WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

Read: A Servant Soldier p329 Who is the main character? What did he do? What two organizations recognized his work?

In what ways did Father Kapaun act like Jesus? How did he help some soldiers more than others? People in Jesus time were drawn to him for different reasons, just as people are today

GET TO KNOW HIM Many people write Jesus off when they don t really know him If their problems are not immediately fixed they try something else or attempt to convince others not to believe in him

Jesus asks his disciples what people said about him Then he asked them But who do you say that I am? (Mt. 16:15) We would all describe Jesus differently depending on our experiences This chapter examines some of the ways his earliest followers understood him

Section 1: Gospel Portrait of Jesus KEY IDEAS: KEY TERMS: The Gospels help us understand why many people were attracted to Jesus and his teaching None He empowered oppressed people He was not a hypocrite: he would not ask anyone to do anything he was not willing to do himself

Jesus has been the subject of more books, articles, and films that anyone else in human history What is so special about him? What attracts you to Jesus? What do you know about him personally?

EVERYONE S FRIEND Jesus had many different friendships in his life Ex: his apostles Peter: strong headed James and John: had such bad tempters Jesus nicknamed them sons of thunder Matthew: a despised tax collector

MAGNETIC PERSONALITY As Jesus traveled, sick, maimed, undesirable, and sinful people flocked to Jesus Many people were critical of the people Jesus associated with Yet Jesus was friends with Sanhedrin leaders Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

Jesus was a friend to everyone Anyone mentioned in the Gospels who was not a friend of Jesus seemed to have only themselves to blame But Jesus did make demands on people he considered friends: Read Matthew 16:23 What does he call Peter?

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS Many people would not change their lives in order to follow Jesus Ex: The rich official who could not part with his possessions Read Matt 19:16-26 Ex: Many Jewish leaders who could not or would not believe him

Jesus was strong and gentle, which seems like a contradiction Jesus was not afraid of conflict, he boldly stood up to hypocritical teachers, he turned over the tables of the money changers in the Temple He would not compromise his convictions

READ & ANSWER Read: The Face of Jesus p336 Why did people of Jesus time not allow personal portraits? Where would you find the earliest images of Jesus? In many early depictions, Jesus resembled What was the unique change about the artist depictions of Jesus from the 19 th century?

HUMILITY Jesus taught his followers to be humble, forgiving, and loving He lived those virtues himself Jesus modeled his humility when he washed the Apostles feet at the Last Supper He reminded us not to parade our good deeds to attract public attention, to give to the poor discretely

He taught his followers to forgive others, even enemies The greatest example of this is when Jesus forgave the soldiers who crucified him The primary focus of Jesus teaching is to love others He told us that there is no greater love than to lay down one s life for a friend

Section 2: The Early Church Preaching About Jesus KEY IDEAS: KEY TERMS: The Apostles preached basic beliefs essential to introducing Jesus St. Paul emphasized many points as he traveled around the Mediterranean and explained elements of Christianity to various communities The Book of Revelation includes many symbols and titles for Jesus to help you better understand him Kerygma Redeemer

The Acts of the Apostles and New Testament Letters narrate the stories about the early Church and how the Gospel spread around the Roman Empire The ways St Paul, St Peter, and other Apostles describe Jesus can help us know him better: Why?

The history of the Church began at Pentecost (Acts 2) On this day, the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the courage to proclaim the Gospel with faith and conviction The new human community known as the Church was created

The Apostles preached the kerygma in the years following his death Kerygma: the essential message or proclamation about Jesus Christ Acts records eighteen different sermons that capture what the early Church preached about Jesus St Peter s famous sermon delivered from the window of the Upper Room on Pentecost contained truths about Jesus: READ Acts 2:14-36

JUMP START Peter s sermon had an electrifying effect on the people who heard it: 3,000 people accepted his message and were converted on that day alone The Church was established and began to grow

CH10 SECT 1: QUIZ TOMORROW! REVIEW POWERPOINT AND NOTE PACKETS

ST PAUL S PORTRAIT OF JESUS A large portion of the Acts of the Apostles focuses on St Paul, a great missionary and theologian Saul was born in AD 10 in Tarsus (modern day Turkey) He was a Jew and a Roman citizen and studied to be a rabbi His upbringing in Tarsus exposed him to Gentile religions, philosophies, and customs; these experiences would be valuable after Paul converted to Christianity

GREATEST CONVERT? Prior to his conversion, Paul was hostile to Jews who believed in Jesus He violently opposed people preaching about a condemned criminal Paul was present at the execution of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54) Paul s conversion was a great turning point in history

I ONCE WAS BLIND On the road to Damascus, a bright light flashed from the sky and Paul was thrown from his horse A voice asked why are you persecuting me? Paul go up, but was blind; he was lead to the city by fellow travelers

CHECKERED PAST God called Ananias to restore Paul s sight and Paul was baptized He preached for a time in the city, then made his way to Jerusalem Many Christians were skeptical of Paul and his past: how can you relate to the way Paul was seen by others? Read Gentiles Handout

St Paul wrote letters to Church communities he founded around the Mediterranean Sea He explains Jesus true identity and mission These inspired insights help Christians from every era to a deeper understanding of Jesus List the 7 Teachings on Jesus from p342 BIBLE: ST PAUL CLIP

OTHER NT EPISTLES The Bible contains nine non-pauline Epistles (letters) that reveal information about Christ to us The Letter to the Hebrews is a homily that develops the theme of Jesus as the supreme High Priest In Judaism, priests offered sacrifices Jesus willingly offered his life as a sacrifice for the sins of all This New Covenant was foretold by Jeremiah

In the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is compared to other Biblical figures It is the only NT writing that calls Jesus an Apostle: messenger of God It also stressed Jesus was far superior to than any other OT figure (Moses, Abraham, etc) This letter encourages a community of dispirited Christians to persevere in their faith and keep Christ s examples

Read about the Catholic Epistles (p344) and fill in the following questions: How many Catholic Epistles are there? What does catholic mean? What does the Letter of James stress? What three sources describe Jesus as a suffering Messiah? What two letters are speaking to converts who Christianity? What two actions are condemned in these letters? What is Parousia? What false teaching does First Letter to John address? What is the main teaching of the First Letter to John?

THE END The last book of the Bible is the Book of Revelation It is also known as the Revelation of John or the Apocalypse It is one of the most difficult books to understand because of its elaborate use of symbolism Revelation clearly communicates that Jesus has brought victory over death and will triumph over sin and suffering

OTHER NT EPISTLES At the end of the present age, Jesus will return in glory at his Second Coming Although there is suffering and hardship in the world, a Christian should endure these in order to achieve God s reward There are 6 titles in addition to familiar NT names for Jesus (ie Son of God, Word of God, Christ) that reveal Jesus at the end of time

1: Lamb Jesus is called Lamb 28 times in Revelation TITLES OF JESUS IN REVELATION This title refers to Jesus great sacrifice that won our salvation 2: Alpha and Omega The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet Jesus is the beginning and the end

TITLES OF JESUS IN REVELATION 3: The Amen Jesus is the Amen (or Yes) to God the Father 4: Lion of the Tribe of Judah The lion is the king of animals, Jesus is the promised King in the royal line of David 5: King of Kings and Lord of Lords Affirms that Jesus is the supreme conqueror of evil

6: Morning Star: Near the end of Revelation, Jesus says I am the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star TITLES OF JESUS IN REVELATION The Book of Revelation ends the Bible with the words Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all! Rev 22:20-21

CH 10 SECTION 2 QUIZ TOMORROW CHAPTER TEST TO FOLLOW