Amazed & Afraid

Episode 1 Part 1

Outline

• Jesus is both God and man
  • Christ is the privileged way to salvation (Chesterton)
  • The divine humour (Dante’s Divine Comedy)
  • “And on that sacred jest/the whole of Christianity doth rest” (Chesterton)
  • Jesus unsettled and subverted the expectations of the time
• Jesus is Lord
  • The Incarnation is the central foundation of Christianity
  • The key question: “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt. 16:13)
  • Buddha, Mohammed, and Confucius did not claim to be divine
  • Jesus compels us to make a choice
  • Jesus is either God or he is a bad man—there is no middle ground
  • “…and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid” (Mk. 10:32)

Both God and Man

Jesus Christ is entirely unique, being both fully human and fully divine. He is the privileged path by which humanity is restored to a right relationship with God. However, the story of God becoming man is not merely an academic concept—it is filled with profound mystery, heavenly joy, and an unexpected sense of humour. As G. K. Chesterton said, it is “that sacred jest” upon which “the whole of Christianity doth rest.” This sense of divine humour is at the core of the Divine Comedy, one of the greatest works of literature by Dante Alighieri.

The Gospels highlight Jesus’ uniqueness in many different ways. One notable but less frequently discussed passage appears in Mark’s Gospel, where we read: “And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them, and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid” (Mk. 10:32).

What caused this amazement? Why were they afraid? Throughout the Gospels, St. Mark records several instances where the disciples were amazed or fearful in response to the actions of Jesus. These reactions are frequently connected to miraculous events: calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mk. 4:35–41), casting out demons (Mk. 5:1–15), the Transfiguration (Mk. 9:1–6), Jesus predicting his death and Resurrection (Mk. 9:30–32), and the angel announcing the Resurrection (Mk. 16:1–8). These moments of fear stem from an encounter with God, echoing the terror experienced by Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai, surrounded by God’s thunderous glory (Ex. 3:6; 20:18). The disciples' fear was not merely because Jesus was a great teacher—it was because they were in the presence of God himself.

Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, and other religious leaders never claimed divinity. They did not declare themselves to be the Way, the Truth, or the Life (Jn. 14:6). Rather, they offered guidance to truth or a way of life. Jesus, however, did not present himself as one option among many. He made an exclusive claim as The One. This radical and startling assertion of Jesus’ divinity is central to the Church’s teaching, as articulated in Dominus Iesus, a document issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 6 August 2000, affirming the uniqueness of Christ and the Church’s role in salvation:

The doctrine of faith must be firmly believed, which proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, and he alone is the Son and the Word of the Father. The Word, which “was in the beginning with God” (Jn. 1:2), is the same as he who “became flesh” (Jn. 1:14). In Jesus, “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16), “the whole fullness of divinity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9). He is the “only begotten Son of the Father, who is in the bosom of the Father” (Jn. 1:18), his “beloved Son, in whom we have redemption… In him, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him, God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself on earth and in the heavens, making peace by the blood of his Cross” (Col. 1:13–14, 19–20). (sec.10)

It is no coincidence that Jesus posed the question, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” (Mt. 16:13, ESV-CE) in the region of Caesarea Philippi. This area, some 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, was steeped in pagan worship. Originally named Panion, after the god Pan, it was later renamed by Philip, son of Herod the Great, to honour Tiberius Caesar. The landscape was marked by a cliff with niches cut into it, where statues of various gods were housed. At the time, this was a hotspot for pagan worship, and many believed it was where the material and spiritual worlds intersected. Atop the cliff stood a temple dedicated to Caesar.

In this context—surrounded by the false gods of the ancient world—Jesus asked the disciples the defining question: “Who do you say that I am?” (Mt. 16:15). Jesus does not allow his followers to remain neutral or indifferent. He demands a decision: Is he truly God, or is he not? As C. S. Lewis famously summarised, Jesus is either Lord, liar, or lunatic.

Jesus is Lord

“To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith.”
– Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 202.

In ancient Greek and Roman cultures, the word kyrios referred to someone in authority, such as an emperor or a pagan god. For St. Paul and the early Christians, this term carried significant meaning, not only as a challenge to Roman rule but also as a profound theological claim about the divinity of Jesus. Within Jewish tradition, the name adonai, meaning “Lord,” was often used in place of God’s name, Yahweh, which was considered too sacred to speak aloud. The Greek word kyrios became the equivalent of adonai when the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek (the Septuagint).

St. Paul frequently used the term Kyrios when referring to Jesus, appearing over 180 times in his letters. For instance:

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom. 10:9)

Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:3)

In a passage likely drawn from an early Christian hymn, St. Paul writes:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:9–11)

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul underscores the monotheistic nature of Christian belief, which stood in contrast to the polytheism of the pagan world:

Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Cor. 8:6)

In his book Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity, New Testament scholar Larry W. Hurtado notes that Paul’s use of kyrios echoes the Jewish Shema, a prayer that asserts the oneness of God: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4).

Questions for Understanding

1. Bishop Barron describes humour as “the coming together of opposites—the meeting of incongruous things.” How is “divine humour” or “sacred jest” revealed in the Incarnation? (CCC 461, 463)

2. What is the significance of St. Paul and other New Testament writers referring to Jesus as Lord? What are the Old Testament roots of this title? How would first-century Greeks or Romans have reacted to the statement “Jesus is Lord”? (CCC 446, 448, 450)

3. What role does the Incarnation play in Catholic belief? How does the Incarnation distinguish Jesus Christ from figures like Buddha, Mohammed, or Confucius? What choices do we face when deciding who Jesus Christ is? (CCC 423, 430–445)

Questions for Application

1. How can I show through my actions, both publicly and privately, that I believe Jesus is Lord? Are there areas of my life that I need to surrender more fully to his lordship?

2. Do I struggle to believe the Church’s teachings about the Incarnation? What questions do I have about the person, actions, or teachings of Jesus? How can I work through those questions?

3. How does sin damage my spiritual life? Should I go to confession more regularly, spend more time in prayer, or read Scripture more often? What steps can I take to grow closer to the Lord?