His friendship with outcasts and sinners (Matthew 9:10-12, Luke 7:36-50)
Jesus found it easy to aid those in need, maybe because he was not looked at as someone to have “aw” over like a normal king? If history teaches us anything it is simple that people relate to their own kind. Whether it is in school, or neighborhoods, or in sports today, Jesus certainly wanted to relate to all but, it seems the people who had already established themselves solidly in this world wanted little change. The outcasts and sinners had nothing to lose except their sin and disability and to gain it all in the life after, while the rich or well to do would have to give it all up in this world in order to have assurance in the next life. Life eternally with Jesus, for most this was not easy to do so they went about their lives with no regard for the afterlife. There are of course exceptions such as Paul who did manage to give up everything in order to follow the Lord but overall it seems to be the poor, the outcasts who are most willing. Nobody is saved by selling it all and giving the money to the poor, we are saved through believing the Son of God who gave everything to make us rich. (Cor. 8:9).
His teaching ministry (many lessons and parables)
One of the great many teachings of Jesus are he was making us aware of what we worship such as the category of money. Sin can be as simple as the love of money that we cannot hang on to our sins or our love of money and still follow Jesus. There cannot be the best of both worlds; one cannot be in this world and in the next. Peter for example was sure that since he had given-up everything for the Lord that he should be guaranteed a place in heaven or a special reward. God does not reward faithfuln...
... middle of paper ...
...a price and therefore when we drink from the cup we acknowledge that we agree with the death sentence upon our old life. The cup represents forgiveness of sin, justification, and deliverance from death. After Christ’s resurrection the bread symbolizes, righteousness, obedience, character development and that we shall walk in love, the cup symbolizes life, blessing, promises in the word and God meeting all our needs. When we live by the Word of God and love one another, forgive, and be merciful and kind to one another, do not practice and eye for and eye but pray for the ones who wrong us or misuse us. We are able to live the life God intended for us. To partake in the Lords Supper we must recognize how Christ suffered for us, and died for us, so our sins will be forgiven.We do this in remembrance of the Lord because he is our salvation.
Works Cited
NIV Bible
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
Like gluttony, this sin is a sin of excess. Its most common form is the excessive love of money, manifested in various forms such as miserliness and unethical business practices. This sin turns the sinner away from God by promoting selfishness, destroying charity, and creating a preoccupation with the acquisition and preservation of material things and possessions. As such this sin blinds the sinner to the fact that material possessions such as gold are worthless compared to the everlasting rewards of heaven. But because the sinner guilty of greed does not see that what he covets the most is worthless, he ignores the treasure and rewards of Heaven and therefore does not follow the right
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares the life of the lowly and poor. Although he is a savior, he is also a human being who is often rejected during his ministry, just like how society view and often treat lowly people. “The one who has power on earth to cure the sick, forgive sins, and exorcise demons serves at table and is obedient to the
When it comes to making judgements on the merits of others, it seems as though Jesus is quite set on relaying to his disciples the dangers of hypocrisy. One’s own actions must be accounted for before trying to account for the actions of others. Lessons of this kind would have helped to empower early Christians to better apply some sort of objective consistency to their lives. Jesus conveyed such concepts
needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God," said Jesus to his
Communion This sacrament is also known as Eucharist, Last supper, and the Lord’s Supper. Again communion is an action consider as sacrament because Jesus taught his disciple to do it, and one read it in the Bible for instances in the Gospel of Matthew 26:26-28, Mark, 14:22-24, Luke 29: 19-20 and the Epistle of 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. Going to the point, “Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), “…this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,” (Luke 22:20). “...He broke [bread] and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” (1 Cor. 11:24), “…this
There is a story in the bible of a rich young man who asks Jesus what it takes to have eternal life. Jesus begins by telling the rich young man to obey all the commandments. The rich young man claims he has already done so and asks what else he needs to do. Jesus answers the rich young man, saying, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give it to the poor. Then come follow me.” (Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30) This encounter is the only recorded account of Jesus being asked, specifically and directly, what it takes to have eternal life.
Perhaps the most famous passages on caring for those in need is in Jesus' parable in the sheep and the goats. He says, “Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me ...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”[6] .Clearly, when we care for someone in need, we do the will of Christ.
From the excerpt from the novel, “Under the Feet of Jesus” by Helena Maria Viramontes, the main character is Estrella, a young Spanish girl with a powerful desire to learn to read. Although she is persistent, her teachers refuse to educate her because they are more concerned of Estrella’s personal hygiene. This leaves Estrella resentful because of the barrier between herself and knowledge. Estrella remains silent until a man named Perfecto Flores teaches her how to read by using his expertise in hardware and tools to represent the alphabet. Viramontes depicts the heartfelt growth of Estrella through her use of tone, figurative language, and detail.
“Americans are harder working and more productive than ever, yet the rewards of that productivity flow into the pockets of fewer and fewer people (Ketteler, 2006).” This relates to the previous articles in that the wealth are becoming wealthier, while the poor are becoming poorer, and this is something that goes against everything the common good stands for and the teachings of the church for so many years. As we can see over and over again, people become greedy and selfish and only do what is in their best interest, and this goes against the teachings and the actions of Jesus Christ. Father Ketteler writes that Jesus chose the poverty life, to be close to those who are in need most. “Jesus lived out a preferential option in standing on the side of those most in need, physically and spiritually (Ketteler, 2006).” Father Ketteler finishes with saying that when we love one another, nobody is a burden and everything that is produced is shared equally among all men and women, “civilizations of love abandons a mentality in which the poor as individuals and as peoples are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced (Ketteler,
•What are some examples of how Jesus knew how to give the love someone needed?
The New Testament is just an updated version of the Old Testament, which involves Jesus the Messiah. The New Testament is extremely similar to the Old Testament, they both talk about different laws which God has passed down to the people, what God expects and so on. The only difference that seems to take place is that in the Old Testament, God gives the law or passes the law down to the chosen people, the Jews; but in the New Testament, Jesus explains and shows the people how to fulfill God 's laws, how to live by God 's words. Whether we’re talking the Old Testament, the New Testament or maybe even a testament that may come in 50 years, God and his laws seems to be the top priority in religion. Once God states his laws in which he passes down,
Christianity and Wealth 'Jesus said to the rich young man, "Go, sell all that you have and
Baptism and communion are two rituals practiced in Christianity for the purpose of affirming a commitment to the religion. Communion is when Jesus is remembered by the drinking of wine and the eating of bread as it represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This is something that is always celebrated every week at a Christian service. The spiritual aspect of communion is when Christians consume the Eucharist in belief that it is the blood and body of Jesus. This shows that the Christians are still devoted to god and his disciples are continuing to do what he asked of them. The historical meaning of Communion is recreating the meal of the Last Supper. The Last Supper occurred on the night before Jesus's death with his disciples following the resurrection of Jesus the next day. The Last Supper was when they had a traditional supper of Jesus the night before his crucifixion. Over the centuries, Christianity has evolved by forming different denominations with varying customs and practices, although, they still all believe in the Bible, the Trinity, and the teaching of the Nicene Creed. The three main branches of Christianity are Catholic, orthodox, and protestant. Other major denominations include, Angli...
to become one of us. Jesus walked along the same roadways and experienced the same trials and tribulations as other people. Accepting Jesus as fully human is as important as accepting him as fully divine. Jesus experienced stress, anger, frustration and loneliness but he chose never to respond sinfully to these experiences. Given the choice between popularity and telling people the truth, he chose the path that ultimately turned people against him and led to his death.