Dos and Donts When Teaching or Preaching About Jesus Ministry
Donts |
Dos |
Messianic Expectations |
|
speak of a single expectation |
indicate that there were many ideas about messiah(s) |
say that the prophets predicted a messiah to come |
say that some of the prophets looked for the Day of the Lord when justice and peace would prevail. |
Jesus as a Jew |
|
speak about Jesus as if he were not Jewish |
stress that as a Jewish child, Jesus was inspired to love Yhwh |
claim that the "love command" or calling God "Abba" were unique to Jesus |
say that other preachers also called God "Abba" and combined Dt 6:4 and Lev 19:18 |
Jesus and Jewish Contemporaries |
|
portray first-century Judaism as legalistic, joyless, burdensome, or heartless |
describe first-century as a dynamic exchange among many ideas |
contrast Old Testament "justice" with New Testament "love" |
speak of Jesus as rooted in the Hebrew experience of God as loving, just, and merciful |
imply that there were universal norms for purity, kosher customs, or Sabbath observance |
say that these topics were widely debated by first-century Jews, including Jesus |
The Pharisees |
|
describe them as hypocrites, legalists, or self-righteous |
describe them as creatively seeking to bring Temple holiness to everyday life |
portray them monolithically |
portray them as having various "schools" of thought |
describe them only as Jesus foes |
state that they were closest to Jesus in many ways |
involve them with the crucifixion |
distance them from the crucifixion |
Jesus Crucifixion |
|
attribute to the Jewish people or unspecified "leaders" |
ascribe to Roman officials and Jewish collaborators such as Caiaphas |
discuss blasphemy as claiming to be divine |
discuss blasphemy as being arrogantly presumptuous |
describe a formal Sanhedrin "trial" |
describe a hearing before Caiaphas and cronies |
portray Pilate as seeking Jesus release or crowds demanding Jesus death |
discuss that Caiaphas was appointed by Pilate, that Pilate was eventually removed as prefect for cruelty, and that Jesus was popular with the people at large (as seen by his clandestine arrest) |
attribute Jesus death to non-political "religious" motives |
link Jesus death with the politically charged Passover season, Jesus Kingdom preaching, and Jesus criticisms of the Temple leaders. |
employ the Gospel passion narratives in a simplistic, uncritical manner |
be aware of the apologetic and polemical forces that helped shape the Gospel passion narratives |
Philip A. Cunningham