Jesus' Approach to the problem of human existence

 The problem of human existence continues to trouble every generation. We are certain of one thing: we exist. Yet the deeper questions remain unanswered. Why do we exist at all? What gives meaning to our brief lives? How should we live within a world filled with struggle, loss, and uncertainty?

Human life is painfully short. By the time we begin to understand ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us, our time is already running out. We struggle to survive, to love, to find purpose, and then we disappear. In this sense, human existence itself feels like a mystery, unfinished and unresolved.

Throughout history, thoughtful men and women have faced this mystery honestly. Figures such as Buddha and Jesus did not escape suffering; instead, they looked directly at it. They asked whether life’s pain is meaningless or whether it hides a deeper truth. They explored whether freedom, peace, or transformation is possible even within a fragile and temporary existence.

When we turn to Jesus, we are not simply asking theological questions about doctrines or beliefs. We are asking a more human question: How did he understand life itself? How did he face suffering, injustice, love, fear, and death? His way of living—marked by trust in God, compassion for others, and freedom from fear—suggests that meaning may not be found by escaping life’s limits, but by living fully and faithfully within them.

If we take Jesus seriously as a fellow human being who confronted the mystery of existence, his vision can still shed light on our lives today. He invites us to see life not as a problem to be solved, but as a reality to be lived with courage, love, and hope. In listening to how Jesus approached existence, we may not receive all the answers—but we may learn how to live the questions more truthfully.

History of Early Christianity

History and Belief Clearly Distinguished

A. Historical Development 

1. Jesus and the Earliest Movement (c. 30 CE)

Jesus of Nazareth was a Jewish teacher who proclaimed the Kingdom of God, called people to repentance, and taught a new way of living centered on love, mercy, and faithfulness to God. After his crucifixion, his followers continued as a Jewish movement, convinced that God had vindicated Jesus and that he was the Messiah.

2. The Jerusalem Church (30–70 CE)

The earliest Christian community formed in Jerusalem, led by Peter, James (the brother of Jesus), and John. This community remained within Judaism and emphasized obedient living according to Jesus’ teachings. They expected God’s kingdom to be fully revealed and did not yet separate themselves from Jewish religious life.

3. Expansion and First-Century Writings (50–100 CE)

As the movement spread across the Roman Empire, it diversified.

Paul’s letters were written and circulated to Gentile churches.

The Synoptic Gospels recorded Jesus’ life and teachings.

The Catholic (General) Epistles addressed ethics, suffering, and faithfulness.

After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE, Jewish-Christian influence declined, while Gentile communities became more prominent.

B. Belief Interpretation (How Faith Was Understood and Reinterpreted)

4. Interpreting Jesus as Messiah and Lord (First Century)

Early believers interpreted Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as proof that he was the Messiah. In Gentile contexts, especially through Paul, Jesus was also proclaimed as Lord, a title with cosmic and universal meaning.

5. Second-Century Reflection: Jesus as Divine

In the second century, Christians reflected more deeply on Jesus’ identity using philosophical language. Jesus came to be understood not only as Messiah and Lord, but as divine, sharing in God’s nature.

John’s Gospel, written near the end of the first century and widely used in the second, played a major role by presenting Jesus as the pre-existent Word (Logos).

6. Toward Later Doctrine

These belief interpretations were not yet fixed doctrines. They were steps in an ongoing process that later resulted in formal creeds affirming Jesus’ divinity.

Summary in One Sentence

Historically, Christianity began as a Jewish movement centered on Jesus; theologically, it developed through reflection and interpretation into belief in Jesus as Messiah, Lord, and eventually divine.