Foundations 1 Lesson 1 - Who is Jesus? Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 1 of 7
Introduction: Welcome to Foundations 1. This is the first of 3 Foundations courses offered to people attending Riverview. Foundations 1 is designed to introduce the basic beliefs of the Christian faith in a clear and simple way. Our goal with this course is to provide a safe and informative environment where you can ask questions about Christianity whether you have been a Christ follower for a while, are just new to the faith or are still looking for answers. Over the next 6 weeks we will cover the following topics: 1. Who is Jesus? 2. What is the Bible? 3. What is the Real Story? 4. What is the New Kingdom? 5. Who am I in the Kingdom? 6. Other Questions. Each lesson will have some questions for you to consider individually and to discuss as a group. We hope this will be an enjoyable, informative beginning of your discipleship journey with us here at Riverview. 1. Opening Group Discussion a. How did you come to attend Riverview? b. What do you think was Jesus most important contribution to the world? 2. Who is Jesus? The Jesus of History Jesus was a first century Jew who lived in an agricultural society. He came from a middle class family and His father Joseph was a builder and carpenter. Jesus lived in the small country of Israel on the western coast of the Mediterranean Sea. During his lifetime, the first century AD, Israel and the Jewish nation was both controlled by, and part of, the Roman Empire. One of the questions people often ask is, Did Jesus really exist at all? but in addition to the Bible there are many other historical references to Jesus by ancient historians. Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 2 of 7
In his book Who is this Man? John Ortberg makes a number of observations regarding the impact Jesus life has had on the whole world, not just the church world. "Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western Culture for almost 20 centuries. If it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of history every scrap of metal bearing at least a trace of his name, how much would be left?" - Yale historian, Jeroslav Pelikan It turns out that the life of Jesus is a comet with an exceedingly long tail. Here are some shards of his impact that most often surprise people: Children In the ancient world children were routinely left to die of exposure -- particularly if they were the wrong gender (you can guess which was the wrong one); they were often sold into slavery. Jesus' treatment of and teachings about children led to the forbidding of such practices, as well as orphanages and godparents. A Norwegian scholar named Bakke wrote a study of this impact, simply titled: When Children Became People: the Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity. Education Love of learning led to monasteries, which became the cradle of academic guilds. Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard all began as Jesus-inspired efforts to love God with all ones' mind. The first legislation to publicly fund education in the colonies was called The Old Deluder Satan Act, under the notion that God does not want any child ignorant. The ancient world loved education but tended to reserve it for the elite; the notion that every child bore God's image helped fuel the move for universal literacy. Compassion Jesus had a universal concern for those who suffered that transcended the rules of the ancient world. His compassion for the poor and the sick led to institutions for lepers, the beginning of modern-day hospitals. The Council of Nyssa decreed that wherever a cathedral existed, there must be a hospice, a place of caring for the sick and poor. That's why even today, hospitals have names like "Good Samaritan," "Good Shepherd," or "Saint Anthony." They were the world's first voluntary, charitable institutions. Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 3 of 7
Humility The ancient world honoured many virtues like courage and wisdom, but not humility. People were generally divided into first class and coach. "Rank must be preserved," said Cicero; each of the original 99 percent was a personis mediocribus. Plutarch wrote a self-help book that might crack best-seller lists in our day: How to Praise Yourself Inoffensively. Jesus' life as a foot-washing servant would eventually lead to the adoption of humility as a widely admired virtue. Historian John Dickson writes, "it is unlikely that any of us would aspire to this virtue were it not for the historical impact of his crucifixion...our culture remains cruciform long after it stopped being Christian." Forgiveness In the ancient world, virtue meant rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. Conan the Barbarian was actually paraphrasing Ghengis Khan in his famous answer to the question "what is best in life?" -- To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women. An alternative idea came from Galilee: what is best in life is to love your enemies, and see them reconciled to you. Hannah Arendt, the first woman appointed to a full professorship at Princeton, claimed, "the discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth." This may be debatable, but he certainly gave the idea unique publicity. Humanitarian Reform: Jesus had a way of championing the excluded that was often downright irritating to those in power. His inclusion of women led to a community to which women flocked in disproportionate numbers. Slaves--up to a third of ancient populations--might wander into a church fellowship and have a slave-owner wash their feet rather than beat them. One ancient text instructed bishops to not interrupt worship to greet a wealthy attender, but to sit on the floor to welcome the poor. The apostle Paul said: "Now there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus." Thomas Cahill wrote that this was the first statement of egalitarianism in human literature. Perhaps as remarkable as anything else is how Jesus' influence has withstood the failings of his followers, who from the beginning probably got in his way at least as much as they helped. Meanwhile, the unpredictable influence of an unelected carpenter continues to endure and spread across the world. Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 4 of 7
3. What was Jesus like? What do the following scriptural records tell us about the kind of man Jesus was while on earth? a. John 2:1-12 Turning water into wine at a wedding b. Luke 5:12-16 Healing a man with leprosy c. Mark 2:13-17 Eating with sinners d. Luke 19:1-9 Meeting with Zacchaeus e. Mark 11:15-18 Jesus in the Temple 4. What significant things did Jesus Do? This is a likely timeline for the significant events in Jesus life as recorded in the Gospels: Event Jesus is born (commemorated on Christmas Day) Jesus grows up in Nazareth Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist First miracle -- turns water into wine at the wedding in Cana Chooses the 12 disciples Preaches the Sermon on the Mount The Transfiguration -- Jesus' face shone like the sun Raises Lazarus from the dead Triumphal entry to Jerusalem (commemorated on Palm Sunday) The Last Supper Arrest, trial, and crucifixion (commemorated on Good Friday) Resurrection from the dead (commemorated on Easter Day) Appears to disciples Ascends to Heaven Approx. date 6-4 B.C. 26 A.D. 26 A.D. 28 A.D. 28 A.D. 29 A.D. 29 A.D. 30 A.D., Sunday Thursday Friday, Passover Eve Sunday During following week 40 days after resurrection 5. Who did Jesus claim to be? Jesus made 2 important claims while on earth. 1. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. The word is a transliteration of the Hebrew and means the same thing as the word Christ. When translated both words mean anointed one (Mark 8:27-30 you are the Messiah. ). Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 5 of 7
Jesus came to the Jews as their Messiah, but as a very different Messiah from what most of them had expected. Jesus came to deliver not only the Jews from the oppression of Rome but the whole world from the oppression of sin. 2. Jesus also claimed to be God (John 10:33 They replied, We re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God. ). This claim was validated by the resurrection (Romans 1:3-4). I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. C.S. Lewis 6. Conclusion Jesus of Nazareth lived in the first century as a human being who experienced all the dimensions of human life and limitation. But He was more than just a man, He was God incarnate, the fullest and most complete revelation of God to humanity. He came to show the world what God is truly like and lead the world, through His own life, death and resurrection, back to a right relationship with the Creator of the cosmos. Through His physical and bodily resurrection He lives on as the King of all creation and will continue the work of transforming the world through the transformed lives of His followers. Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 6 of 7
7. Group Reflection Questions: Take a bit of time to get to know one another in your group. Then, once you have done so, discuss the following questions: 1. What do you find most attractive or interesting about Jesus? 2. Do you think it matters whether or not Jesus rose from the dead? Why or why not? 3. What does it mean to follow Jesus? 8. Memory Verse Romans 1:3, 4 The Good News is about God s Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 1 New Living Translation Riverview Church Term 1, 2017 Page 7 of 7