Easy English notes on Jesus’ teachings and how they differ from Greek ethics. Learn about love, humility, pride, and spiritual transformation.

Table of Contents:

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Jesus’ Teachings and Jewish Traditions

• Jewish history shows a journey full of challenges where people tried to understand God’s message correctly.
• After Moses, the prophets explained God’s message in many different ways to guide the people.
• Jesus believed people had lost the real meaning of God’s message. He taught that God values love and compassion, not just rituals and formal practices.
• This lecture explores Jesus’ true teachings and how his views differ from both Jews and Greeks.
• In Judaism, the term Torah means teachings or instructions. It refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
• The Ten Commandments, given to Moses by God, are the most important part of the Torah.
• The Torah also includes many other laws and practices, guiding daily life — how to pray, what to eat, what to wear, and more.
• Because of these detailed instructions, Judaism is called a way of life, built on a system of rituals and community practices.
• These practices connect individuals with the community and also link the community with God.

Summary

This section introduces how Jewish life revolves around following the Torah and its commandments. It also sets the stage for understanding how Jesus emphasized inner love and compassion over external rituals, marking a shift from traditional Jewish practices.

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Action vs Intention in Jewish and Jesus’ Teachings

• Jews believe “we are what we do” — a person’s identity is defined by their actions, not just thoughts or beliefs.
• Their focus is on daily practices and rituals; actions are seen as the path to spiritual connection.
• For example, like how physical actions such as exercise or playing with friends can reduce stress, Jews see ritual actions as a way to purify the self and connect with God.
• Thus, Judaism became highly ritualistic, emphasizing external behavior over inner belief.
• Jesus, however, shifted the focus from actions to intentions — what matters is what’s inside the heart.
• He said that following laws like “do not murder” is not enough; even anger or hateful thoughts are morally equal to murder.
• Jesus sometimes appeared to challenge Jewish laws, emphasizing inner purity over ritual cleanliness.
• For instance, when criticized for eating without handwashing, he replied that nothing outside can pollute a person — real impurity comes from within, like anger, greed, or deceit.
• Jesus taught that people should wash their minds, not just their hands — focusing on inner transformation instead of external rituals.
• Because of this, some say Jesus was the “best kind of Jew” — one who cared so deeply for truth that he went beyond traditional laws.

Summary

This section contrasts Jewish focus on external ritual actions with Jesus’ emphasis on inner intentions. Jesus redefined purity and morality as internal states, teaching that real change begins in the heart, not through rituals or appearances.

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Judgment Day and Urgency

• Judgment day is a future event when God will judge all people, living and dead.
• On that day, the good will be rewarded and the bad will be punished, and the world will end.
• Jesus taught that this day is very near and may come soon for his listeners.
• He calls people to repent (pashchatap) immediately, meaning a deep inner change and radical transformation.
• Jesus warns because he sees people deeply corrupt and immersed in wrongdoing.
• This creates a strong urgency — action cannot be delayed even for a moment.
• Some scholars call Jesus’ practical rules interim morality, meant for the current emergency situation.
• Because of the expected end, Jesus gives extreme advice: give everything to the poor, turn the other cheek, and even hand over your coat if asked.

Summary

This section explains Jesus’ belief that Judgment day is imminent, so urgent inner change (repent (pashchatap)) is required. His teachings are shaped by this urgency and sometimes appear extreme or temporary—aimed at preparing people quickly for God’s arrival.

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Spiritual Death and Urgency of Change

• Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their dead,” referring to two kinds of dead people.
• The first are spiritually dead — those lost in worldly desires, wrongdoing, and forgetfulness of God.
• The second are physically dead, those whose bodies have died.
• His message means: let the spiritually dead handle worldly duties; you who are alive in spirit should follow God’s path without delay.
• Jesus asks his listeners to leave social and family duties and focus fully on spiritual awakening, since God’s arrival is near.
• His words sound extreme, but within his belief that the end of the world is close, they become understandable.
• He emphasizes that spiritual transformation must happen now, not later.
• The change he demands is sudden and inner, not slow or ritual-based — similar to the idea that the Kingdom of God is here and now.
• The message: repent (pashchatap), purify your heart, and enter God’s presence immediately — no waiting, no delay.
• This sense of urgency gives Jesus’ teachings their special moral and spiritual intensity.

Summary

This section explains Jesus’ teaching about spiritual death and the immediate need for transformation. He urges people to act now, leaving worldly attachments behind, because God’s Kingdom is already at hand. The key idea is urgency — real change must happen in this very moment.

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Personal Ethics vs Social Duty

• Students often wonder why Jesus teaches non-violence (“turn the other cheek”) while Krishna in the Gita urges Arjuna to fight against adharma (injustice).
• The key to understanding this lies in context — both talk about different levels of ethics.
• Jesus speaks of personal ethics, focusing on how a person should be from within — calm, loving, and free from anger or hatred.
• For Jesus, anger and hate pollute the heart, taking a person away from God. His aim is inner purity and personal transformation.
• Krishna also values inner peace; in Chapter 16 of the Gita, he teaches Ahimsa, Satyam, and Krodh-tyāg — non-violence, truth, and giving up anger.
• However, Krishna also speaks of social duty (dharma) — when injustice spreads, one must act to destroy adharma, even through battle if necessary.
• Thus, there is no contradiction: Jesus focuses on personal morality, while Krishna balances both inner ethics and outer responsibility.
• Jesus does not discuss social duties because he believed Judgment Day was near; worldly or social issues were, therefore, secondary.
• His message was purely spiritual and immediate, calling for inner change before God’s arrival.

Summary

This section clarifies that Jesus and Krishna speak from different ethical perspectives. Jesus teaches personal non-violence and inner purity, while Krishna adds the duty of fighting injustice in society. The difference arises from their contexts — Jesus’s focus on the coming Judgment Day, and Krishna’s focus on social dharma.

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Stories and the Spirit of Jesus’ Teachings

• Jesus’ teachings are not systematic; they are revealed through stories (parables) and his interactions with people.
• Like Socrates, Jesus taught through dialogues and real-life situations, not formal lectures.
• When people criticized him for sitting with sinners and immoral people, Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep.
• In the story, a shepherd leaves 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep, rejoicing when he finds it.
• The message: God values the return of one sinner more than those who are already righteous — forgiveness and compassion are central.
• Jesus taught that wealth and property create distance from God.
• In another story, a rich man asks how to live close to God. Jesus tells him to give all his wealth to the poor and then follow him.
• The rich man becomes sad and leaves, showing how attachment to possessions blocks spiritual growth.
• Jesus explains that following rules alone is not enough; true faith means opening the heart completely to God.
• Divided devotion — half for God, half for worldly things — cannot bring true spiritual connection.

Summary

This section highlights Jesus’ parable-based teaching style and his focus on inner sincerity over outer rules. Through stories like the lost sheep and the rich man, Jesus shows that God’s love welcomes sinners who repent, and that detachment from wealth is essential for a pure heart devoted fully to God.

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True Meaning of Love and Detachment

• Some scholars wrongly say Jesus saw wealth as evil, but in truth, he criticized attachment, not wealth itself.
• For Jesus, attachment — whether to money, pride, ego, fear, relationships, or habits — keeps a person bound to the world and away from God.
• He clearly said, “No one can serve two masters.” One must choose between God and worldly attachments.
• When a lawyer asked Jesus how to gain eternal life, Jesus asked what was written in the Law (Torah).
• The lawyer replied: “Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Jesus affirmed this answer, saying that true life lies in this love — not in rule-following alone.
• Jesus did not reject Jewish law; he revealed its inner essence, which is love (prem) and compassion.
• According to him, rules and rituals are meaningless without pure intention and heartfelt love.
• To enter the Kingdom of God, one needs undivided love for God and equal love for others.
• When asked, “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus answers through a parable, showing that love has no boundaries — it goes beyond community, religion, or identity.

Summary

This section explains that Jesus’ focus is not against wealth, but against worldly attachment that divides the heart. He redefines law as love — love for God and for one’s neighbor. True spirituality, for Jesus, means pure, undivided love that transcends all external rules and limitations.

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The Parable of the Good Samaritan and True Compassion

• Jesus tells a story of a traveler attacked by robbers, beaten, and left half-dead on the road.
• Two people — a priest and a Levite — see him but ignore and pass by.
• Then a Samaritan stops, helps the injured man, takes him for treatment, and provides food and shelter.
• Jesus asks, “Who was the real neighbor?” The lawyer answers, “The one who showed mercy.”
• Jesus replies, “Go and do the same.” This story defines how a true neighbor acts — with compassion, not just identity.
• The message is not “Who is my neighbor?”, but “How to be a neighbor.”
• To “love your neighbor as yourself” means to feel others’ pain and joy as your own — this is true compassion.
• Greek philosophers taught that emotions must be controlled or suppressed for a good life.
• Jesus, in contrast, taught to expand emotions, to let love and empathy flow outward to others.
• He preached unconditional compassion — to love even your enemies, bless those who insult you, and pray for those who harm you.

Summary

This section explains the parable of the Good Samaritan, showing that being a neighbor means acting with compassion. Jesus redefines morality through empathy and sensitivity, teaching that love should not be restricted but extended even to enemies. Unlike Greek reason-based ethics, Jesus centers his teachings on open-hearted compassion.

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Humility and the Origin of Sin

• Jesus introduces a new virtue — humility (vinamrta) — which stands opposite to pride (ahankār).
• According to Jesus, pride is the root of all evil, the beginning of every moral downfall.
• The Bible connects pride with the original sin, the first act of disobedience against God.
• In the story, Adam and Eve live peacefully in God’s garden, free to eat from all trees except one — the Tree of Knowledge.
• The serpent tempts Eve, saying that eating the forbidden fruit will make them equal to God.
• Driven by pride and desire for power, Adam and Eve eat the fruit.
• As a result, God punishes them and expels them from heaven — this act becomes the original sin.
• “Original” means first or foundational, and all other sins are seen as its consequences.
• This story reveals that pride separates humans from God, while humility reconnects them to divine grace.
• To live in God’s way, one must reject pride and cultivate humility, surrender, and obedience.

Summary

This section explores how Jesus values humility as the highest virtue and identifies pride as the origin of sin. Through the story of Adam and Eve, pride is shown as the force that distances humanity from God, while humility is the path to spiritual purity and divine connection.

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Pride, Humility, and Human Nature

• The true nature of human beings is to live in harmony with God, aligned with the ultimate reality.
• Problems begin when pride (ahankār) enters — when humans wish to become like God and act against divine will.
• This sin of pride separates humans from God; it is not only Adam and Eve’s fault but a universal human condition.
• In Christian belief, every person is born with this original sin, and only through faith in Jesus can one be freed from it.
• Pride makes a person feel superior to others, destroying the sense of equality needed for true love.
• Where there is no equality, there can be no love. Hence, Jesus promotes humility (vinamrta) as the foundation of spiritual life.
• To illustrate, Jesus tells the parable of two men praying in the temple:
  • The first man boasts about his good deeds, thanking God that he is better than others.
  • The second simply prays, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
• Jesus says the humble man is closer to God because his heart is pure and without pride.
• Even pride in doing good creates distance from God; only a humble heart opens the way to divine grace.
• Jesus’ message revolves around urgency — the call to change now, to live with love, humility, and freedom from pride.

Summary

This section concludes Jesus’ moral vision: pride is the root of separation, and humility is the path back to God. Through parables, Jesus teaches that only the humble can truly love and live in harmony with others. His core message — love your enemies, stay humble, and act now — expresses the urgency and simplicity of his spiritual path.

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Jesus’ Ethics vs Greek Ethics

• Jesus’ ethics focus mainly on personal transformation, not on social or political ethics.
• Unlike Greek philosophers, who saw humans as social beings achieving a good life through community and politics, Jesus looked toward God’s Kingdom, not this world.
• For Jesus, Judgment Day was near; therefore, fixing worldly or political problems seemed unnecessary and temporary.
• His main message was: prepare your heart, not your society, because God’s realm is about to arrive.
• The second reason for this difference is Jesus’ emphasis on inner change (inward transformation).
• He focused less on external actions and more on inner intentions, love, kindness, and humility.
• Jesus believed that goodness begins within — if the heart is pure, actions will naturally be right.
• His famous teaching about the neighbor shows this shift: instead of asking “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus asks us to become “a good neighbor.”
• This changes the question from an external definition to an inner attitude — not about others, but about how we choose to act.
• In essence, Jesus turns ethics inward, focusing on the state of the heart rather than social systems or definitions.

Summary

This section compares Jesus’ personal ethics with Greek social ethics. While Greek thinkers focused on building a good society through reason and politics, Jesus emphasized inner purity and love. For him, true morality begins within the heart, not in external reforms — it’s about being a good person, not just living in a good society.

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Jesus’ Ethics and the Absence of Civic Virtue

• A key reason Jesus did not discuss social or political ethics is that he was not a citizen of Rome.
• The region was under Roman control, and only Romans held real citizenship and legal rights; others were subjects without political power.
• Since Jesus had no right to participate in the Roman system, political engagement was irrelevant to him.
• As long as early Christians believed the Judgment Day was near, they too ignored political matters and focused on spiritual preparation.
• But later, when time passed and the Judgment Day did not come, Christianity began to adapt socially and politically.
• Eventually, when Christianity became the official religion of Rome, Christians had to develop political systems based on Jesus’ teachings — a task made difficult because Jesus never designed a social framework.
• In contrast, Greek philosophers like Aristotle saw politics and intellect as central to a good life.
• Aristotle spoke of intellectual virtues — knowledge, philosophy, and art — which lead to wisdom and fulfillment.
• He also praised civic courage, the bravery to serve and protect one’s city and community.
• Jesus, however, did not emphasize intellectual or civic virtues. His focus was religious courage — the strength to suffer or even die for faith in God, not for society or the state.

Summary

This section explains why Jesus avoided political or civic ethics — he lacked citizenship, lived under Roman rule, and focused on the coming Kingdom of God. Unlike Aristotle’s civic and intellectual virtues, Jesus promoted faith-based courage and spiritual strength, valuing inner devotion over political participation or worldly achievements.

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Pride, Humility, and the Difference Between Jesus and Aristotle

• For Jesus, pride (ahankār) is a sin and humility (vinamrta) is a core virtue.
• But for Aristotle, pride is actually a virtue, often called the “crown of virtues.”
• This seems contradictory, but the meaning of pride is different for each.
• Jesus speaks of pride as arrogance — the ego that separates a person from God.
• Aristotle speaks of pride as self-respect — a balanced confidence in one’s worth.
• Their perspectives differ because their starting points are completely different.
• Aristotle thinks like an artist who seeks perfection and excellence in human abilities. For him, virtue is like a skill that perfects reason and character.
• Jesus, however, thinks like a child before a loving father (God) — virtue for him is about relationship, not skill.
• He sees God as a caring parent, and virtue as the way to express love, trust, and obedience to that divine relationship.
• For Aristotle, ethics begins with man and reason, aiming to perfect human nature.
• For Jesus, ethics begins with God and divine will, aiming to please God and align the human heart with His grace.

Summary

This section contrasts Jesus’ humility-centered ethics with Aristotle’s pride-centered virtues. Jesus views virtue as a loving relationship with God, while Aristotle sees it as human excellence and self-mastery. Their moral goals differ — Aristotle perfects reason and human potential, while Jesus perfects faith, humility, and devotion to God.

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The Foundation of Cooperation: Aristotle vs Jesus

• Aristotle believed that a good life is only possible in a good society.
• His ethics connects deeply with social and political philosophy, because a well-ordered community helps individuals reach personal excellence.
• In this sense, Aristotle’s ethics can be called egoistic, not in a negative way, but as a self-centered approach — focused on achieving one’s own good life.
• He argued that cooperation and living together in harmony are necessary because they help each individual fulfill their potential and happiness.
• So, when Aristotle says we should cooperate, his goal is still individual perfection — a society that supports each person’s moral and intellectual growth.
• Jesus, on the other hand, has a completely different foundation for cooperation.
• He says, “Love your neighbor,” because we are all children of one God, belonging to the same divine family.
• For Jesus, cooperation is not a means to personal happiness but a reflection of universal love and unity.
• His ethics is relationship-based, not self-based — we love and help others because we share the same divine source.
• Thus, Aristotle’s cooperation is built on rational self-interest, while Jesus’ cooperation grows from spiritual brotherhood and unconditional love.

Summary

This section compares the ethical foundations of Aristotle and Jesus. Aristotle’s cooperation aims at individual fulfillment within a good society, while Jesus’ cooperation springs from divine love and shared humanity. For Aristotle, the motive is personal excellence; for Jesus, it is universal compassion — the sense that all people are one family under God.

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Comparing Jesus and Aristotle: A Philosophical Reflection

• Jesus and Aristotle have completely different approaches, motives, and foundations in their ethical systems.
• A deeper comparison shows how Greek ethics evolved during the Hellenistic period, and how Christian ethics developed after Jesus’ death.
• While Jesus is often seen as God or the Son of God, performing miracles such as healing the sick or walking on water, philosophy studies him differently — as a thinker addressing moral and spiritual problems of his time.
• Some scholars see his miracles as symbolic, representing spiritual truths rather than physical events.
• From a philosophical view, we ask:
  • What problems was Jesus trying to solve?
  • What solutions and ideas did he offer?
  • How were these ideas different from other thinkers of his time?
  • How have his teachings influenced later philosophy and ethics?
• Studying Jesus as a philosopher does not mean judging or criticizing God; it means understanding the message through reason and reflection.
• As the Bible says: “The glory of God is to conceal a thing, but the glory of the king is to find it out.”
• This captures the spirit of philosophy and science — God creates mystery, and humans seek understanding.
• Thus, exploring and questioning divine ideas is not wrong; it is part of the human search for truth and wisdom.
• The purpose is understanding, not disbelief — learning with respect, curiosity, and openness.

Summary

This final section encourages viewing Jesus as a philosopher, exploring his ideas in comparison with Aristotle and Greek ethics. It reminds us that philosophy’s role is not to judge divinity but to seek understanding. The true beauty of learning lies in this respectful search for truth — where God hides, and humans discover.