Jesus' Ministry
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.3.12
Jesus' Ministry
Jesus' ministry is the teaching and miracles he performed. As he travelled around the country, he gathered around him a group of followers, called the apostles or disciples.
The adulterous woman
- Once, Jesus came across a group of people who intended to stone a woman to death. The woman had committed adultery, and this was the accepted punishment at the time.
- Jesus stopped them, and said that only someone who had not committed a sin themselves should throw the first stone.
- No one did, and they left. This event tells us two things about Jesus’ teaching:
- Everyone sins and makes mistakes.
- We should be quick to forgive rather than to condemn.
The good Samaritan
- Jesus often told stories with a hidden message, called parables.
- One parable is of a Jewish man who had been robbed and left to die by the roadside.
- Some rich and important people passed him but did not help.
- But a Samaritan, a hated group within Jewish society, picked the man up, and paid for him to be cared for.
- It was the least likely person who helped him.
- The message of the parable is that everyone is our neighbour, and we have a responsibility to care for those in need.
Walking on the water
- There is a story in the Gospels of Jesus walking on the water of a lake.
- This is scientifically impossible, so the fact that Jesus could do it indicates to Christians that Jesus has power over nature.
- This confirms their belief that Jesus was not an ordinary human being but God in human form.
The miracles
- These three examples from Jesus’ life and ministry highlight some important messages.
- People should show love and forgiveness.
- Everyone, even someone from a widely hated group, is our brother or sister.
- These examples also remind Christians of Jesus’ divine power and authority.
Test yourself on Jesus' Ministry
In the story of the Good Samaritan, who helped the Jewish man on the side of the road?