Central Teachings of Jesus in the New Testament
His baptism by John the Baptist marks the beginning of Jesus Christ’s public ministry, which included preaching, healing, and teaching. He was joined by several disciples, several of whom were fishermen who left behind their work and families to help Jesus in his ministry. Jesus started his teaching in Galilee, where he attracted large crowds. His main message was about repentance and salvation. He also spoke about the generosity of God, His love, forgiveness, and justice.
According to the first four books of the New Testament, which give accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, He performed miracles such as casting out demons that possessed some people, healing the sick, and resurrecting the dead. The gospels also depict Jesus as a powerful teacher who made surprising points through his parables. He preached about the need for people to their love their neighbors, including enemies. In one of his parables, Jesus tells a story of a man who is beaten and robbed and left injured on the roadside. Many people pass the man lying there but do nothing to help, some of whom are respected members of the community. The person who stopped to give him help was a Samaritan, were considered outsiders and foreigners (Ellwood & McGraw, 2014). From this parable, Jesus taught that God’s commandments for people to love each other the way they love themselves crosses religious and ethnic barriers. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Jesus also crossed many boundaries during his ministry. For instance, it was unacceptable for religious people to interact with sinners, including prostitutes, adulterers, and tax collectors. However, Jesus mingled with them and warned those who criticized Him of his actions to remember their own flaws before judging and condemning others. He even invited those who considered themselves entirely exempt from sin to cast the first condemnation stone (Harvard Divinity School, 2020). From this encounter, He taught that the commandment of love is not for passing judgment on others, but to love others, for only God can judge. Jesus also taught that the first people to enter the Kingdom of God are the poor, the outcasts, and the rejected, and not the powerful and the elites.
References
Ellwood, R., & McGraw, B. (2014). Many Peoples, Many Faiths (9th ed.). Pearson Higher
Education.
Harvard Divinity School (2020). Life and Teachings of Jesus. Rlp.hds.harvard.edu. Retrieved 19
March 2020, from https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/religions/christianity/life-and-teachings-jesus.