Introduction
The method of Christ is unique and different from the ways of the world and can be used to educate students undertaking theology. Christ focused more on demonstrating to his followers the practicality of the ways of the kingdom. Thus, one can claim that Christ’s method fosters relationships and addresses needs. The students should learn how Jesus used to interact with people to understand and solve their problems in order to apply this method in their future practice. There is need to discover how Christ sympathized with the crowd. He demonstrated the virtue of compassion to people to reveal the love of God. Christ used the strategy to attract the crowd to believe in him and listen to the good news. Therefore, this is a curriculum project on Christ’s method where students will learn how Christ was able to attract people to follow him by developing relationships, meeting their needs, and demonstrating the love of God.
Lesson 1: How Christ Showed Compassion to People
First of all, the course would start by defining compassion as the ability to feel along with another person or people and the willingness to sympathize with the pain of a fellow human being. Learners need to develop an understanding how Christ exemplified compassion during his ministry on Earth to meet his purpose. According to Matthew 9:35-36, Christ felt compassion for the people because they were agitated and defenseless like sheep without a shepherd. He showed the crowd that he felt their suffering and pain to reduce aggression towards others and enhance their understanding. Christ built a positive relationship with his listeners by showing compassion. Thus, learners should use Christ’s example and teaching to develop their own approach to the ministry based on compassion and understanding of others. An assignment can be introduced after this lesson that is focused on enhancing learners’ comprehension of compassion: for example, they can write an essay on this topic.
The learners should be taught that as God in the flesh, Christ perfectly showed his Father’s nature, both in the holiness and the love of God. Although he had never done anything wrong and was very sensitive to sin, Jesus felt compassion for sinners suffering because of their inherited sinfulness. He knew that most of the people he helped were those who were spiritually weak and emotionally fragile. His actions were emphasized more in Hosea 6:6, where God says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Therefore, students must understand that they need to help the weak and spark their faith in a way that was not harsh or mean. The learners should try to incorporate this aspect of Jesus’ teaching into their knowledge to effectively reach out to the sinners and convey messages that might seem revolutionary to others. Within this topic, it could be beneficial to extensively discuss with the students certain methods of spreading the word of God among non-believers.
Christ used his compassion to break through religious and socio-cultural barriers established by society. For example, he healed the sick son of a centurion, an officer in the cruel Roman army. Christ also helped the daughter of a Canaanite woman who did not believe in God. Jesus talked to a Samaritan woman and told her the truth about God and how to worship God in a way that pleased God. Based on this, Christ’s compassion allowed him to meet different kinds of people to solve their problems regardless of their cultural and religious differences. Understanding how culture, religion, society, and history affect people is crucial for productive ministry, so students need to enhance their humanitarian knowledge alongside theological. The course would offer the learners this opportunity by engaging them in group projects such as, for example, a presentation on sociocultural traditions of certain populations or historical contexts of the development of Christian faith.
Christ demonstrated his compassionate approach when he refused to participate in the stoning of an adulteress who was caught committing the sin. He was always there for people, particularly those who were disadvantaged as a result of their faults. Christ released the woman from all responsibility for her actions, cautioned her against giving in to further temptation, and told her to lead a new life. He practically demonstrated to his followers how they are supposed to approach issues they experience in society. Christ showed compassion by offering forgiveness and hope to the women society rejected as immorally unacceptable. Thus, in order to provide learners with a more practical experience on how to be compassionate by the method of Christ, case studies can be used. Students can solve their cases first and then compare and discuss their approaches in the class.
Lesson 2: How Christ Interacted with Everyone
Christ’s teachings were impactful because he was ready to interact with different people regardless of their social and economic status. Matthew 9:35 says, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom.” This aligned with his assignment of ensuring God’s word is preached to everyone on Earth for their salvation. In addition, since Christ came to save the world from sin, his mission was to ensure everyone got the good news. Therefore, students must develop an understanding that, in order to be successful in bringing God’s word to people, they must interact and reach out to a population as wide as possible. This requires good knowledge not only of sociocultural differences between people but also of human psychology. Thus, as part of the course, students would need to learn the main points of certain psychological concepts such as behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, and others.
Jesus Christ interacted often with people who were deemed to be sinners in society. Mark 2:15-17 says, “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for many followed him. When the law teachers, Pharisees, saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Based on this, Christ wanted to develop a positive relationship with everyone, especially those already condemned and viewed as corrupted. Therefore, Christ’s strategy was to be different from other religious leaders, such as the Pharisees and scribes, who did not want to associate with sinners. To ensure better understanding of how Christ’s method differentiates from other religious leaders’, students can be assigned to write comparative essays and discuss them in class.
Moreover, Christ interacted with different people daily because he wanted to be relevant to the crowd. He wanted to demonstrate how the kingdom of God is full of love and compassion to connect with people. The primary purpose of Christ’s assignment was to show people that God’s love is without limit. Jesus said in Matthew 5, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” By interacting with everyone regardless of their social and economic differences, he demonstrated God’s unconditional and limitless love for people. This is a crucial part of Christ’s method, as it allowed him to reach sinners and non-believers with his words. Within this part of the course, students should be assigned to write their own sermon to the audience both inside and outside the hypothetical church. This assignment would allow them to demonstrate their abilities to reach different kinds of people, especially those who are in doubt or do not believe in God at all.
Lesson 3: How Christ Ministered to People’s Needs
Christ focused on identifying and meeting the physical and spiritual needs of the people. Mark 6:41 says, “Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share.” After preaching the good news to the magnitude, Christ discovered that the crowd was hungry and fed the people. Thus, Christ practically showed his followers the importance of meeting the needs of individuals. Students must understand that being aware of others’ needs, acknowledging them, and fulfilling them is a crucial part of Christ’s method. To enhance this understanding, the course should offer the learners an opportunity to engage in an outsource project. For example, students can volunteer at local church for 1-2 weeks, or help the community gather food/clothing for the struggling families. After the project is done, students should write a report on their experience and how they incorporated Christ’s method in their work.
Students should learn how Jesus satisfied people’s need for knowledge and truth by teaching them about the good news and the kingdom of God. Wherever Jesus went, many people followed him for different reasons. Recognizing and acknowledging these reasons might help students in their future practice, as they would be able to design more targeted, personal sermons that would be more efficient in reaching out to people. Mark 6:34 posits, “when he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” People discovered that Christ was a good teacher and wanted to hear more knowledge and insights from him. Thus, students need to develop their rhetorical skills, too – for example, they can prepare speeches for their classmates. Best examples could be presented to the local community so that students could see the effect of their words on people.
Additionally, Christ was sensitive toward the needs of all individuals, regardless of their gender. He demonstrated compassion that was not limited by gender or other stereotypes or taboos, and he showed that compassion to everyone. Jesus consented to a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years coming into physical contact with him to ensure that he could heal her. Rather than condemning her for such a male-contaminating act, Jesus gently led her to understand the difference between believing in some magical contact and saving faith in the grace of God. Healing through faith in God is a rather important aspect of Christ’s method, and students must be able to differentiate it from belief in magic and witchcraft.
Christ described himself as the good shepherd to demonstrate his ability to care for his followers, as in the context of the Bible, a shepherd is someone who provides nourishment and refreshment for their sheep. According to John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” Christ wanted to practically demonstrate to people, especially his disciples and followers, how a good leader should behave. The students can incorporate that aspect of his teachings into their approach as the notion that a good pastor should know their congregation well and provide appropriate religious guidance. In order to develop a better understanding of this concept, students can be assigned to research the major issues that affect their local communities and propose how church could help in resolving them.
Lesson 4: The Power of the Miracles used During Christ’s Ministry
Christ did miracles to show he had control over the certain things in nature, like disease and even death, and to win souls to God. Among these miracles are healing the sick, bringing the dead back to life, and many other things. In addition, Christ showed his power over disease and the forces of destruction in nature by calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee and healing people with many different kinds of illnesses. Through these miracles, Jesus was able to attract many followers and ensured that many could listen to his teachings. This part of his method shows that it is necessary to be aware of what is happening in the world to be able to use certain occurrences to spread God’s word. In this part of the course, the students should be assigned to write argumentative essays, in which they should pick real life events and discuss them from the point of faith. With this exercise, the students would be able to develop their awareness of the God’s will in nature and life, and tie Christ’s teachings to real occurrences to offer new understanding of how they should be approached.
Christ performed miracles as evidence of the presence of the kingdom of God that was foretold by prophets in the Old Testament. In the book of John 14:9-10, Jesus replied, “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! The words I speak are not my own, but my father who lives in me does his work through me.” The assignment of Christ was to bring God’s presence near the people and alleviate their suffering. The students should apply this specific notion to their own life experiences and reflect on the presence of God in their lives through written narrative that can be later incorporated into their sermons. Thus, this assignment would require them to develop a more clear understanding on how God affects their lives throughout time.
Lesson 5: Rationale Behind Christ’s Use of Parables in His Teachings
Jesus used parables because they were easy to understand and relatable to the people. Most of the conversations around spirituality majors on intangible notions and concepts. Christ wanted to circumvent the Pharisees and other teachers of the law to deliver his message directly to the people. Jesus communicated profound spiritual truths to his audience in a way that resonated with them on a personal level by employing stories. When these facts connected with things from their day-to-day existence, such as making bread, farming, or traveling, people gained better understanding. Thus, it is crucial to teach the students how to create engaging narratives that are not only entertaining to the audience but also enlightening to the God’s word.
A story gives the person listening something to think on to and an easy way to teach others the same lesson. People tend to look at new information and decisions through the lens of what we already know and have done. They could connect abstract spiritual ideas to patterns that made sense to them through parables. When new information is told in a story format that people already know, their brains are better able to remember and understand. Therefore, it is vital to implement storytelling in the ministering practice. Students would be tasked with writing their own parables using elements from their own culture, history, or experience, and evaluate each other’s work in the class. Moreover, the lesson’s theme can be tied to the current events: students can utilize real life occurrences to build their narratives upon to create more meaningful stories.
Conclusion
Christ’s method of teaching God’s word is an integral learning area because it helps understand his ministry. Jesus’ way was different from the approaches of the other spiritual leaders, therefore, it is important to educate students on it. Christ spent more time showing his followers how the ways of the kingdom work in real life, engaging people with narratives, compassion, and healing. Students need to recognize that Christ’s approach was to build relationships and meets community’s needs, and how to implement these methods in their future practice. Jesus used appropriate techniques in his teachings to ensure that the message was conveyed to the right people and in the right manner. This course would offer students opportunities to discuss his method, try it in practical and theoretical setting, and develop comprehensive knowledge of how it relates to psychology, culture, and society.
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