The psychology of Jesus
Certainly the historical study of the Gospels can help to gather some characteristic aspects of the psychology of Jesus.
And it's important however, for a careful and rigorous analysis, to overcome the editorial stadium of the Gospel,
for a direct approach to how much it can emerge, through the patina of the centuries, around the person and the conscience of Jesus.
And the first one since it emerges in all the Gospel, beginning from that of Mark that is the most archaic and therefore the more next to the historical Jesus, it is the extraordinary conscience that
Jesus has about himself and his mission.
Jesus is convinced to have the divine authority, in Greek exousía, in strength of which
he can forgive the sins. And Mark, in his Gospel, many times he remember this "power":
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?". Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" (Mk 2,5-12).
The authority that Jesus shows, is undoubtedly attested by the fact that one of the motives for his death sentence
it has been really that he has shown a divine Power.
But we go on. Jesus has the awareness to be greater than Salomone.
He has shown to be greater than the same Jerusalem temple, considered vertex of the Jewish
cult and place of the abode of Adonai, the Lord, the God of Israel.
In fact reacting to the incredulity of the scribes and the fariseis that they ask a sign, Jesus answers: "The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here "(Mt 12,42; Lc 11,31).
As, taking the word in defense of his disciples accused of having eaten the ears of wheat in day of Saturday, Jesus answers:
"Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here."(Mt 12,5-6).
This sentence of Jesus shows that He compares in comparison to the temple of Israel. And if the temple is the place of the
place of God in the middle of its people, setting himself in attitude of superiority in comparison to the temple, Jesus doesn't do anything else other than to confirm to be superior to the temple, affirming in filigree to be The one same that he lives in the temple, the Divinity.
Also in his preaching, comparative to that of the scribes, Jesus betrays his superiority. In fact in their teaching, the scribes of the temple, continually thet make reference to the Torah and the written and oral tradition of Israel. Jesus, makes instead lever on his word, and therefore on the same his authority, (greek:exousía), without making appeal as the scribes and the doctors of the law to the Writing and the Jewish tradition. And, as he writes Mark in his Gospel:
" The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had
authority, not as the teachers of the law"(Mk 1,22).
The Torah, name given to the first five books of the ancient Will, is to the vertex of the thoughts and the feelings of the Jewish people. And the judgments on it, served as the Talmud, harvest of written traditions and oral,
they set in evidence the holiness and the inviolability of this word of God.
To put in discussion the Torah, God's word contained in the first
five books of the Bible, it means, for the Hebrews, to rise himself on a superior plan and therefore to affirm to be
God.
Just what Jesus says in his preaching, when it clearly expresses all of
his authority:
"You have heard that.....But I tell you that....."(Mt 5).
Jesus, therefore, is set as completion and overcoming of the ancient
Mosaic Law. And also this teaching of his will enter to belong to the judaic motivations
of its death sentence. But there is some other. Nobody before Jesus was turned with confidence and familiarity toward God calling him Abbà,
Aramaic word that means daddy. Abbà is a word with which the Jewish children call their fathers in the intimacy of the family life. A
word almost ever used in the judaic prayers.
Jesus, shows instead to tenderly have with the Celestial Father a filial relationship, and for this turns to
his Father with the appellative of Abbà. Rather, according to the studies of J. Jeremias and W. Marchel the different uses of the appellative "father" in the Greek language of the New Will they translate the only
aramaic expression Abbà that Jesus uses for designating God and to turn to him
.
With this we mean that, calling God with the Abbà word, the same used in the family intimacy by the Jewish children toward their parents, Jesus shows to possess the perfect knowledge to be
natural child of God.
But as it is perfectly conscious of the Divine progeny and of the same authority, exousía, consequential from itself same, Jesus is also aware of the destiny that attends himself. He
lives the most strong of the temptations: to finally offer a kingdom of justice,
love, peace to his people. And it is perhaps during the miracle of the multiplication of the breads, when people wants to make him king, that he is to face this internal struggle. But
he knows, he is fully rather conscious of the project of God that passes for his cross and not for the triumph. And
he escapes away then.
It's clear that in Jesus there is only a gasp, an only destination: to do the wishes of his Father, until after all:
"Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take
this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mk 14,36).
THE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS OF JESUS'
The first three Gospels, those compiled by Matthew, Mark and Luke,
they often write about the emotional aspects of the personality of Jesus during his mission. Them showing, therefore, as the Rabbi of Galilea fully lives the emotions, the joys, the pains, sufferings, his people hopes. Not a crystallized man and perpetually antiseptic and deprived of passion but true
man. A man that intensely lives the whole range of feelings that accompanies the life of
every man.
In the preaching of the mountain, Jesus shows himself in full solidarity with the poor men, the humble ones, the tame ones, the hungry ones, the thirsty ones.
In short with all those people that, in the need and in the weakness and brittleness of his/her own existence, they feel the demand to follow him and to taste his message of hope.
To his disciples and this people of poor men, needy and humble, he turns his fond and full look of joy.
And bt the word "Blessed... " he say his solidarity with the the poor men, those that suffer, those that
they cry, those people who they listen to his message of hope (Mt 5,3ss. Lk 6,20-21).
Also in other moments of his preaching joy can be perceived, I would almost say the exultation that Jesus expresses in the discourse of the mountain:
"In that time Jesus said:
"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden
these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure"(Mt 11,25-26).
Luca writes, even though with a particular prominence to the exultation of Jesus, the moment in which the Teacher blesses his Father:
"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure"(Lc 10,21).
Another moment in which the joy of Jesus is gathered is that in which, at the end of a blow and answer with a Canaanite woman, therefore not belonging to its people, he affirms:
"«Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted». And her daughter was healed from that very hour"(Mt 15,28).
Also toward the centurion, also him not belonging to the people of Israel, Jesus turns words of appreciation:
"I
tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel"(Lk 7,9).
The Gospel say that Jesus shows compassionate of the crowd that follows him attracted by his word and prodigies. The same crowd that appears to his eyes as "they were like sheep without a shepherd"(Mk 6,34, Mt 6,34).
"«I
have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and
have nothing to eat. 3If I send them home hungry, they will collapse
on the way, because some of them have come a long distance»"(Mc 8,2-3; cfr Mt 15,32).
Jesus has feelings of pity toward the two Blind Men of Jericho:
"Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him"(Mt 20,34; cfr. 18,35ss.).
The same feeling that he shows toward a man with leprosy:
"Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. «I am willing»," he said. «Be clean!». Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured"(Mc 1,41-42).
there is an episode, told by the Gospel, where is in all of his value, the compassion and the solidarity of Jesus with those people whom suffer. And' that of the widow of Nain that cries while it is accompanying the young died son:
"Soon
afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd
went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being
carried out the only son of his mother, And she was a widow. And a large crowd
from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and
he said, «Don't
cry».
Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He
said, «Young
man, I say to you, get up!»
15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to
his mother"(Lc 7,11-15).
Is different the attitude of Jesus toward the cities that lean out on the lake of Tiberiade. Corazin, Betsàida, Cafarnaos are the cities that have been benefited by him with the preaching and the miracles more than all. Yet they have not corresponded to his "preaching".
"Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. «Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you»"(Mt 11,20-24; Lc 10,12-15).
In fact Corazin, Betsàida, Cafarnaos don't exist on the lake anymore. Only some ruins attest that there
were these villages of the Galilee. The only city of the lake had been surviving for the time of Jesus is
Tiberias. It is the only town in which Jesus has not perhaps put never foot.
It has not been visited by him.
The same invectives, Jesus turns to the fariseis:
"Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom
of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those
enter who are trying to.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel
over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him
twice as much a son of hell as you are. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say,
'If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the
gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! Which is greater:
the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, 'If anyone
swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it,
he is bound by his oath.' You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the
altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears
by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and
by the one who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne
and by the one who sits on it.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a
tenth of your spices mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more
important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have
practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You
strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean
the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and
self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and
then the outside also will be clean.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are
like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside
are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the
outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of
hypocrisy and wickedness.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build
tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If
we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with
them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves
that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then,
the measure of the sin of your forefathers! "You snakes! You brood of
vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you
prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;
others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so
upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the
blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you
murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will
come upon this generation.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to
you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left
to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord" (Mt. 23,13ss.; cfr Lc 11,39ss).
We have considered here some feelings of Jesus as they emerge from the Gospel that the only source they represent written of his life authenticated by the primitive Christian communities. But it is opportune to
say that the whole behavior of the Rabbi of Galilea denotes a deep gasp: that to complete his mission in the world. A mission in which he intends to involve all of his disciples privileged
listeners of his love,:
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I
have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another"(Gv 13,34-35).
TO THE DISCOVERY OF JESUS OF NAZARETH
