Situation ethics of Jesus
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what is meant by situation ethics and describe examples from the life of Jesus that might encourage Christians to take this approach.
Key learning points
- Situation ethics determines what is right based on a specific situation, rather than by strict adherence to laws.
- Christians can use the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament as a source of authority on how to apply the law.
- Jesus emphasised doing the most loving thing in any situation, which can be called situation ethics.
- Agape love is prioritised above other considerations and impacted the example of Jesus on how the law should be applied.
- Examples can be found in the Bible where Jesus recommended going against the law to do the most loving thing.
Keywords
Agape - a type of non-romantic love, characterised by selfless and unconditional giving
Ethical - relating to beliefs about what is morally right and wrong
Law - the system of rules which a particular country or community recognises, which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties
Situation ethics - an ethical theory which argues that the most loving action should guide decisions in each situation
Common misconception
Jesus did not believe people should follow the law.
Jesus believed strongly in the importance of laws and commandments, but that agape love should be used when deciding how to apply those laws and punishments.
Teacher tip
You will be able to find additional parables of Jesus showing agape to give wider context, such as Luke 15:11-32.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which group do the Ten Commandments belong to?
Q2.Which of these is one of the Ten Commandments?
Q3.How did Jesus respond when asked about the greatest Commandment?
Q4.What does the word “neighbour” mean in the Bible?
Q5.Why do Christians follow the two great Commandments?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Jesus prioritised showing love, even when it meant breaking the law.
Q2.The teachings of Jesus are found in the Testament of the Bible.
Q3.What is the main idea of situation ethics?
Q4.Which of these actions by Jesus shows situation ethics?
Q5.Jesus didn’t believe people should follow the law.
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Situation ethics of Jesus, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 religious education lesson on: Situation ethics of Jesus, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Religious law: What is the social context and relevance today? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.