MODULE 2: THE HISTORICAL JESUS

Lesson 1: The Infancy Narratives

Objectives:
D – understand the importance of the infancy narratives confessing Jesus as the Messiah whom Israel
long expected.
M – welcome Jesus, the Messiah through repentance and conversion of heart.
W – express their thanks to God by celebrating the season of Christmas with grateful hearts and joy for
the coming of the Messiah.
Exposition:
Narrative 1: The Conception of Jesus (Mt. 1:18-25, Lk 1:26-38)
• Jesus’ conception took place not through human power but through God’s intervention.
• In Jesus’ conception, God intervened as Creator. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. This is the
same spirit whom the Father breathed into the nostrils of man and woman and they became a living.
• In John the Baptist’s conception, God acted to overcome an ordinary human inability to conceive,
as in the barren women in the OT.
• Joseph’s role in the narrative is not to be overlooked. Through his obedience to God’s will the
messianic prophecies that the Messiah would come from the line of David has been fulfilled.
• The name Jesus is a later derivation of the biblical name Joshua which means “Yahweh Helps” later
become “Yahweh saves”. Jesus is the Messiah that Israel long expected.
Narrative 2: The Visit of Mary to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56)
• The main personages in the Visitation are the infants in the wombs of the two women: Mary and
Elizabeth. Mary’s greeting made John leap in Elizabeth’s womb.
• As a consequence of Mary’s greeting and John’s new life in the Spirit, Elizabeth herself was also
filled with the Holy Spirit. She marveled the visit from the mother of her Lord.
Narrative 3: The Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55)
• Mary’s faith enabled her to proclaim God’s life-giving word. Her response is beautifully captured in the
canticle called the “Magnificat”.
• The canticle announces the concern for the following:
1. the poor and politically weak
2. Christian leadership which meet not assume the ways of human power
3. the quality of Christian nourishment at the Lord’s table
4. the fulfillment of God’s promise of blessing to Abraham and his posterity
Narrative 4: The Birth of Jesus (Lk 2:1-21)
• The birth of the savior had been announced to the shepherds. The sign was a “baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. “The shepherds were able to verify it and the wonderment
sprang from the contrast they saw:
- the Savior’s lordship
- the humble circumstances surrounding His birth
• For poor people like the shepherds this was truly Good News.
Narrative 5: The Flight into Egypt
• The Holy Family fled to Egypt to escape Herod’s threat of killing the new born king of Israel.
• They went back to Nazareth where Jesus grew up.

We proclaim in the Creed that the Son of God came down from heaven for us and our salvation. “The Father
sent His Son as savior of the world.” This means that:
• God sent His Son as an offering for our sins
• He came to reveal to us God’s love, that we might have life through Him.
• He came to be our model for sanctity so that
• we could share Hid divine sonship
At Christmas, St. Augustine preached: “He who was the Son of God, for you has become the Son of Man, so
that you, who were children of men, might become the children of God. That he might give us of his good
things he shared with us our infirmities.

Lesson 2: The Baptism of Jesus

Objectives:
 D – understand the deeper meaning of Christ’s baptism as an inauguration of His public ministry.
M – share in Christ’s love for the Father through deeds of justice and love for our neighbors.
W – be grateful to Jesus who made us sharers in his divine life in the Sacrament of Baptism.
Context:
If John the Baptist’s baptism is the baptism for the repentance for sins, is there anything strange about
Jesus being baptized by him? What do you think?
Exposition: SS Mt 3:13-17
• “Jesus came to be baptized by him” – this verse emphasizing the continuing of Jesus with John the
Baptist. John’s main role as a prophet was to prepare the way for Jesus.
• John expresses humility when he recognized Jesus before His baptism. He refuses to baptize Jesus.
John confesses to the dignity and superiority of Jesus over him.
• “Give in for now” – implies temporary time. To fulfill all of God’s demand “implies that what is at
stake here is not what John desires, but what God wills and demands. There is something bigger
than the question of greatness and superiority.
• In being baptized, Jesus identifies with all men and women their human condition. He puts himself in a
position of a sinner, for baptism was essentially the means whereby repentance for sin was signified.
He identifies himself with every sinner in his/her concrete situation of alienation and distance from God.
• At the same, time the baptism of Jesus becomes an event of divine manifestation that includes the
following:
1. Opening of the heaven – paradise which was shut after Adam and Eve were banished is
now open to designate that the redemption which God promised is now
going to be fulfilled.
2. Descent of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit received by Jesus is the spirit who had inspired the
prophets and the kings of the OT. In Isaiah, we read that the Messiah will
receive the fullness of spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very life of Jesus.
3. Heavenly Proclamation – “This is my beloved Son…” The word beloved carries a strong
note of election which may also mean “The only Son”. The verse also
seems to be a combination of the enthronement formula for the Davidic
king in Psalm 2:7-“You are my Son, today I have begotten you.” And the
utterance addressed to the suffering servant in Isaiah 42:1 – “Behold my
servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have
put my spirit upon him.
• This combination shows the belief of the Christian community that in His baptism, Jesus was
consecrated Messiah – King and designated Suffering Servant. The association of the suffering
servant with that of the Kingly Messiah defines the character of Jesus’ messiahship. His cross is
His crown. The way to His glory is through suffering. He is the Messianic Suffering Servant.
Church Teaching:
• Christ’s baptism inaugurated his whole public ministry, climaxing in His passion, death and
resurrection.
• Jesus emerged from the water of the river Jordan as he would rise from the tomb at Hid resurrection.
• He was anointed with the Holy Spirit, manifesting His divine sonship, in which we all share as he
promised.
• The heavens were opened to Christ as He would open them for all persons when He ascended to His
Father.

Lesson 3: The Temptation of Jesus

Objectives:
D – understand that temptation of Jesus speaks of our struggle against sin through the power of the
Holy Spirit.
M – continuously seek the help of the Holy Spirit to withstand temptation and to draw our hearts to what
is good.
W – pray perseveringly and pray in a spirit of thanksgiving.
Context:
- What does temptation mean to you?
- What kind of temptations have you encountered?
- Is this temptation a sin or not?
 - Where do you think these temptations lead you?
Exposition: Mt. 4:1-11
• The journey of faith described in the text from Matthew occurs in unity with the whole salvation history.
It shows, through the concrete experience of Jesus Christ, how we are given the power and strength of
the Holy Spirit, while at the same time we are tempted to turn from the Father’s saving plan and to trust
instead in riches, reputation and power.
• First Temptation – whereas Jesus, at any point in time could have evoked the power of His Father,
turning reality to serve his immediate needs and desires (Mt. 4:3-4), he firmly stays by His mission: “If
any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me…”
(Mt. 16:21-27)
• Second Temptation – Jesus is tempted to test the powers of His Father to save Him from the
consequences of His actions (a sort of wrong self-reliance). On the cross, however, Jesus remains
faithful to His mission: “Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who
would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come
down from the cross.”(Mt. 27:39-40)
• Third Temptation – The truly greatest temptation of all is that all power can be acquired if one is willing
to sell his soul and reject the Father. Here, however, Jesus like us is faced with the true consequence
of accepting this temptation “all these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” (Mt. 4:9) But
again, is Jesus’ firm rejection of the devil that makes it clear that: No one can serve two masters; for a
slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and wealth (Mt. 6:24)
Church Teaching:
• Temptations are part of our human condition. The fact that Christ our Lord himself was tempted
shows there is no moral fault involved in the fact of being tempted. The problem is willingly consenting
to the temptation. Here is where we need the Holy Spirit to properly discern and unmask the lie and
falsehood of temptation.
• Actually, two basic distinctions must be made in discernment. First, is between ‘test’ or ‘trial’ and
‘temptation’. Second important distinction is between ‘being tempted’ and ‘consenting to
temptation’.
• Temptation, on other hand, is enticement to evil, seduction to sin and death.
Integration:
• Not to enter into temptation, then, depends on a “decision of the heart”. Christ said, “Where your
treasure is, there your heart is also… no one can serve two masters.” Here we must seek the help of
the Holy Spirit to draw our hearts to what is good. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s
lead (Gal 5:26).” CFC 2193
Success over temptation is not possible without prayer, as we see in Christ’s own example