The Life of Christ
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Course 1 - Jesus in Mark’s Gospel
The Gospel according to Mark is the ideal place to start our study on the life of Christ. It is the shortest and simplest of the Gospels and St. Mark wrote it to show us that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. This is his main theme. He also presents Jesus’ mission. He is the new Moses, who leads us on a new exodus, that is, a new way out of our spiritual slavery to sin. Discipleship is his third theme: Jesus calls his disciples to take up their cross and follow him.
Course length: 15 lessons
Course 2 - How to read the Bible
The course on Mark’s Gospel has shown us that everything Jesus said or did is connected to the Old Testament in some way. So, to encounter him, we need to read the whole Bible and not just the Gospels. This is no easy task. We also find many different, often contradictory, interpretations of the biblical text. Is this what God wants? Can everyone interpret the Bible as they please? Or is God communicating a truth to us that we are all supposed to recognize? How does he speak to us through these books? These questions can be summarized into one: how are we supposed to read the Bible? We need to answer this question before continuing with our study.
Course length: 7 lessons
Course 3 - The History of Salvation
You are now ready to read the books that chronicle the history of Israel. These books come together to form one continuous story, called the “History of Salvation.” You should read this story as you read novels, that is, from beginning to end. To avoid getting bogged down by the genealogies, the detailed descriptions, and the numerous prophecies of doom and gloom, this course will show you how to apply the principles of interpretation given previously. By doing so, you will discover how this story truly does point to Jesus. And the more details you notice and remember along the way, the deeper your encounter with him will be.
Course length: 5 lessons + reading the historical books of the OT
Course 4 - Jesus in the Old Testament
After having read the History of Salvation, we will now explain how to encounter Jesus in it. He is present as its fulfillment. “I have come not to abolish them [the law and the prophets] but to fulfil them” (Mt 5:17). First, the Old Testament ends with the expectation of the coming of the Messiah. Second, hundreds of prophecies speak of him, giving us details about his coming and his mission. Third, he is foreshadowed by the types which point to him. Biblical types function like prophecies, but are formed by the people, events, and objects in Israel’s history rather than by words. Finally, Jesus’ Jewishness wasn’t accidental; it was willed by God, who established and consecrated the nation of Israel for the purpose of bringing the Messiah into the world and forming his human culture.
Course length: 5 lessons
Course 5 - Jesus in John’s Gospel
It is now time to return to the Gospels. In this course, we will study the Fourth Gospel. In it, John gives us his unique account on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. His main purpose is to show us who Jesus is so that we can believe in him. For John, Jesus is the preexisting Son of God who had come into the world to save us by dying on the cross before returning to his Father. John also uses several important literary devices—such as plot, motif, and context—to show us how Jesus fulfilled and gave new meaning to the realities of the Old Testament. This is the reason why his adversaries ended up killing him, but in doing so, they inadvertently fulfilled God’s plan.
Course length: 8 lessons
