Jesus as the defining Word of God
A.
Jesus, Who are you?
All who knew Jesus wondered whether this Jewish man from Nazareth was a gifted preacher, a prophet,
or the Messiah.
Christians believe in the Incarnation, that Jesus is God’s own Son made present in human flesh.
Jesus is fully divine and fully human in all things except sin.
God lived a human life in order to:
*reach people intimately
*help them understand God better
*provide a model to follow
B.
Jesus’ Life and Mission Begin:
The Gospel writers tell of Jesus’ amazing origin-conceived in Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and
born in Bethlehem as hope for poor people and a light to the nations. Little is written of Jesus’ childhood,
but we can gather that this extraordinary person led a mostly ordinary life of obedience to his parents and
God. When Jesus was baptized at age thirty, he received God’s blessing to begin his public ministry.
Jesus first spent forty days fasting and praying in the desert wilderness to prepare for his mission. The
devil tempted Jesus three times to quit relying on God alone, but Jesus did not yield and returned to
Galilee ready for whatever was to come.
C.
The Public Ministry of Jesus:
Jesus gathered around him a community of disciples to learn his ways and carry on his mission of
proclaiming and living the Kingdom of God. Jesus proclaimed a Kingdom of love, not of political power,
as many expected. Jesus, the embodiment of God’s love for all, preached that God is “our Father.” The
usual values and priorities of the world are turned upside down in the Kingdom, so the least are the
greatest. Jesus was considered controversial and even dangerous, so plans were made to kill him. In the
Eucharist we remember the Last Supper and Jesus’ love in dying for us.
The Gospels show God’s Kingdom manifested in Jesus’ parables and miracles:
*healing
*restoring life and peace
*welcoming outsiders
*loving enemies
*challenging injustice and religious legalism