Miracles, Teachings and Parables that Characterized the Life of Jesus Christ - Essay Example

MIDTERM EXAM Miracles, teachings and parables were elements that characterized the life of Jesus Christ. Events such as baptism, his miracles, teachings and lack of attachment to his birth mother and serving the people in it is a story that people keep on talking about since his death. Jesus was more than a teacher, a healer and a priest. He was the son of God, sent to the world to salvage the poor, to heal the sick, give hope to the hopeless and later ensure that the people have a direct relationship with God. He had a mission when he came, that of reclaiming the people. In his teachings and various missions with his disciples, he stressed the fact that he was on a mission and would reunite with his father after finishing his mission on earth. Perhaps, because of the events of his life, which describe who exactly Jesus was, coupled with the various activities he undertook and his mission on earth formed the basis for Moltmanns changes to the creed. The short summary of the life of Jesus as presented in the apostle’s creed inadequately covers the most important elements of his mission on earth. In fact, giving a simple description of his life, as being born of virgin mother Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit, his trial and subsequent murder and crucifixion, death and resurrection after three days and later his assertion inadequately describes whom Jesus was. Sensing perhaps that people rarely read the bible and that they need to know more about Jesus, Moltmann proposed the various changes in the apostle’s creed relative to the events of his life. These are yet the most inspiring events that give the people an understanding of what exactly Jesus went through for the sake of their salvation1. His life, as vividly described by the gospel books of the new testaments gives a chronology of his life on earth. The apostle’s creed seeks to summarize the life of Christ in a few sentences. Through the apostle’s creed, one can tell the life of Jesus Christ from his birth to death and later his ascension to heaven. Taking into consideration the most significant events in the life of Jesus, the creed is like a reminder of the various situations that happened in the life of Jesus Christ. Few are people who know the full life of Jesus, if the apostle’s creed was anything to go by. As the bible seeks to furnish people with the knowledge and the New Testament an understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the proposed apostle’s creed would be an additional teaching tool to the people. Largely, the life of Jesus was one full of activities. From, his birth, conceived of the Holy Spirit with a Virgin Mary, to his baptism is some of the most important activities of his life. Baptism, which is presentation of people to God through the Holy Spirit was and still is an important element of Christianity. Further, God promised the world from the times of David in Israel to send them a messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. The coming of John the Baptist to create a way for Jesus and prepare people for his coming was in deed the height of the promises. He hinted to the people of his differences with Jesus, whom he described as himself not worthy to touch his shoe. It was with this realization that Moltmann proposed of the additional clauses in the creed. Baptized by john the baptism shows that baptism, as an acceptance to God was an important event in the life of Jesus2. Filled by the Holy Spirit, was an indication that Jesus was in fact more than a human being. In his various teachings and miracles, the Holy Spirit was in control. During his baptism, the Holy Spirit in form of a dove appeared, and a voice from heaven described him as God’s son. These created an important foundation for Jesus’s later works on earth. Capturing them in the creed would make people realize the differences between Jesus and any other priest. Further, he made it clear the reasons why he came to the earth. He was on a mission, which the current apostle’s creed does not capture. In his own words, Jesus said that he came to preach the kingdom to the poor, to heal the sick, to receive those who have been cast out, to revive Israel for the salvation of nations and to have mercy upon all people. To preach the kingdom to the poor shows the willingness of Jesus to bring people to God regardless of their spiritual wealth. To him, the poor were either the non-believers or the poor in wealth. In his teachings, he argued that he never came for the rich but the poor. These are the most important reasons why Jesus came to the world. Failure of the recent creed to capture these inadequately describes who Jesus was, thus failing to describe his mission and his complete life. 1. According to Moltmanns discussion of the relationship of the Father and the Son concerning the cross in the section “The Theology of the Surrender of Christ”, he asserts that the Father forsake his own son by letting him die on the cross. Moltmann further argues that Paul stresses that the Father forsake his son by giving him to the death. However, the Father had a reason by forsaking the son, for the sake of the people. By giving him up to sin, his death was a way of forgiving the human race. Before the death of Jesus on the cross, various events took place that showed that the father in deed had forsaken his own son. The denial of Jesus by peter three times before the crowing of the cock and the betrayal of Jesus by Judas was an indication that the father was ready to give up his own son for the sake of the people. The trial of Jesus further indicates that the father was ready to sacrifice his son, regardless of the pain he would have to go through. God could have saved Jesus from the trial, prevented his crucifixion on the cross and subsequently prevented all the activities that took place from the capture of Jesus to his death3. However, the Father was bent to fulfilling the word, which prophesied of the death of the son on the cross. Although the son appears to have suffered more than the father has, the two suffered equally. The pain that the son went through in the surrender and allowing for his death equates the death of the son to the surrender Jesus had. It is important to note that the father felt the pain of watching the torture of his only son and the subsequent death. In fact, he suffers considerable pain for the death of his son on the cross. If it were not for the fulfilling of the word, the father would not have let the son undergo the torture and his subsequent death. Although the Father and the son share in the suffering at the cross, the trinity also too plays a considerable role in the death of Christ. As we associate the cross as the center of trinity, i.e. the father, the son and the Holy Spirit, the death of the son was a source of pain for all. However, the father did not just give up his son, but also deserted him at the time of his death. Jesus felt that he faced the suffering alone the dark night. In his own words, he questioned why the Father had to forsake him. Although Moltmann asserts that Jesus died a Godless death, the reality is that he knew the actual time of his death he would go through the suffering alone. In his prayers at the mountain, he anticipated considerable pain and counted on the father to give him support. Thus, Jesus anticipated the seemingly absence of the Father, thus took time to get ready. There are however a number of implications of this surrender between the son and the father. One of the main reasons for this surrender is for the sake of the people. Despite the fact that Jesus felt that the father had forsaken him on the cross by letting him suffer alone, he knew the main reason for his suffering was the sake of the people. Various theories exist on the suffering and subsequent death of Christ on the cross. As Moltmann points out, if the surrender of Jesus is interpreted to mean that the father is the active subject and the son as the passive object, then the events that took place during the time of the death seems so. The surrender shows the tight relationship between the father and the son. It shows that despite the suffering that the son went through, the Father shared in his pain. Even though the death of the son in some instances is meant to mean the appeasement of the father’s wrath, then the reality is that the father had a plan in the suffering of his son. 3. The Ransom theory of atonement is one of the metaphors for the atonement as discussed by McKnight. This theory has strong foundations on the death of Jesus Christ. Originating from the early Christian church, the theory teaches that the death of Christ was a ransom sacrifice, usually believed to have been paid to Satan4. The father paid for the sacrifice of his son in order to liberate the people from their bondage of inherited sin. This way, God intended to forgive all people through the painful sacrificial of his only son, Jesus. The theory asserts that Adan and eve sold the humanity to the devil at the time of fall. For justice to occur, God had to pay a ransom to the Devil in order to free us from the clutches of the Devil. Interestingly though, as the theory asserts, God tricked the Devil in accepting the death of Christ as a ransom in order to free the people from his captivity. The devil could not realize the impossibilities of holding Jesus in the bonds of death. Therefore, once the devil accepted the death of Christ as a ransom in order to free the captured souls, the theory concludes that the justice was done. God thus in a clever way freed us from the grip of the devil through the death of his son as a ransom5. The theory tries to explain why Jesus had to die, yet he was a sinless man. While it is difficult to explain the reasons why Jesus had to die, the theory seeks to provide a reasonable explanation of the reasons why Jesus died. The theory, being an explanation of the reason why the son of God had to die fits in the “golf bag.” It tries to articulate the various events that took place in the life of Jesus, the reasons for his persecution and later death. It is a reasonable way of explaining why Jesus had to go through such suffering and eventually his death. Bibliography McKnight, Scot. A Community Called Atonement. Living Theology, ed. Tony Jones. Nashville: Abingdon, 2007. Moltmann, Jürgen. The Way of Jesus Christ:  Christology in Messianic Dimensions. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993. Read More