Jesus As A Philosopher

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Name:

Emmanuel Nasokho Wanjala

Registration no: EDS/M/1406/12/15

Institution: Kabarak University

Unit Code: EDUC 323

Unit Title: Philosophy of Education

Lecturer: Prof. Fredrick Ngala

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Question: Jesus Christ was the greatest philosopher. Justify this statement by citing his

philosophies in regards to the definition of “A Philosophy”.

Introduction

The philosophical nature of Jesus Christ depicts that he was not only concerned about the

Christian fraternity but also the non Christians. His mode of life, speech and ministry showcased

a man who was full of wisdom and an upright character regardless of the situations that he

encountered while growing and also in his line of ministry. At the age of twelve (Luke 2: 46-47)

Jesus sat down with the teachers in the temple listening to them and asking them questions. This

shows that Jesus had the desire to learn the ways and culture of his people and furthermore his

responses to the questions he was asked amazed everyone who heard him.

Definition of a Philosophy: A philosophy is a rationale, justification, view point, explanation,

believes, principles and values which people have in relation to different problems or phenomena

and which are used to solve human problems and understand different phenomena.

Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Rationales

Jesus Speaks in regards to payment of tax (Matthew 22:19-21)

People came to Jesus inquiring between Caesar and God who should receive their tax. This was a

trap laid for Jesus by the authorities to establish whether he had respect for the ruler ship or not.

Being wise Jesus asked for a denarius and asked whose inscription was on it and they all said it

was Caesar’s which justified that tax was to be paid to Caesar and not to God. Therefore he

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

concluded by instructing them to give Caesar what belonged to him and to God whatever is

God’s. This implied that Jesus had the respect for authority and he did not compromise with the

set rules and regulations. Therefore he believed in giving respect where it’s due.

The Dilemma about John’s Baptism (Matthew 21: 24-27)

Jesus experienced lots of criticism in regards to how he moved in his ministry. To some he was

considered a prophet, to others he was a teacher but the Chief Priests and Elders of the temple

never understood who Jesus was. Therefore, they decided to question the source of his authority

and Jesus being wise also asked them to explain to him the authority that John the Baptist used

during his ministry. The Chief Priests and Elders knew that if they answered contrary the people

would call them liars and thus they told Jesus that they did not know the authority that John the

Baptist used. Jesus responded by saying that he would not tell them the authority he was using.

The truth is that this group knew that Jesus was using God’s authority on earth and all they

wanted was to find fault in him so that they could accuse him of blasphemy but Jesus understood

their mind and he had peculiar principles on handling such matters.

Jesus’ Philosophy on unity (Luke 26: 36-56)

Jesus believed in unity and that is why before his arrest he went to the garden of Gethsemane

together with his disciples to pray. This was a symbol of oneness because the times that were

coming ahead were hard. Thus he had to ensure that his disciples were together before he was

arrested.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Justifications

The Prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)

Jesus mostly used parables to convey his message to the people. He used the parable of the

prodigal son to teach about forgiveness. He spoke of a son who asked his father to give him his

inheritance because he wanted to establish himself but after that he went and squandered all but

he still came back to his senses and went back to the father and asked for forgiveness. By this

Jesus explained to the people that it was possible to correct any mistake no matter how great how

it was. This implied that Jesus believed in forgiveness.

Mary Magdalene and Martha (Luke 10:38-40)

The encounter that these two sisters had with Jesus carries a philosophical magnitude in the lives

of many. Mary sat down at the feet of Jesus while Martha made herself busy preparing food for

Jesus and she was offended as to why Mary never assisted her. Jesus through his wisdom advised

Martha to choose listening to wise counsel over anything else. This meant that wisdom is vital.

View Points

Jesus before the Council of Pharisees and Sadducees (John 11:47)

After Jesus was arrested he was taken before the council of the Pharisees and Sadducees and

when he was asked whether he was king of the Jews, he told the council, “You have said it.”

Meaning it was not his but their words. This depicted a high level of wisdom from Jesus.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Jesus’ Philosophy on Justice (John 18:10)

When Jesus was being arrested, Peter out of anger cut the ear of one the people that were in the

company that came for the arrest but Jesus returned back that ear and he warned Peter saying that

whoever lives by the sword shall die by the sword. This signified that Jesus was a lover of peace

and justice and he did not embrace anything that subverted justice.

Jesus was 100% man as well as 100% God (Luke 22: 41-46)

The human nature of Jesus showcased at the time when he was praying in the Garden of

Gethsemane. He cried and said his spirit was ready for what awaited him but his body was weak.

This implied that the Godly nature in him was ready but the body was full of fear but all the

same he was encouraged by an angel of the Lord and he gained courage and took the challenge

of crucifixion. Jesus believed in the salvation of mankind.

Jesus’ Philosophy of Tolerance (Luke 22: 7-23)

Jesus tolerated Judas to the point of making him the treasurer of his ministry yet he knew that he

was the one that would betray him. This implies that Jesus was tolerant of this behavior and that

is why he was able to live with his disciples at peace. Jesus believed in tolerating each other.

Jesus’ Philosophy of Sin (John 8: 1-11)

Through his encounter with the adulterous woman who was almost stoned to death, Jesus

explains that no one is justified to condemn the other one because of sin because no mortal is

without sin. The people who wanted to stone the woman found out that they were also with sin

and so they left without touching the woman.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

The Parable of the widow and the judge (Luke 18: 1-8)

Jesus used this parable to sensitize on the essence of persistence in prayer to his disciples. He

taught them that they were to commit themselves to prayer in each and every situation. In this

case the widow was always on the door of the judge seeking for justice until the day when the

judge decided to give her the justice she deserved. Jesus taught and explained that persistence

always brought out results.

Jesus’ as a Scholar (Luke 2: 41-52)

Even though he was not taught in matters pertaining law, Jesus still proved to be well versed in

the laws of Moses and everything that the Prophets spoke about in the Old Testament. This

amazed most people because they failed to understand how Jesus knew all this. This is enough

proof that Jesus is the greatest philosopher.

Explanations

The Mystery of Jesus as the Son of David (Matthew 22: 41-45)

The Pharisees understood that Jesus was the son of David but when Jesus asked them on what

grounds David did referred to him as Lord they were all dumbfounded and never bothered to ask

Jesus anymore questions. Jesus was simply telling them he was not of the natural but

supernatural all this was put in place so that the people could believe in him.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Jesus as a Jew (John 10: 22-42)

There is one simple fact about Jesus and that is, he was a Jew. Many historians try to relate his

intellectual capabilities to the known scholars of this world but unfortunately he is above all of

them. Jesus carried and represented God’s wisdom on earth and that is why when he is rejected

in Nazareth, he says that a Prophet cannot be respected in his own home. By this he meant that it

does not matter the magnitude of wisdom or knowledge one carries immediately you are in your

home there is no respect for what you have thus Jesus was justified to say this because he was

rejected by his own people but accepted by other people.

The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13: 1-23)

Jesus used the parable of the sower to explain the different characters of human beings. Through

this parable Jesus explained that we have people who accept words of wisdom and they use it for

the betterment of their life while we have those who listen but in the face of challenges they

make wrong choices and there are those who hear the word but friends and pleasures of life

cannot allow them to do the right thing. By this parable Jesus taught the people how to take in

advice and put it into action.

Believes

God’s Judgment (2 Peter 2:4-10)

Jesus brought good news which is the gospel as well as the message of judgment. He taught

people on how to live rightly and also how they could relate without experiencing conflict

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

between one another. The message of judgment was meant to change the hearts of men towards

living right and this also included forgiveness and repentance.

“Before Abraham I Am…….” (John 8:58)

This phrase used by Jesus, threw Pharisees and Sadducees into confusion because they never

understood how Jesus existed before Abraham and yet he still existed at that particular time. By

doing this Jesus was trying to give them a hint that he was indeed God because from the book of

Genesis (Chapter 1) during creation, God says “Let us make…” this implies that the Holy trinity

was involved in the creation process.

The Great Physician (Luke 17: 11-19)

Since time in memorial Jesus is known to have moved greatly in the healing ministry. Anytime

the sick met him they were healed and he also went to the point of raising the dead and that is

why he is referred to as the great physician. By doing this Jesus signified that he came for those

who needed help and not for those who were well. Therefore, Jesus believed in solving problems

and making the lives of people better.

The Philosophy of Faith (Matthew 17:19)

On one occasion the disciples of Jesus had found it difficult to deliver a boy from an impure

spirit thus Jesus had to intervene. After he had delivered the boy from the demon, his disciples

were curious to know why they were not able to do that and Jesus told them that they had little

faith and he said to them that if they had faith like that of a mastered seed they would command

mountains to move and they would move. Jesus believed that faith could do everything and he

explained it to his disciples.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Principles

Temptations (Matthew 4:1-11)

While Jesus was in a forty days prayer and fasting the devil came to tempt him and they both had

knowledge of scriptures but for every temptation that the devil had for him, Jesus had an

outstanding response which proved that he was smarter than the devil. This implies that Jesus

was full of wisdom and knowledge of the word of God.

The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30)

When Jesus was about to be crucified he shared a meal together with his disciples. He took the

bread and wine as symbols of his body and blood and he commanded his disciples to do the same

in remembrance of him in the days to come. This led to the birth of the holy communion which is

a principle associated with the Christian fraternity. Jesus made them believe in him and whatever

he did.

Jesus as the true vine (John 15:1)

Jesus referred to himself as the true vine and he encouraged his disciples to abide in them as he

abided in them so that they may enjoy the fruits of the vine. He went on to explain that he was

the tree and the disciples were the branches and any branch that did not bear fruit was to be cut.

He meant that every teaching that he had taught while them was to be followed in order to

produce fruits.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Jesus’ Philosophy of Prayer (Matthew 6:12)

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he taught them the Lord’s Prayer

which is inclusive of repentance, forgiveness, glorification, prayer for provision and guidance.

Jesus made prayer easier for his disciples and he gave them a way via which they could use to

communicate to God. In this we now see Jesus not only as a philosopher but also as a teacher.

Jesus’ Philosophy on Compassion (Matthew 20:34)

Jesus had compassion for the needy and the sick and that is why he fed five loaves of bread and

two fish to five thousand people. This showed that Jesus was not only concerned about the

spiritual well being of his followers but also the physical. Jesus believed in compassion and he

went on teach his disciples that whoever had two coats was to give one to the one who had none.

Values

The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus gave the parable of the Good Samaritan to the people as a lesson that they should show

kindness to anyone who was in need. The man that had been attacked by thieves was helped by a

Samaritan yet he was a Jew. Jews who passed that way and saw him never cared to help

including a priest but the Samaritan offered to help and even paid the bills. This shows that Jesus

was not a tribal man and he believed in assisting anybody and everybody.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

Jesus was different from other people (Mark 12:35)

The peculiar nature of Jesus proved that he was different from other people. His manner of

speech and the way he responded to issues since childhood represented someone who was not

only operating in the natural but also in the super natural. His level of wisdom challenged the

greatest teachers of the law during his time. There is no record that tells us that Jesus studied law,

this means that he carried the supreme nature of God and that is why he pulled a lot of crowds

through his teachings via use of parables.

The Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:17)

A Pharisee who was an expert in the law tested Jesus by asking him what the greatest

commandment was and Jesus answered him by saying, “love the Lord with all your heart, with

all your soul and with all your mind and also love your neighbor as you love yourself.” This

meant that Jesus believed in love and it also implies that love is the only thing that could bring

understanding and cohesion between people. If the Pharisees and Sadducees had loved Jesus they

could not have schemed ways to put him down thus Jesus believed that love was the source of

peace.

Humility (Luke 14:11)

Jesus likened the kingdom of God to that of little children because he considered them humble

and innocent. This he did to explain to the disciples that none would enter the kingdom of God

unless they had the heart and character of little children which is humility. Thus anyone who is

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

humble is justified to enter into the kingdom of God and also to live rightly amongst his

neighbors and even family.

Loving our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)

Jesus also taught that we should love our enemies and that is the only way that we could prove

that we have forgiven them. He said that anyone who did anything wrong should be forgiven

seventy seven times seven times which simply meant that no one should ever get tired of

forgiving or loving their enemies. Jesus believed in love and explained its benefits to the people.

Jesus was calm in nature (Matthew 8: 23-27)

When Jesus and his disciples were in the Sea of Galilee they encountered a storm and at this time

Jesus was sleeping. This made the disciples worried because their master was asleep and they

were at the risk of sinking in water fortunately when they woke him up Jesus calmed the storm

and they were able to move on. Storms are known to be violent, Jesus heard when the storm

begun but he decided to remain calm and when he woke up he solved the problem.

Conclusion

With all this attributes and level of wisdom Jesus Christ of Nazareth remains to be the greatest

philosopher of all time.

Running Head: Philosophies of Jesus Christ

References

Kreeft, P. (2007). The Philosophy of Jesus. South Bend, Indiana: St. Augustine Press.

The Holy Bible. (1200-165 BC and 1st Century AD).

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