Who is Jesus St Marys Barrie 10 October

Who is Jesus? St. Mary’s, Barrie 10 October 2018 Holman Hunt, “The Light of the World”, 1854

What Do We Know About Jesus? N. T. Wright has provided a list of “things that few will deny about Jesus’ life and public activity”: • Born around 4 BC • Grew up in Galilee • Spoke Aramaic, some Hebrew, probably some Greek • Emerged as a public figure around 28 AD • Engaged in itinerant ministry throughout Galilee • Executed by Roman Authorities N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996) 147 -8

The Kerygma (“Preaching”) of the Early Church • 1 Corinthians 15: 3 -8 • Acts 2: 22 -36 • Acts 3: 12 -26 • Acts 4: 8 -12 • Acts 5: 29 -32 The message of the apostles was that Jesus had been crucified, died and raised, and that they had witnessed this. Bartolome Esteban Murillo, “Crucifixion, ” ca. 1675

Leonardo da Vinci, “The Last Supper, ” 1495 -1498

The Nicene Creed Adopted to resolve disputes about who Jesus was. Adopted by Council of Nicea, 325; Amended by Council of Constantinople, 381 “Remains common to all the great Churches of East and West today”: CCC 195

The Nicene Creed – Who is Jesus? “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven. ” The Creed is proclaiming that Jesus is God. This is the distinctive claim of the Christian faith. Christ Pantocrator, 6 th or 7 th century

Why Do We Believe that Jesus is God? • Jesus acted and spoke like God • • • He forgave sins (e. g. , Mt 9: 1 -8) “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14: 6) “Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8: 58) Jesus’ response to Thomas (Jn 20: 28 -9) C. S. Lewis: Monster, Madman or Messiah? • The resurrection • Scripture is very clear! Carl Heinrich Bloch, “The Resurrection of Christ”, 1874

The Mystery of the Incarnation • Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us” (Mt 1: 23) • “Have this in mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2: 5 -8) • “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory; glory as of the only-begotten Son from the Father” (Jn 1: 14)

The Mystery of the Incarnation, Continued • “Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: ‘By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. ’ Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she signs ‘the mystery of our religion’: ‘He was manifested in the flesh’” (CCC 463) Jesus is “true God and true Man” (CCC 464 ff. ) He has two natures (God and Man) in one person.

The Nativity “by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man” Federico Barocci, “The Birth of Christ”, 1597

The Paschal Mystery “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated on the right hand of the Father. ” Salvador Dali, Christ of St John of the Cross, 1951

The Second Coming of Jesus “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. ” • On Judgment Day, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil (CCC 681) Ambrogio de Stefano Borgognone, “The Risen Christ”, 1510

The Final Judgment “When he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace. ” CCC 682 Michaelangelo, “The Last Judgment, ” 1536 -1541

Why Do We Believe This? Hans Memling, “Last Judgment, ” 1467 -1471 Jesus said so! For example: • Matthew 24: 29 -31 (Coming of the Son of Man) • Matthew 25: 31 -46 (Judgment of the Nations)