LESSON 3: THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS

 INSPIRED WORD OF GOD

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth (LUKE 4:16-20)

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue
on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the
prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found his place where it was
written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the
blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And he rolled
up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the
synagogue were fixed on him.

 In His ministry, Jesus confronted social injustice affecting the poor and
marginalized. He broke societal barriers by associating with tax collectors, the
adulterer, and the prostitutes. Jesus warned hi critics to focus on their own flaws
first, before judging others, and thought that only God can judge.
 The Gospel of Luke also talks about the Jubilee Year, which happened every 50
years. During this year, people debts were forgiven, land rested and slaves were
set free. The jubilee represented a fresh start, reminding people that God’s
authority should shape how society works, focusing on fairness and restoration.
 CHURCH TEACHING

 The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (28-29) explains that Jesus
Christ is the ultimate expression of God's love for humanity. Through Jesus, God's
relationship with people reaches its fullest expression.
 Jesus reveals God's love and mercy in a clear and tangible way. He is both fully
God and fully human, showing how God’s love extends to everyone.
 In the Gospel of Saint Luke, Jesus starts His mission by quoting a prophecy from
Isaiah. He describes His purpose as bringing hope, freedom, and healing to the
poor, oppressed, and broken.
 Jesus’ actions and words demonstrate that He is the fulfillment of God’s promises
to Israel, but He also reveals the full extent of God’s love for all people, beyond
just one group.
 Jesus' love for others flows from His deep connection with God the Father, whom
He calls "Abba" (meaning "Daddy" or "Father"). Through Jesus, we see this
intimate relationship and learn that God wants to share His love with everyone.
 Jesus invites everyone, especially those who are forgotten or marginalized, into a
relationship with God. His life shows that living according to God's love is not
about following rules, but about sharing in God's generous and merciful heart.
 The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (28-29) explains that Jesus
Christ is the ultimate expression of God's love for humanity. Through Jesus, God's
relationship with people reaches its fullest expression.

I. PREPARATION OF JESUS’ MISSION

A. The Baptism of Jesus
I.
-Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist His second cousin.
- His baptism marked the formal beginning of His mission.

- The Gospel defines Jesus’ baptism from John’s baptisms.

- The Spirit of God descended on Jesus "like a dove as He emerged from the water.
- John the Baptist announced Jesus as the Messiah.

II.
- The Vision of the dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s presence.
- God affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17).
- The title "Son of God" had different meanings in Jewish tradition:
• Used for the kings of Israel.
• Associated with the expected Messiah.
- Jesus was the "Only Son of God" uniquely begotten from conception.
- He was not just a holy man but the divine Son of God from the very beginning.

III.
- Jesus received God’s call to begin His ministry of salvation. - God publicly presents Jesus
as the Messiah to the world.
- Jesus shared a unique bond with the Father through the Holy Spirit.
- The Spirit empowered Him to be:
• The prophet proclaiming the Good News.
• The servant fulfilling the Father’s will.

IV.
- Jesus chose to stand with sinners seeking forgiveness.
- His baptism affirmed repentance and transformation as the right path.
- He demonstrated compassion and mercy by identifying with humanity.

V.
- Jesus’ baptism summarized the purpose of His incarnation.

-Jesus baptism was for the purpose of “Fulfilling all righteousness”

-In Jewish language, “righteousness” meant obedience to the Torah.

- His baptism was a public acceptance of His mission from the Father.
- His obedience led Him ultimately to His sacrifice on the cross.
B. The Temptation of Jesus
I.
- He spent 40 days in isolation and fasting in the desert.

- Despite being tempted in every way, He remained sinless through obedience to the
Torah.

II.
A. First Temptation: Turning Stones to Bread -

Temptation: Satisfying physical hunger.

- His response "One does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:3-4). Which means Jesus rejected seeking material
security for Himself.

B. Second Temptation: Throwing Himself Down

- Temptation: Performing a miracle to prove His divine status.

-His response "You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test" (Matthew 4:6-7). Which
means Jesus refused to test God's plan or seek power through spectacle.

C. Third Temptation: Worshiping Satan for Power

- Temptation: Gaining worldly power in exchange for worshiping Satan.

- His response “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve"
(Matthew 4:910). Which means He chose loyalty to God over political authority and
worldly success.

III.
- Jesus' son ship was tested just like Israel in the dessert - Unlike Israel who failed, Jesus

triumphed through obedience.

• The three tests symbolized fundamental human struggles:

First Test – Resisting the temptation of material needs.

Second Test – Trusting in God's plan instead of seeking miraculous validation.

Third Test – Choosing God's kingdom over worldly power.

IV.
- The temptations followed immediately after His baptism.

- They supported Jesus' role as the Servant-Messiah.

- Even Jesus in His human nature also faced the same trials as Israel and all of humanity.

- He remained faithful and set an example for all believers.

V.
- His temptations reflect the struggles of every Christian.

- His response serves as a model of faithfulness and trust in God.

- He showed us that it is possible to remain faithful despite hardships.

- His triumph over temptation marked the beginning of His victories over evil throughout
His ministry.

II. THE MINISTRY OF JESUS

3 stages of Jesus’ ministry

▪ The Galilean ministry

▪ The journey to Jerusalem
▪ The final events of His life
 Began public ministry at the age of 30
 27 yrs. old after his baptism in Jordan by John the Baptizer he wanted or assumed
the life of a travelling preacher and teacher.
 Travelled throughout Galilee, healing and proclaiming “The good news of the
kingdom of God”
 During one of His ministries in Galilee he was confined to a small area along the
western shore of the lake and the surrounding hills.
 Gospel John, began His ministry in Judea and the Adjacent Transjordan region of
Perea and moved regularly between Galilee and there.
 Jerusalem, was visited by Him on the occasions of the Passover and other Jewish
festivals and he always visited the Temple
 Attracted by many because of His ministry, His 1 st followers were the apostles
 “Disciple” means pupil in Greek its MATHETES ( in the Gospels it means ONE WHO
FOLLOWS JESUS)
 Tasked His disciples to proclaim the coming kingdom of God
 Many abandoned their wives, children, and homes for the sake of this task and
should not look back in their past life to become righteous to the kingdom.
 Discipleship also involved sharing the nomadic life like not having money, living in
poverty and wearing minimum clothing.
 Became famous because of His impossible things that he can do like healing the
blind.

A. TEACHINGS
B. Jesus preached in synagogues. Here, people gathered each Sabbath for the
Chanting of the Psalms and the reading of the Torah. The one in charge preached
and invited others to join. This is where Jesus revealed Himself.

1.) The kingdom of God

 Jesus brings God’s kingdom to people in His unique way. He announced the Good
news of the kingdom in His central theme of proclamation. He taught in
synagogues of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernuum. And healed many people
with deceases.
▪ The reign of God means the reign of God’s love in the world.
 He teaches love and it is expressed, particulary in the Gosple according to Matthew
and Luke, Jesus stated that “Love our enemies” / the parable of the Good
Samaritan
 Kingdom, The Hebrew origin of it is MALKUTH YHWH meaning Basilieia tou
Theou (God’s active reign)
 Central of Jewish faith, Jesus the supreme rules will overcome all force of evil lie
pain, and sin and bring the triumph of good like peace, justice and harmony
 The “Kingdom of God” is a situation wherein the will of God would be revealed.
→ Israel understand what it means to acknowledge God as king and to be
faithful of His
Laws.
→ God will exercise His power by caring for His constituents by providing
needs and protection, happiness and a bountiful life.
 The first requirement that Jesus pressed on individuals was REPENTANCE and ELIEF
IN THE GOOD NEWS that the Kingdom had arrived.
 Entry to the kingdom requires detachment from possessions, family ties. Along
with repentance.

● Jesus created parables to communicate with His listeners what the kingdom
means

PARABLE
→ Septuagint (Greek version of the Hebrew Bible), parabole translates in Hebrew
word “mashal”. Root word meaning “to be like”
→ may be defined as any figure of speech containing an arresting and illuminating
image, allegory and analogy. Something to puzzle the mind.

2.) The Parables of Jesus

 Every parable is a challenge to discover the truth behind the story and to act
according to the message. Parables are to be make comparisons between a
story drawn from familiar everyday life and some other less evident reality.
 THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SON (LK. 15:11-32)
 It is the joy of being found and the return home from exile.
 It is he coming to life again and joining God’s joy
 The parables tells that the father joyfully welcomes the younger son
who return home after squandering his inheritance and entreats an
attitude older son to rejoice. Thru God He welcomes sinners an invites
them to rejoice.
 THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER ( MT.13:1-23)
 Original Lesson: Just as the sower meets with obstacles, yet
produces a harvest which far compensates any loss of seed. Just like
Jesus, in His work of ushering in the kingdom of God, meet with any
obstacles, yet will achieve success.
 Lesson: Just as different sols produce different results, according to its
fertility and location, so does the people who hear the Word of God
produce different results.
 It illustrates God’s offer of the kingdom in Jesus’ preaching and the
mixed response given.
 Seeds = Future of the kingdom
 Sower’s action = extending the invitation to the Kingdom.
 Good soil = other three kinds of soil
 The fate of the seeds sown in it contrasts to the fate of those sown
elsewhere
 Interpretation: outline of obstacles to belief: Satan, persecutions,
and worldly concerns developed in early Christian circles, not only
harvest but on the fates of the seeds in different kinds of soils.
1. The first seed
Identified people who initially hear the gospel but then fall
prey to Satan.
2. The second seed
Receives the gospel with joyous enthusiasm, but when
persecution comes, their shallowness leads them to fall away.
3. The third seed
Chocked off by worldly concerns, the deceit of wealth,
and desires for other things.
 The seeds that fell on good soil refer to the ideal disciples who hear the
world, accept it, and bear fruits.

3.) Table Fellowship

In Jesus’ parables, He often likened the “King of god” to a banquet.
 Food was a symbol of Goodwill.
 Jewish Culture, an offer of food means friendship.
 When relationships were broken, sharing of food to them signified desire to restore
the broken relationship.
 Whenever Jesus sat at the table to share food with people, He assured them that
the Kingdom of God is offered to them without ant vindictive judgment for their
sins, but reconciliation and a covenant friendship.
 God always invites righteous and sinners at His table. It is not the merit that
qualifies a person to sit at the table, but the benevolence of the host. That is why
KINGDOM is a gift.

4.) The Beatitudes (Latin: beatitude-“blessedness”; Gk: makarios- asense of inner

contentment unaffected by outward circumstances)
 The basic law of the kingdom of god in His world is Sermon on the Mount.
 The constitution reaches its climax in the Beatitudes which call the poor "blessed"
because "the kingdom of God is theirs".
 The Gospel is preached to the poor, to the people who in the world who have
nothing.
 The term "the poor" embraces the hungry, the unemployed, the enslaved,
and the people who have lost heart and lost hope, and the suffering. The
poor are called blessed, not because their poverty would be a good thing, but
because, if and when the kingdom takes shape, they will be the first beneficiaries
of the changes that would take place.
 The "rich" are the violent, who make the poor poorer, with what He says and
does, and Jesus enters into the social conflicts of a violent society which makes the
rich richer and the poor poorer.
 This conflict takes sides with the poor in order to save the rich and to liberate them
from their self-complacency.
 The Gospel brings the poor the dignity of God’s children.
 Jesus’ men and women disciples proclaimed to the poor of their time their future in
the Kingdom of God, because the kingdom the poor in spirit" (Mt. 5:3).
 The same happens with the children. He says the kingdom of heaven already
belongs to them (Mt 19:4)

8 BEUTITUDES ACCORDING TO MATTHEW 5:1-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.
The poor, the hungry, the weeping and the persecuted are called "blessed" or
"happy" by Jesus, not because of their condition of misery but because they will
not remain in that condition for God in His graciousness will liberate them. The
poor in spirit are those who stand before God in humble gratitude making no
claims knowing they owe everything to God's goodness.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Those who mourn are moved with compassion for the grief and suffering of others.

Blessed are the meek, they shall possess the land.

The meek are those who devote their lives to the service of the kingdom without
seeking their own ends. They courageously fight for the rights of others, but are
never self-assertive at slights to themselves.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be
satisfied.
Those who hunger and thirst are those who long and work for the triumph of
goodness.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.

The merciful are those who strive to be righteous, yet not censorious or critical of
those who fail, realizing their own weaknesses.

Blessed are those who are pure of heart, for they shall see God.
The pure of heart are those who are single minded and uncompromising in their
loyalty to God and to the things of God.

Blessed are those who work for peace, for they shall be called children of
God.
The peacemakers are those who take the spirit of reconciliation with them
wherever they go.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for there is
the kingdom of heaven.
Those who are persecuted for righteousness are those whose presence becomes
rebuke to the evil ways of others to their selfish interests.

C. HEALING

Jesus not only taught about the kingdom of God, but He also worked active to
bring it about in His own time and in the circumstances in which He lived did
these especially by His works of mercy and healing.

1.) Reaching Out to Sinners and Outcasts

Jesus’ compassion is shown by reaching out to sinners and outcasts.

He empathized with people’s suffering—emotional, spiritual, and social.

His acts include eating with tax collectors and sinners, showing concern for
people rejected by society.

He made no moral judgment but asked for change: “Sin no more.”

His concern was for the “little people” rejected by society, many of whom were
women.

His table fellowship was a sign of the kingdom and divine grace.

Jesus justified sinners and freed the righteous from self-righteousness.

2.) Cure of Diseases

Illness was often blamed on evil spirits or demons.

Jesus’ healing often included exorcisms.

Ancient exorcists used magic; Jesus used simple words and authority.

Jesus used touch, words, or both in healing (e.g., blind man of Bethsaida).
Faith was key to healing of the individual or of their supporters.

Lack of faith limited healing in Nazareth.

Jesus’ healings were a sign that the kingdom of God had begun.

His power came from the Divine Spirit, not magic.

He healed outcasts like lepers, restoring them socially and spiritually.

Healings transformed people’s lives and made the reign of God real.

a) The miracle narratives

HEADING: a.) THE MIRACLE NARRATIVES

MIRACLES

- extraordinary events that reveal God’s love and power which is the firm basis of our
faith.

-confirm and strengthen our faith

- “Jesus often demands faith before He will work a miracle (Mk. 9:23-24). After a miracle,
He proclaims that He did it because of the person's faith (Lk. 8:48)” (implying that Jesus
often performed miracle in response to belief)

THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD “MIRACLE”

-the word “miracle” itself is misleading

-Latin “mirare” meaning to gaze at, to stare fixedly at, to wonder at.

-Greek (used by the synoptic Gospels) “dynameis” meaning works of power

ROLE OF FAITH IN MIRACLES

-confirm and strengthen our faith

- “Jesus often demands faith before He will work a miracle (Mk. 9:23-24). (implying that
Jesus often performed miracle in response to belief/faith)

“God’s power is ever active in the world but it takes faith to see it”

4 TYPES OF MIRACLES

1. HEALING MIRACLES
2. EXORCISMS
3. RESUSCITATIONS
4. NATURE MIRACLES

1. HEALING MIRACLES – narratives about people whose ailments were cured by Jesus.
CURE OF A LEPER (Mt. 8:1-4)
- Jesus found the Lepers in the most isolated and ignored families of the whole country.
A man suffering from leprosy (an illness that made him an outcast and unclean),
comes for Jesus, seeking for healing. Jesus reaches out and touches him. Immediately,
by Jesus’ act, the flesh of the lepers became clean. From then on, they would no
longer be marginalized people and people would no longer avoid them.

2. EXORCISMS - narratives that tell of Jesus’ expulsion of demons.

THE GERASENE DEMONIAC (Mt.5:1-20)
- Jesus arrived in a pagan area, where He encountered a man who was possessed. The
Bible repeats three times that the man lived among the tombs and people had tried to
bind him with chains, but he broke free every time. The possessed man even slashed
himself with stones, recognized Jesus’ power and bowed down. Jesus commanded the
demons to reveal their identity. The demons revealed their name, “Legion,” indicating
that the man possessed by many demons. Jesus told the demons to leave the body of
the man, and they entered a herd of pigs, which then drowned in the sea. Jesus freed
the man, showing that His power is greater than all evil.

3. RESUSCITATIONS – narratives of people that Jesus brought back to life

JESUS RAISES LAZARUS (Jn. 11:1-45)

- Lazarus represents anyone who is spiritually dying or loss because of a sin. Jesus then
calls him back to life, symbolizing spiritual renewal. This resurrection is not just about
coming back physically but a deep spiritual renewal that happens when we let go of
our wrong ways of living and become open to receiving God’s life. While the Jews
believed in a future resurrection, Jesus reveals that He is the source of life and
resurrection. Through Jesus, we experience a new kind of life, alife that defeats death
and offers eternal transformation.

4. NATURE MIRACLES – narratives showing Jesus’ power to suspend the laws of nature

JESUS FEEDS 5,000 (Jn. 6:1-15)

- Jesus feeds 5,000 people demonstrating His power over nature and showing that God
will provide for His people. At that time, Jewish people were struggling to make a
living, they are under the Roman control, and heavy taxes, with no stable income.
Jesus felt responsible for all His brothers and sisters, and He acted according to faith.
From then on, many people must have shared their last resources with someone
poorer, confident that God would pay them back. This miracle confirms the faith of
those who trusted in Him.