Jesus Christ Our Experience of God

Initiating Activity
Class is divided into several groups. Each group will come up with three (3) descriptions of Jesus that the group believes are very important. Have the groups write their description in the board. Class comments on the descriptions. End the activity saying something about the following: Is there a common description of Jesus that is coming out? Do the descriptions say something relevant about the Christian life?

To Know Jesus

Who is Jesus for us? What is our image of him?

Jesus as Son of God (Anak ng Diyos) and as Son of Mary (Anak ni Maria)

Son of God, Son of Mary

Filipinos are family-oriented. This family-centered attitude gives us a sense of BELONGINGNESS, STABILITY & SECURITY. We like to picture Jesus as the ANAK (Anak ng Diyos, Anak ni Maria) both the Son of God and the Son of Mary. What can better remind us of our early childhood (our being ANAK), or respond more directly to our traditional love for children than Jesus the Santo Nino.

Jesus the Host

Jesus the Host

Filipinos are meal-oriented. Known for being gracious hosts and grateful guests. Jesus as host is not only presiding at the Last Supper, and at every eucharistic celebration; he is not only the bread and drink of life, but even the guest of every gathering. One of the familiar images in a Filipino home, The Last Supper, witnesses to Filipino attraction to the image of Jesus as Host.

Jesus, Suffering Servant

Jesus, Suffering Servant

Filipinos are kundiman-oriented. A kundiman is about love, especially wounded love. Filipinos are especially attracted to heroes sacrificing everything for love. We are patient and forgiving, even if we are hurting badly inside. Magpapakasakit ako nang dahil sa iyo.

Jesus, Suffering Servant

Portrayed through favorite images: Padre Hesus Nazareno, Crucified Christ, Santo Entierro, or the Sacred Heart.

Jesus, Suffering Servant

Jesus appears as one of the little ones: the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, the lonely stranger, and the prisoner (Mt. 25:31-46) A healing and forgiving Savior who understands our weaknesses, our failures, our feelings of depression, fear, and loneliness.

Jesus, Christ the King

Jesus, Christ the King

Filipinos are optimistic. The Filipino optimism in the midst of difficulties makes the image of Christ a conquering King dear to us. Jesus is now enthroned as King because of his ultimate victory over evil.

Jesus, Miracle Worker

Jesus, Miracle Worker

Filipinos are spirit-oriented. Jesus, the Miracle Worker, who promised to send his spirit to his disciples to give them his new life, is therefore very appealing to us Filipinos.

Jesus Christ Knowing Jesus is a life-long task, because only through Jesus do we come to know our true selves, and the deepest meaning and destiny of our lives. Knowing Jesus is a living, changing, and deepening experience. Entering into a personal relationship with Him.

Authentic Knowing of Jesus demands personal commitment to His teaching and way of life
Knowing him means making a difference in our lives. Knowing Him means being committed to follow Him, becoming His disciples.

Born and lived in a particular human society and culture.

He mingled with the people as one like them. Jesus is truly a man (CFC 501). Conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary (Creed). Hebrew 2:17; Galatians 4:4; Luke 2:52; Matthew 15:32; (FULLY HUMAN) CFC 502, Gaudium et Spes 22

He who is the image of the invisible God is himself the perfect man. For by His incarnation the son of God has united himself in some fashion with every man.
He worked with human hands, he thought with a human mind, acted by human choice, and loved with a human heart.

Born of the Virgin Mary, he has been truly made one of us, like us in all things, except sin. (GS 22)

Alexander the Great

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Occupation of the foreign troops

Emergence of a new social class of foreigners, while the native population is deprived of rights and status

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Class conflicts, which include anticlericalism
Confiscation of land (gap between the poor and the rich) Corrupt Jewish temple priests who abused their power

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Social banditry
A movement against the upper social class/elite People who are against injustice (a protest) Bandits, in the eyes of the poor, are seen as victims

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Social banditry
Bandits served as served as symbols of hope for the oppressed Anti-clerical (Jewish priests as collaborators of the oppressors

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Religious fanaticism
Time of the Maccabean revolt Overemphasis on rituals To sustain their purity

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Revolutionary prophets and messianic pretenders
Revolutionary prophets are not leaders, but members of the revolutionary movements who sustain the people Politico-military messianic leadership

1st Century Palestine (Time of Jesus)

Revolutionary prophets and messianic pretenders
Jewish revolutionary factions
Sicarii the first revolutionary who took hold of the Masada fortress; dagger-bearers (willing to give up their lives)

 Zealot low-level (farmers, bandits,etc.); nationalists who fight the system John of Gishala a rebel of strong nationalistic character; helped the Zealots expel the Romans in 66 CE

 Idumeans peoples force; not an actual military organization, ready to help the revolutionary movements Simon Bar Giora led the bandit groups in the countryside; pro-poor-liberation of slaves

1st Century Palestine

Misconduct on the part of the Roman officials Strife between the various factions of the revolutionaries Taxation both by the Romans, and Herod and his successors
Divided into five (5) districts, and taxation were assigned to the Publicans (Public servants) Over-collection

The bitter hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans

Religious Parties in the Time of Jesus (Under Judaism)

Sadducees
possess political power (conservative in theology: accepts only the Torah) members of the Sanhedrin, not inclined to social reforms

Pharisees
influential and dominant: perform ritual purity strong zeal for the Jewish faith/legalistic Concern for the externals (the separated ones)

Religious Parties in the Time of Jesus (Under Judaism) Pharisees

Believers in the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings Believe in resurrection, angels, and spirits They survived the Fall of Jerusalem (religion of sacrifice to religion of the Law)

Essenes
Connected with the Dead Sea Scrolls (not mentioned in the New Testament Wrote the scrolls in Qumran near Dead Sea

Religious Parties in the Time of Jesus (Under Judaism)

Essenes
Founded by the Teacher of Righteousness (this Teacher of Righteousness is the enemy of the Temple Priests) Created their own Temple (separate from the Jerusalem Temple) Lived as ascetics, celibate, and shared a communal life Performed ritual purity and manual labor

Religious Parties in the Time of Jesus (Under Judaism)

Zealots Herodians Scribes
Not a religious or political party A professional class: learned persons Experts of the Law (Rabbi, my great one a word of respect) They have disciples

Religious Parties in the Time of Jesus (Under Judaism)

Sanhedrin
Supreme Court (70 people): elders, Pharisees,Sadducees They meet everyday except the Sabbath

Judaizers
Remained faithful to Jewish faith and culture Hatred of the Gentiles; known as the Hebraists

Hellenists
Jews outside Palestine Jewish in faith; open to graeco-roman culture Spoke Greek and wore Greek clothing

JESUS OF NAZARETH
Jesus was a peasant He was brilliant He was world affirming had a zest for life He challenged the domination system of his day For him, God was an experiential reality

JESUS OF NAZARETH
Jesus was also a healer There seems to be a spiritual presence around him As a figure of history, Jesus was ambiguous
Insane? Eccentric A dangerous threat Filled with the Spirit of God

Activity
Locate some text in the synoptic Gospels which report the different healings. (Matthew, Mark, Luke)

Jesus Ministry
As healer and exorcist
To help people because he was compassionate and forgiving Associated healing and miracles with the coming of Gods Kingdom, and a time of deliverance Healing pointed to a direct relationship to God, apart from experiencing God through the rules and rituals prescribed by religion

Teacher of Transformative Wisdom

Regularly addressed as Teacher (Rabbi) during his lifetime A teacher of right belief needed for salvation? A teacher of right morals? He was a teacher of a way of transformation He invited us to a new way of life

Activity
Make a list of five (5) Filipino wisdom teachers (Heroes, statesmen, scholars or artists) Beside each name, write a short statement that calls for transformation attributed to that person.

Teacher of Transformative Wisdom

He appealed to ordinary human experience and observations from nature Used the usual form of earlier traditions, i.e., Proverbs and Parables Proverbs are short but insightful sayings A parable is a short imaginative story designed to communicate one central idea that reverses a prevailing notion An invitation to see differently

Activity
Write down some Filipino sayings that express in substance the message of the wisdom sayings attributed to Jesus.

Teacher of Transformative Wisdom

An invitation to see God as gracious and compassionate An invitation that is more and more centered on God
Imagery of the heart
The heart can only be open to change if it is centered in the compassionate God.

Imagery of death
John 12:24

Initiator of a Renewal Movement

Renewal intended for Israel Grounded in the Spirit Open and reaching out Marked by joy Compassion, the core spirit Implicit universalism

Jesus, Prophet
Jesus condemned the system of his society that favored the wealthy, the powerful, those who were obedient to the commandments.
This system rejected the poor, the powerless, and those unable to keep the law. Israel, with its flourishing religious culture sought to be holy like God, but unable to show compassion.

Jesus, Prophet
Saw the conventional wisdom of his time, with its distinction between pure and impure, righteous and outcast, rich and poor, neighbor and enemy as leading to the destruction of his society.

Jesus, Prophet
Repentance
A returning to God, living like the compassionate God

A time of redemption
The blind see The lame walk The lepers are made clean The deaf hear The dead are brought back to life The Good News is reaching the poor. (Mt. 11:4-5)

Jesus: Our Experience of God

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God

The central image of Jesus ministry A salvation of Gods active presence within peoples daily life Liberating them from the enslaving power of evil For loving service of their fellowmen

The Kingdom of God: Ministry of Jesus

Jesus exposed the enslaving, corrupting power of riches
Luke 6:29-30

Jesus taught that any power not rooted in mutual service was enslaving and oppressive
Mark 10:43-45

The Kingdom of God: Ministry of Jesus

Jesus liberated his followers from the common social prejudices that bond them
Matthew 18:10

Jesus freed his contemporaries from mere external, legalistic religious obedience to the law by interiorizing and prioritizing its obligation
Matthew 23:23

Jesus Words and Deeds

Jesus communicated the message of the Kingdom of God through his WORDS and DEEDS The words of Jesus, accounted as the Parables, speak about the Kingdom of God, and the salvation it offers to the people.

Parables
Parable of the Talents (Luke 19:11 27) Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9 14) Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 37)

Jesus Words and Deeds

The parables are focused on the common life of his listeners, and drew them into recognizing Gods presence in their lives. The purpose of Jesus in using the parables is to persuade, to convince, to convert the hearers to a new vision of the Kingdom by his powerful use of images from everyday life

Jesus Words and Deeds

Communicated the Kingdom of God through His significant deeds miracles.
These miracle stories intend to bring about conversion and faith to the people Jesus showed compassion for the people by liberating and giving them hope through his ministry.

Miracle Stories Healing of the Two Blind Men (Matthew 9:27 31) Wedding at Cana (John 2:1 12) Cure of the Centurions Servant (Luke 7:1 10)

Jesus Words and Deeds

Communicated the Kingdom of God through His significant deeds miracles.
He healed the sick (Healing) Drove out demons (Exorcism) Changed water into wine and brought back life

Jesus Words and Deeds

Jesus ministry was noted for
His celebration of the table-fellowship Concern for the poor Favorable attitude towards women

The ministry of Jesus constantly called for CONVERSION and COMMITMENT to PERSONAL FAITH WITNESSING leading to DISCIPLESHIP.

Jesus Words and Deeds

Faith that Jesus preached
Knowing ones own helplessness, openly accepting Gods free gift of loving, healing, and liberating presence among them

(De Mesa and Wostyn)

Gods offer of salvation demands a personal change of heart, for a response of faith Called to live out the gift of faith freely, hopeful and faithful, indicated in all the concrete circumstances of ones daily life

Paschal Mystery: Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

Paschal Mystery - refers to Jesus life, death and resurrection and their saving significance for us Death of Jesus on the cross
Jesus understood the Kingdom of God as an experience of liberation, and fullness of life for his people It was for this that he was arrested, interrogated, tortured, and executed.

Paschal Mystery: Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Resurrection of Jesus
Faith in the risen Christ A personal encounter with the risen Christ that creates a new life and hope within the person A mystery that can be understood through faith

Paschal Mystery: Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Resurrection of Jesus
An expression of the meaningfulness of the cross An event of hope that expresses the inner belief of every believer
Jesus revealed the admirable liberating love of God for all God lifted up Jesus, and vindicated his ministry and his humanity

Christology in the New Testament

Jesus through his life and ministry was able to fully reveal God and his promise of redemption to the people
By living a life after the image and likeness of God Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God to humanity

Christology in the New Testament

The gospels present the images of Christ shared by the different evangelists as reflected in their own proclamation writings Each reflects the experience of the people with Jesus in their own community.

Christology in the New Testament

Mark the Suffering Messiah Matthew the Servant Messiah Luke the Salvation-from-God-in-Jesus John the Son, Revealer of the Father

Salvation in Christ
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world Through his suffering and death, he won for us reconciliation with God (objective redemption) He did this in loving obedience to Gods love, and in his love for us. A call to personal metanoia (conversion) and diakonia (loving service): subjective redemption

Salvation in Christ
Re-imaging God as loving Grounding our inalienable self-worth in God The dignity of every human person Clarifying the authentic hierarchy of values in life

Christian Faith: A Call to Discipleship

Jesus is our basic model for a new way of life, a new lifestyle, a new meaning of life. Jesus cared for the quality of human life. We, too, have to care for life, the life of everybody, in its many possibilities, in its breadth and depth, life which has a surplus of meaning, notwithstanding the threat of suffering and death. - Wostyn and de Mesa, 1996

Christian Faith: A Call to Discipleship

Our profession of Christian faith must enable us to live the life of Jesus, and become witnesses of his ministry for life We share in bringing into realization the concrete presence of the reign of God here and now.

Christian Faith: A Call to Discipleship

We are called to witness our faith through our loving service for life. Faith in Jesus must direct us to a meaningful and life-giving relationship with ourselves, with others, with ecology, with the future, which manifests our authentic faith relationship with God.

Christian Faith: A Call to Discipleship

This leads us to concrete actions of charity and social concerns for the alleviation of the dehumanizing condition of human life, which ultimately bring into realization the promise of the reign of God, a humane life and just conditions

Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you for showing us The way, the truth, and the life Towards the experience of abundant life. A life living in Gods grace and blessings.

Closing Prayer
Teach us to show the same way to our fellowmen So that they may also see and experience God Through our words, deeds and our entire life.

Closing Prayer
May we continue to uphold our Christian identity Through the communion we share in the celebration of fellowship in the Eucharist. We commemorate the Eucharistic sacrifice of your body and blood As we renew our sacramental life.

Closing Prayer
Give us always the courage, Like the courage you gave to your apostles during the first Pentecost, So that we may unceasingly carry out our Christian mission. Amen