Gospels Greek Text a Basis. The Bible

¶ … Gospels Greek text a basis. The Bible on Luke Chapter 7: 1-10 Sample Essay Outline ( a guideline, adjust argument) ! short introduction (end statement thesis [, a summary interpretation passage]) ! body (argument support thesis) " summary passage " observations contents passage " observations literary, thematic, historical contexts " summary message original audience " explanation application context ! short conclusion (begin -stating thesis).

Jesus' healing of the Centurion's servant The biblical text of Jesus healing a Centurion's servant is recognized for the numerous ways in which it can be interpreted and for being a significant pillar of faith in the Christian world. The story is particularly intriguing because it involves a Centurion turning to Jesus in order to get help and because it is one of the only two biblical accounts involving Christ performing a miracle meant to help Gentiles and in the presence of these people.

This text thus generated much controversy and influenced people to gain a more complex understanding of Jesus' persona and the degree to which he was concerned about the well-being of others regardless of their background. II. Background 1. Centurions Roman military officers were known as Centurions during the first century A.D.

These people were used to purchasing slaves and with treating them very cruelly -- abuse was very common among these people, as they were inclined to believe that slaves were inferior and could thus be treated however their masters wanted to. In contrast to the stereotypical image of a Centurion, the person in this biblical text seems to be less abusive toward his slave and actually goes through great trouble in order to save the boy. 2.

Racial division in Jesus' times Society was strictly segregated during that period and individuals had the tendency to judge others on account of their skin color, ethnicity, or as a result of their religious preferences. This is observed in the text by considering the fact that the Gentile emphasizes his hesitation about asking Jesus to come into his home -- he knows that Jewish law prohibits Jews to enter homes belonging to Gentiles and thus expresses his primary concern.

According to Mary Tucker (28), "Jewish religious leaders would not even walk on the same side of the street as a Gentile." Jesus thus acted in disagreement with generally accepted practices in his time. His choice to cooperate with a Gentile and to even want to help the respective person further contributes to the general Christian perspective on Christ.

The Centurion's attitude with regard to Jesus also brings on the idea of equality as a result of one's love toward people, taking into account that it was generally unacceptable for a Roman officer to express interest in cooperating with Jewish individuals. It is actually surprising that the Roman trusted Jesus' powers and was unhesitant about considering the fact that he would be able to heal the servant in spite of the fact that he would not visit the house the person was in.

"The Roman Centurion offered service to his servant by talking to Jesus about his servant's sickness. He was humble, kind, and had great faith." (Good Neighbours Christian Religious Education, 87) This story actually provides a great deal of information about equality during the era and the degree to which people believed it would be possible for them to coexist regardless of their differences.

The fact that the Centurion went through this trouble to save a person largely believed to be worthless demonstrates that love has no boundaries when individuals are determined and when they acknowledge that power lies in the hands of people they are accustomed to discriminate. Even Jesus' supporters had a tendency to be against communities that they considered different from theirs. Jesus came across several cases in which he would have to save persons who were discriminated by his disciples.

"Cures of non-Jews, Gentiles, were not carried out in secret for fear of triggering a flood of foreign sick that he could not have handled; he was capable of dealing with all requests, whatever their number." (Dick, 243) Jesus intended to hide his actions from the rest of the world as a consequence of the repercussions that his actions would have.

He was well-aware of the fact that his followers were unable to open their minds in order to consider everyone equal and thus refrained from attempting to fuel a series of conflicts. III. Faith in the minds of the unlikely When realizing the degree to which the Capernaum Roman trusts his power, Jesus puts across his appreciation of the man and emphasizes the fact that this kind of faith is actually a very rare thing, even among his followers.

"Such high praises for the "model minorities" and "righteous Gentiles" reflect the reality of ethnic prejudice prevailing in the psyche of the public but also indicate how Jesus replaces ethnic preference with spiritual character as the criterion of receiving God's favor." (Hawkins, 145) Jesus himself appeared to be surprised as a consequence of coming across a Roman that truly believed in his powers and who considered there was nothing wrong with doing so.

The Roman society during the period worshipped Roman gods and it was thus uncommon for a Roman officer to acknowledge other types of deities. The Roman's faith in Jesus was so great that he was initially hesitant about calling the son of god to assist him -- he considered that his problem (in spite of the significance it had for him) was too small for him to bother Christ. The Centurion's involvement in the Jewish community was also uncommon for the period.

He was apparently especially appreciative of Jewish faith and of the community as a whole and even played an important role in building the local synagogue. The Roman officer's background made him unlikely to express any interest in other faiths, but his condition and his acknowledgement of the existence of the son of god influenced him to take on supportive attitudes toward Jesus and to go as far as to consider his power as being particularly useful when taking into account the circumstances he was in.

The Centurion basically had all the reasons not to believe in Jesus: He was a Gentile He most likely had a pagan background His mission was actually to force Jewish people to subject to the Emperor's power He was accustomed to warfare He reached the status of Centurion as a consequence of performing feats characteristic to ruthless military leaders IV.

Summary of message to original audience Considering ethnic division during the period when the story takes place, it would be safe to say that initial readers were probably shocked with the nature of the events happening in it. As open-minded as some of this audience was, relations between Jewish people and Romans were in a state of tension during the time and many individuals thus had trouble understanding how the two communities would be able to cooperate and to assist each-other selflessly.

Jesus' close followers themselves had a limited understanding of his involvement in making miracles aimed to help Gentiles or non-Jews in general. Even with the fact that they were obviously determined to follow him and his teachings, their thinking was shaped by their cultural values and cooperating with non-Jews was thus perceived as being against their laws. Through acting the way he did, Jesus was aware of the effects that his actions are going to have on his followers and on the community in general.

This would fuel people's tendency to come against him and his teachings and would probably make it less possible for him to be able to help individuals in need. Jesus was even reported to tell non-Jews he helped to refrain from talking about the event, as this would obviously trigger problems that would have a negative effect both on his ability to heal Gentiles and on non-Jews who wanted to believe in him.

"He gave them very specific advice, which he told them in a confidential tone, as if these recommendations should in no case be revealed to third parties." (Dick, 243) What is interesting about Jesus' tendency to hide his actions from the rest of the world was the fact that he obviously knew about how these respective actions would eventually come to be known by everyone.

The fact that they were registered in Luke actually demonstrates how his actions lived through time and were brought together in order to inspire individuals all across the world. Jewish leaders in general promoted the idea that it is wrong for a Jewish person to collaborate with a Roman individual. This is actually one of the reasons why the individuals informing Jesus with regard to the slave's condition emphasized that the Centurion actually played an important role in helping the local community progress.

"He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." (Luke 7: 1-10) The person asking Jesus to come and save the slave was well-acquainted with the controversial nature of the situation and thus related to how the Roman Centurion was not a person who fit stereotypes concerning Roman people. Roman individuals in general were also not known to express interest in wanting to help Jewish people at the time.

This contributes to the idea that the text is aimed at changing people's perception of social division. Through relating to a case involving a Roman Centurion and a Jewish leader being unhesitant about addressing each-other and about helping each-other, the text is successful in making readers acknowledge the fact that people can become closer as a result of expressing their love toward one-another.

As a Jewish leader, Jesus' action was controversial to say the least, and, similarly, as a Roman leader, the Centurion's actions for the Jewish community were in disagreement with generally accepted practices during the period. Jesus had also provided a couple with a lecture on loving one's enemies several hours before being intercepted by the group wanting him to heal the Centurion's servant.

Taking this into account, it seems that Luke's account of the story has continuity, as he intended to have readers acknowledge the connection between the previous story and the one involving the Centurion's slave. Jesus had a complex understanding of the fact that individuals need to go through great efforts in order to save others regardless of their background and thus felt that performing such an act would further demonstrate the attitudes people in general need to take with regard to individuals they perceive as their enemies. V.

Metaphorical use of the Centurion in the story To a certain degree, the story is likely to present the Centurion as being a minority likely to be discriminated in areas like Capernaum. Slaves in particular were underprivileged during the period and were thus unlikely to be provided with any form of assistance from behalf of the rest of the population. In this case both the Centurion and Jesus have social statuses that make them superior to slaves when looking at matters from a point-of-view involving social hierarchy.

The Bible promotes the idea that all people are equal and that each person needs to follow his or her tasks appropriately in order for the world to function effectively. In spite of this, biblical texts written in the first century are also likely to promote values that might seem controversial today. Both slaves and masters were encouraged to act in agreement with their roles in order to experience best results in their endeavors.

Slaves or freedmen were encouraged to serve their masters and masters were encouraged to care for their subordinates accordingly. Slaves and masters alike were addressed with the purpose of having them acknowledge the fact that all people are equal before god and that they thus need to concentrate on first satisfying religious requirements before they can perform their normal duties (Hawkins, 146). It is likely that the fact that the Centurion came from a different culture assisted him in seeing things differently from other Jewish individuals.

His position was one of authority and he was thus accustomed to having his subordinates follow his exact demands. As a consequence, he considered Jesus' power and believed that the son of god was capable to take on similar attitudes when it came to controlling individuals he had authority over. Jesus was thus surprised to observe how a Roman individual found it easier to believe when compared to Jewish people. The Centurion role in the story is also to have readers think about Jesus' impartial type of thinking.

The Roman soldier practically behaved similar to the son of god at the time when he chose to trust him. He acknowledged the critical condition his slave was in and realized the only individual he could turn to was someone who performed practices his community did not believe in.

This was a situation where man virtually realized his limitations and turned to god in an attempt to find a solution to his problems -- the slave would had little to no chances to survive otherwise and urgent action needed to be taken in order to save him, even if this meant that the Centurion had to express interest in starting a controversial form of collaboration. VI.

Jesus' relationship with his disciples In spite of the fact that, as previously mentioned, Roman-Jewish relationships were not especially strong at the time, many individuals in both camps had the ability to see beyond appearances. When Jesus' group came across the band of individuals coming from the Centurion's house, he considers the complexity of the problem and cannot help but to think about the controversies associated with doing something to resolve it.

When looking at one of his disciples, Jesus could see the support and the faith in the respective individual's eyes. This encouraged him to go through with saving the Centurion's servant in spite of the issues that it entailed. When considering Jesus' non-verbal communication with his disciple, one can observe the reluctance he had with regard to healing the Centurion's servant.

The cultural boundaries between the two communities were too strong to be ignored and it was thus obvious but for the Jewish group and for the Centurion that this was a particularly.