Religious Education: The Mystery of Christ

• Study notes for Religious Education, welcoming the New Testament of Christ for Senior High School Department, 2nd Semester A.Y. 2024 - 2025.

The Mystery of Christ

• Incarnation literally means "taking on flesh" and comes from the Latin word "incarno".
• The God the Son humbled Himself and took on human nature (Phil 2:6-8).
• The Eternal Word, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, took upon Himself a fully human nature without diminishing His being God.

Appreciating the Roots of the Gospels of Jesus

• Jesus upheld the synagogue and the temple as special places of worship.
• A synagogue is a place of worship for Jews, serving as a center for prayer, Torah study, and community gatherings.
• A temple is a place to celebrate Jewish feasts and offer sacrifices.
• A church is a place of worship for Christians to gather for prayer, sermons, and religious services like Mass, baptisms, and weddings.
• The Jewish community offers prayers of praise to God three times a day: morning, afternoon, and evening.
• Shema is their creed and declaration of faith.
• Sabbath day is a day of rest and worship done inside the synagogue, every 7th Day of the Week.
• Torah: Jewish name for The Law.
• Pentateuch: Greek name for the Torah.
• The Torah contains the first five books in the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers.
• Pentateuch comes from "penta" meaning five and "teauchos" meaning to implement.

Jewish Feasts

• Passover marks the Jews' miraculous liberation from Egypt and is celebrated with joyous feasting and sacrificial offerings.
• Feast of Weeks is a harvest festival celebrated by the Jews inside the temple.

Jesus' Baptism

• Jesus began His public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist.
• Matthew's account relates the occurrence of three phenomena: the opening of heaven, the descent of the Holy Spirit like a dove, and a voice from heaven.
• The voice from heaven identified Jesus as the beloved Son (Mt 3:17).
• Jesus' baptism constituted His mission or the start of His public ministry.
• The descent of the dove (Holy Spirit) serves as His anointing for His special mission as Savior and spreader of the Good News and proclamation of God's Kingdom.

Jesus' Baptism vs Christian Baptism

• Jesus' baptism and Christian baptism share some similarities but have key differences in purpose, meaning, and effect

Key features of Jesus' Baptism

• Performed by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.
• No confession of sin, as Jesus was sinless.
• A divine confirmation occurred, affirming Jesus as His Son.
• The Holy Spirit descended upon Him, empowering Him for His mission.

Purpose of Jesus' Baptism

• To fulfill all righteousness (Matthew 3:15).
• Jesus was sinless, but He was baptized to identify with sinners and set an example.
• To mark the beginning of His public ministry, symbolizing His mission as the Messiah.
• To reveal the Trinity, with the Father (voice), Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit (dove) present (Matthew 3:16-17).
• To foreshadow His death and resurrection.

Christian Baptism

• Purpose: To symbolize repentance and faith in Christ, signifying turning away from sin and placing faith in Jesus.
• Signifies union with Christ's death and resurrection.
• Publicly declares faith in Jesus as an outward sign of an inward transformation.
• Represents entry into the Christian community as a step of obedience and entrance into the Church.
• Commanded by Jesus in Matthew 28:19 to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Includes confession of sin and faith in Christ (Acts 2:38).
• Symbolizes the washing away of sin (Acts 22:16).
• Represents new life in Christ (Colossians 2:12).