THESIS 8: GOD THE SON (Biblical Christology)

(1)To carry out the will of God whom he called “Abba,” Jesus of Nazareth inaugurated the Reign of God on earth (LG 3). (2)In proclaiming the Kingdom of
God (cf. Mk 1:14-15), Jesus “accompanies his words with ‘mighty works and wonders and signs’ which manifest that the Kingdom is present in him and attest
that he was the promised Messiah (Acts 2:22; cf. Lk 7:18-23)” (CCC 547). (3)“Constituted Lord by his resurrection and given authority in heaven and on
earth” (GS 38), Jesus Christ is the eternal Word made flesh (Jn 1:14), the “image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). (4)He, the Risen Christ, is “the key, the
center and the purpose of the whole of human history” (GS 10), the “perfect man [who saves] all women and men and sums up all things in himself” (GS 45;
cf. GS 32). (Cf ND intro 668; CFC 475-512; PCP II 37-61).

QUESTIONS STATEMENTS EXPOSITION SOURCES

What is the will (1)To carry out the will
of God? of God …  God wills the salvation of all – universal plan of salvation, that all of us share in 1 Tim 2:3-4
his divine life.
 Jesus’ mission was to carry the will of God - that is to reveal the love of the
Father.

What is “Abba?” …whom He called

“Abba,” …  Aramaic word for Father. Mentioned in the OT= 11 times, NT = 170 times. Jesus Mk 14:36
calls God “Abba.”
 Jesus calling God as Father and the way he spoke to him shows a unique
familiarity and eternal relationship with the Father. He spoke of God’s
immanence (closeness), God who is intimate and close to us.
 Jesus also claimed authority to share this relationship with others – we can call Mat 11: 27
him Abba!
 The Gospels likewise gives Jesus the title “Beloved Son” in the Baptism account
(Mt 3:17) and Transfiguration

Who is Jesus Jesus of Nazareth  Our starting point in knowing Christ, is the historical Jesus – Jesus who was born
and what is his inaugurated the Reign a Jew, in Bethlehem, during King Herod’s time, a carpenter, died, and crucified
mission? of God on earth (LG3). under Pilate [CCC 423]. In other words, Jesus of Nazareth.
 Understanding Christ with History as the starting point is known as Christology CCC 423
from below (a post-Vatican II approach).
 Another approach makes use of doctrines and doctrinal formulations about Jesus
as starting point, a methodology known as Christology from above.
Ontological Christology
 Low Christology – affirms humanity but may or may not affirm his
divinity.
 High Christology – affirms J’s divinity, may or may not affirm humanity
(Eg. Gospel of John: prologue, baptism in Mk 1:9-11, transfiguration)

 Jesus’ mission was to carry the will of God - that is to reveal the love of the
Father by inaugurating the Reign of God on earth: Eph 1:9-10

 Inaugurated – marked the beginning LG 3

 The Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed is not a geo-political territory.
 More appropriate term is “Reign of God” – reign is the positive action through
w/c God transforms reality, God’s Kingdom is what comes to pass in this world
when God truly reigns – a history, a society, a people transformed according to
God’s will.
 OT: Preparation with promises, prepared through God’s providence, Israel as a nation,
hope and eschatological expectation
Inauguration: Jesus’ incarnation, his life events, the passion and death, yet the Christ-
events haven’t fully established the Kingdom yet.
Present continuation: the Church and her mission
Final perfection: the Parousia whereas the reign of God will be fully established
How did Jesus (2)In proclaiming the
proclaim the Kingdom  Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God with mighty works and wonders and signs, CCC 548
Kingdom of of God, Jesus which attest that the Father has sent him. The miracles bear witness that he is
God? “accompanies his the Son of God and invite belief in him
words with  This plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words having an inner unity: the DV 2
‘mighty works and deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the
wonders teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds
and signs’ and clarify the mystery contained in them.

 WORDS
 Parables: focus on common life situations of the listeners (eg. seeds
growing in fields, fisherman...) and inviting them to realize God’s
presence in them, giving them new understandings. eg. Good Samaritan
 Proverbs: sayings that give insight into ordinary human situations –
challenge hearers to question. “Prophets are not without honour, except
in their hometown” (Mk6:4)
 Use of ‘Amen’: was customarily used to respond to another’s assertion.
Jesus used it to introduce his own message. It expressed a unique blend
of:
 Certainty: what he expresses, he heard from the Father.
 Authority: Jesus spoke in his own name, putting his words above
Moses/Law
 Power – coming from the unique filial relationship with his Father –
sharing it with the others.

 DEEDS

 Table Fellowship: a sign of DEEEP SOLIDARITY - prefigures the eternal

banquet in the Kingdom of God. Welcoming sinners – liberation from self
and from marginalization; going against anti-
Kingdom
 Miracles of Healing: Miracles point to the reality of the Kingdom:
Shows the power of God’s saving power: Bear witness that he is the son of
God. (eg. healing lepers, deaf hear)
Invite people to believe in HIM!
 Exorcisms: anticipate Jesus’ victory over “the ruler of this world” [Jn12:31]
 Cross of Christ: Kingdom is definitely established o Resurrection from the dead.
 Sending of the Holy Spirit
What does it ..which manifest that  In Jesus, the Kingdom presents: his words and deeds are signs of the kingdom.
mean to say the Kingdom is present The kingdom come when the Word of God addressed to men ‘today the Sacred
that the in him and attest that Scripture is fulfilled”, the rule of God and the Word of God is Jesus himself.
kingdom is he was the promised Lk 7:19
present in Messiah  Messiah means “the anointed one”, chose, elected.
Jesus? Isaiah 11
 Old Testament: the messiah did not refer to a future leader but past and present
leaders as messianic hopes arose after the exile and from disappointments with
their kings.

 New Testament, Christus became the second name of Jesus.

LK 4: 18-29
 Jesus is the Christ, for "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power” NT-Jesus is Christ (the anointed, Messiah), but Jesus isnot the
earthly triumphant king, rather he is the suffering servant.

OT: Ps 97:5
What are some (3) Constituted Lord by 1. Lord
titles given his resurrection and  OT: Adoni: a proper name for God, which expresses the sovereignty of Yahweh,
Jesus in the given all authority “in having dominion over all
Bible? heaven and on earth”  NT: Kyrios: The lordship of Christ as that of God Himself; Divine & human
(GS 38), Jesus Christ (Royal) Lordship
is the eternal Word o Lord of all men- both dead and living (Rom 14:9)
made flesh (Jn 1:14), o Lord of all his enemies, the powers, and death (Col 2;15; 1 Cor 15:24)
the image of the o Lord of the Church – his own body and He rules and nourishes (Col NT: 1 Cor 15
invisible God” (Col. 3:18) Rom 14:9
1:15) o Lord of all the Universe – heavens, earth, hell (Phi. 2:10f)
2. The Risen one
o The resurrection is central to Christianity:
o the resurrection of Jesus is the very condition of our commitment to
Christ;
o all of Christ’s life and Christian history is viewed in the light of
resurrection;
o it illumines and makes meaningful the crib to the darkness of the cross;
o St. Paul said that if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is void of Mt: 8:8
content and our faith empty. Mt.: 12:28
3. All Authority Lk4:5
o Authority: “all authority comes from God” (Rom 13:1); it is expressed Phil 2:5-11
through his preaching, healing and forgiving
4. Christ: the anointed one, the Messiah, in Jesus- the combination of the suffering
servant and oif the messiah image in the OT
5. Eternal Word- Made flesh: Christ is the eternal Word made flesh (Jn 1:14) –
the mystery of the Incarnation is the distinctive sign of Christianity (CCC 463)
In the Incarnation, God assumed human nature, the hypostatic union of divine
and human nature assumed by the Logos.
The eternal Word became incarnate (bound to time and history), without losing
his divine nature.
6. Image of the Invisible God: We cannot see God in his eternal glory but we
 have seen the very nature and being of God hrough Jesus Christ (deeds, words,
being)
§ “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:9)
§ “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Col 1:15) Eph 1:10
What is the role (4) He, the risen
of Jesus to Christ, is “the key, the o The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the longings of history and of GS 45
human beings center and the purpose civilization, the center of the human race, the joy of every heart and the answer to all
and the history of the whole of human its yearnings. He it is Whom the Father raised from the dead, lifted on high and
of salvation? history” (GS 10), the stationed at His right hand, making Him judge of the living and the dead. And we,
“perfect man (who quickened and united in his Spirit, we are on our pilgrimage towards the fulfilment of
save) all women and human history which perfectly coincides with the design of his love: “to unite all
men and sums up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

o Key of the kingdom: the focal point of all the longing of history
o Center of human race: the joy of all hearts and the fulfillment of all
aspirations
o Goal/purpose: the consummation of history which fully corresponds to
the plan of God’s love: all things are to be united in him, things in
heaven and things on earth (Eph 1:10)

o Christ is the Alpha and the Omega

o De Chardin’s CHRISTOGENESIS: by virtue of his insertion into history and his

resurrection, human history itself and the entire physical universe have become
transformed. The risen Christ now in glory is the divine force, the goal that drives the
entire cosmos to its last end when God finally becomes “all in all”
o Christ as perfect man: Christ as model of humanity, the full revelation of God
acting in history
o Christ is the new Adam who actualizes what the first Adam should have been:
o “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a
life-giving spirit. (1 Cor 15:45)
o The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is[j]
from heaven. (1 Cor 15:46)
o In humbling himself, he has given us an example, through his prayers he draws us to
pray, and by his poverty, he calls us to accept freely the privation and persecutions
that come our way (CCC 520)
o The Christ-event saves us:
Incarnation – God’s presence among us
Hidden life – faithfulness
Ministry – service to others
Cross – commitment to the end
Resurrection – new life amidst despair
 Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made
man, will save his people from theirs sins. In Jesus, God recapitulates all of his
history of salvation of behalf of men. (CCC 430)