Who do you say Jesus is? 2
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Date
Dec 6, 2023
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6
Uploaded by CoachNeutronSwan13
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
Cecelia F, Zaniyah A, Kaimana S, Madison M, Kenzie K
Grand Canyon University
101: Christian Worldview
John Cheong
October 29, 2023
Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
The answer to the question “Who Do You Say Jesus Is” varies across the world, but we
are going to speak about the Christian answer to this question. We will talk about Jesus’s
teachings and what each religious belief thinks about it. As well as the nature and purpose of His
ministry. These questions will be answered using direct quotes from the Bible as well as other
sources. By the end of this paper, you will be able to understand who Jesus is from the Christian
point of view and form your own opinion on it.
•
Part 1: Matthew 5: 21-24.
-
What was Jesus's point in the teaching? How might
someone from an atheist or pantheistic worldview see the concepts of this passage
differently?
What is reveled about Jesus in the passage?
(Kaimana Sais & Kenzie Kluck)
In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus explains how sinful Murder is and the judgment that comes
with it. He also includes how Anger is evil and worthy of judgment in the kingdom of God.
Anyone who insults their brother or sister will also be guilty (Matthew 5:21-22). Since sin
reached the earth, man's natural tendency for rage, which is a part of being created in Gods
image, became corrupt (Brown, 2019). Jesus wanted people to know that we were all created in
the image of God and that taking someone’s life is evil; insulting is a verbal violation of someone
created by God all mighty and should not be overlooked as innocent as it is evil. Although
Murder and Anger are not the same, they are both worthy of judgment in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus teaches the people that there is hope and how to fix their sinful actions. He tells us to pause
our worship and to fix our conflicts with those we interact with. Seeking to make things right and
resolving Anger between two people made in the image of God is utterly crucial to God
(Matthew 23-24). We are expected to reconcile our relationship with a brother or sister so we can
avoid God’s discipline. Conflict between each other has great consequences to the unforgiving
party including hurt, the deepening of strongholds, and the loss of joy and relationships, but also
much more (Brown, 2019). Without Jesus, we are unrighteous, and we need his forgiveness and
righteousness, which should lead us to pursue forgiveness and righteousness in our relationships
with others. We should fear our Anger because it could lead to judgment. That is, it could
indicate that we are not followers of God and His ways. We must genuinely follow Jesus,
including His commands to flee Anger and insult. Someone from a different worldview such as
Atheist or Pantheists may see the concept of this passage irrelevant.
Religious independents
exhibit lower levels of religiously than other groups and one third of them do not believe in God
(Hickel, 2019). Jesus also implies “anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable
to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” (Matthew
5:22). With the lack of belief in God, an atheist for example would not feel as guilty for
committing an evil act because they do not believe in after death so being shamed upon is not a
big concern of theirs. In Matthew 5:21-24 the passage reveals Jesus’s thoughts about
righteousness. This passage reveals how Jesus is a moral teacher stressing reconciliation and
peace. This passage also reveals that Jesus interprets the law, showing deeper, heart-focused
righteousness beyond just following the laws and resolving disputes. Jesus was saying that our
actions matter not just our loyalty to laws. It’s about our heart's intentions. This
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passage portrays the depths of how much he cares and loves us. To highlight and define the spirit
of the law, and not just the letters of it. This passage shows Jesus’s wisdom showing his
understanding of the human creation and nature we do.
Part 2: Matthew 9:1-8 - Cecelia Fett
How does Jesus talk about his nature and purpose of his ministry? What is the
meaning of His words?
In the passage of Matthew 9:1-8, Jesus preforms a miracle on a paralyzed man. This is
what most ancient writers would report according to (Keener, 2014, 97). The title of this
passages “Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man,” indicating that he both forgives and heals
the man. When the men brought Jesus this man who was paralyzed, they knew He could heal
him. But when Jesus says to the man that his sins are forgiven, they called this blasphemy. But
Jesus tells them, “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive
sins.” (NIV, 2011, Matthew 8:6). Jesus shows us his nature by telling these men that it is just as
much of a miracle for him to forgive our sins as it is to heal us from our sicknesses. He wants us
to know the authority he has over us and that we should not have to see a miracle to believe and
follow him.
Jesus also shows the Jews that it is not blasphemy for someone other than God to
forgive sins. God gave us his Son so that their sins would be forgiven. Josephus shows us that
many false prophets in Jesus’ day promised to work miracles but failed to work them; some of
Jesus’ critics may have placed him in this category, until they witnessed His miracles (Keener,
2014, 97). This shows us Jesus’ unconditional love when he still preforms the miracle on the
paralyzed man after then crowd thought He was insulting God’s honor. Jesus wants us all to
follow Him and learn more about him every day.
Part 3:
How would you personally answer Jesus’s question, “But who do you say that I am”?
How has this exercise changed your perspective about Jesus and who he is?
(Kaimana Sais)
By most Christians, Jesus is known as the Incarnation of God. To me, Jesus is the son of
God, who is the savior of the world who died for our sins. He is the guided path that leads us to a
better, prosperous, more meaningful life than we could ever find. Jesus helps me strengthen my
spirit and is God in the flesh, and through him, we shall find eternal life. John 3:16 states, "For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). In giving his Son, God intended Christ to be more than
living among men that he gave him to die for sinful men. His love is not a vaguely sentimental
feeling but a love that costs. God gave what was most dear to him (Patterson, 2010). This
exercise has changed my perspective about Jesus because all the stories we have read, including
the book of Matthew, have influenced me to change my ways in life based on what Jesus teaches
us. Jesus shows us how caring and loving he is even when people don't believe in him or we
commit sinful actions by providing teachings and examples of living in his image. By following
his principles, we can navigate through life's challenges as well as be encouraged to treat his
people with kindness and to live life with a purpose.
Reference Page
Keener, C. K. (2014).
The IVP bible background commentary: New Testament.
InterVarsity
Press.
New International Version. (2011). Zondervan. (original work published 1973).
Hickel, Flavio R Jr. (2019). Civil religion and religious independents: Examining the beliefs
of(n.d.).
Journal of Church and State
, 61 no 4 Fall 2019, p 610-636.
10.1093/jcs/csz023
Patterson, D Richard. (2010, January 27).
God so loved the world
. God So Loved The World |
Bible.org. (n.d.). https://bible.org/article/god-so-loved-world
Brown, G
. (2020, April 4) Maintaining peaceful relationships (Matthew 5:21-26)
. 12.
Maintaining Peaceful Relationships (Matthew 5:21-26) | Bible.org. (n.d.). https://
bible.org/seriespage/12-maintaining-peaceful-relationships-matthew-521-26
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