The Life of Jesus

A. Meaning of “Jesus Christ”

• Jesus Christ - is a combination of a personal name, Jesus and a Christian
designation (title) of him as (the) “Christ”.
• Jesus - Greek Iesous (Heb. yeshua = [Joshua?]), which means “the Lord is
salvation.”
• Christ - Greek Christos (Heb. mashiach), meaning “anointed one.”
• ”Jesus Christ” puts together the Jesus in human history and his role as
Messiah.
• An evidence that supports Jesus as historic is the reference in Matthew of
“Jesus the Galilean” or “Jesus the Nazarean” (26:69; 21:11). The
genealogical background of Jesus in Matthew and Luke also supports the
historicity of Jesus
 B. Birth and Early Years

• Jesus' birth is recorded only in Matt (2:1ff) and Luke (2:1ff).

Although they differ in locating the political context of his birth,
they basically agree that Jesus was born shortly before the death
of Herod the Great (4 BCE), during the reign of Augustus Caesar.
His parents were Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter (Grk
tekton, generally a “craftsman”).
• The gospel of Mark reports that Jesus also was a tekton (6:3)
• Not much is said in the gospels about Jesus’ youth except in Luke 2:41-52,
which reports that his family went to join the Passover festival in Jerusalem.
Here Jesus, at age 12, displays considerable maturity by discussing with
teachers in the temple.
• Narratives about the childhood of Jesus are available among some
apocryphal gospels. These show gnostic interests in conveying information
where the canonical gospels are silent.
• (Gnosticism [the claim of an especially revealed insight - gnosis] that
existed somewhere between the 2nd and 5th century CE)
Example
1. Infancy Story of Thomas –
• probably written towards the end of the 2nd century - contains miracles
wrought by the child Jesus between the ages of five and twelve years - seeks
to provide details before Jesus’ appearance in the temple at 12 years (cf.
Luke 2:41ff)
• Infancy Story of Thomas
1. When he was six years old. his mother gave him a pitcher and sent him to
draw water and bring it into the house. But in the crowd he stumbled, and
the pitcher was broken. But Jesus spread out the garment he was wearing,
filled it with water and brought it to his mother. And when his mother saw
the miracle, she kissed him, and kept within herself - the mysteries which
she had seen him do
• 2. And Jesus said to him: "If you are indeed a teacher, and if you
know the letters well, tell me the meaning of the Alpha, and I will
tell you that of the Beta.' And the teacher was annoyed and
struck him on the head. And the child was hurt and cursed him.
And he immediately fainted and fell to the ground on his face
2. Arabic Infancy Gospel
• 40. One day the Lord Jesus went out into the street and saw children who
had come together to play. He followed them, but the children hid
themselves from him. Now when the Lord Jesus came to the door of a
house and saw women standing there, he asked them where those children
had gone. They replied that no one was there; and the Lord Jesus said: "Who
are those whom you see in the furnace?' 'They are three-year-old goats',
they answered. And the Lord Jesus said: 'Come out to your shepherd, you
goats.' Then the children in the form of goats came out and began to skip
round him.
•A glimpse of Jesus’ silent years…
• He worked as a carpenter
• He made friends
➢Lazarus, Martha and Mary (Bethany)
• A member of a large family …
➢Gospel of Matthew (13:55-56) mentioned his brothers:
• James,
• Joseph/Joses,
• Judas/Jude and
• Simon
• The same verses also mention unnamed sisters of Jesus.
• He was reared in a home that was nurtured by deep
religious faith (Luke 2: 41ff).
• He attended the synagogue school in Nazareth…
• His father was a carpenter and Jesus practiced his
father’s trade as was required for the eldest son (Mark
6:3).
 Reconstructed Picture of Jesus
• Knowledge and skills (Luke 2:52)
• Hard work (Mark 6:3)
➢He is called a tekton, which means not only a carpenter but a craftsman
• Physical fitness
• Family love
• Sense of wonder and beauty
• Sense of trust in God
 C. Baptism

• All of the canonical gospels connect the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry to the
movement of John the Baptist.
• In Luke, there is close affinity between Jesus and John. The latter is said to be
the precursor of Jesus, proclaiming and preparing the way of the Lord (Lk 3:4).
His task was to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins
and, subsequently, to baptize people. Jesus himself submitted to his baptism.
• Jesus’ baptism appears to be the inauguration of his ministry. The baptism
story in Mk 1:9-11 (par. Mt 3:13-17; Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:29-34) reveals some
aspects of his role and identity.
• John's account:
- mere recollection/narration of the story
- Jesus as lamb of God
- John's task is to witness to and proclaim something about the
Son of God
• Mk: - Jesus is addressed in the second person, “You are my
beloved Son” (as in Luke)
• Mt: - Jesus is addressed in the third person, “This is my beloved
Son”
 D. Temptation (Matt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 4:1-13)
• The temptation story that proceeds immediately after the Jesus baptism
narrative probably reflects considerable influence from Persian traditions
about the devil, Satan (ha satan). This character is said to have the “role of a
secret service agent who worked undercover, testing people’s loyalty to the
king.” His temptations became both a testing and a recruiting service for
anti-God forces.
• Going back to the baptism episode, Jesus is introduced as Son of God. Thus,
in the temptation, this title is now under attack. The “test of loyalty” to his
patron God can be an overarching theme in this entire temptation episode.
In the end, Jesus has proved to be Son of God, not anti-God. He, from the
very beginning of his ministry, demonstrates that he has acquired the
necessary skills to deal with and control the spirit world
 E. Public Career

• The gospel of Mark reports that Jesus’ ministry commenced following the
arrest of John the Baptist. His message is no less different from John’s. The
latter’s message is “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). He
does not hesitate to confront even a ruler who has lost one’s moral
ascendancy and would even risk his life without compromise (see, e.g., Mark
6:14-29). Similarly, Jesus goes about Galilee proclaiming the good news of
God’s kingdom and calls for repentance and belief (Mk 1:14-15).
• He gathers twelve disciples to be with him in proclaiming the arrival of God’s
kingdom. Jesus’ words and actions characterize a life of solidarity and
protest. His acts of healing, feeding and driving out of many demons, and
his care for women and children clearly manifest his solidarity with the poor
and marginalized.
• his way of accommodating women and willingness to respond to their
needs challenges social and gender boundaries, offering a radical way of
dealing with other beings. His uncompromising words against those who do
not share their riches, against those who neglect the poor, and against
corruption in the temple are all protests against life-diminishing cultures.
 Jesus’ twelve Disciples
1. Simon Peter
2. Andrew
3. James
4. John
5. Philip
6. Thomas
7. Matthew (Levi)
8. James, the son of Alpheus
9. Judas Thaddeus
10. Simon (the zealot)
11. Judas Iscariot
12. Bartholomew (Nathaniel)
 F. Passion, Death, Resurrection

• Because of his words and actions, Jesus comes into conflict with the leaders
of his time. On the night when he shares a last meal with his disciples, he is
arrested and tried on grounds of blasphemy and subver- sion. The religious
leaders accuse him of blasphemy for claiming to be “Son of God” and for
pronouncing forgiveness. In the eyes of the Roman imperial government, he
is a political rebel being a “messiah,” one who liberates the people from
political bondage.
• Even if there is not much evidence that showed merits of the accusations,
the Roman procurator (governor) Pilate approved of his crucifixion. After a
series of flogging, Jesus walked his way to Golgotha and was crucified.
During the crucifixion all his friends were gone, except for a handful of
women. In Roman imperial context, crucifixion is the most humiliating form
of punishment. It was a way of utterly shaming the criminal. The dead body
of the crucified was usually left on the cross for the vultures and ravines.
Jesus was spared of this because an affluent sympathizer, Joseph of
Arimathea, offered a place for his burial
• But on the first day of the week Jesus rose from the dead (cf. Mk 16:1–8).
This event was first witnessed by women. Meanwhile, his disciples gathered
in hopeless desperation due to their master’s loss. Suddenly, Jesus appeared
to them. Their hope dawned; their courage was born. After Jesus ascended
to heaven, leaving the Spirit that would give them power to be his
witnesses, the disciples formed a small community that expected his return
to consummate God’s kingdom. This group spread and reached beyond the
borders of Palestine to the rest of the world, where the members continued
to expect Jesus’ return, “inaugurating a kingdom in which the world would
be transformed.”
The Meaning of Jesus Birth
• Jesus was born in the providence of God for a mission (Isaiah 61 --
- Luke 4:18-20).
• The birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of a divine promise.
• But the promise itself was fulfilled in a totally unexpected way.
Social implications of Jesus Birth and Ministry

• Jesus’ birth brought a reversal to the ways of

the world…
 Journal Entry:
My Life’s Purpose/Mission