Who is Jesus? What are the implications of his life and ministry? What do his death and resurrection mean? Followers of Jesus have been thinking about the answers to these questions for two thousand years. Answering these questions is not a mere academic exercise; Christians firmly believe that the answers should have implications on the manner in which one lives life. Influential biblical scholar Tom Wright comments, “With Jesus, it’s easy to be complicated and hard to be simple. Part of the difficulty is that Jesus was and is much, much more than people imagine.” Students will be challenged to think deeper about who Jesus is and the need to live out these convictions.
This unit of study will examine the accounts of Jesus found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These are commonly called the synoptic gospels because the way in which the story is presented is similar. Basic exegetical tools will be introduced to the student to aid deep understanding of the Gospel texts. A simple exploration of the cultural world that Jesus lived in will also be provided.