NEW BOOK BY MICHAEL FALLON MSC: JESUS OF NAZARETH as portrayed in the New Testament
To find the online text of this book (102) pages, go to Michael’s website, mbfallon.com
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JESUS OF NAZARETH as portrayed in the New Testament
by Michael Fallon msc 2020
Cover image: painting by Michael J Nelson “Jesus kneeling in prayer and meditation”
PREFACE
The story of any people reveals a pervading fascination with things divine. We are no exception. Some try to build walls round the city of the human spirit, but the divine cannot be kept out; it is within, at the heart of our being. Our questions cannot be suppressed, any more than our experiences can be denied.
One such question is ‘Who is God?’ It is a very practical question, really, for on its answer depends the way we live our lives in the light of our religious experiences. It arises when we take seriously the mystery of our living and our loving. Granted the depth of the question and the limits of our minds, it is not surprising that answers differ. The tragedy is not that our answers differ, but that they so often share an undertone of fear, arising from the insecurity that is part of the human condition.
It is here that the subject of this book becomes significant. As we shall see, those who knew Jesus of Nazareth saw in him the answer to this ultimate question. When they asked ‘Who is God?’ they came to point to Jesus, for they saw in him the human expression (the incarnation) of God. They also observed in him a way of living that revealed to them how someone free from fear of God or man could respond to the divine.
It is hard to keep impressions sharp and clear, and we have an uncanny ability not only to forget but also to distort. The historical Jesus, too, has been distorted in many ways through the centuries, with the consequence that often the Jesus presented by Christians has failed to connect with people’s life-questions. Christians have even been guilty of oppression in his name.
Yet Jesus was not an idea; he was a person who lived and died in this world of ours.
Fortunately we have in the New Testament the record of the impression he made on those who grew to love him. With disciplined study it is possible to clarify the essential features of this wonderful person, and so to correct many of the false portraits that abound. Saints and scholars will be forever refining our insights into this rich material but, while there will always be areas of debate, the New Testament, as I hope this book will show, is not unclear in its portrayal of Jesus.
I have been living with the question for many years, and wish to share with the reader what I have come to see, so that together we can come to know the real Jesus of Nazareth. The answer can be found only when we share our lives in love, and take time to relish and deepen our experiences in prayer. Studying the texts can act as a stimulus inviting us to this personal encounter. It can also guide us through the shoals of self-deception.
I hope that we can all come to know Jesus more truly, and that, listening to the desires of his heart, we may be more effective and more courageous in continuing his healing mission of love in this very lovable and very love-needy world.
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2020
CONTENTS
Preface 3
Chapter One ‘God’ 5-13
Chapter Two Jesus’ Contemporaries and their image of God 14-23
Chapter Three Jesus’ Image of God 24-28
Chapter Four Jesus’ Communion with God 29-31
Chapter Five Jesus’ Love 32-38
Chapter Six Jesus: The Word of God made flesh 39-41
Chapter Seven Jesus’ Teaching about our response to God 42-50
Chapter Eight Jesus’ Conception 51-53
Chapter Nine Jesus’ Miracles 54-65
Chapter Ten Jesus died as he lived 66-73
Chapter Eleven Jesus: The Crucified One who Lives 74-87
Chapter Twelve Jesus: The Saviour of the World 88-94
Chapter Thirteen So, Who is Jesus? 95-101
