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Have you ever thought about what your
mission and life would be? Not just your
profession, but your purpose in life?
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Christ’s life was part of God’s plan to save all
people.
Apart from the time when Jesus was lost and
found in the temple, we know very little about
Jesus’ life as a child, teenager, and young adult –
hidden life of Jesus.
What we know is that – Jesus was obedient to
his parents, and grew in “wisdom and
knowledge.”
Jesus’ public life began with his baptism by John
the Baptist.
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Jesus went to the desert to fast
and pray – where he was
tempted by the Devil to
achieve his mission through
fame, comfort, and political
power – and not through
suffering and death.
After he returned from the
desert, Jesus began his
mission of proclaiming the
Kingdom of God or the Reign
of God.
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Jewish culture in Jesus’ time 
strict morality with consequences
 non-Jews are seen with suspicion and not part of the
Kingdom of God
 the Messiah is a political and military leader
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Jesus challenged these misinterpretations of
beliefs.
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Best summary of Jesus’ teachings in the
Gospels
“I have come not to abolish the law but to
fulfill it.”
Examples (Mt. 5:21-28):
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Your shall not kill  someone who holds on to
anger
You shall not commit adultery  someone who
looks someone with lust
Love your neighbor, hate your enemies  love your
enemies.
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Jesus used parables to challenge his listeners.
Parables – stories that has a surprising twist, to
shock the people and to hear them in a new way.
Some examples:
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Parable of the Prodigal Son
Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Call to love and forgive goes beyond the minimum
requirement.
You don’t have to be perfect to be part of the
Kingdom, but willing to allow the Holy Spirit to
help you grow in love and forgiveness.
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People believed in Jesus because he actually lived
the reign of God, not just simply because he was
inspiring.
They experienced God’s love and power in a
profound way.
Some ways that Jesus lived the reign of God:
Jesus’ miracles
Jesus welcomed everybody – rich and poor, young and
old, saints and sinners
 Jesus reached out to the outcasts of society (ex: Woman at
the well – John 4:1-42)
 Jesus included the poor and sinners.
 Jesus forgave sins.
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Jesus’ miracles are grouped into four categories:
Physical healings (curing people of paralysis, blindness, leprosy
etc.)
 Exorcisms (driving out demons)
 Bringing the dead back to life
 Nature miracles (feeding of the five thousand, calming of the
storm).
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The miracles show that Jesus had power over all creation –
even demons, and that in the Kingdom of God, we are
rescued from evil, suffering, pain, and death.
Jesus Christ and the Reign of God are linked together.
Modern society has hard time accepting miracles. But just
because some people do not believe in them, it doesn’t mean
they’re not real.
Miracles are all around us. We just need to see it.
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Jesus invited his disciples – which means
students or followers – to share in his
mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God.
They come from a diverse group.
Twelve special disciples or inner circle
known as the Apostles were –
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B – Bartholomew
A – Andrew
P – Peter, Philip
T – Thomas, Thaddeus
I – James, James the son of Alphaeus, John,
Judas Iscariot
S – Simon the Zealot
M -- Matthew
12 calls to mind the 12 Tribes of Israel
The bishops are the successors to the
apostles
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Many of Jesus’ disciples followed
Jesus and provided for the work
of the apostles, especially women.
Jesus’ relationship with his
disciples teaches us several things
about the Kingdom of God:
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It’s about your relationship with
others and Jesus.
Jesus wants us to be part in
proclaiming the Gospel. We are
partners in his mission.
The Church (meaning us) – has the
responsibility of continuing the
mission of Jesus. It’s not perfect. It
consists of sinful but saved
(redeemed) people.