Thesis #6

The canonical Gospels preeminent among all Scriptures (DV 18) must be
understood in terms of their three-stage formation, with basic spiritual exegesis
and authentic interpretation for the life of faith in the world today.
What are the Gospels?
A proclamation of the Good News, the coming of Gods Kingdom
What makes them preeminent among all Scriptues?
o What are the Scriptures?
The living and divinely inspired Word of God; the Old
and New Testaments.
Living because it moves forward through the
centuries, continually moving people to faith
(DV 8).
Divinely inspired because they were written
under the influence and guidance of the Holy
Spirit (DV 11).
o The Gospels, by telling the story of the life of Christ, is the
ultimatum of the Scriptures, because Christ is the mediator
and fullness of the divine revelation (DV 2).
Mediator because it is through Him that we have a
restored relationship with the Father.
Fullness because He is God the Son Himself, the
Word of God made Flesh (DV 4).
What makes them canonical?
o Written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (DV 11).
o Written by an eyewitness/disciple of an eyewitness
o Used in the early Churchs liturgy
o Coherent with the saving message of Christ
The saving message of Christ is that we can have a
restored relationship with the Father, through Jesus
Christ.
Why must they be understood?
o The Gospels, being Scripture, uplift and rouse people to
faith. It nourishes faith.

What is the three stage formation?

Stage One corresponds to the public ministry of Jesus.
o Nothing was written during this stage.
o Jesus followers were not instructed to write anything about
Him; instead, the focus was on preaching and teaching.
Stage two corresponds to the preaching and teaching of the
apostles.
o Began right as the first stage ends, after the death and
resurrection of Christ.
o Predominantly a time of oral tradition.
Traditions concerning Jesus public ministry, death
and resurrection circulated in oral form.
o Some of this oral tradition had begun to be put in writing
before the writing of the first Gospel.
Stage Three corresponds to the writing of the evangelists.
o The evangelists were not themselves eyewitnesses, but
they inherited the traditions of the original eyewitnesses.
This distinction is found in the Instruction of the
Biblical Commission.
o The Fourth Gospel, John, is considered independent of the
three others (the Synoptic Gospels), for it claims to be
written by an authoritative and reliable eyewitness.
How does this help us understand the Gospels?
o It shows that the Gospels were written for the faith. Each
Gospel was written under different circumstances and for
different audiences; thus, they each place emphasis on
different aspects of Christs life and public ministry. This
accounts for the reason why there are four Gospels.
o The Gospels were preached in the light of the Easter faith.
What is basic spiritual exegesis?
What is basic spiritual exegesis?
o The use of the spiritual senses to accentuate and motivate
a personal response to Jesus Christ as He is encountered in
the Gospels.
o What are the spiritual senses?
What is the literal sense?

What is expressed directly by the human

author.
Can be literary (what the account says) or
historical (the context of the accounts)
What is the allegorical sense?
The meaning derived when Scripture is
interpreted in the context of Gods work in the
world, from the creation to the reconciling of
the alienated humanity with God through Jesus
Christ.
What is the moral sense?
The sense that urges us to respond
immediately to the call of Christ, opening us up
to a deeper, fuller life through a direct
relationship with the Father.
Exhorts us to take the challenge of keeping the
commandments and following Christs example
of self-giving love.
What is the anagogic sense?
The sense that directs humanity to a renewed
hope in life today, as well as in anticipation of
the eternal life to come.
This renewed hope becomes a pattern for a
new way of thinking and acting in Christ.
How can basic spiritual exegesis be used in understanding the
Gospels?
o By understanding Scripture using these spiritual senses,
we are able to bring its profound, deeper meanings to
light. Interpreting Scripture in this manner brings about a
Christian way of thinking about faith that is both with faith
and for faith.
What is authentic interpretation?
Are there inauthentic interpretations? What are they?
o Some inauthentic
What makes an interpretation authentic?
o How must this interpretation relate to the life of faith in the
world today?

The Three Predictions of the Passion and the Cost of Discipleship show the
true nature of Jesus messiah-ship and therefore of true discipleship. The cost of
messiah-ship is the cross. Anyone who wishes to follow Christ must lose ones life
for Christ and the gospel.

What is the true nature of Jesus messiahship?

What is a Messiah?
o What does the word Messiah mean?
In Aramaic, the word Messiah means Anointed
One.
What does it mean to be the Anointed One?
Crowning a king
What was the problematic notion of Jesus messiahship?
o What were the Jews expecting from a messiah?
The Jews were expecting a grand king who would
defeat their conquerors through war.
What precedence is there for this expectation?
Great kings of Israel (David, Solomon)
Exalted Son of Man in Daniel
o What, then, is the true nature?
Christ is the Suffering Servant.
Reflected in the Three Predictions of the
Passion
Handing over is willingly giving ones
whole self self-gift.
Preceded by Isaiah 53
What does it mean to be the Suffering Servant?
Mark 10:45
What is the cost of messiahship?
o What is the cross?

In a historical sense?
The most humiliating and painful manner of
torture in Roman times.
In a spiritual sense?
The cross is self-gift, for Christ gave everything
for all humanity.
o Why is the cross the cost of messiahship?
Because Christs identity as the Messiah is that of the
suffering servant, and the cross is the culmination of
His suffering given the pain involved and His
being a servant of man having given everything for
humanity.
What is true discipleship?
What are some problematic notions about discipleship?
o How were the Pharisees notions on discipleship wrong?
The Pharisees believed that outward goodness is
important
This is wrong because the Pharisees were too selfrighteous to answer Gods call.
Their understanding of discipleship was too legalistic.
o How was the rich mans notion on discipleship wrong?
The rich man believed that discipleship means
following the Ten Commandments.
This is wrong because it is too legalistic.
The rich man was unwilling to deny himself and give
up his material possessions.
o How were the disciples notions on discipleship wrong?
The disciples thought that being a disciple meant
being the greatest.
This is wrong because, as said in Mark 9:35, If
anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all
and the servant of all.
What, then, is true discipleship?
o True discipleship means urgently responding to Christs call
and following Him to the cross.

o Where is this reflected in Scripture?

The Call of the First Disciples (urgent response)
The women (following Christ to the cross)
o How does it reflect Christs messiah-ship?
True discipleship meant following Christ to the cross.
Christ, through His life and public ministry, provides
us with the model for true discipleship Whoever
wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up His
cross, and follow me.
What is the cost of discipleship?
Whoever wishes to follow me must deny himself, take up His
cross and follow me.
o How does this reflect the cost of messiahship?
Refer to previous question.
o What does it mean to follow Christ?
What does it mean to lose ones life for Christ and
the Gospel?
What does losing ones life for Christ entail?
Denying oneself, taking up ones cross
and following Him
o What does it mean to deny
oneself?
To deny the flesh the frailty
of humanity
o What does it mean to take up ones
cross?
Cross as self-gift
o What does it mean to follow Him?
Urgent, radical response.
Call of the First Disciples
It is about self-gift.

What is the Gospel, in this context?

The Good News.
Why did one have to lose ones life for the
Gospel?
One must use His life to spread the Good
News
The Coming Persecution

The public ministry can be summed up in the statement: This is the time of
fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.
Through Jesus words and the deeds the Kingdom broke forth, demanding an
urgent and radical response.
What is the public ministry?
It is His words and deeds, and the dynamic relationship between
them. The words proclaim the deeds and the deeds make
manifest the words. This relationship is seen in the accounts of
the Sabbath and the Man with the Withered Hand.
Why must it be public?
o To show that the Kingdom of God is for all.
Syrophoenician Womans Faith.
How is it the time of fulfillment?
What is being fulfilled?
o The prophecies of the Old Testament
Isaiah 53
Proto-evangelium
o The Divine revelation

Jesus Christ is the mediator and fullness of the

Divine revelation the Word of God made flesh.
Where in the public ministry are these fulfilled?
o This is reflected in the many healing accounts. For
example, in the account of the Healing of the Paralytic,
Christ forgives the mans sins before healing Him, thus
restoring Him to a new life.
How does the Kingdom of God break forth?
What is the Kingdom of God?
o It is sharing in Jesus eternal life; it is the restoration of the
relationship with the Father.
How is it breaking forth? Cite accounts.
o It is breaking forth through Christs words and deeds. We
can see in the account of the Call of Levi, where Christ
shares table fellowship with the poor and the marginalized.
Table fellowship in Christs time was not just sharing a
meal; it was sharing in each others lives. Through His
words and deeds, Christ invites humanity to share in
fellowship with Him, thus inviting humanity to the Kingdom
of God. The Kingdom of God thus breaks forth through His
public ministry, and is at hand.
o This breaking forth is also seen in the account of the
Mustard Seed.
What is this urgent, radical response?
To repent and believe in the Gospel.
Why must it be urgent?
o Christ did not hesitate to offer His life for the sake of
humanity, so likewise, He demands an urgent, immediate
response.
Why must it be radical?
o A transformation from our old way of living to a new way of
living in Christ that is founded on love for God and love for
neighbor, as said in the account of the Greatest
Commandment.
Where is this seen in Mark?
o Blind Bartemaues
o
The suffering and death, prefigured in Jesus life and public ministry, revealed His
true identity and the culmination of His self-giving love. Jesus is the suffering
servant who gave His life as a ransom for many.

How is the suffering and death prefigured in Jesus life?

The way He lived His life

o Call of Levi
o Man with the Withered Hand
o Parable of the Tenants
What is His true identity and the culmination of His self-giving love?
His true identity is the Son of God, who came down from heaven
to lose His life for all humanity. This is His self-giving love, which
culminated with His suffering and death on the cross.
o What does it mean to be the Son of God?
Isaiah 53
o How is Christs identity as the Son of God seen in Mark?
Cite accounts
Marks sandwiching
Mark 1:1 Mark 14:39
His healing and his forgiveness of sins
Anointing at Bethany
o How was His love self-giving?
He gave His life in service of humanity, suffering in
solidarity with them. This is seen in the Lords
Supper, where Christ shows that He gives His Body
His entire physical being and His blood His spirit
for the sins of humanity.
How does this culminate in His passion and death?
Christ on Earth suffered as humanity suffered,
and His self-sacrifice by allowing Himself to be
handed over to the Pharisees and then dying
on the cross was Him giving His entire life
body and blood for the sake of all humanity.
How is Christ the suffering servant?
Christ is the suffering servant, for He shared in the sufferings of
humanity in life and public ministry, enduring both physical and
emotional suffering (Agony in the Garden) during the Passion
and Death. He is a servant because He gave
How is this reflected in Mark? Cite accounts.
o

How did Christ give His life as a ransom for many?

Jesus of Nazareth the crucified has been raised. He fulfilled the covenant in
the old and confirmed everything He taught and did. He raises humanity to become
adopted children of the Father and is the basic principle and animating force for a
truly new way of living and the source of the future resurrection.
Introduction
What is significant about Jesus being of Nazareth?
o No one ever expected anything good to come from
Nazareth, yet Christ, the greatest good, came from there.
o This is a reflection of the true nature of His Messiahship, in
the Christ did not come as a mighty Davidic king, but
rather as a suffering servant, for His Kingdom is not of this
world but of the next.
What is significant about Jesus being raised after being crucified?
o Jesus Christ is the only one in history who died and rose
from the dead, never to die again. This is a trans-historical
event in human history, and is evidence of Christs divinity.
o Can also be related to Christs prophecy about the
destruction of temple (Jn. 2:19). The Pharisees mistook
Him as referring to the material structure, but Christ was
really referring to the Temple of His body, for He is the new
temple the dwelling place of God. Through Him, we have
access to the Father.
How does Christ fulfill the covenant in the old and confirm
everything He taught and did?
What is a covenant?
o A covenant is a promise based on love, with no time frame,
established between God and His people.
o What is the covenant in the old?
Exodus 6:6-7
The covenant made by God with His people when He
led them out of captivity in Egypt.
Established with the blood of the lamb.
This covenant was broken through the peoples
continuous sin.
o What is the new covenant?
The covenant in Jesus blood, for Christ the paschal
lamb who is sacrificed for our sakes.

A direct relationship with the Father, where he shall

forgive humanitys sins and remember them no more
(Jr. 31:34).
o How does Christ fulfill the covenant in the old?
Christ, through His self-sacrifice, has rescued
humanity from the bonds of sin, fulfilling Gods
covenant with Moses in the Old Testament.
How did he confirm everything He taught and did?
o The resurrection asserts Christs divinity, and confirms His
identity and authority as the Son of God.
o Whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel
will save it. Christs teachings on discipleship are
confirmed by His death and resurrection. He lost His life for
the sake of humanity and rose again, and His disciples are
demanded to do the same.
o In the account of the healing of the paralytic, Christ
forgives the sins of the paralytic before healing Him, which
causes the Pharisees to accuse Him of blasphemy, for only
God could forgive sins. Through His resurrection, Christ
shows His divinity and His authority to forgive sins, as the
Son of God.
How does Christ raise humanity to become adopted children of the
Father?
What was humanitys original relationship with the Father?
o Humanity was supposed to be the children of God, but this
relationship was broken through continuous sin.
How was humanity the children of God?
Humanity was created to be the Children of
God, originally sharing in a direct relationship
with the father. We see this in the story of
Adam and Eve, who could speak directly with
God before the Fall of Man.
How does Christ restore this relationship?
o Christ, being the Son of God, has a direct relationship with
the Father, and because the Spirit of the Risen Crucified
Savior is in us, we can now share in this relationship.
o He confirms with divine testimony what revelation
proclaimed, that God is with us to raise us to an eternal life
with Him.
How is He the basic principle and animating force for a truly new
way of living?
How is He the basic principle?

o He is our model for discipleship and a new way of living.

This is seen in the account of the Conditions of
Discipleship, where Christ says, Whoever wishes to come
after me must deny himself, take up His cross, and follow
me. We see these three conditions in Christs life and
public ministry, and to be true disciples of God, we must
follow in the footsteps of Christ all the way to the cross.
How is He an animating force?
o The world animating connotes a rousing into action. The
Spirit of the Risen Crucified Savior is in us, urging us to do
good and live a truly new life in Christ.
What is this truly new way of living?
o It is non-legalistic, as reflected in Christs teachings. This is
seen in Christs teachings about the Sabbath. He says that,
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath
(Mk. 2:27), showing that love for ones fellowmen and for
God must take precedence over keeping the
commandments.
o It is also living in a restored relationship with the Father,
without the need for middlemen. This is seen in the
account of the removing of the stone (Mk. 16:3-4).
o This new way of living is seen in Mark in the account of the
blind Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46-52). Bartimaeus, upon
hearing Christs call, casts away His coat and follows Him
after Christ heals Him. The coat was all Bartimaeus had,
and his casting it away shows a radical change in His life,
as He follows Christ on His way.
How is He the source of future resurrection?
What is future resurrection?
o This does not only refer to a literal reincarnation. Rather, it
speaks about the restoration of humanitys direct
relationship with the Father our eternal life with the
Father. This is a response to the question about
resurrection from the Saducees. When we are raised into
heaven, we are no longer our physical forms. Rather, we
are our embodied histories.