Blog Post #1: Who Is Jesus?
A Written Response By Lily Jeffs
Prior to this class, what did you already know about Jesus
and where did this information come from?
Before coming to this class, I only knew a few things about
Jesus. I usually only go to Church on Christmas Eve and
attending Notre Dame was my first time going to a religious
school. With this, for my 6th birthday, I can remember my
friend giving me a children's Bible. This was the first time
I was really given an insight to what Christianity was and
who played a role in it as I had never been baptized before.
Because of this gift and talking to my mother about it, I was able to begin learning about who Jesus and God were and what role they play in the present society. As of now, I know that Jesus was a Jewish boy given birth to by Mary and Joseph in a manger in
Bethlehem through a blessing God gave them. He was also
crucified on the cross by the Romans due to them not agreeing
with his teachings. Although he died long ago, many
followers treat him similarly to how they treat God through
praying to him because he is so holy and caring. With this,
I chose the image on the right to be included within my blog because it shows Jesus lifting his arms and passionately praying to God, showing others how welcoming and caring he was. I also chose the image above because it shows what Jesus would of looked like as well as the the typical outfit he would of worn during this time.
Jesus. I usually only go to Church on Christmas Eve and
attending Notre Dame was my first time going to a religious
school. With this, for my 6th birthday, I can remember my
friend giving me a children's Bible. This was the first time
I was really given an insight to what Christianity was and
who played a role in it as I had never been baptized before.
Because of this gift and talking to my mother about it, I was able to begin learning about who Jesus and God were and what role they play in the present society. As of now, I know that Jesus was a Jewish boy given birth to by Mary and Joseph in a manger in
Bethlehem through a blessing God gave them. He was also
crucified on the cross by the Romans due to them not agreeing
with his teachings. Although he died long ago, many
followers treat him similarly to how they treat God through
praying to him because he is so holy and caring. With this,
I chose the image on the right to be included within my blog because it shows Jesus lifting his arms and passionately praying to God, showing others how welcoming and caring he was. I also chose the image above because it shows what Jesus would of looked like as well as the the typical outfit he would of worn during this time.
What new insights did you gain about Jesus from this unit?
How does this change or confirm what you already thought?
When reflecting on this unit, I gained many new insights about
Jesus and his story of sharing Christianity to others around the
world. Specifically, I learned that although Jesus of Nazareth
was nailed and killed on a cross, his soul still carried on for
thousands of years through the resurrection, gaining new
followers, and allowing the religion of Christianity to become
more popular. Many followers see Jesus' figure as either Jesus
of History or Christ of Faith, in which Jesus of History refers
person of Jesus, while Christ of Faith recognizes the tremendous Christian conviction that the Jesus of History was raised from the dead by God and that he truly was/is the forever Lord and Savior (Zanzig 11). Christians don't believe that Jesus in some mysterious way became divine through his Resurrection from the dead, and instead believe that he was divine and one with God from the very beginning of time (Zanzig 10). They also believe that in the person of Jesus, God took on there flesh of humanity and became one with us in order to redeem us from our sin. Christians therefore don't believe in the "historical Jesus"as they think he is much more
than that (Zanzig 11). All in all, I gained many insights regarding
how Jesus' followers understand him and his effects on the world
and its people and why they respect him so much. With this, I
chose the image on the right to be included within my blog because
Jesus was wrote about within the Bible many times including his
birth and his role later on in spreading Christianity throughout the
world. The cross shown on the Bible also symbolizes the cross
Jesus died on and how pivotal this moment was to this religion.
Do you feel that you see Jesus as more of a spiritual figure, a
historical figure, and/or both? Why?
Although I don't have that much experience with who Jesus
was and what his life was like, after learning more about him
within this unit, I feel that he is both a spiritual and historical figure.
His work whilst living on Earth promoted his Christian teachings,
traveling around historical cities such as Galilee and preaching
God's word and the Gospel of the Kingdom in their synagogues
as well as helping the poor ("Matthew 9 NIV"). These attractions allowed
Christianity to gain followers from the time Jesus was alive and
continually came to speak to when he died on the cross and rose
from the dead that contribute to him being a historical figure.
With this, the supernatural event of Jesus not being found in his
tomb after he was killed and instead rising up into Heaven
showed followers that he really was the son of God. The powerful
process of the Resurrection also allowed Jesus' spirit to grow on
Earth and work with God to spread his word about Christianity
for many more years into the future and ultimately become a spiritual
figure (Zanzig 11). Conclusively, Jesus was both a spiritual figure and a historical figure through his teachings on Earth having an effect on others soon after as well as when he died and rose from the dead.How would you describe your relationship with Jesus?
I don't have a very strong relationship with Jesus due to not going to church on a regular basis as well as not knowing a lot about him. Although I rarely pray, when I do, I usually pray to God rather than Jesus because I feel that I have a better connection with him and that he knows more of what is best for me. With saying this, I have grown closer to Jesus after learning about him within this unit and completing this assignment. When reflecting on the first connection I had with Jesus, when I was an infant, my mother got an interactive book about his story and how he was born in a manger, allowing me to understand who he was at such a young age. I also enjoy commemorating his birth during Christmas through singing songs at Church. I hope to grow closer to Christ this year through my religion class and start praying to him as well as his mother Mary when needed so I can grow my understanding of Christianity and why I celebrate his life along with my family every year. With this, I chose the picture on the right to be included within my blog because it is a worldwide/personal symbol for who Jesus was and how he became so powerful after the resurrection and the increase of
followers in Christianity later on.
Works Cited
Cohen, Robin. “Christian.” Pinterest, 15 May 2016, www.pinterest.com/pin/208924870192341338/.
“Free Image on Pixabay - Book, Bible, Christian.” Free Vector Graphic: Book, Bible, Christian - Free Image on Pixabay - 25149, pixabay.com/en/book-bible-christian-christianity-25149/.
Jesus Clipart For Kids Black And White | Clipart Panda - Free Clipart Images, www.clipartpanda.com/categories/jesus-clipart-for-kids-black-and-white.
Matthew 9 NIV, biblehub.com/niv/matthew/9.htm.
“Pencil Sketches.” Pinterest, 26 Sept. 2012, www.pinterest.com/pin/135178426286535450/?lp=true.
Zanzig, Thomas. Jesus of History, Christ of Faith. Saint Mary's Press, 1999.
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