3.4.3

Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Liberator

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Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Liberator

Jesus’ role as liberator of the marginalised and the poor is seen through his challenges to political and religious authority.

Jesus as a liberator

Jesus as a liberator

  • For many Christians, Jesus’ challenge to the political and religious authorities of this time presents him as a liberator.
  • Jesus was especially critical of the religious authorities, and in particular, the Pharisees.
    • He was also critical of the values and behaviours of the society in which he lived.
Healing the bleeding woman

Healing the bleeding woman

  • In the story of Jesus healing the bleeding woman (Mark 5:24-34), Jesus liberates a woman from an illness that blighted her life for 12 years.
    • But, as a menstruating woman, she would have also been viewed as impure and shunned under Mosaic law.
  • In healing her, Jesus liberates her from both the illness and the marginalisation she faced.
  • Jesus praises the woman's faith and speaks directly to her.
    • In doing so, he is challenging Mosaic law and those in the crowd to alter their treatment of such an ‘outcast’.
Parable of the Good Samaritan

Parable of the Good Samaritan

  • In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus challenges conventional thinking in a number of ways.
  • Jesus’ Jewish audience would know that touching a dead body renders someone ‘impure’.
    • Jesus challenges this excuse for the priest and the Levite not stopping to help the man ‘left half-dead’.
Parable of the Good Samaritan 2

Parable of the Good Samaritan 2

  • Jesus’ criticises religious law for taking precedence over compassion.
    • By doing this, he aims to liberate his audience from this legalistic approach.
  • By praising the actions of the Samaritan, Jesus reinforces the pre-eminence of compassion in the law.
  • He also challenges (and so liberates) the audience’s suspicion of the Samaritan.
Jesus & the Pharisee

Jesus & the Pharisee

  • We see another example of Jesus being a liberator in the story of Jesus at the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-49).
  • Here, Jesus liberates the woman from her sins through forgiveness.
  • He challenges the Pharisee for his attitude to this marginalised woman.
    • He does this through his critique on the Pharisee's behaviour and praising of the woman's behaviour.
Jesus' triumphant return

Jesus' triumphant return

  • Another example of Jesus as a liberator is his entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple (Matthew 21:1-13).
  • Jesus arrives on a donkey and not a horse, liberating the crowd from their expectations of him as a kingly liberator.
    • This suggests that Jesus was not going to be who they expected.
  • Then, by heading to the temple and turning over the tables, he indicates his main focus is the religious authorities.
    • Here, he is again liberating the people from their expectation that he would free them from Roman occupation.
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1

Philosophy of Religion

1.1

Ancient Philosophical Influences: Plato

1.1.1Plato's Understanding of Reality1.1.2Plato's Theory of Forms1.1.3Plato's Analogy of the Cave1.1.4The Purpose of Plato's Analogy of the Cave1.1.5Evaluation of Plato's Theories
1.2

Ancient Philosophical Influences: Aristotle

1.2.1Aristotle's Understanding of Reality1.2.2Aristotle's Four Causes1.2.3Aristotle's Prime Mover
1.3

Ancient Philosophical Influences: Soul, Mind, Body

1.3.1Plato & Aristotle's Views of the Soul1.3.2Metaphysics of Consciousness1.3.3Materialism - Ryle’s Philosophical Behaviourism1.3.4Materialism - Identity Theory
1.4

The Existence of God - Arguments from Observation

1.4.1The Teleological Argument - Aquinas' Fifth Way1.4.2The Teleological Argument - Paley & Evolution1.4.3The Cosmological Argument1.4.4Hume's Criticisms: Teleological & Cosmological
1.5

The Existence of God - Arguments from Reason

1.5.1The Ontological Argument1.5.2Criticisms of the Ontological Argument
1.6

Religious Experience

1.6.1Introduction to Religious Experience1.6.2Mystical Experience1.6.3Conversion Experience1.6.4Understanding Religious Experience1.6.5Issues Relating to Religious Experience - Validity1.6.6Issues Relating to Religious Experiences - People
1.7

The Problem of Evil

1.7.1Presentations of the Problems of Evil1.7.2Discussion Points -
1.8

The Nature & Attributes of God

1.8.1Omnipotence1.8.2Omniscience1.8.3Boethius - Divine Knowledge, Free Will & Eternity1.8.4(Omni)benevolence1.8.5Eternity & Free Will
1.9

Religious Language: Negative, Analogical, Symbolic

1.9.1Apophatic & Cataphatic Way1.9.2Symbol1.9.3Discussion Points: Religious Language
1.10

Religious Language: 20th Century Perspective

1.10.1Logical Positivism & Verification Principle1.10.2Wittgenstein1.10.3Falsification Symposium: Flew & Hare1.10.4Falsification Symposium: Mitchell1.10.5Discussion Points: Verification & Falsification1.10.6Discussion Points: Aquinas vs Wittgenstein
2

Religion & Ethics

2.1

Natural Law

2.1.1St Thomas Aquinas - Telos & Four Tiers of Law2.1.2St Thomas Aquinas - Precepts2.1.3St Thomas Aquinas - Real & Apparent Goods2.1.4Discussion Points - Natural Law & Doing Good2.1.5Discussion Points - Telos & Double Effect Doctrine
2.2

Situation Ethics

2.2.1Fletcher's Situation Ethics2.2.2Fletcher's Concept of Conscience2.2.3Discussion Points: Moral Decision-Making2.2.4Discussion Points - Agape
2.3

Kantian Ethics

2.3.1Introduction to Kantian Ethics & Duty2.3.2Hypothetical & Categorical Imperative2.3.3Summum Bonum & Three Postulates2.3.4Discussion Points: Kantian Ethics
2.4

Utilitarianism

2.4.1The Utility Principle2.4.2Act & Rule Utilitarianism2.4.3Discussion Points: Utilitarianism
2.5

Euthanasia

2.5.1Key Concepts for Euthanasia Debates2.5.2Discussion Points: Natural Law & Situation Ethics2.5.3Discussion Points: Sanctity of Life2.5.4Discussion Points: Autonomy & Medical Intervention
2.6

Business Ethics

2.6.1Corporate Social Responsibility & Whistle-Blowing2.6.2Good Ethics & Globalisation2.6.3Discussion Points: Utilitarianism & Kantian Ethics2.6.4Discussion Points: CSR, Globalisation & Capitalism
2.7

Meta-Ethical Theories

2.7.1Naturalism2.7.2Intuitionism2.7.3Emotivism2.7.4Meta-Ethics
2.8

Conscience

2.8.1Aquinas' Theological Approach2.8.2Freud's Psychological Approach2.8.3Comparing Aquinas & Freud
2.9

Sexual Ethics

2.9.1Sexual Ethics2.9.2Development of Religious Beliefs on Sexual Ethics2.9.3Application of Sexual Ethics2.9.4Examining Sexual Ethics
3

Developments in Christian Thought

3.1

Saint Augustine's Teachings

3.1.1Human Nature3.1.2Original Sin & God's Grace
3.2

Death & the Afterlife

3.2.1Heaven, Hell, & Purgatory3.2.2Different Interpretations of the Afterlife3.2.3Election3.2.4The Final Judgement3.2.5Discussion Points: Heaven, Hell & Purgatory
3.3

Knowledge of God's Existence

3.3.1Natural Knowledge3.3.2Revealed Knowledge in Faith, Grace, & Jesus Christ3.3.3Revealed Knowledge in the Bible & Church3.3.4Discussion Points: Reason & Belief in God3.3.5Discussion Points: The Fall & Trust in God
3.4

The Person of Jesus Christ

3.4.1Jesus Christ’s Authority as the Son of God3.4.2Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Teacher of Wisdom3.4.3Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Liberator
3.5

Christian Moral Principles

3.5.1The Bible & Love3.5.2Bible, Church & Reason3.5.3Discussion Points: Christian Ethics3.5.4Discussion Points: Love & the Bible
3.6

Christian Moral Action

3.6.1Dietrich Bonhoeffer & the Confessing Church3.6.2Bonhoeffer & Civil Disobedience3.6.3Bonhoeffer's Teaching on Ethics as Action3.6.4Discussion Points: Civil Disobedience & Bonhoeffer
3.7

Development - Pluralism & Theology

3.7.1Pluralism & Theology: Exclusivism & Inclusivism3.7.2Pluralism & Theology: Pluralism3.7.3Discussion Points: Salvation3.7.4Discussion Points: Pluralism Undermining Beliefs
3.8

Development - Pluralism & Society

3.8.1Development of Multi-Faith Societies3.8.2Responses to Inter-Faith Dialogue3.8.3The Scriptural Reasoning Movement3.8.4Discussion Points: Social Cohesion & Scripture3.8.5Discussion Points: Conversion
3.9

Gender & Society

3.9.1Waves of Feminism3.9.2Traditional Christian Views on Gender Roles3.9.3Christian Views on Gender Roles & Family3.9.4Discussion Points: Secular Views of Gender3.9.5Discussion Points: Motherhood & Family
3.10

Gender & Theology

3.10.1Rosemary Radford Ruether3.10.2Mary Daly3.10.3Discussion Points: Ruether & Daly3.10.4Discussion Points: Male Saviour & Female God
3.11

Challenges

3.11.1Secularism - Sigmund Freud3.11.2Secularism - Richard Dawkins3.11.3Christianity & Public Life3.11.4Discussion Points: Spiritual Values3.11.5Discussion Points: Social Values & Opportunities3.11.6Karl Marx3.11.7Liberation Theology

Practice questions on Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Liberator

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  1. 1
    Who was Jesus particularly critical of?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Why does the Parable of the Good Samaritan suggest Jesus was a liberator?True / false
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Jesus Christ’s Authority as a Teacher of Wisdom

The Bible & Love