CHAPTER

THREE
The Essential Jesus
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Mystery: God’s infinite incomprehensibility and saving
plan for human history

- Interesting and intimate connection between two

understandings of mystery
1.) God who is a mystery is the same God who
has chosen to reveal Himself in human history
2.) Everything about Jesus reveals a loving, infinite
God of mercy
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
- Only the gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us about the
birth of Jesus and his years prior to ministry

- Matthew and Luke used vivid birth and infancy

narratives to introduce and summarize the major
theological themes of their gospels

- Even though they are different, each account

represents an interest primarily in theology rather
than history
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Matthew
• Genealogy of Jesus
• Conception of Jesus
• Birth into Bethlehem
• Visit of the Magi
• Flight into Egypt
• Slaughter of the Innocents
• Return to Nazareth in Galilee
Luke
• Jesus and John’s births foretold
• Annunciation to Mary
• Visitation
• Magnificat of Mary
• Birth/Circumcision of John
• Benediction of Zechariah
• Hidden life of John the Baptist
• Birth of Jesus
• Visit of the Shepherds
• Presentation in the Temple
• Hidden Life of Jesus
• Jesus in the Temple
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Jesus’ Baptism
- Each of the four gospels used Jesus’ baptism as the
starting point of his ministry

- Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan

River
• Symbol for Jewish freedom
• Point of entry into the Promised Land after 40 years in
the desert
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Jesus’ Baptism Cont.
- Mystery of Jesus’ baptism displays the Lord’s humility
• Took identity of His people allowing himself to be
numbered with the sinners

- Jesus is identified through three phenomena:

1.) Opening of the sky
2.) Dove is a symbol of joy
3.) Voice proclaiming, “You are my beloved son.”
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Criterion of Embarrassment: Used to determine
what we can be sure really happened in Jesus’ earthly
ministry
• The criterion would conclude that Jesus must have
been baptized because it would have been
embarrassing to the early church to teach that the
sinless one humbled himself in this way
• The church would not make up Jesus’ baptism because
it raises the potential question that Jesus might have
sins that need cleansing.
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Criterion of Embarrassment Cont.
- Good reasons why Jesus was baptized
1.) To show perfect submission to the Father’s will
2.) Foreshadow the baptism of his death
3.) Serve as a model for our own baptisms
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Criterion of Embarrassment Cont.

Jesus’ work is
Jesus’ baptism shows
accomplished by the
He is about His fathers
power of the Holy
work of salvation
Spirit

Jesus’ baptism
The Lord’s work can foreshadows
continue through His Christian baptism
followers
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Temptations of Jesus
- Jesus went to the desert to pray, fast, and prepare
himself for the difficult mission ahead

- He was tempted there by Satan

• Unlike us, he never gave into the temptation and never
sinned
• Temptation to sin is not the same as sin itself
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Temptations of Jesus Cont.
- Jesus’ victory in the desert foreshadows his ultimate
victory

- Jesus’ retreat in the desert helps him clarify His identity

as God’s son and what his mission was to be

• Unlike the chosen people, Jesus remained faithful to His

Father
Jesus the Teacher
Jesus had several exceptional qualities
- He was authentic and genuine
- He pursued people
- He loved life and related to people on their level
- He used colorful, down-to-earth language
- He spoke with authority (quoted no one)
- He was a brilliant debater
Parables of Jesus
Parable: Compares something very familiar to an
unfamiliar idea about God’s kingdom

- Challenges us to use our imaginations, emotions,

and minds to grapple with the truth being taught
- Able to convey truth in a more interesting and
memorable way than teaching by reciting cold
facts
- Forces hearers to look at reality in a fresh way
Parables of Jesus
Kingdom (reign) of God
- Refers to God’s active participation in life both in
heaven and on earth

- Jesus is the main principal agent of this kingdom

- Central theme of Jesus’ preaching

Parables of Jesus
Special Features of Kingdom of God

It is for everyone

It involves a life of service

It is of a loving, God the Father

It is united by the Holy Spirit

It is a free gift from
a merciful God
Jesus the Miracle Worker
Miracles give proof to the claim that God’s kingdom
was at hand and confirmed that God the Father sent
Jesus to earth

- Four categories of Jesus’ miracles:

• Physical Healings
• Nature Miracles
• Exorcisms
• Raising from the Dead
Jesus the Miracle Worker
Miracles & Faith
- Synoptic gospels used the word dynamis for miracle,
meaning power
- Jesus used the word semeion for miracle, meaning
sign
- To understand the meaning of Jesus’ miracles, we
have to look at them from a biblical perspective
Jesus the Miracle Worker
1.) Jesus’ miracles reveal God’s power:
• In and through Jesus, miracles help show who
Jesus is and where He came from
• Jesus has mastery over Satan and the forces of
darkness; He crashes Satan’s power by healing
and raising from the dead
• Jesus has power to forgive sins; by forgiving sins
he is speaking as God
Jesus the Miracle Worker
2.) Jesus’ miracles are signs of the coming of God’s
kingdom:

• Jesus dramatically witnesses to God’s love and

compassion through his miracles

• God’s kingdom is here; Satan’s reign is ending

• The miracles were a response to people’s faith in Jesus

Jesus’ Obedience
Jesus threatened many of the religious and civil
leaders of his day because:
1.) He claimed to fulfill the Law of Moses but
emphasized the spirits of the Law
•He would heal people on the Sabbath, contrary to
what authorities thought was necessary to keep
holy the Lord’s day

2.) He freely associated with people who were

considered outcasts
Jesus’ Obedience
3.) He treated women with courtesy and respect

4.) His message contained so many one-of-a-kind

teachings that he could only be considered
controversial and dangerous

5.) He forgave sins

• Only God could forgive sin. Was this blasphemy?
Vocabulary
Kerygma
Kingdom (Reign) of God
Midrash
Mystery
Parable
Paschal Mystery
Transfiguration