Echevarria 1

Vianca Echevarria

Composition I

Professor Della Fera

04/19/2023

Jesus Christ’s Teachings

In the words of a former dean of King’s College London, Richard Burridge, “Yet the

paradox is that people today, outside the Cristian church as much, if not more, than within, still

go on talking about Jesus as ‘a great moral teacher’, up there in the popular pantheon with

Socrates, Buddha and so forth” (13). That quote makes people think about Jesus’ teaching as a

solution to many immoral acts that are included in the meaning of the religious term called ‘sin'.

But, how about if people who commit a sin, apply his teaching in their lives? Jesus was a Jewish

preacher, a healer, and taught in parables. He chose twelve disciples who after his death continue

his legacy. The source of his teachings is found in the four canonical gospels of the New

Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Morgan). Through the gospels, people can learn

and apply Jesus Christ’s teachings to their lives. There are three types of Jesus’ teachings that

can save sinners which are the importance of repentance with the parable of the prodigal son,

forgiveness with the parable of the unmerciful servant, and prayer with the parable of the

persistent widow.

The first teaching that can save sinners in which is found the importance of repentance is

in the parable of the prodigal son. As a matter of fact, the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s

Dictionary defines the word prodigal as “spending or using large amounts of money, time,

energy, etc, especially in a way that is not very wise” (1277). This meaning defines the
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personality of the protagonist of the parable of the Prodigal Son. In King James Bible, Jesus

teaches with this parable about a young son who was anxious to receive his early inheritance

from his father, wastes it, and becomes homeless. Later, he returns to his home for his father’s

forgiveness. Surprisingly, he is welcomed back compassionately by his father. But, his older

brother was angry about how his father celebrated the welcoming of his brother, so his father

said ‘It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this your brother was dead, and is

alive again; and was lost’ (Luk. 15.11-32). This teaching clearly emphasizes the importance of

repentance that if people truly repent from their sins, as a result, God will forgive them and

welcome them with open arms like the father who forgave his younger son. For instance, the

testimony of a pastor of Home Church, Raynard Dugger, an ex-drug dealer, is an illustration of

the importance of repentance. He was sentenced to 20 years of prison for shooting to death to his

classmate when he was 22 years old. In prison, Dugger was thinking of committing suicide when

he was ready to do it, he states, ‘There was something inside of me that was not convinced. … I

just felt inside there has to be another way. I don’t even know where that came from at that time.

But, I promise, the moment I said that, I heard the voice of God in my cell say, ‘try me’’

(Alcindor). Hence, this statement clearly manifests that through repentance this sinner who killed

his classmate changed his life through actions by following Jesus’ teachings. As a matter of fact,

professors of the University of Illinois state, “Our definition views repentance as an integrated

change in one’s actions or way of life that seeks to improve relationships with others” (Caldwell

et al. 774). This statement describes the change in Dugger’s behavior through repentance

because he repented from attempting suicide, stopped selling drugs, did not kill again, and

became a Christian pastor. All those changes were possible because of the intervention of Jesus

who lead him through his teachings and repentance of his actions. To further support this idea, in
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King James Bible, Jesus said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luk.

5.32). This quote proves the veracity of the testimony of pastor Dugger because it is Jesus who

chooses a sinner and leads him through his teachings to repentance.

The second teaching that can save sinners in which is found the importance of

forgiveness is with the parable of the unmerciful servant. As a matter of fact, the Merriam-

Webster Dictionary defines the word mercy as “compassionate treatment of those in distress”

(533). This word is what the main character of the parable of the Unmerciful Servant lacked in

his personality. In King James Bible, Jesus teaches this parable. It is about a servant who is

forgiven of his huge debt by the king. But, when a fellow servant owes him a small debt, the

forgiven servant sent him to prison until he pays. His actions are reported to the king, and as a

result, the king sends the forgiven servant to be tortured until his debt is paid because he did not

show mercy to his fellow servant (Matt. 18.21-35). With this parable, Jesus educates sinners

about God’s forgiveness and because they are forgiven of their sins, as a result, they should also

forgive others who sin against them, and if they do not forgive, they will torture themselves with

resentfulness. To further support this idea a professor of theology and ethics states:

It would give us some comfort if we could only forget a past that we cannot

change. If we could only choose to forget the cruelest moments, we could, as time

goes on, free ourselves from their pain. But the wrong sticks like a nettle in our

memory. The only way to remove the nettle is with a surgical procedure called

forgiveness. (Smedes 97)

This statement clearly demonstrates that people, who forgive, free themselves from the

pain that resentfulness causes due to the cruel moments that they go through. In fact, Ph.D.

Robert Enright states, “First, forgiveness is a moral virtue, as are justice, patience, kindness,
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love, and other qualities centered on goodness. As Aristotle reminds us, all moral virtues concern

goodness that is in the best interest of others” (1). The previous announcement shows that people

who lack the virtue of forgiveness can be considered as sinners because it is based on goodness

towards others and if they do the opposite, then it is considered a sin. For example, in the Ted

Talk entitled “The Freedom of Forgiveness” the speaker shares that he forgives his drug-addict

father for abandoning him when he was a child and uses this experience to mentor students to

release resentment, as a result, the choice to forgive is theirs because to choose life is to forgive.

The previous testimony helps people who have sinned against others to be forgiven because

forgiveness is not just a moral virtue, also it helps people to free themselves from the negative

feeling of resentment that could be considered a sin of thought against others. Similarly, Jesus

states, “That which comes out of the man, that defiles the man. For whom within, out of the heart

of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,

wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil

things comes from within, and defiles the man” (Mk. 7.20-23). This declaration makes people

think that sin is a manifestation of what is in the heart of man, as a consequence, people who feel

resentment are considered sinners. To be free from this negative feeling people need to forgive to

release it.

The third teaching that can save sinners is found in the parable of the Persistent Widow

which demonstrates the importance of prayer. Actually, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines

prayer as “an address (such as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought” (481). This

constant petition is what the protagonist of the parable of the Persistent Widow shows to a judge.

Jesus teaches with this parable about a judge who does not fear God and a widow who kept

coming to him and saying ‘Give me justice against my adversary’. He refused for a while but
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finally gives her justice so she will not bother him anymore (Lk. 18.1-8). The previous statement

is an interpretation of God will do justice for the one who demands for it, so we have to persist in

our prayers because it is the only way of communication with Him. It reminds people or sinners

of the power of prayer and to be persistent with it because it can have a positive impact on their

lives because, in the end, we can get what we pray for. As a matter of fact, Dr. Rosmarin

includes prayer in the treatments of some patients who deal with anxiety, depression or other

mental health problem. He states, “The research that has been done on prayer shows it may have

similar benefits to meditation: It can calm your nervous system, shutting down your fight or

flight response. It can make you less reactive to negative emotions and less angry” (Bernstein).

This statement demonstrates the benefits of praying as a therapy for those who suffer from

anxiety, and depression, and helps to cope with negative emotions if it does have a positive effect

on people with these problems, it can help anyone. To further support this idea, a participant of a

published study in recovery from metal illness states, “There is a certain level of calm brought by

reciting your rosary. It’s like reciting a mantra. And on top of that, you meet people, you discuss,

you socialize; it’s like two different aspects that can help you” (Whitley). This participant

demonstrates with her statement that prayer and socialization has helped her to recuperate from

mental illness.

Clearly, Jesus’s teachings of repentance with the parable of the prodigal son; forgiveness

with the parable of the unmerciful servant; and prayer with the parable of the Persistent Widow

can save sinners from their actions, feeling of resentfulness, and mental health problems.

Expecting a sinner to evolve without these teachings is like going to a psychologist, who is

supposed to help people with their personal issues, without paying him for his service; personal

growth simply cannot happen. If people want to have growth in civilization as technology has
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had in the last 23 years, then they need to be willing to accept that Jesus’s teachings can save

them from themselves. As it is emphasized by an expert, Jesus was a great moral teacher, and as

a consequence, his teaching can change lives. Without this, people would not correct their wrong

actions, free themselves from resentfulness, and use prayer as treatment. People need to accept

the importance of repentance, forgiveness, and prayer, and they, in return, will change the lives

of this civilization.
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Work Cited

Alcindor, Nicole. “Man Shares How God’s Voice Saved from Him from Suicide While in Prison

for Murder.” The Christian Post, 3 Nov. 2022, www.christianpost.com/news/man-says-

gods-voice-saved-from-him-from-suicide-while-in-prison.html.

Bernstein, Elizabeth. “The Science of Prayer.” The Wall Street Journal, 2 Jun. 2020,

www.wsj.com/articles/the-science-of-prayer-11589720400.

Burridge, Richard. Imitating Jesus: An Inclusive Approach to New Testament Ethics. Eerdmans,

2007.

Caldwell, Cam, et al. Repentance and Continuous Improvement: Ethical Implications for the

Modern Leader. Journal of Business Ethics, 2011.

Enright, Robert. “Can Forgiveness Ever Be Selfish or Even Immoral? Psychology Today, 6 May

2019, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-forgiving-life/201905/can-

forgiveness-ever-be-selfish-or-even-immoral

Goodrum, Kenneth. “The Freedom of Forgiveness | Kenneth Goodrum | TEDxDayton.”

YouTube, uploaded by TEDx Talks, 11 Dec. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=YrNqssOVHUU.

McIntosh, Colin. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Cambridge University Press,

2013.

Merriam, Webster. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Meriam-Webster, 2016.

Morgan, Ellen. Who Was Jesus?, Penguin, 2005.

Smedes, Lewis B. The Art of Forgiving. Moorings, 1996.

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The Bible. Authorized King James Version. Edited by Robert Carroll and Stephen Prickett,

Oxford UP, 2008.

Whitley, Rob. “Prayer and Mental Health.” Psychology Today, 3 Dec. 2019,

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-men/201912/prayer-and-mental-health