5. THE CONTEXT OF CHRIST'S TEACHINGS

AFTER HIS TEMPTATION by the devil Christ began His ministry of teaching. He preached to God's Chosen People the Gospel of salvation. He preached it to the Jews because the promise of salvation had been made by God to the Jews. The message of God was to be preached first to the Jews and then, through them, to all men. The Jews, by believing in and worshipping one God, were nearer to God than the pagan nations of the world. It was fitting that God should reward their faithfulness by preaching the message of salvation first to them. Even from the natural point of view, it was proper that Christ should preach the Gospel first to His own people. Moreover, it was through His Passion and death that Christ merited power and lordship over all men. It was natural, therefore, that He should not wish His doctrine to be preached to the pagan world until after His Passion and death. It is even a sign of His great power that His Apostles should have converted the pagan world of Rome, while Christ Himself restricted His preaching to His own people.

CHRIST WAS ABSOLUTELY TRUTHFUL. It was natural, then, that He should preach His doctrine openly. He preached in the streets of the cities, in the porches of the Temple, in the plains of the countryside. He did not conceal His doctrine. It is true that He preached some of His mysteries in the form of parables. The meaning was there for those with good will to perceive His meaning. But, in His mercy, the parables sometimes concealed His true meaning from those who were not ready to receive His doctrine. On the other hand, He never concealed or "toned down" His teaching because of the malice or the sensibilities of His enemies. He did not hesitate to reproach the Scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He would not retract His promise of the Eucharist because the Jews refused to accept the idea that He would give them His flesh to eat and His blood to drink. On that occasion He even offered His chosen Apostles the choice of believing Him or abandoning Him. He taught openly and as one having authority.

BECAUSE HE TAUGHT as one having authority, He never committed His doctrine to writing. The actual work of writing would seem an imperfection in One Who was God. It would seem that God had no other means of transmitting His doctrine to men. To teach is to impress a doctrine firmly in the minds and hearts of men. Certainly Christ, the God-man, is the perfect teacher. He could transmit His message to men by word and example more perfectly than any written work.

Moreover, He could send other men to bring His message to all men. He could so train and inspire and guide them that they would preach His message perfectly, whether by word or by writing. In addition, it is natural for men to be taught by other men. Hence, it was fitting that Christ should train His Apostles to speak for Him to other men.

Underlying His teaching as the miracle of the Transfiguration, was a preview of the glory that would come to all men of good will through His Passion and death: a glimpse of the world to come for all those who love Christ.