*What was Jesus’ central message and why was it so offending to official Judaism and to the occupying Roman & Herodian rulers?

*In what ways was Jesus’ threatening the prevailing imitatio dei as God is Holy and the very hierarchical ‘Purity’ System’ of his day?

*In what ways is Jesus’ attack on the Purity System in his time relevant to what is happening in our time: in the U.S. and globally?

Borg

Chapter 3:‘Jesus, Compassion and Politics”

Bible

Jesus’ ‘worldview’

Luke 6:36

vs

Matthew 5:48

Jesus’ attack on Purity as the purpose

Luke 11: 42-44

and

Mark 7:15

Jesus’ critique of  inside vs outside

Matthew 23:25-26

Luke 11:39-41

Matthew 5:8

The Good Samaritan

Luke 10:29-37

Topics for Discussion

• Jesus as a Spirit Person
• God as experience rather than an object of belief
• What Jesus suggest should be our relationship to God, the Spirit.

Readings

Borg

Chapter 2, cont. from Jesus as Spirit Person and Mediator of the Sacred (p.31) to end of chapter.

Bible

Judaism and spiritual persons: part of Jesus’ religious tradition

• Moses: Deuteronomy 34:10

New Testament references to Jesus’ experience of God

• Matthew 3:10-16; 4:1; 10:16-20
• Mark 1:6-13; 13:11
• Luke 4:14-21

Contemporaries of Jesus and their experience of God

• Paul on the road to Damascus: Acts 9:1-9

Topics for Discussion

* Review of the birth stories

* What Jesus was not

* What Jesus was

* Jesus as:

-A spirit person

-A teacher of wisdom

-A social prophet

-A movement founder

-A religious/social activist

-A miraculous healer

Readings

Borg

Chapter 2, cont. from The Adult Jesus: A Sketch to Implications for the Life of the Church

Biblical texts that Illustrate Borg’s Point of View

-Spirit Person

Mark 1:12-13

-Teacher of  Wisdom

Matt. 5:3-12

-A Social Prophet

Luke 12:17-23

-A Movement Founder

Luke 6:17-19

Biblical Texts Illustrating other Aspects of Jesus Ministry

Jesus’s Social Mission

-Luke 4:16-21

-Matthew 25:34-40

Jesus as Miraculous Healer

-Mark 10:46-52