Strand: Scripture, Israel and Jesus (SIJPCE1)

Post Compulsory

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are central to the Christian’s search for meaning and identity.

Identify the characteristics of the Jewish tradition that provided meaning and identity for Jesus, thereby influencing meaning and identity for Christians now and significance for the lives of others.

Elaborations

Jesus was a Jew who was born to Jewish parents, brought up in a Jewish home and reared among Jewish traditions. Throughout his life, Jesus lived among Jews and his followers were Jews as well as gentiles. Jesus was Jewish in his background, his thinking, and his spirituality, therefore an understanding of Judaism is essential to an understanding of Christian identity, and to Christian faith. Like his fellow Jews, Jesus found the meaning for his life and the world in the story of Israel.

The oral and written tradition of the Old Testament of the Bible was established by the Hebrew people (whom we later refer to as Jews). Jesus would have claimed and been familiar with these Scriptures. We can understand therefore that both Christians and Jews claim the Old Testament of the Bible. People of Jewish faith do not accept the New Testament and await the coming of the Messiah. Jews (both at the time of Jesus and today) look forward to the establishment of a world in which: ● All nations will come to acknowledge the One God, who will unite them; ● All people will live in harmony together, and true justice will be given to all.
This is called the age of the Messiah and the expectations of the Jewish people are given voice in the Old Testament.

At the centre of Jewish life is the Torah (the first five Books of the Old Testament) and the Temple (which was destroyed in 70AD) where, in times past, they celebrated the great events of Jewish life. In contemporary times, Jews attend Synagogues (and many are waiting for the Temple to be re-established in Jerusalem). The Jews believe that God indirectly reveals Godself to humankind through their religious festivals.

Jesus challenged many Jewish beliefs and was not an indiscriminate faultfinder of them. For Christians, his life and teachings have a universal and timeless application. Many people who are not Christian, who are other than Christian, or who are not in faith, also draw meaning from his life and teachings. Many Jewish and Islamic people consider him a great prophet. From which ever perspective it is view, Jesus’ life and teachings should be seen within the context of the social, religious, and political situation of his time: first-century Palestine.

Examples in Scripture include but are not limited to:

Theme: Reign of God

Old Testament: Micah 4:1-8

New Testament: Luke 4: 43-44

Theme: A call to repentance and acceptance of the Kingdom

Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-2

New Testament: Mark 1:14-15

Theme: Meeting the Other (poor and insignificant)

Old Testament: Leviticus 19:9-18

New Testament: Mark 12:28-31

Learning Lites: Paschal Mystery, Right Relationship, Revelation.

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