Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ

At the heart of the Christian Scriptures are the Gospels (Good News). The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are not biographies of Jesus Christ but carefully constructed presentations of Jesus Christ and his message to help the members of specific communities come to believe that he is the Savior sent by God.

Luke begins his Gospel by saying, "I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received." (Luke 1:3-4). John concludes his Gospel by saying, "But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name." (John 20:31).

In a systematic and orderly way, the Gospels proclaim the Good News that the first disciples had proclaimed: "That Jesus is Lord and Savior and the fulfillment of God's promise to save us." (Acts 3:12-26).

What are the signs that Jesus is the Savior?

	It begins with the whole wonderful story of Jesus' birth. He grows in wisdom, grace and age. (Luke 2:52). He weeps at the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35). He himself suffers and dies. (Matthew 26:36-46 and 27:45-49). In sum, the story of Jesus' life shows that he is fully human. It is because Jesus has so deeply entered our world that he can save us. Jesus' actions of reaching out to touch those afflicted with leprosy, laying a hand on a withered leg or caressing the eyes of the blind express a deep compassion and care for those who suffered. He healed all who came to him and even raised the dead to life. In doing this he confirmed that everyone is precious to God. In addition to his healing miracles, Jesus calmed the storm on Lake Galilee and saved his disciples. He multiplied bread and fish to feed the hungry, much as God had done in the days of Moses. Indeed Jesus used this opportunity to say that he was acting just as God had acted. (John Chapter 6)

Jesus' Central Message:

Jesus' central message is that God wants to live in a personal and intimate relationship with each person. Through his parables Jesus helps his disciples understand that God is overwhelmingly generous in a love which is both forgiving and life-giving. (Luke Chapter 15)

Through his teaching Jesus spells out a new way of life. In his inaugural address, "The Sermon on the Mount", Jesus calls his disciples to a true conversion of heart.

For instance his disciples are not to become angry with others much less kill them. Rather, they are to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. They are to continue to grow and become fully alive. (Matthew Chapters 5 -7) In a word, Jesus teaches his disciples how to live rightly before God and neighbor and thus proclaims the Reign of God (The Kingdom of God).

Jesus' actions and teachings are totally unique. For instance, some think that the Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is the heart of Jesus' teachings. While this is one of Jesus' sayings, he moves beyond it when, at the last supper, he says, "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34). No other religious leader has ever said this. The love of neighbor that Jesus teaches is a love of service and even sacrifice.

Jesus: Fully Human and Fully Divine:

As Catholics we believe, along with most other Christians, that Jesus is the Eternal Son of God (fully divine) and the Son of Mary (fully human). Sent by the Father, the Son of God (the Second Person of the Trinity) took on our human nature by the power of the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Trinity) and was born into this world as the Son of Mary. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. We call it the Incarnation (the entering into flesh).

As St. Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, "Though Jesus was in the form of God, he did not cling to his Godhead, but emptied himself and took our human form even to the point of accepting death, death on a cross. Therefore God raised him and made him Lord of all for the glory of the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)

Jesus' passage from death to life is the central event of the New Testament (the Christian Scriptures). His passage from death to life (the Passover) parallels the passage of Moses and the Hebrew people from Egypt to the Promised Land. This is called the Paschal Mystery and it results in a New Covenant (relationship) between God and all who follow Christ. The Paschal Mystery becomes the pattern and guide for Christ's disciples in their celebrating and in their daily life.

What began with the Incarnation is completed with the Resurrection. Jesus accepted the limits of being human. He lived in a particular time and place. He entrusted himself totally to the Father. As a result, he experienced God's power in the Resurrection.

In a similar way, only when we become aware of God's transforming presence in the limited situations of our life and respond to that presence through a surrender of love can we become fully alive.

Because Jesus is fully divine and fully human he reveals in a definitive way what God is like and how we are to relate to one another.

(In our belief about Jesus we differ from the Jews and Muslims who are our spiritual cousins. Jews, Christians and Muslims accept Abraham as their Father in the Faith. Like Jews and Christians, Muslims accept much of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, neither the Jews nor the Muslims recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Muslims, however, unlike the Jews, recognize Jesus as a prophet but not the great prophet who is Mohammed. Muslims also have a great respect for Mary.)