Jesus Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===={{anchor|Teachings and preachings}} Teachings and miracles==== {{Main|Sermon on the Mount|Parables of Jesus|Miracles of Jesus}} {{See also|Sermon on the Plain|Five Discourses of Matthew|Farewell Discourse|Olivet Discourse|Bread of Life Discourse}} [[File:Hoffman-ChristAndTheRichYoungRuler.jpg|thumb|upright=1|''[[Jesus and the rich young man]]'' by [[Heinrich Hofmann (painter)|Heinrich Hofmann]], 1889]] In the Synoptics, Jesus teaches extensively, often in [[parable]]s,{{sfn|Theissen|Merz|1998|pp=316–46}} about the Kingdom of God (or, in Matthew, the [[Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew)|Kingdom of Heaven]]). The Kingdom is described as both imminent<ref>[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Mark#1:15|Mark 1:15]].</ref> and already present in the ministry of Jesus.<ref>{{bibleref2|Luke|17:21}}.</ref> Jesus promises inclusion in the Kingdom for those who accept his message.<ref>{{bibleref2|Mark|10:13–27}}.</ref> He talks of the "[[Son of man]]", an [[Apocalypse|apocalyptic]] figure who will come to gather the chosen.<ref name="Britannica" /> Jesus calls people to repent their sins and to devote themselves completely to God.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303091/Jesus-Christ | title=Jesus Christ | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date=10 June 2015 | first1=E. P. | last1=Sanders | first2=Jaroslav J. | last2=Pelikan | archive-date=3 May 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503100711/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303091/Jesus-Christ | url-status=live }}</ref> He tells his followers to adhere to [[Jewish law]], although he is perceived by some to have broken the law himself, for example regarding the [[Sabbath]].<ref name="Britannica" /> When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind ... And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.{{'"}}<ref>[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#22:37|Matthew 22:37–39]].</ref> Other ethical teachings of Jesus include [[Matthew 5:44|loving your enemies]], refraining from hatred and lust, [[turning the other cheek]], and forgiving people who have sinned against you.<ref>[[Sermon on the Mount|Matthew 5–7]].</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Stassen |first1=Glen H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LlMVrmA-b-4C |title=Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context |last2=Gushee |first2=David P. |publisher=InterVarsity Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8308-2668-1 |pages=102–103, 138–140, 197–198, 295–298 |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226062140/https://books.google.com/books?id=LlMVrmA-b-4C |archive-date=26 February 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> John's Gospel presents the teachings of Jesus not merely as his own preaching, but as divine [[revelation]]. John the Baptist, for example, states in [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#3:34|John 3:34]]: "He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure." In [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#7:16|John 7:16]] Jesus says, "My teaching is not mine but his who sent me." He asserts the same thing in [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#14:10|John 14:10]]: "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works."<ref name="autogenerated98" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Köstenberger |first=Andreas J. |title=The missions of Jesus and the disciples according to the Fourth Gospel |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8028-4255-8 |pages=108–109 |language=en}}</ref> [[File:Pompeo Batoni 003.jpg|left|upright=.75|thumb|''[[Parable of the Prodigal Son|The Return of the Prodigal Son]]'' by [[Pompeo Batoni]], 1773]] Approximately 30 parables form about one-third of Jesus' recorded teachings.<ref name="autogenerated98">{{cite book|first=Eric F.|last= Osborn|year= 1993 |title=The emergence of Christian theology|url=https://archive.org/details/emergencechristi00osbo|url-access=limited| isbn= 978-0-521-43078-4 |page= [https://archive.org/details/emergencechristi00osbo/page/n115 98] |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=J. Dwight|last= Pentecost|year= 1998 |title=The parables of Jesus: lessons in life from the Master Teacher| isbn= 978-0-8254-9715-5 |page= 10 |publisher=Kregel Publications}}</ref> The parables appear within longer sermons and at other places in the narrative.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Sermons of Jesus the Messiah|first= E. Keith|last= Howick|year= 2003 |publisher= WindRiver Publishing |isbn= 978-1-886249-02-8| pages= 7–9}}</ref> They often contain symbolism, and usually relate the physical world to the [[Spirituality|spiritual]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Friedrich G. |last= Lisco |year=1850 |title=The Parables of Jesus |publisher= Daniels and Smith Publishers| pages= [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OoIuAAAAYAAJ/page/n12 9]–11 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OoIuAAAAYAAJ }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Ashton |last=Oxenden|year= 1864 |title=The parables of our Lord? |publisher=William Macintosh Publishers| page= [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5bUCAAAAQAAJ/page/n15 6] |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5bUCAAAAQAAJ }}</ref> Common themes in these tales include the kindness and generosity of God and the perils of transgression.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dPdANFaNgagC&pg=448 |title=Interpreting the Parables |publisher=InterVarsity Press |year=2012 |page=448 |isbn=978-0-8308-3967-4 |first=Craig L. |last=Blomberg |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910175429/https://books.google.com/books?id=dPdANFaNgagC&pg=448 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of his parables, such as the [[Parable of the Prodigal Son|Prodigal Son]],<ref>[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#15:11|Luke 15:11–32]].</ref> are relatively simple, while others, such as the [[Parable of the Growing Seed|Growing Seed]],<ref>[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Mark#4:26|Mark 4:26–29]].</ref> are sophisticated, profound and abstruse.<ref>{{cite web | first=Madeleine I. | last=Boucher |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/parables.html | title=The Parables | publisher=BBC | access-date=3 June 2013 | archive-date=10 August 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130810144100/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/jesus/parables.html | url-status=live }}</ref> When asked by his disciples why he speaks in parables to the people, Jesus replies that the chosen disciples have been given to "know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven", unlike the rest of their people, "For the one who has will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived even more", going on to say that the majority of their generation have grown "dull hearts" and thus are unable to understand.<ref>[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#13:10|Matthew 13:10–17]].</ref> [[File:Christ cleans leper man.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|[[Jesus cleansing a leper]], medieval [[mosaic]] from the [[Monreale Cathedral]], late 12th to mid-13th centuries|alt=Jesus, his head surrounded by a halo, puts his hands on a leper, thereby healing him]] In the gospel accounts, Jesus devotes a large portion of his ministry to performing [[miracle]]s, especially healings.{{sfn|Green|McKnight |Marshall|1992|p=299}} The miracles can be classified into two main categories: healing miracles and nature miracles.{{sfn|Twelftree|1999|p=350}}{{sfn|Levine|2006|p=4}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Charlesworth |first1=James H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YTIGy5t45WgC&pg=PT113 |title=The Historical Jesus: An Essential Guide |date=2008 |publisher=Abingdon Press |isbn=978-1-4267-2475-6 |page=113 |access-date=29 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008221947/https://books.google.com/books?id=YTIGy5t45WgC&pg=PT113 |archive-date=8 October 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The healing miracles include cures for physical ailments, [[exorcism]]s,{{sfn|Witherington|1997|p=113}}{{sfn|Theissen|Merz|1998|p=298}} and [[Miracles of Jesus#Resurrection of the dead|resurrections of the dead]].{{sfn|Green|McKnight|Marshall|1992|p=300}}<ref name="Oxford Companion" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Tabor |first=James |date=22 March 2013 |title=What the Bible Says About Death, Afterlife, and the Future |url=https://clas-pages.uncc.edu/james-tabor/ancient-judaism/death-afterlife-future/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823115040/https://clas-pages.uncc.edu/james-tabor/ancient-judaism/death-afterlife-future/ |archive-date=23 August 2016 |access-date=13 June 2015 |publisher=UNCC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Hoekema |first=Anthony A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c2yT_7xw35sC |title=The Bible and the Future |publisher=Eerdmans Publishing |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-85364-624-2 |pages=88–89 |access-date=8 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201008221946/https://books.google.com/books?id=c2yT_7xw35sC |archive-date=8 October 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> The nature miracles show Jesus' power over nature, and include [[turning water into wine]], walking on water, and calming a storm, among others. Jesus states that his miracles are from a divine source. When his opponents suddenly accuse him of performing exorcisms by the power of [[Beelzebul]], the prince of demons, Jesus counters that he performs them by the "Spirit of God" ([[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#12:28|Matthew 12:28]]) or "finger of God", arguing that all logic suggests that Satan would not let his demons assist the Children of God because it would divide Satan's house and bring his kingdom to desolation; furthermore, he asks his opponents that if he exorcises by [[Beelzebub]], "by whom do your sons cast them out?"<ref>[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#11:20|Luke 11:20]].</ref><ref name="Britannica2">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Jesus Christ|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303091/Jesus-Christ|access-date=10 June 2015|first1=E. P.|last1=Sanders|first2=Jaroslav J.|last2=Pelikan|archive-date=3 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503100711/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303091/Jesus-Christ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Js9nFESO0VAC&pg=PA100|title=Zondervan King James Version Commentary: New Testament|last2=Mitchell|first2=Daniel R.|publisher=Zondervan|year=2010|isbn=978-0-310-25150-7|page=100|first1=Edward E.|last1=Hindson|access-date=14 August 2015|archive-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910171333/https://books.google.com/books?id=Js9nFESO0VAC&pg=PA100|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#12:28|Matthew 12:31–32]], he goes on to say that while all manner of sin, "even insults against God" or "insults against the son of man", shall be forgiven, whoever insults goodness (or "The [[Holy Spirit]]") shall never be forgiven; they carry the guilt of their sin forever. In John, Jesus' miracles are described as "signs", performed to prove his mission and divinity.<ref name="Sign" />{{sfn|Ehrman|2009|page=[https://archive.org/details/jesusinterrupted00ehrm_0/page/84 84]}} In the Synoptics, when asked by some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees to give miraculous signs to prove his authority, Jesus refuses,<ref name="Sign">{{cite book|title=Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology|year=2001|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-3717-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/introducingnewte00paul/page/198 198] |url=https://archive.org/details/introducingnewte00paul/page/198|first1=Paul J.|last1=Achtemeier|first2=Joel B.|last2=Green|first3=Marianne M.|last3=Thompson}}</ref> saying that no sign shall come to corrupt and evil people except the sign of the prophet [[Jonah]]. Also, in the Synoptic Gospels, the crowds regularly respond to Jesus' miracles with awe and press on him to heal their sick. In John's Gospel, Jesus is presented as unpressured by the crowds, who often respond to his miracles with trust and faith.{{sfn|Twelftree|1999|p=236}} One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the gospel accounts is that he performed them freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment.<ref>{{cite book |last=van der Loos |first=Hendrik |title=The Miracles Of Jesus |year=1965 |publisher=Brill |page=197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n4geAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA197 |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910165838/https://books.google.com/books?id=n4geAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA197 |url-status=live }}</ref> The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracles of Jesus also often include teachings, and the miracles themselves involve an element of teaching.<ref name="WPent212">{{cite book |title=The words and works of Jesus Christ |first=J. Dwight |last=Pentecost |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-310-30940-6 |page=212 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bh3M_AfgXZAC&pg=PA212 |publisher=Zondervan |access-date=14 August 2015 |archive-date=10 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910063513/https://books.google.com/books?id=bh3M_AfgXZAC&pg=PA212 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Twelftree|1999 |p=95}} Many of the miracles teach the importance of faith. In the [[Cleansing ten lepers|cleansing of ten lepers]] and the [[Daughter of Jairus|raising of Jairus's daughter]], for instance, the beneficiaries are told that their healing was due to their faith.{{sfn|Donahue|Harrington |2002|p=182}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Lockyer|first= Herbert|year= 1988 |title=All the Miracles of the Bible| isbn= 978-0-310-28101-6 |page= 235 |publisher=Zondervan}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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