Neil Salsich's Morality Journal: Section 3--Jesus' Morality
1.Write a summary of THE KEY idea of this section.
The key idea about the morality of Jesus presented in this section is that it was non-traditional and revolutionary but still true to the objective morality of the world. C.S. Lewis tells us in his book Mere Christianity that humans are subject to an objective and unchanging morality known as the Law of Human Nature. We can choose to obey or disobey it, but it exists inside of us nonetheless, and Lewis argues that this Law is God's way of being present inside us and showing himself to us. Jesus' morality is true to this morality, but at the time of his existence it clashed with the distorted, if well-intentioned, morality of the Pharisees and Jewish authorities.
Jesus' teachings were radical in the sense that they seemed completely the opposite of traditional Jewish law. During his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:1-7:29), he outlines the basics of his morality. In the Beatitudes, Jesus blesses the "poor in spirit" and the "lowly", groups of people typically looked down on. Another example of his liberal teachings was his stance on retaliation: he stressed that his disciples offer no resistance to their enemies and pursue no revenge. He looks on unessessary pride and public show of prayer. Instead, he taught that one should pray in secret. And as opposed to a public display of fasting, he taught that people should concel their fasting; God can see what others can and will reward you. Jesus made sure people knew that he was not there to abolish the law, but to fufill it--his morality was the true representation of God's intended way of living for human beings.
2. List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week. In this section the ideas have to come from three different parts of the section.
The Law of Human Nature - The Law of Human Nature, as argued by C.S. Lewis, is an objective and unchanging morality that is present inside all human beings. However, unlike laws of nature, which simply tell what an object will do, the Law of Human Nature, or Moral Law, tells what humans should do. We can choose to disobey it, and often we do. Moral Law is not an instinct, because an instinct can be neither good nor bad; certain instincts are appropriate for certain times.
Image of the disciples as "salt of the earth"(Matt 5:13) - I had always understood the image of the disciples as light of the world, but the commentary on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:1-7:29) gave me further understanding of the salt metaphor. In biblical times, salt was not only used to flavor food but to preserve it as well. Jesus was telling the disciples that their role (our role) was to improve the experience of humans and to preserve humans from moral self-destruction.
The Woman Known as a Sinner (Luke 7:36-50) - This story superbly exemplefies Jesus' morality: it is not what you pretend to do but what your actions demonstrate. Jesus goes to the home of Simon the Pharisee. Even though he seemed generous in inviting Jesus over, Simon does not properly greet him, wash his feet, or anoint his head with oil, all signs of love, friendship, and respect. A woman known to everyone as a sinner enters the house, and unlike Simon, she humbly washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair--intimate and personal sings of her humility and love.
3. One image of that reminds you of the topic. Attribute, link, your source.
Source:sermons4kids.com
4.What is a Christian? Are you a Christian? What did your pre-sermon survey reveal? Did you show you know what Jesus taught, believed and try to follow His teachings? If so explain how being a Christian really affects your morality, If not, explain the base of your moral system.
A Christian, by definition, is someone who tries to the best of their ability to live by Jesus Christ's teachings, laid forth in the Gospels. (However, I believe there is a difference between a Christian by definition and someone who luves a a Christian lifestyle--for example, the teachings of Buddha are very much in accordance with Christian teachings, and many Buddhists are very morally conscious people who live justly and righteously.) I usually consider myself a Christian person, but when I trully examine myself, it is clear that I am not. By no means am I on the opposite end of the spectrum; I'm somehwere in between. I have a solid moral system when it comes to important issues such as killing and stealing, but I do not really make a great effort to closely follow Jesus' teachings. For example, on my survey, when asked the question "Do you think there is anything wrong with lusting for a woman?", I answered "No, as long as you do not act on those thoughts." Jesus taught that even those thoughts are wrong, because they can lead to lustful actions, which I believe there is some truth to. I strongly believe in being a good person and leading a moral life, but I am not in accordance with all of Jesus' teachings.
5. 5) What can a person do to try to do to make themselves a better Christian? If you are a Christian, please personalize this: What can you do to try to do to make yourself a better Christian?
In order to be a better Christian, one must sit down and being to thoroughly examine their moral set of values and compare them with those of Jesus, seeing where they do not live up to what Jesus taught. They are made fairly clear in the Bible. However, sometimes these might seem to be meaningless words, and I believe it is helpful to become active in a community of Christians, whether it be your parish church or any organization dedicated to the betterment of the world around it, in order to give meaning to Jesus' words.
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