II.

PRAXIS - For Jews, all misfortunes, sicknesses

This part is concerned of Jesus’ and disorders, were evil…or
works of liberation: i.e., works of afflictions sent by God…
healing, forgiveness, etc. of the poor - Hence, they were all at the mercy
and the oppressed. of scribes who never helped them…
- Jesus chose to mix with them
Chapter 3: THE POOR AND THE socially…
OPPRESSED - Why did he make such a choice?
Economically Poor o Because he was moved to
- We can’t talk about Jesus and his compassion for them…
ministry (i.e., of proclaiming the o Compassion passages: Mt.
kingdom…) without talking about 14:14; Mt. 9:36; Lk 7:13, etc…
the poor and the oppressed, or
those who suffered in the Chapter 4: HEALING
society, because they were the Healing thru Faith
overwhelming majority in - Jesus healed the sick by having a
Palestine at that time sort of physical contact
- They served as Christ’s audience - But Jesus can only heal as long as
or recipients of His wonderful the sick person has faith…(Mt
deeds (as we shall see in the 21:22)
next chapters…) - The use of faith as criterion for
- Who are the poor and healing is something unique only to
oppressed? Jesus
o Beggars, Widows, Orphans, - What is faith?
Unskilled day-laborers, o It is the conviction that God is
Peasants, Slaves good to the world and
- What or how do they suffer? humanity and that He can and
o Principal suffering: shame will triumph over evil…
and disgrace - Opposite of faith: Fatalism
o This is so because in the o Loss of faith and hope…
Middle East, prestige and o Unbelief and despair
honor are more important - Jesus’ success in his healing activity
than food or life itself is seen as: the Triumph of faith and
Poor In Spirit hope over fatalism
- the word ‘poor’ can be extended to - This faith could not be taught, only
those who rely upon the mercy of caught
God the poor in spirit, or the
sinners: Faith and Miracles
o prostitutes, Tax-collectors, - Where there is faith, miracles
Robbers, Herdsmen, happened, especially when He
Usurers, gamblers, am ha- heals…
arez, - What is a miracle?
- their suffering was in the form of: o Biblical miracle is an unusual
frustration, guilt, and anxiety event, understood as an
unusual act of God
In General o A mighty work
- those who belong to the poor and o This has nothing to do with
the oppressed were all those who the modern day interpretation
depend upon others for their life…
 of breaking the laws of nature - Jesus dined, laughed, and talked
since they never knew what with them
are the laws of nature - In other words, Jesus became a
- Greatest miracle for Jews: Exodus friend to these sinners
- a.k.a ‘sign’ in the Bible - This caused scandal, esp. to the
- Gospel account on Jesus’ Pharisees and scribes who were
Miracles…? very particular with the law…
o Jesus indeed performed Jesus forgave them
miracles - By accepting them as His friends
o They also write His extreme and equals, Jesus took away their:
reluctance to perform o Shame, humililiation, guilt
miracles - Jesus, as mentioned, triumphed
- Jesus’ motive for performing over their fatalistic attitude of being
miracles: cursed forever by virtue of their
o Compassion being sinful
o He was resolved to liberate - By overlooking their past, Jesus
people from their suffering treated them as people who were
and their fatalistic resignation no longer indebted to God
to suffering… - They were forgiven…
o Not to prove he was the Consequences of forgiveness
Messiah or Son of God - One consequence of forgiveness:
- N.B. Miracles happened only Healing
because Jesus caused faith in - Context:
them… o Sickness was thought of as
punishment for sin
o Hence, to be cured means to
be liberated from one’s debt
to God
- Jesus’ motive for healing:
Compassion
Chapter 5: FORGIVENESS - Another consequence of this
This chapter is very much liberation or healing: grateful love
connected with the previous one. and uncontrollable Joy
- Another consequence: Safety and
Jesus Identified with Sinners Security
- What are Sins? o Jesus not only healed and
o Sins are debts owing to God forgave them, he also
- Forgiveness cancellation or dispelled their fears and
remission of these debts to God relieved them of their worries
- Thus, forgiveness means: - Examples of healing and
o To remit, release, or liberate forgiveness: Mk 2:1-12; Lk 7:48, 50
- Social context: an upright Jew must
not socialize with sinners
- Who were the sinners (cf. ch.3)? III. GOOD NEWS
- Criterion of embarrassment: Jesus
mixing socially with sinners (Lk. CHAPTER 6: THE KINGDOM OF GOD
15:2; Mk 2:15; Lk 7:34)
Proclaiming the Good News, the
“Kingdom”
- This is understood as a form of o Kingdom of Satan: a
liberation community where evil reigns
- Jesus brought the good news to supreme
them in order to liberate them with o Kingdom of God: a community
the spoken word where goodness reigns
- Cf. Is 35:5-6; and Is 61:1-2 supreme
- The news Jesus brought to them - For Jesus, his liberating activity was
was good news ; one that is hopeful a power struggle with Satan
and encouraging - This was only possible because He
- It is a prophecy: the coming of the was convinced of a greater power
Kingdom of God at work
- This kingdom comes for those who - Ending Question: How do the values
are poor and oppressed, not for of the Kingdom of God differ from
those who are enjoying their riches that of the kingdom of Satan?
and wealth
Nature of “Kingdom”
- This “kingdom” of God is: CHAPTER 7: THE “KINGDOM” AND
o Future state of affairs on MONEY
earth
o It is when the poor would no - Pursuit of wealth is opposed to
longer be poor, the hungry pursuit of God, or ‘kingdom’ of God
satisfied, the oppressed no - Mammon and God are like two
longer miserable masters
o Cf. The Our Father, Mt 6:10 - That is why for Jesus, only the poor
- Mistranslation: Lk 17:21: “ The can enter the kingdom
kingdom of God is within you.” - The rich can only do so if there’d be
- Greek word ‘entos’: within or a miracle, i.e. giving up all their
among wealth
- It must be: “…among you” or “in - Poverty is not what Jesus idealized,
your midst” but a community that there would
- It is something within which the be no poor and no rich
person can live; it must be outside
of him CHAPTER 8: “THE KINGDOM AND
Kingdom of God vs. Kingdom of PRESTIGE”
Satan
- Opposed to the values of this world, - Social Context: Prestige was the
- Satan dominant value
- To Jesus, the power of Satan rules - Status and prestige were based
the world; upon ancestry, wealth, authority,
- political leaders, were puppets of education, virtue
Satan - Hence, constant recognition of
- Sinful structure of government was status was essential
evil - People who had no social status
- God’s kingdom will replace Satan; were not given rights and privileges
God will end Satan’s dominion over - It is this practice of having social
the earth distinctions among the people that
- Hence: Jesus criticized.
- Jesus criticized the Pharisees not for
their teaching but for their practice;
 they lived for prestige and - Jesus helped the Samaritan woman,
admiration from others and the Roman centurion (Mt 15:26,
- The kingdom is for all those who be and Lk 7:3-5)
like children: o Solidarity of the family should
o They symbolize those who not stand against this
have the lowest places in the solidarity among all human
society, the poor and the persons
oppressed, the sinners, the - This solidarity is practically is a
people whom Jesus often basic love for all human persons
called the little ones of the - Basis of this is Compassion, which is
least the only thing that can teach a
o Those who can enter this person about solidarity with other
“kingdom” must be willing to human beings.
change and become like
children CHAPTER 10: THE “KINGDOM AND
- …also for the women who also did POWER
not have status in the community
- This is an indication that Jesus - In Satan’s kingdom:
valued humanity more than o Power of Domination and
prestige or status. oppression
- Hence, the kingdom of God will be a - In God’s kingdom:
society in which: o Power of spontaneous loving
o there will be no prestige and service, this consists of
no status, freedom and service
o no division of people into - Jesus was aware that most of the
inferior and superior Jewish leaders were oppressors
o Everyone must be loved and - They used the law (torah) to
respected by their being exercise their power to dominate
persons (not because of any and oppress
other reasons) - Jesus objects not to the Law per se,
CHAPTER 9: THE “KINGDOM” AND but to the way in which the law is
SOLIDARITY being used against people.
- He cited that the Sabbath was
- Solidarity: supposed to free people from the
o Satan’s kingdom: based on burden of labor, but it evolved into
exclusive and selfish something that prevented them
solidarity of groups from doing good…
o God’s kingdom: based upon - Therefore, He is against any
all-inclusive solidarity of interpretation of the Law that would
human race make people suffer
- The basic attitude therefore is: - The Kingdom of God will abolish
o Solidarity with humankind every form of domination or
- Everyone is a neighbor to everyone oppression.
- Even one’s enemies can be
considered neighbor
- There must be no exclusivity, but
only inclusiveness; one that is for all
and not just for a certain group
CHAPTER 11: A NEW TIME
 - Context: - Or, faith, hope, and love
o Time in the Jewish - Kingdom of God depends upon the
mentality is not faith of the people
quantitative or - Faith is the conviction that the
chronological “kingdom” will truly come…and it is
o Instead, it is qualitative this conviction will make the
- Jesus announced a new time. kingdom com
‘New’ in the sense that the - There was the threat of the
kingdom of God is imminent or imminent Catastrophe…which can
very near. provide an opportunity of appealing
- Vs. John: for an immediate and radical
o This is new compared to change…
that of John’s - Believing in the coming of the
pronouncement of ‘kingdom’ will avoid the coming of
Metanoia, or conversion, the great catastrophe
which was about fasting - There was no guarantee of the
and penance coming of the kingdom will be very
o Jesus’ metanoia involves soon;
joyful expectation, one - What was certain for Jesus was that
that is likened to accepting either the catastrophe or the
an invitation to a feast kingdom would come in the near
- Signs of Time: future…
o Jesus saw his successful - The eschaton, or imminent act of
liberating praxis as the God, was an either-or event…
signs of time that the - There was a theme of urgency…
kingdom of God has come hence, preachers must do as fast as
upon the people (Lk 11:20) possible in spreading the good
o the kingdom of God is news…
gaining ground against - There was urgency because
that of Satan. o Israel was heading for
- Vs. OT view of God destruction…and that there
o Jesus image of God is will be great tragedy that
something new in that He might happen
was a God who has been o Or, if the kingdom would
moved with Compassion come instead of the
o Sinners are now treated catastrophe, those who did
with love and care not belong to the “kingdom”
o God is now willing to would have personal
forgive anyone freely and catastrophe, which is is
unconditionally depicted as being thrown into
o ABBA, a very personal God the fire of Gehenna, a valley
outside Jerusalem, which is
CHAPTER 12: THE COMING OF the image of complete
THE KINGDOM destruction, extreme opposite
of life
- The Kingdom can only come when - In the event, it was the catastrophe
there is heartfelt compassion and that came and not the ‘Kingdom’
hopeful faith; [70 CE and 135 CE]
- Jesus message, indeed, was not
timeless—it really was referring to a
concrete happening, or tragedy that
awaited them…It was prophetic,
and not apocalyptic
- Nolan says that it was only when
the message was taken out of
Palestine that it was adapted to
another situation…it was
apocalyptized, or applied as
something connected with the end
of times, by the evangelists