Preaching the Word of God
Jesus was a man of conviction, an eloquent and passionate speaker — his mother, Mary, found him in the Temple conversing with the elders when he was only twelve. According to the Bible, his formal ministry began with his baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, also known as the Precursor. Because Jesus was without sin, his baptism was a highly symbolic undertaking in which his message of love was expressed in the triune acts of repentance, forgiveness, and the washing away of sins.
Immediately after his baptism, Jesus retired to the desert of Judea for a forty-day fast. Here, according to the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke, Satan subjected him to three assaults, or temptations:
That to relieve his hunger, he change the rocks to bread
That he cast himself off a parapet to see if the angels would catch him
That in exchange for worship, he receive dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth
Jesus' time in the desert is considered a ritualistic preparation period for his ministry. In his ministering, Jesus traveled for three years around Galilee. A small province of ancient Palestine, Galilee was part of the Roman Empire. According to the Gospels, Jesus also came to preach in and around Jerusalem.
Jesus' preaching alarmed the local authorities almost immediately — first the Pharisees (those who practiced strict adherence to Jewish religious laws) and then the Romans. When the people proclaimed Jesus as the King of the Jews, both the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman government saw him as a threat.
Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. He was born into a Jewish family and raised in the Jewish tradition — an important point to keep in mind when studying the origins of Catholicism.
Jesus was not preaching a new religion. He brought people the Word of God, and he taught that every person can receive salvation. He reminded them that following the letter of the Law was not as important as living a good life on earth.
Jesus taught his message of love with clarity and simplicity. He taught God's infinite love for the humble and the weak, and he taught that each person should strive to follow God's example.
The BeatitudesJesus addressed his largest audience in the hills of the Galilee with the Sermon on the Mount, where he gave his followers eight blessings, known as the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–11):
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
Jesus also used stories, or parables, to illustrate his lessons. Parables about nature and harvest, weddings and feasts, and fathers and sons all appear in the Bible. The two best known are probably the parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son.
