for Teachers – National Catholic Education Commission. Accessed on September 21, 2021.

Catechism for Filipino Catholics. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. Word and Life Publications. 1997

TASK 2:
C.Open
JESUS AND
your HISand
Bible NAMES
look and TITLES
for ONE story/scripture passage that can be found in all four Gospels. Examine the texts
and answer the following questions.
I. Example:
JESUS The Resurrection event is found in Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16: 1-10, Luke 24: 1-12 and John 20:1-10
430 Jesus means in Hebrew: "God saves." At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper
name,1.which
Howexpresses both his
are the Gospels identity
similar withand
eachhisother?
mission. Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his
eternal
2. Son
Howmade
are man, "will save his people from their sins". In Jesus, God recapitulates all of his history of salvation
they different?
on behalf of men.
3. How does John’s story different from the others?
4. What is the message? Is it the same for all Gospels?
432 The name "Jesus" signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son, made man for the
universal and definitive redemption from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and hence forth all can
invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation, so that "there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

II. CHRIST
436 The word "Christ" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means "anointed". It became
the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that "Christ" signifies. In effect, in
Israel those consecrated to God for a mission that he gave were anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for
priests and, in rare instances, for prophets. This had to be the case all the more so for the Messiah whom God would
send to inaugurate his kingdom definitively. It was necessary that the Messiah be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord at
once as king and priest, and also as prophet. Jesus fulfilled the messianic hope of Israel in his threefold office of priest,
prophet and king.

438 Jesus' messianic consecration reveals his divine mission, "for the name 'Christ' implies 'he who anointed', 'he who
was anointed' and 'the very anointing with which he was anointed'. The one who anointed is the Father, the one who
was anointed is the Son, and he was anointed with the Spirit who is the anointing.'"35 His eternal messianic
consecration was revealed during the time of his earthly life at the moment of his baptism by John, when "God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power", "that he might be revealed to Israel" 36 as its
Messiah. His works and words will manifest him as "the Holy One of God".

440 Jesus accepted peter's profession of faith, which acknowledged him to be the Messiah, by announcing the
imminent passion of the Son of Man. He unveiled the authentic content of his messianic kingship both in the
transcendent identity of the Son of Man "who came down from heaven", and in his redemptive mission as the
suffering Servant: "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his lifeas a ransom for
many." Hence the true meaning of his kingship is revealed only when he is raised high on the cross.  Only after his
Resurrection will peter be able to proclaim Jesus' messianic kingship to the people of God: "Let all the house of Israel
therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

III. THE ONLY SON OF GOD

441 In the Old Testament, "son of God" is a title given to the angels, the Chosen people, the children of Israel, and their
kings. It signifies an adoptive sonship that establishes a relationship of particular intimacy between God and his
creature. When the promised Messiah-King is called "son of God", it does not necessarily imply that he was more than
human, according to the literal meaning of these texts. Those who called Jesus "son of God", as the Messiah of Israel,
perhaps meant nothing more than this.

442 Such is not the case for Simon peter when he confesses Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God", for Jesus
responds solemnly: "Flesh and blood has not revealed  this to you, but my Father who is in heaven." Similarly, Paul will
write, regarding his conversion on the road to Damascus, "When he who had set me apart before I was born, and had
called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the
Gentiles..." "And in the synagogues immediately [paul] proclaimed Jesus, saying, 'He is the Son of God.'"  From the
beginning this acknowledgment of Christ's divine sonship will be the center of the apostolic faith, first professed by
peter as the Church's foundation.

IV. LORD
446 In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the ineffable Hebrew name YHWH, by which God revealed himself
to Moses, is rendered as Kyrios, "Lord". From then on, "Lord" becomes the more usual name by which to indicate the
divinity of Israel's God. The New Testament uses this full sense of the title "Lord" both for the Father and - what is new
- for Jesus, who is thereby recognized as God Himself.

448 Very often in the Gospels people address Jesus as "Lord". This title testifies to the respect and trust of those who
approach him for help and healing. At the prompting of the Holy Spirit, "Lord" expresses the recognition of the divine
mystery of Jesus. In the encounter with the risen Jesus, this title becomes adoration: "My Lord and my God!" It thus
takes on a connotation of love and affection that remains proper to the Christian tradition: "It is the Lord!"

449 By attributing to Jesus the divine title "Lord", the first confessions of the Church's faith affirm from the beginning
that the power, honor and glory due to God the Father are due also to Jesus, because "he was in the form of God",  and
the Father manifested the sovereignty of Jesus by raising him from the dead and exalting him into his glory.

450 From the beginning of Christian history, the assertion of Christ's lordship over the world and over history has
implicitly recognized that man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power,
but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Caesar is not "the Lord".  "The Church. . . believes that the key,
the center and the purpose of the whole of man's history is to be found in its Lord and Master."

TASK 3: WHAT’S IN A NAME?

This lesson tells us that names, especially in ancient Israel, are sacred. They bear the identity and mission of the
individual. Jesus Christ and titles given Him speak of his character and his purpose. And looking at the story of His
life, he indeed has lived up to his name.

How about you? What’s in your name? What does it mean? How have you regarded your name and your identity?
How important is your name to you? Rediscover what is in your name, your identity and mission. Share your
insights and reflections in one to two paragraphs.

Kindly write all answers on a piece of paper, send a photo to messenger.

OR submit via gmail: srmaritonioss@gmail.com
Deadline: October 4, 2021.
Coverage of Prelim Exams: Module 2

No submission of outputs in school at the moment. Please stay safe at home. Thank you! God bless!