LIFE & MINISTRY
OF JESUS
A. MEANING OF “JESUS CHRIST”
• a personal name, Jesus and a Christian
designation (title) of him as (the)
“Christ”.
• Jesus derives from the Gk. Word
“Iesous” (Heb. Yeshua), which means
“the Lord is Salvation.”
• Christ on the one hand comes from
the Gk. Word Christos (Heb.
Maschiach), meaning “anointed one.”
• In the Christian usage, the “anointed
one” (messiah) refers to “a royal
figure (‘son of David’)
B. BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS
• Jesus’ birth is recorded only in Matt
and Luke.
• Jesus was born shortly before the
death of King Herod the Great (4
BCE).
• The Reign of Augustus Caesar the
one that ordered the decree to
register everyone (Luke 2:1-7)
• Joseph was a carpenter Gk. Tekton
generally a craftsman.
• Not much is said about the of the gospels
about Jesus’ youth except the one
narrated Luke 2:41-52
• Passover festival (he major Jewish spring
festival that commemorates the liberation
of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery,
lasting seven or eight days) in Jerusalem.
• Here Jesus, at age 12 displays
considerable maturity in which he
discusses with teachers in the
temple.
C. BAPTISM
• All of the canonical gospels connect the
beginnings of Jesus’ ministry to the
movement of John the Baptist.
• The precursor of Jesus, proclaiming and
preparing the way of the Lord Luke 3:4).
• His task was to preach a baptism of
repentance 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, Mt.
3:13-17, Lk 3:22; Jn. 1:29-34 reveals
some aspect of his role and identity.
• The split of heavens show cosmic
significance perhaps telling the
reader of heaven’s participation in
and support for his ministry.
• Divine intervention or endorsement,
Jesus’ identity as the “Son of God.”
• The spirit descending upon him (like a
dove!) may symbolize Jesus’ role as
the messiah—the anointed one the
fulfilment of the messianic visions in
the O.T.
D. TEMPTATION
• The temptation story that proceeds
immediately right after the baptism
narrative probably reflects considerable
influence of from Persia traditions about
the devil, Satan (ha satan).
• “Role of a secret service agent who
worked undercover testing people’s
loyalty.”
• Both testing and recruiting
• Jesus proved to be the Son of God,
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.
• “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).
• 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.
F. PASSION, DEATH, RESURRECTION
• 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
subversion.
• The religious leaders accuse him of
blasphemy for claiming to be “Son of
God” and for pronouncing forgiveness.
• Roman imperial government—he is a
political rebel being a “messiah,” one
who liberates the people from political
bondage.
• 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. This event was
first witnessed by women.
• his disciples gathered in hopeless
desperation due to this master’s loss.
• 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
• Members continued to expect Jesus’
return, “inaugurating a kingdom in
which the world would be transformed.”
