Fundamentals of Faith 2nd Quarter

By: Benjamin Joseph M. Estrella (12ABM15)

The Public Ministry of Jesus
Hidden Years of Jesus
- also called the unknown years, silent years, lost years, or missing years
- it refers to the period between his childhood and the beginning of his ministry (12-30 years)
For the Jesus…
- Kingdom of God = Political Freedom
1. Unthreatened possession of the Promise Land
2. Victory in battles
3. Bountiful harvest
4. Economic prosperity
5. Peace, justice, greatness, and prestige as a nation
Central Theme: Kingdom of God
- Jesus gives an original and definite interpretation of the kingdom.
- It is premised on the Jews idea that arose from their ammonal hope for salvation
Two things that characterize the Messianic Age:
1. Transformation of the World
2. The Establishment of a Righteous Community
Baptism of the Jews
Enter the Herald (messenger) = John the Baptist  Jesus’ cousin
- He is known to be the Herald of Jesus, the Messiah
- John 1:23 “I am the voice of the calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the
lord.”
- He prepared the people for the coming of ‘The One’ who is to baptize not only by water but
by the Holy Spirit
- John’s movement called forth a time of spiritual renewal and revival
- Some of the first followers eventually became part of the twelve apostles (Andrew, Philip)
- His baptism is called the Baptism of Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins
- Matthew 3:2 “Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is near!”
3 Types of Baptism
1. Immersion – submersion of your whole body into the water
2. Infusion – poured only in the head by water (done mostly in babies)
3. Aspersion – sprinkling water
Baptism of Jesus
- Judaism practice repeated ceremonial washing for ritual purity
- John the Baptist introduced to the early Christian Community a once-and-for-all washing a
concrete enactment of conversion on the part of baptized
1. Baptism: Figure of Death – the burial of the sinful person
2. Rising of the Water – symbolized the new life of obedience with God
Temptation of Jesus (Mark 1:12-13, Matthew 4: 1-11, Luke 4:1-2)
3 Temptations:
1. He was tempted to turn stones into bread
2. Temptation to show off the power of God
3. Temptation to worship Satan in exchange for wealth and power
In comparison with the Israelites…

Israel Jesus
Declared as God’s beloved son and made to Jesus passes through the waters and declared
pass through the waters in the sea as God’s beloved son
After passing through the waters, was tempted After passing the water, he was tempted in the
in the dessert for 40 days desert for 40 days
 Israel was confronted with hunger and
tempted to grumble against God
Israel was tempted by demanding God to
show off his power
Israel was tempted to worship false Gods
Jesus was tempted to put his need for food
above his faith
Jesus was tempted to demand God for a show
off of power
Jesus was tempted to worship the devil for
wealth and power

Jesus Calls the Twelve Disciples

Disciple(s) – people who believed in Jesus; believers or Christians
Apostle(s) – one who is sent; emissary or anyone sent on a mission
Remember: Every apostle was a disciple, but not every disciple was an apostle.
Pattern on how the apostles were called:
1. Jesus passes by
2. He sees somebody
3. The person’s occupation is described
4. The person is called
5. The person leaves everything
6. The person follows Jesus
- The life which the twelve embraced was a life of radical destitution.
- They had to let go of their possessions and the convenience on their lives.
- Jesus regarded riches as hindrances to entering God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:16-24)
The Twelve Apostles:

Apostles Biblical information Ministry and Martyrdom

Simon (Peter)  Fisherman  Ministered to the
 Brother of Andrew people of Antioch
 Called as the ”rock” and then to Rome
 He denied Jesus three times
 Professed his love for Jesus
 Delivered the Pentecost sermon
Andrew  Fisherman  Preached in Asia
 Brother of Peter minor
 Brought Jesus the boy with the  Martyred in Achala
loaves and fish with an X shaped
cross
James  Fisherman  First to be martyred
 Son of Zebedee and brother of John at Jerusalem (44
 Known as “James the Greater” A.D.)
John  Fisherman  Some say he died in
 Younger son of Zebedee exile in Patmos while
 Beloved Disciple others believed he
died in Ephesus
 He was last of the 12
to die
Philip  From Bethsaida; introduced his  Martyred at
friend Nathaniel to Jesus Hierapolis in
 He was the one who asked show the Phrygia, Asia Minor
father tow which Jesus replied:
“Whoever as seen me as seen the
father.” (John 14:8-9)
Bartholomew  Known as Bartholomew, son of  Preacher in
(Nathaniel) Tolmai Armenian and went
 Known as a true Israelite; there is no as far as India
duplicity in him (John 1:47)
Thomas  He asked Jesus to show the way to  Preached in Parthia,
the father, to which Jesus replied: “ I Persia, and India
am the way the truth and the life where he was
(John 15: 5-6) speared to death near
 He was absent during the first Madras
apparition and would not believe
unless he touches the wounds of
Jesus
 Matthew  Matthew (gift from YHWH)  Preached in Ethiopia
(Levi)  A tax collector from Capernaum where he was
martyred
James, son of  He was known as James, the less and  Ministered in
Alphaeus James the brother of Jesus Jerusalem and Killed
at around 62 A.D.
Judas  Known as Judas not Iscariot (John  Preached and
Thaddeus 14:22) Martyred in Persia
Simon the  Member of the Anti-Roman  Preached in Egypt
Zealot revolutionary group “Zealots” and Mesopotamia
Judas Iscariot  Betrayed Jesus and sold him for  Two version of his
thirty pieces of silver death:
Matthew: hanged himself
Acts: fell and died
 Replaced by Matthias
*Matthias  Replaced Judas Iscariot  Died at an age of 80
 His calling is unique because it was  Debate between paul
made before the descendant of the and him being the
Holy Spirit upon the early Church 12th apostle due to the
replacement of Judas
Iscariot

The Kingdom of God

Luke 4:18-19 – “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, to give recovery of sight to the blind, and to let
the oppressed go free, and proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”
- The Kingdom of God is not a place, but a condition wherein the will of God would be
manifested.
- God will excercis3 his kingly power by:
1. Caring for his constituents
2. Providing for their needs
3. Protecting them from all threats to their shalom
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-22)
- Latin – Beautitudo (blessedness)
- Greek – Makarios (sense of inner contentment unaffected by outward circumstances)
- The beatitudes articulate for us the addresses of the kingdom of God
1. The poor in spirit (not afraid to give up everything for God)
2. Those who mourn (Compassionate towards the suffering of others)
3. The meek (Devote one’s life to the service of the kingdom)
4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Those who fight for Justice)
5. The merciful (forgive and accept others)
6. The pure of heart (loyal to God and to the things of God)
7. The peacemakers (builders of justice and peace)
8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (rejoice and be glad for they would have great
reward in heaven)
The Parables of the Kingdom
- Greek – Parabole (a fictive illustration in narrative form)
- Hebrew – Marshal (riddle)
- The challenge of the parables is to discover the truth behind the story and to act according to
message
Characteristics of Parables
1. Brevity – anything that is brief and concise and contains wisdom
2. Realism – drawn from things in actual day-to-day life experiences
3. Open-endedness – the audience are expected to provide the conclusion
4. Polyvalence – there is no single correct interpretation
Classification of Parables
 1. The Parables on the Good News of the Kingdom (end) – tells how valuable the kingdom is, and
the good it will bring to those who will enter it
2. Parables on the Children of the Kingdom (means) – shows how the disciples should behave in
order to enter the kingdom
3. Parables on the Kingdom as Judgement (consequences) – these illustrate the sad fate of those who
rejects the gift of the kingdom or those who did not realize its urgency
“The kingdom is here and not yet”
- “Present” and yet “Future”
- Future – no more poverty, disease, sadness, oppression, death
- Present – when hungry are fed, homeless are sheltered, naked are clothed, God’s will is
fulfilled; the Kingdom is made present
The Lord’s Present
- Jesus taught his disciples to call God “Abba”
- He calls his disciples to enter into this intimacy as well
- Jesus calls members of the kingdom of God as his brothers and sister (Mark 3:35)
The Kingdom of God in the Works of Jesus
- Greek – dynamis (power)
- Greek – semeion (sign)
- It shows the following:
1. The power of God over all creation
2. A sign of what would it be like when God’s Kingdom is Full Established
4 Primary Types of Miracles
1. Healing Miracles (over sickness)
2. Exorcisms (over devils)
3. Raising of the Dead/Resuscitation (over element)
4. Nature Miracles (Over Elements)

 Healing (soul)
 Curing (physical property)