christ

Christ
Jesus’ Holistic
Mission Statement

Session 8
 worship and prayer

• Sing 2-3 Worship Songs (Project songs on PowerPoint.)

• Pray out loud for the course and for God to reveal himself through it
and have each student pray for his or her neighbor at the same time that
10 God may reveal himself and his purposes in a deeper way, give vision
minutes and renewed passion for his work on earth to be done.

review of previous session

Ask students to summarize the most important points of the last session.
xx
minutes

lecture: introduction: god enters our story

In the article you read, you looked at the socio-political and religious
context of Palestine prior to and around Jesus’ ministry years. You looked
at the Roman Empire in general and Palestine, as an occupied territory, in
xx
minutes particular. You saw that the political nation of Israel turned out to be a
failure, for it did not directly culminate in the redemption of the human
race. Instead, the Jews were divided into different parties, some resisting
and some collaborating with Rome’s oppressive rule. Shalom was lived
out, neither within Israel, nor as a witness to the other nations. As was
mentioned in the article, this very failure was a necessary demonstration
that nothing of human achievement could bring about a world of peace
and justice. is failure pointed to the need for a solution outside the
human realm. And that’s why people in the centuries before Jesus’ birth
began to cry out for a savior – a messiah that would liberate them. e
direct intervention of God was needed to transform human history and
bring about Shalom. Jesus was God’s way of sending someone to stand in
the gap.

Into this situation, then, of social and political unrest, of economic

exploitation and extreme poverty, of great nationalistic hopes and dreams
which were closely connected to the expectation of a powerful Messiah,
comes Jesus, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Mat. 1:1). God
himself – the King of Creation who knows no boundaries – took on
human flesh in the shocking confines of a baby’s skin. In the form of a
poor man he entered our Story as one of us, dispatched from God to lead
a resistance movement against evil.1 In Jesus of Nazareth, heaven and
earth come together once and for all. e place where God’s space and
our space intersect and interlock is no longer the temple in Jerusalem. It is
Jesus himself.2

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 Little wonder a choir of angels broke out in spontaneous song, disturbing
not only a few shepherds but the entire universe. “ere is born to you
this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord. Glory to
God in the highest; let there be Shalom earth and goodwill toward
humankind!” (Luke 2:11-14).3 Indeed, prophecies about Jesus the
Messiah talked about him establishing an age of Shalom, characterized by
his just and liberating rule:4 “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is
given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
[Shalom]. Of the increase of his government and peace [Shalom] there
will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that
time on and for ever.” (Isaiah 9:6-7). (see PowerPoint)

A Heightened Renewal of the Cosmic Struggle between the Empire of God

and the Empire of this World
e story of Jesus’ birth, then, begins with indications of a heightened
renewal of the cosmic struggle between God and “the rule of this world.”
Immediately after his birth, Herod the Great, vassal king of the Romans,
who acknowledged Rome as “masters of this world”, went out of his way
to destroy this supposed threat, killing hundreds if not thousands of baby
boys in a genocidal attempt to stay in power. It seems then that the
coming of Jesus of Nazareth was far more like the opening scenes of
Saving Private Ryan. A dangerous mission, a great invasion, a daring raid
into enemy territory, to save the world, but also to save one man!5

homework review and plenary dialogue

Before entering the bulk of today’s session, I’d like us to first review your
homework and application exercise for this week. At the end of the article
you read “e Societal Conditions During Jesus’ Time” you were to reflect
xx
minutes on the following questions: Imagine, just as Jesus is about to deliver his
first sermon on a busy street crowded with people, someone shouts out:
“Rabbi, what we really want is for you to tell us about your plan. What’s
your message? What should we do about the political and social mess
we’re in? Which path is the right path to take?6 How can we bring about
Shalom here and now? Should we agree with the Pharisees, or should we
rather adopt the viewpoint of the Sadducees? Or perhaps the Zealots are
right after all?” What do you think was Jesus’ response? What would you
say he answered? How would he describe his plan of action? What would
he say was his mission on earth? What would his listeners perceive his
‘Good News’ – the gospel – to be all about?

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 Allow participants time to respond, and share their thoughts. Have a
participant list them on the white board. Take note of participants’ insights
and, if necessary (i.e. if participants still share only spiritualized concepts),
comment that Jesus mission was broader than the words on the white board
express.

lecture: introduction: the temptation of christ

e Need to Understand e Temptation of Christ in its Societal Context
In the first part of today’s session we will concentrate on an extremely
xx important passage that is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels,
minutes Matthew, Mark and Luke: e Temptation of Christ. e authors of the
synoptic gospels agree that the temptation was a forty-day ordeal that
happened immediately after Jesus’ baptism and first public appearing.7
Unfortunately this text has often been taken out of context. Instead of
reading it in its context, many preachers and commentators have
spiritualized and individualized it, noting that we need to accept that
temptations are real, but that we can be comforted that Jesus too knew real
temptations, and so he can help us overcome the personal struggles we’re
facing. e temptation to turn stones into bread, for instance, is often
taken as a personal temptation to Jesus to squelch his private hunger.
Although this interpretation may hold a grain of meaning,8 reading the
text in its context, will help us appreciate that its full essence lies in a grasp
of the socio-political and economic condition of the masses in Palestine.
In fact, by placing the event at this juncture, the Gospel writers seem to
indicate that very early on in his ministry Jesus had to take a stand against
other available options and schools of thoughts that were prevalent in
Palestine at that time. Even as “the satan” was doing its best to drag Jesus
down into the trap into which Adam and Eve, Israel, and the rest of the
world, had already fallen, the temptations served to refine his own resolve
and sense of mission. ey served to help him decide his priorities and
clarify his alternative to all other existing options of his time.

video clip: the temptation of christ

Show video clip from MATTHEW Disc 1: 19:25-21:30.

xx Organize participants into groups of two each and have them discuss the
minutes
following questions projected on PowerPoint.

group study: the temptation of christ

Reflect on Matthew 4:1-11.
xx
minutes

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 What were the three temptations? List them.
What do you believe each of the temptations represented? And why
would these have been temptations for Jesus? Take the societal
conditions during Jesus’ lifetime into account as you reflect on this
question. Again, while the Gospel writers could expect that their first-
century audience would understand the socio-political and economic
realities of Palestine as an occupied territory under Rome, and thus
appreciate the full essence of Jesus’ temptations, audiences like us, whose
experiences are very different, need to learn to think our way carefully into
each scene, being alert to the imperial dynamics played out in the text.9
To understand the depth of these temptations better, we consequently
need to gain a deeper understanding of the societal conditions during
Jesus’ lifetime. Only when we analyze the context from which and into
which Jesus spoke, we will understand how tempting it would have been
for Jesus to embark on any of the three mentioned alternatives instead of
the mission, he had been sent on. (see PowerPoint)

Walk around and listen to groups. Select two or three student to report their
findings to the entire class and have one participant write their answers onto the
whiteboard.

Make sure that the following points are addressed and project the following
insights after having 2-3 students report their findings on PowerPoint:

What were the three temptations?

• Bread: to make bread out of stones.
• Temple: to throw himself down from the tower of the temple into the
crowded courtyard below without injuring himself
• Mountain: to worship Satan in order to gain power over the world

What do you believe each of the temptations represented?

• Most scholars today believe that the temptations represented the three
systems of any society:
• e Bread represents the Economic System: First of all came the
temptation to bring in the new society by economic means. ere were
certainly plenty of hungry people in the world who would have
welcomed bread from any source. 10
• e Temple represents the Religious System: Second, the temptation to
prove himself Messiah via a dramatic appearance at the temple, would
convince the religious leaders of the truthfulness of his claims and allow
him to enter into the circles of the aristocratic religious leadership.11
• e Mountain represents the Political System: e third temptation was
to adopt the values, methods and goals of the existing Political Empires,
become a conventional political Messiah and rule with the same kind of
political authoritarianism propped up by a military machine, as did the
Romans.12

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 Why would these have been temptations for Jesus?
Give participants time to respond and refer them to the article “e Temptations
of Christ” for further reading.

e Economic Temptation: First, the temptation to bring in the new society

by economic means and become a populist king was certainly tantalizing.
ere were plenty of hungry people in the world who would have
welcomed bread from any source and who would have been more than
happy to crown someone their king who would provide everything for
them.13 Certainly the temptation that Jesus faced with the bread was
more than a taunt to ease his private hunger pangs. Knowing the suffering
of the masses, the lepers, blind, and poverty stricken, those removed from
productivity and trampled on by economic and social practices, Jesus must
have been tempted to answer their cry for help. Indeed, the enticing
thoughts must have come one after another. Some may have sounded like
this: “Why not miraculously feed the masses?” “Freely disbursing food
would solidify a broad base of social support that could help undermine
the power of the local elites.” “Bread would be the quickest way to the
heart of the crowds and the power of the crowd was no figment of the
imagination. Even the authorities were afraid of the power of the masses.”
Other thoughts may have sounded as follows: “Alleviate their poverty
without suffering.” “Don’t preach the judgment of God on the den of
robbers – just distribute bread to the hungry.” “Avoid the causes of
economic injustice in the temple system and the Roman occupation – just
provide bread for the poor peasants and let the rest of the world go by.”14
Jesus knew, however, that miraculously feeding the multitudes was a short-
term solution. Hunger would spring up again when the miracle baker
died. What’s more, the temptation was more than illegitimate abuse of
crowd power. It pretended to reduce the incarnate God to a welfare king.
e alternative for Jesus was to offer himself as the permanent bread of
life. Instead of a miraculous temporary solution, Jesus offered a new
alternative. His life, his way, his teaching are a new foundation for living –
a new bread of life.15

e Religious Temptation: Second, the temptation to prove himself

Messiah via a dramatic appearance at the Temple, would convince the
religious leaders of the truthfulness of his claims and allow him to enter
into the circles of the aristocratic religious leadership.16 While Jesus
certainly didn’t agree with the economic exploitation and religious caste
system embraced by the Jewish temple aristocracy, a miraculous
appearance – as a sudden bolt out of heaven – would certainly have
convinced even the most skeptical Sadducee or Pharisee. Why not ask
God to accredit or certify His mission from the very beginning? A divine
legitimation within the sacred boundaries of the temple territory would
guarantee the fervent support of even the temple priestly hierarchy.17 In

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 fact, there was a prophecy in the Old Testament about the Messiah
suddenly appearing in a dramatic way in the temple.18 e scribes,
Sanhedrin, high priest, and other political and religious heavyweights,
then, would serve as sacred witnesses to certify the authenticity of the
Messiah’s arrival.19 e masses and crowds would quickly follow if the
scribes and wise men unconditionally embraced the newcomer.20 is
would circumvent all the harassment from the Jewish religious, political
and economic leaders. It would make it easier for Jesus to reform the
nation and its religious system. Although the thought of receiving the
blessing of the Jewish establishment must have been tantalizing to Jesus,
he chose to reject this life-sucking form of religion. He wasn’t willing to
bless the oppressive structures of institutionalized Jewish religion, which
ranked men according to pious deeds.21 While he embraced Torah, his
goal was to transform the nation, not stifle it. So he rather replaced the
machinery of formalized religion with compassion and love, trusting that
God’s way would in the end establish Shalom on earth; he rather
confronted institutionalized religion wherever and whenever it became
idolatrous or oppressive in burdening the faithful, instead of becoming a
champion of the very leaders who promoted this system.22

e Political Temptation: e third temptation was to adopt the values,

methods and goals of the existing Political Empires, become a
conventional political Messiah and rule with the same kind of political
authoritarianism propped up by a military machine, as did the Romans.23
Understanding the political structure of Palestine during Jesus’ life, it is
evident why he clashed with representatives of the ruling class.24 As a
member of the lower artisan class, it is also evident why he identified with
the oppressed majority, those suffering the poverty, hunger, and despair
associated with heavy taxation, and would have been eager to break
Rome’s iron fist. Satan’s offer, then, was the temptation to become the
Jews’ long-expected political Messiah, a Jewish Alexander the Great, a
conquering Davidic hero of the Zealots, who would wield all the political
power of the great Mediterranean world with its accompanying splendor
and glory. Once again Israel would be supreme – a light and power to all
the nations. God’s vengeance would shift from Rome to Jerusalem.
Caesar and his collaborators could no longer tax and insult common Jews,
for now Caesar himself would be Jewish.25 Although the thought of
squashing Rome and its local collaborators must have been enticing, Jesus
refused Satan’s offer. He knew that leading the masses in violent revolt
against the Rome and the rich Jewish aristocracy would not change the
basic political structure. It would merely place different people in the
same depraved structure. Hence, he refused any recognition of Satan’s or
Rome’s sovereignty.26 Instead he exhibited power over Satan, rejecting his
claims and dismissing him.

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 Only when we analyze the context from which and into which Jesus
spoke, we will understand how tempting it would have been for Jesus to
embark on any of the three mentioned alternatives instead of the mission,
he had been sent on. ankfully though, Jesus resisted these three very
inviting temptations and then set out to establish an alternative to all
existing schools of thought. He would not be a Zealot, nor an Essene, nor
a Pharisee, nor a Sadducee, nor a Herodian. He would call people to
something completely different. And so, just a few verses later, Jesus began
proclaiming God’s Kingdom/Empire and cast out demons as a display of
God’s sovereignty.

Project Matthew 4:17, 23-25 on PowerPoint: “From that time on Jesus began
to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near… Jesus went throughout
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom,
and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him
spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various
diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures,
and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the
Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."

But what was this Kingdom he proclaimed about? is is what we will
deal with in the next part of this session.

group dialogue 2: current application

But before that, let’s take a few moments to think about the temptations
we are facing in our own times. Having looked at Jesus’ temptations in the
xx context of first-century Palestine, let’s reflect on our own context of 21-
minutes century Mexico. Like Jesus, we too face many temptations, temptations
that can distract us from God’s vision and undermine all of our efforts, if
we don’t resist them and recognize them as coming from the enemy.

• What are the political temptations of our time and how are we to
respond to them as Church?
• What are the religious temptations of our time and how are we to
respond to them as Church?
• What are the economic temptations of our time and how are we to
respond to them as Church?

Facilitate a dialog with participants about the current temptations facing us as

a Church.

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 lecture: introduction: the kingdom of god is near
As we just saw a few minutes ago, as soon as Jesus came back from his 40
days of temptation in the wilderness, he began to preach a simple, but stiff
challenge: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!” (Matt. 4:17). In
xx saying so, Jesus was not offering a new way of getting heaven hereafter, but
minutes announcing that the rule of heaven, the very life of heaven was now
overlapping with earth in a new way.27 He urged his listeners to repent, to
change their minds and hearts, not merely for the sake of change, but in
light of what he called “the kingdom/empire (basileia)”. e kingdom of
God was the subject of Christ’s first sermon “After John was put in prison,
Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of
God.” (Mark 1:14). It was the only thing he called the Gospel: “Jesus
went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good
news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the
people.” (Matthew 4:23). It was the topic on which he focused his
teaching to the disciples during his last forty days on earth: “After his
suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing
proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days
and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3). Jesus said that the
kingdom is the key to understanding his teaching: “He said, ‘e
knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,
but to others I speak in parables, so that, 'though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.” (Luke 8:10) In the Sermon on
the Mount, Jesus said that the kingdom of God was the first thing we
should seek and that everything else will follow: “But seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well.” (Matthew 6:33). e Coming of the kingdom is the first petition in
the prayer Jesus taught us to pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus even said that “this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony
to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14).28 In other
words, the kingdom was the center of Jesus’ preaching, healing and
ministering.29 (see PowerPoint). It was as if he was saying: “You’re all
preoccupied with the oppressive empire of Caesar and the oppressed
kingdom of Israel. You’re missing the point: the kingdom of God is here
now, available to all! is is the reality that matters most. Believe this
good news and follow me!”30

ere are some important clues we can glean from the Gospels to uncover
Jesus’ theology of the kingdom. Luke places a key event at the early stages
of his Gospel in chapter 4 to provide some insight into Jesus’ New
Kingdom and what he had come to do. e event takes place in Nazareth,
Jesus’ hometown, a village of sixteen hundred to two thousand inhabitants.
On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as his custom was.31 As
he enters, the leader of the synagogue hands him the scroll. He unravels it

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 to a section from Isaiah. But he doesn’t read. He quotes it forcefully by
memory.32 en he rolls up the scroll, returns it to the attendant, and sits
down – sitting being the posture of a teacher in those days. Everyone’s
eyes are on Jesus, as they wonder what comment he will make on the
passage he has chosen.33 In the terse quote from the prophet he
pronounces and summarizes his identity and mission in the midst of the
religious caste system, political oppression and economic exploitation we
learned about last session, setting forth the perspective from which he is to
be understood: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”34

Let’s watch a video clip to have this passage come alive even more. Show
video clip from movie Jesus 12:09-15:08.

is is Jesus’ own mission statement, then. It outlines clearly who Jesus is
and what he is about! It is, in fact, the most important passage in the book
of Luke. Around this passage the whole book of Luke is built – a book at
whose heart lies the socioeconomic, political, and personal transformation
of individual and corporate structures.35 As we study this central passage
together, it will be insightful to read between the lines at times, in order to
appreciate the context in which Jesus pronounced his mission statement.

plenary study 1: jesus’ mission statement36

Read Luke 4:16-21.
xx
Knowing more of Palestine’s societal structure, who do you think was
minutes
present in the synagogue?
Most likely a cross-section of society. Perhaps a handful of more wealthy land-
owners and stewards, some religious leaders such as Pharisees, a good number of
skilled craftsmen and lower artisans, numerous peasants and day laborers, and
even some beggars, cripples and other outcasts.

Knowing more of the religious caste-system, where do you think these

people sat in the synagogue building? Who sat where?
Show likely contours/architectural set-up of Nazareth synagogue setting to
illustrate the division between the different types of people who frequented the
synagogue on Sabbaths (See PowerPoint).

On the front of the room, facing the people, were the Jewish religious leaders,
particularly the Scribes, who sat on the seat of Moses. is way everyone could
see them and admire their eminence.37 en came the wealthy and the ordinary
men, who sat on the more prominent right-hand front side of the synagogue; on
the left-hand backside of the synagogue, behind dividers, were the women. e
beggars, cripples and other outcasts were not allowed inside the synagogue
because of their seeming sinfulness – so they remained outside the gates.

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 In this setting, then, what did Jesus say he had come to do? Let’s list all
the words on the white board!

• Preach good news to the poor

• Proclaim freedom to prisoners
• Open blind eyes
• Release the oppressed
• Proclaim the Year of the Lord’s Favor

What did Jesus mean when he said: “Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing”?
Jesus announced that the centuries of waiting on God’s blessing had ended:
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. You are living witnesses
to it. You are seeing it fulfilled before your eyes!38 In other words, Jesus is
introducing an entirely new theme: the gospel is no longer a purely future hope
but a present reality.39 Jesus himself has come to inaugurate God’s kingdom.
e whole story of his people will come to fulfillment in his time and in his own
person. Justice for all is to be enacted from now onwards; it is to be a central
part of his kingdom and that kingdom is now.40 e whole point of Jesus’ work
was to bring heaven to earth and join them together forever, to bring God’s
future into the present and make it stick there. But when heaven comes to earth
and finds earth unready, when God’s future arrives in the present while people
are still asleep, there will be explosions. And there were.41

Before we proceed with this passage in Luke, let’s take some time to
understand what Jesus was actually saying here. Particularly the words
‘release the oppressed’42 and ‘proclaim the year of the Lord’s Favor’.
What do they mean? Based on our past sessions, what do you think?
Allow participants time to answer, if they have a hunch.

anks for your answers. Both words are actually classical phrases in the
Old Testament that refer to the year of Jubilee, described in Leviticus
25:8-25. You may remember that we talked about the Sabbatical Year in
Deuteronomy when we looked at how the economic system was supposed
to function. e same way the Jews counted six work days and then
celebrated the seventh as Sabbath, they also counted six work years, and
celebrated the seventh as a year of rest – a sabbatical year. Now the same
was also true for the year of Jubilee. It occurred every 7th sabbatical year,
celebrating the end of a week of sabbatical years (which meant every 50
years). e year of Jubilee had four stipulations:

1. Letting the land lie fallow – letting it rest

2. Canceling all debts
3. Liberating slaves
4. Returning the land to its original owners

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 In summary, then, this is what Jesus pronounced he had come to do on
earth! is is how he defined his mission! To proclaim Jubilee and
inaugurate God’s Kingdom of Shalom here on earth! As a result of his
ministry, things would be rejuvenated, reestablished, restored back to their
original state. No more sweat. No more debts. No poverty. No more
exploitative work. Slavery ends. Everyone has plentiful. Images that take
us back to the creation in the first chapter of Genesis.43 Interestingly,
some scholars have suggested that a recent Jubilee year may have made the
Isaiah text fresh in the minds of Jesus’ hearers when he quoted it in the
synagogue of Nazareth in Galilee. In fact, through Josephus’ writings we
know that one such Sabbatical year was AD 26-27. One scholar is even
convinced that AD 26-27 was actually a year of Jubilee! Guess what year
it was when Jesus pronounced his mission on that Sabbath afternoon in
Nazareth? Based on research, Jesus most likely delivered this
announcement during AD 26-27!44

plenary study 2: reactions to jesus’ mission statement

Let’s go back to Luke 4, now that we have put things in context. To
understand the next section of the passage, it is important that we
xx transpose ourselves into first-century Palestine and imagine we sat in that
minutes
synagogue among Jesus’ audience. Only when we do so, will we be able to
understand the nuances of the verses that follow and be able to discern the
divergent responses to Jesus’ pronouncement.

Read Luke 4:22a.

What was the initial reaction of Jesus’ listeners? Who do you believe
was glad to hear this good news? Who not? What reactions would you
have after hearing such powerful statements if you lived in an
oppressive and bleak context?
I’m sure that Jesus’ pronouncement must have sent shivers down the spines of the
majority of Jesus’ listeners – particularly the poor. Finally! e Messiah would
come, drive out the hated Romans and restore the kingdom to Israel. e
townspeople had heard reports of Jesus’ teaching and healing elsewhere and
might reasonably have expected that if he was a prophet endowed by the Spirit
of God he would favor his hometown with his mightiest works. Good times
were ahead! God would bless them abundantly! No wonder Luke reports that
they bore witness to him and marveled at the “gracious words” he spoke.

Read Luke 4:22b-23.

e mood soon changed in Jesus’ audience, however, as we see in V22b

and following. Scholars have had difficulties making sense of the
drastic transition from enthusiastic endorsement, to doubtful

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 questioning ‘Isn’t he the son of Joseph?’ to mocking accusations
‘Physician, heal yourself ’! Why this drastic change of mood? e
answer may not be as difficult as thought! If we transpose ourselves into
Nazareth’s synagogue, who do you think we would see reacting
threatened and asking: “Who is this man? Isn’t he just a menial
carpenter’s son? Well, Jesus, if you really think you’re powerful enough
to threaten us, then show us your power now! What you’ve done in
other places, do here!”
Most likely the powerful and wealthy; the landowners and stewards, the
religious leaders and perhaps some better-off skilled artisans.

Why would they react so threatened, pushing Jesus to the point of

confronting and openly challenging them? To answer this question let’s
do a short excursus with the following group work.

group study: the perceived threat of jesus’ call to jubilee

Divide participants into groups of 4-5 people and them read the one-page
article “e Perceived reat of Jesus’ Call to Jubilee”.
xx
minutes After reading the article have the dialog about their reactions to the article.
What did they glean from it? How did it improve their understanding of the
situation?

After groups are done, ask in the plenary again the question: “Why would
the Jewish leaders react so threatened, pushing Jesus to the point of
confronting and openly challenging them?”
Allow participants time to respond.

What we’ve seen in verses 4:22-23, then, was that Jesus’ pronouncement
got cheers of support from the poor, but sneers of rejection from the
powerful. In the next verses we see, however, how the powerful were able
to co-opt the poor and once again bring them over to their side – against
Jesus and his message of God’s in-breaking kingdom, to the point of being
willing to kill him. ey were able to do so by trumping the ‘nationalistic
card’, since Jesus had shown sympathy and support for non-Jews.

According to Luke, since God’s Kingdom was breaking into the present
age through Jesus, Jesus’ mission in this present reality was to reestablish
Jubilee throughout Israel and beyond. His was not a privatized mission
statement, then, but a very public pronouncement that was to bring
liberation to the world in a very broad sense.45 It had everything to do
with public matters in general and politics in particular – including
economics and community development, personal empowerment and
choice, foreign policy and war. e fact that Jesus called his message “good
news”, itself a public term that evoked the political announcements of

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 Roman emperors, indicates that though Jesus’ message was personal, it was
not private.46 His message of the Kingdom threw down a direct challenge
to the supremacy of the empire of Caesar centered in Rome, for in the
kingdom of God, the ultimate authority was not Caesar but rather the
Creator.47 We may, then, define Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God as
follows:

“A new day is coming! God is launching a new earth, a new world order, a
new reality, a new realm – in short a new kingdom. In that new reality, the
poor and rejected will be embraced and valued and brought back into the
community. In that new era, what will count is what is in the heart – not
merely what is projected, pretended, or professed. In that new realm, evil
in all its forms will be exposed, named, and dealt with. In that new
kingdom, justice, integrity, and Shalom will overcome.”48 (see PowerPoint)

plenary study 3: jesus - the true leader

Perhaps you’re not yet convinced with this nontraditional interpretation of
Jesus’ temptation and Jesus’ mission statement offered in this session. In
xx case this is so, let’s look at another important passage in which Jesus
minutes explains why he came on earth and how he defined his mission, to
underline the veracity of the this-worldly aspects of his mission.

Read John 10:1-10.

View video clip.

is is an allegory. What is the meaning or what is Jesus trying to

convey through it?
Often Jesus used common-day experiences to illustrate a truth. In this story,
Jesus began by reminding his listeners of the sort of pen in which sheep were
kept. e enclosure was constructed using stones, upon which thorny vines were
encouraged to grow. e purpose of these brambles was to dissuade wild animals
or thieves from crawling over the wall. e pen had only one entrance. During
the day, the shepherd would lead his flock out to the pasture for grazing. At
night, the flock returned to the fold and the shepherd would sleep in the entrance.
No one could enter and the sheep could not leave without disturbing the
guardian. e shepherd’s body literally became the door to the pen.49 (Show
picture of sheep pen on PowerPoint.) Now that we understand the imagery
better, let’s see what Jesus was trying to convey through this allegory.

Why does Jesus compare himself to a gate? What is the purpose of a

gate?
Jesus compares those who trust him and seek to follow him and become part of
his alternative community as sheep, safely secured and cared for in the sheep pen.
He is also saying that he alone is the gate – there are no other doors. It is only

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 through him that one can be saved from a life outside of Shalom. It is only
through him that one can have life in abundance; life filled with Shalom. Jesus
is God’s way to bring people back to himself and his vision of Shalom. In
another passage Jesus spells this out very clearly. In John 14:6 he says: “I am the
way the truth and the life; no one can come to the father except through me!”
Just as the shepherd was the only gate to the sheepfold, so Jesus is the only way to
God.50

Why does Jesus compare himself to a good shepherd? In order to

answer this question let’s return to Ezekiel in the Old Testament and
compare it to this passage to find more reasons why Jesus calls himself the
good shepherd.

group study: the bad shepherd vs. the good shepherd

Divide participants into two groups and have each of the groups read the
following passages and prepare a short dramatized reading of the respective
xx
texts.
minutes
Group 1: Read Ezekiel 34:1-10 and take note of what the shepherds were
not doing. Prepare a short dramatized reading of this text that shows
what the shepherds/leaders were not doing.

Group 2: Read John 10:11-16 and take note of what Jesus said he would
do as the good shepherd. Prepare a short dramatized reading of this text
that shows what Jesus as the good shepherd would do.

Once the groups are done, allow them to share their findings and do a
dramatized reading by answering the following questions:

So what were the shepherds not doing according to the Ezekiel passage?
(Group 1)
Have someone in the group read the text while the others dramatically play it
out: ey were enriching themselves; not taking care of the flock; not
strengthening the weak or healing the sick; not binding up the injured; not
searching for the lost; ruling harshly and brutally.

And what did Jesus say he’d do in John? According to this passage what
would a good shepherd do? (Group 2)
Have someone in the group read the text while the others dramatically play it
out: He said he’d lay down his life for the sheep. He really said: “I am willing to
give my life so that you can have life in abundance.” He said he’d know his
sheep and the sheep would know him; he’d bring in other sheep not of this sheep
pen; and unite the sheep under him.

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 plenary study: why god entered our world himself
xx
minutes Read Ezekiel 34:11-16; John 10:10.

In verses 11 and 16 of Ezekiel 34 God says – “I will search for my sheep

and look after them, I will tend my flock.” From how we’ve seen God
acting thus far, how does this alter/add to His strategy to call the world
back to the Shalom vision?
God alters his strategy by personally intervening and sending his Son Jesus. As
we saw last week, God was looking for someone to stand in the gap, to stop the
downward spiral. Yet this very pattern of humanity not being able to live out
God’s intended vision of Shalom points to the world’s need for a deliverer, a
restorer, indeed a Savior.

What do you make of the verse in John 10:10, namely that Jesus saw
himself as the One, who, in contrast to the bad shepherds, would bring
life in abundance?
In John 10:10 Jesus shows that life in its fullness is the purpose of his ministry to
this world. True, he never promised anyone an easy life, but he promised
fullness of life! is is what we were created for in the first place, and what
Christ has come to make possible: SHALOM. To live abundantly in
relationships that are just, harmonious, and enjoyable.

summary
xx
minutes
Jesus had compassion for the crowds partly because the Jewish political,
economic, civic and religious leaders, who should have been shepherds to
the people, had instead become a pack of wolves and thieves and, like
hirelings, did not serve the flock well. All these leaders were interested in,
was controlling the people and assuring that they fell in line with the
man-made stipulations which upheld their status quo. Since they found
God’s mercy offensive and threatening to the status quo, they excluded
themselves from God’s grace. Jesus, in contrast, did not see people merely
as souls to be saved from hell. He saw them as sheep whose shepherds
had turned into wolves, without identity and purpose, harassed and
helpless, sheep in need of deliverance from the wolves, as oppressed
persons ‘weary and burdened’ who needed rest – Shalom. Jesus’ mission,
then, was to give Israel’s common people an alternative and to become
their good shepherd, who would take over leadership from the wolves. He
said that he was sent to ‘the lost sheep of Israel (Matt. 15:24) to gather
them into the fold. His claim to kingship rested on the fact that he was
the ‘ruler who would be the shepherd of Israel’ (Matt. 2:6). His
shepherding would be entirely different from that of the Jewish
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 Establishment, who had become irrelevant for Israel’s salvation. Instead of
taking advantage of them, Jesus, in the work of bringing about their
Shalom, would lay down his life for them. is is why God sent His Son
and not another prophet! ere was no one other who could stand in the
gap! Jesus, as God’s son, was the only one who fully fulfilled and
embodied God’s intention, so he was the only one qualified to call the
world back to the Shalom vision. Again – God does not undermine his
strategy to bring Shalom to the world through humans. He remains
truthful to that strategy which he laid down at the very beginning of time
when he gave humanity dominion over the earth. What he does though –
since he can’t seem to find any human able to put his vision fully into
practice – is become a human himself.

In summary, having read all of these passages today, what were two of
Jesus’ central claims as to his purpose for coming on earth, and the
definition of his mission? What were two of his main goals?

1. To proclaim and inaugurate God’s Kingdom of Shalom here on earth

as an alternative to the existing Kingdoms and Empires, and save the
world and its people from the downward spiral we cannot get out of
on our own
2. To be a good shepherd/leader that seeks the best for his flock, that
truly cares for his sheep and is willing to die for his flock so that they
can live life in abundance, life in Shalom.

group dialogue: your reactions to jesus’ mission

statement
Divide participants into four groups to dialogue about the following questions.
In the end have groups share their findings by engaging them in a dialog:
xx
minutes
1. How far has Jesus’ mission become embodied and made real in the life,
witness, and social action of your church in this city?
2. Knowing the breadth of Jesus’ mission, what does this mean for us –
who want to follow Jesus?
3. How can we (your church) proclaim Jubilee in your community and
nation?
4. If Jesus were Mayor of your city or municipality, how would your
community change, based on what we studied today?

individual reflection: my personal mission statement

In this next exercise, which we won’t finish today, I want you begin writing
your own personal mission statements.
xx
minutes

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 Have participants turn to “Writing a Personal Mission Statement” and have
guide them through the worksheet – having different students reading different
paragraphs and clarifying any questions.

Give participants then about 10 minutes of individual time to begin writing

their statements. Have them finish their mission statements for homework and
indicate to them that they would be asked to share their mission statement in the
following session.

homework assignment and application

Assign students to study the article “How To Transform Society” as
homework, to answer the reflection questions at the end of the article, and
xx to come prepared to share their findings with other members of their
minutes group.

Have them also finish writing their personal mission statements.

closing prayer
Ask a participant to close in prayer.

5
minutes

total time:
xx minutes

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 personal notes

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 endnotes
1 John Eldredge, Epic, 65
Over 40 percent of the world’s population still dates their lives in reference to Jesus’
supposed birth. Actually, the sixth-century monk who did the calculation got it wrong by
a few years; Jesus was probably born in or shortly before 4 BC, the year when Herod the
Great died.
2 N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, 94
3 Matthew speaks of Jesus’ Jewish line, which we Christians dare not ignore. Would there

have been such anti-Semitism, would there have been so many pogroms, would there
have been an Auschwitz, if every Christian church and every Christian home had focused
its devotion of Mary not only as Mother of God but as the Jewish maiden and on icons
of Christ not only as a Pantocrator but as Rabbi Jeshua bar-Joseph, Rabbi Jesus son of
Joseph? At the same time we dare not ignore that Matthew also suggests, with the
coming of the wise men, that the Gentile nations will be drawn to the grace that God
will provide. at once more the Jewish people will become a blessing to the nations.
4 Graham Gordon, What If You Got Involved?, 24
5 John Eldredge, Epic, 67

e confrontational nature of God’s reign is seen in the Christmas narrative. In Luke 1:5
we are told that Jesus’ birth occurs in the days of King Herod of Judea. In 1:26 the angel
who announces the conception is Gabriel, whose name means “God is mighty” or “God’s
mighty warrior”. is leads eminent Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann to
suggest that the issue in the narrative is not the virgin birth but the power of Herod
versus Gabriel. Even in the Magnificat in 1:51-52, Mary highlights this conflict. (Pedrito
U. Maynard-Reid, Complete Evangelism, 81)
6 Brian McLaren, e Secret Message of Jesus, 14
7 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 41

e number “forty” represents trial and oppression in Hebrew history. e flood lasted
forty days and nights, and the wilderness wandering continued for forty years. Moses was
up on the mountain forty days and nights. Goliath taunted the Israelites for forty days.
8 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 80
9 Warren Carter, Matthew and Empire, 35
10 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 54
11 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 56
12 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 56-57
13 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 54
14 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 81
15 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 91
16 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 56
17 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 65-66
18 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 56
19 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 76
20 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 66
21 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 77
22 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 77
23 John Drane, Introducing the New Testament, 56-57
24 Warren Carter, Matthew and Empire, 35
25 Donald Kraybill, e Upside-Down Kingdom, 43
26 Warren Carter, Matthew and Empire, 63

We should take note of the Gospel writers’ astounding claim that Rome’s Empire was
Satan’s agent. If Satan controls all of the world’s empires, he must also control Rome. To
them, then, the sinful sociopolitical and economic structures of Roman imperialism
manifested Satan’s empire. Indeed, Satan’s demand that Jesus “worship” Satan is expressed

The Integral Mission of the Church 20 Living the Story Series

 in language that has very explicit political and military dimensions. e verb for
“worship” (proskyneo) echoes the political practice of proskynesis. is practice involved
an act of prostration or bowing in submission before a ruler or emperor. Interestingly also,
Satan used the same noun, empire or kingdom (basileia), in making his offer as Jesus uses
when he begins his public ministry a few verses later.
27 N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, 164
28 ? Glasser?
29 Bob Linthicum, City of God City of Satan, 104
30 Brian McLaren, e Secret Message of Jesus, 14
31 Arthur F. Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom, 185
32 Donald Kraybill, e Upside Down Kingdom, 95

e Isaiah passage Jesus quotes from is unquestionably social in its intent. It is in the
context of prophetic criticism of social abuses in Judah and the oppression of the poor by
the rich. erefore, it is certain that Luke wants us to read this passage in socioeconomic
and sociophysical categories. He wants his readers to realize that Jesus’ mission is one
which has a strong social component. (Pedrito U. Maynard-Reid, Complete Evangelism,
70)
33 Brian McLaren, e Secret Message of Jesus, 30
34 Donald Kraybill, e Upside Down Kingdom, 95
35 “We cannot read Luke’s Gospel without being impressed with his concern for the

downtrodden. His references to poverty and oppression were not metaphorical,

allegorical, or symbolic of other issues; he focuses on the plight of real people in real-life
situations. His intent was to reveal how the gospel could liberate them from wealth as
well as from poverty and oppression.” (Bruce Bradshaw, Change Across Cultures, 60)
36 In this passage, Jesus emphasized that he came to do what he was going to do through

the power of the Spirit. Again and again Jesus emphatically underscored the source of his
authority. It was not his own. He was a steward of the Father’s authority. e Father had
conferred on him the power of attorney. He acted on behalf of the Father. e Father had
given the “right” to speak about the kingdom. is is a most fundamental issue. e one,
who speaks on behalf of another, points people to the other. e self-appointed
spokesman who speaks on his own authority points others to himself. In the course of his
ministry, Jesus used his authority in a way that clearly pointed to God. He was not a self-
acclaimed puppet prophet who relished the crowd’s applause. (Donald Kraybill, e
Upside-Down Kingdom, 270)
37 Donald Kraybill, e Upside Down Kingdom, 271
38 Donald Kraybill, e Upside Down Kingdom, 96
39 Arthur F. Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom, 185
40 Graham Gordon, What If You Got Involved?, 25
41 N.T. Wright, Simply Christian, 102
42 We might well understand the phrase to have a wider reference to enslavement other

than debtors in prison. It may also refer to persons held captive by demonic possession
and by physical ailments due to demonic activity. (Pedrito U. Maynard-Reid, Complete
Evangelism, 69)
43 Donald Kraybill, e Upside Down Kingdom, 106

Jesus’ mission in this present reality was to reestablish Jubilee throughout Israel and
beyond. His was not a privatized mission statement, then, but a very public
pronouncement that was to bring liberation to the world in a very broad sense. According
to Luke, Jesus was sent to inaugurate God’s kingdom: a reign which began with his
coming and will be finally manifested when, like the blowing of the ramshorn on the Day
of Atonement, the “last trumpet” will herald the glorious appearance of Christ at his
second coming.
44 Howard A. Snyder, A Kingdom Manifesto, 69
45 According to Luke, Jesus was sent to inaugurate God’s kingdom: a reign which began

with his coming and will be finally manifested when, like the blowing of the ramshorn on

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 the Day of Atonement, the “last trumpet” will herald the glorious appearance of Christ at
his second coming.
46 Brian McLaren, e Secret Message of Jesus, 10

When the Roman emperors would win an important military victory, they would send
out messengers to announce “good news” (euangelium). Caesar Augustus, for example,
who ruled the empire from 27 BC to AD 14 articulated his good news in this inscription
found in Myra, Lycia: “Divine Augustus Caesar, son of god, imperator of land and sea,
the benefactor and savior of the whole world, has brought you peace.” (Ibid, 10)
47 Brian McLaren, e Secret Message of Jesus, 17
48 Brian McLaren, e Secret Message of Jesus, 23
49 John R. Cross, e Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, 207
50 John R. Cross, e Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, 208

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