Theology Question in Today's Society

The appearance of Jesus, the Christ and the Messiah, to save humanity is plainly prophesied in the Old Testament and the book of Hebrew. According to McBrien in "The Christ of Postbiblical Theology and Doctrine," the Christ was seen as a single name and component of "Jesus Christ," despite the fact that it was originally a title. However, during his ministry, Jesus of Nazareth exhibited increasing like to the Messiah, the prophetic. As a result, he was known as the Davidic, or "Son of Man" (Collins 31).Moreover, according to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is known as the son of God and He came to seek and save the lost mankind. Jesus is the only way to membership in the family of God and when He finally established His mighty by rising from the dead, he made it a reality for us to attain forgiveness from our transgressions as well as a new relationship with the Father.

In order for one to follow Jesus, he must completely leave signs and things of this world. In Luke 14: 33, Jesus tells his disciples that no one of them can afford to be his disciple unless he gives up all his own possessions. Also, in Luke 9: 59-62, when Jesus began calling his disciple and they kept giving Him excuses, he said unto them, "No one after putting his hand to the plow and keeps on looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

2. The earliest followers of Jesus proclaimed him as a messiah. What did they mean by

this? And why might this claim have been shocking to others?

By referring to Jesus as a messiah, the followers of Jesus meant that Jesus is the one chosen and anointed by God so to save mankind from sins. According to Athanasius in Athanasius in, “On the Incarnation”, Jesus as the Messiah is translated as the incarnation of the world. In other words, He is the Jewish king from the Davidic lineage and whom God has anointed as the king of his kingdom. He would rule the Jewish in the Messianic period.

During the time when Jesus came to earth as the only mankind savior, the earliest followers were looking for God to send them a messiah. He is the only person who reconciles us with God through the atonement. In fact, in Cur Deus Homo, Anselm supports that Jesus' self-sacrifice as the Messiah has attained the redemption of the mankind.

This claim, however, became shocking to others because they expected the Messiah to be a great political leader who would send away their enemies out of the Jewish territory, re-establish the nation and finally bring back peace as well as prosperity to the people of God. Contrarily, According to Martin, in “A Lenten Mystery,” what they would see in Jesus was a mere son of the carpenter and they wondered how a common man would be the chosen and anointed one of God

Work Cited

Collins, “Messianic Expectations”

The Gospel of Luke

McBrien, “The Christ of Postbiblical Theology and Doctrine”

Athanasius, On the Incarnation

Martin, “A Lenten Mystery”

Anselm, Cur Deus Homo