The Goals of LifeJesus’ life and death

The Story so far..• Moving on from the

Incarnation and baby Jesus – we move forward - after his Baptism Jesus wanders in the desert before beginning his ministry, for three years He teaches and preaches, performing miracles and collecting disciples on the way.

• He begins to attract the attention of the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman Authorities – this man is becoming a pest!

The Easter Story The Passion of Christ

• Jesus warned his disciples and those close to him that the Son of Man (a way of speaking about himself) must suffer. He would be rejected by the elders in Jerusalem (The Sanhedrin) and put to death. Three days later he would rise again.

Means suffering

• Christians believe Jesus had realised that the Kingdom of God was not going to come crashing in at any moment. He was going to have to suffer first, and then the Kingdom would dawn.

• His challenge to the disciples was to put the Kingdom first, above their own lives, and then they would gain blessing and heaven itself. Many Christians experience a kind of inner death to selfish ways and ambitions. They then feel re-made, re-born, and have a fresh view on life.

• This was a turning point in the Gospel story as Jesus returned to Jerusalem, knowing that he was putting himself in the hands of his enemies.

Jerusalem

Key players in Jesus’ death..

• Judas Iscariot• High Priests (Sanhedrin)• Pontius Pilate (Roman Governor)

• Watch the video clip and summarise these peoples involvement in Jesus’ death

Why did Judas betray Jesus?

• Greed – for money• Jealousy – he wanted to be as popular as Jesus

• Argument – perhaps he fell out with Jesus

• Unbelief – he no longer believed Jesus was from God

• Proof – to make Jesus prove himself

• Threat – maybe he was threatened by the High Priests

Jesus & The High Priests

Why the High Priests wanted rid of Jesus

• He worked on the Sabbath

• He healed people on the Sabbath

• He ate meals with tax collectors and “sinners”

• He predicted the Temple would be destroyed

• He claimed his power came from God - blasphemy

• He called the High Priests hypocrites

• He was becoming popular with ordinary folk

Pilate Washes his hands

Why did Pilate allow Jesus to die?

He was pressurised by the Sanhedrin

He was pressurised by the crowd

Scared of another uprising by the people

Underestimated the crowds

feelings

Who’s to blame?

• Overall who has the most responsibility for Jesus’ death?

Sentenced to death

• The Temple authorities had decided that Jesus’ teachings about the coming Kingdom of God were a direct threat both to the Temple and to the Roman authorities.

• He had also refused to accept the authority of the High Priest, insisting that his own authority came from God. Pilate was left with no option but to sentence him to death.

Mocked and beaten• After Pilate had sentenced

Jesus, the Roman guards stripped him, dressed him in a purple robe, forced a crown of thorns on to his head and put a reed in his right hand. They spat on him, beat him and mocked him as ‘King of the Jews’.

• Then they put his own clothes on him again and led him away to be crucified

The Road to the Cross• As a final act of cruelty and

humiliation, the Romans usually forced the condemned man to carry his own wooden cross beam to the place of execution.

• When they arrived at the place called Golgotha, meaning ‘Place of a skull’, on a hill outside Jerusalem, the soldiers crucified Jesus. After casting lots, the soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes between them. Afterwards, they nailed a board above his head that read:

“This is Jesus, the King of the Jews”.

• The soldiers then sat and kept watch over Jesus. Two thieves were also crucified that day, one either side of Jesus. As the people passed by they mocked Jesus for claiming he would destroy the Temple and rebuild it again in three days. Luke states that when one of the bandits also began to mock Jesus the other rebuked him, saying to Jesus:

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom”

Jesus assured him that he would be with him that day in Paradise.

• John’s Gospel recounts that Jesus died before the Roman soldiers could break his legs in order to hasten his death, fulfilling the Hebrew Scripture that: “none of his bones shall be broken”.

• The crowd that had gathered to witness his death, eventually went home, leaving the women among Jesus’ disciples to watch him being lowered down

Jesus’ Death

The Burial• Jesus was buried in the tomb of a

wealthy man, Joseph of Arimathea.

• Tombs were usually cut into rocks in gardens, and could have several separate chambers, able to house an entire family. Bodies were laid out on slabs, and a large stone was placed in front of the entrance. Because of their size, they were difficult to move

• Jesus had to buried very

quickly because of the approaching Sabbath so he was wrapped in a linen shroud or strips of linen and placed in the tomb.

• Some of the women went to the tomb early on the Sunday morning to wash the body and anoint it with the usual oils and spices – an action that was always done out of respect. They had probably wondered how they would be able to get the tomb open, but when they arrived at the grave, they found the stone rolled away.

• The tomb was empty.

What happens next is a mystery…

Watch the video and decide for yourself what you think happened.

Did Jesus Rise From The Dead? (Debate)

Theories about Jesus’ ResurrectionJesus was not actually crucified but replaced at the last moment by someone who looked like him.

The women went to the wrong tomb on Sunday morning.

Jesus was still alive when he was taken down from the cross, and later managed to escape from the tomb.

The disciples only imagined they saw Jesus – they were suffering from hallucinations.

The Witnesses

The body was stolen:

By the disciples

By the High Priests

By the Romans

Jesus did come back from the dead.

Understanding the Cross• The story of the

crucifixion of Jesus stands (with that of his Resurrection) at the centre of the Christian faith. Christians understand the story of the cross in various ways. Here are some ways that modern Christians have of understanding the cross:

• Through Jesus, God showed people how to live. God would never force anyone to listen. He gave them freedom of choice; accept him or reject him. They rejected him, and nailed him to a cross. The cross shows people, today, that God is love, and that he is willing to forgive them if they will turn to him, no matter what they have done. Looking at, and concentrating on the cross should make people sorry for their sins.

• The cross shows that God can, and does, suffer; He is not a million miles away in Heaven.

• God is involved in the struggles of everyday human life. God stands alongside people who suffer and gives them courage.

• The cross shows that God has entered all the darkness in the world. He has gone through suffering and death, and come out the other side. He has shown that the darkness can be transformed into light, and that in the end, good is stronger than evil.

• In Christianity, the belief in resurrection of all people at the Last Judgment is based on Jesus’ own Resurrection.

• In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats (check your source booklet) at the Second Coming the righteous will be rewarded with life eternal.

• The fact that Jesus was raised is a guarantee that the future general resurrection of humanity has begun. He is ‘the first fruits of them that slept’.

• Just as humanity shared in the original stain of sin in Adam and were sentenced to suffering and death, so in Christ all have the opportunity to be born again and

share eternal life in him.

• The core of resurrection is that already within this world there exists a new beginning of life from God. Jesus conquers the human condition that was caused by Adam’s disobedience

Task - The image of Christ as ‘Second Adam’ depends on a comparison between the consequences of his life and actions with the results of the first Adam’s life and actions. Fill in the table below documenting the differences between the two.

(Think about their relationship to God, use of free will, choices and faith.)

• First ‘Adam’ • Second Adam –Jesus Christ

Alienation

Disobeys God

Tempted

Free will

Sinful

Human condition

Expelled from paradise

death

Salvation

Obeys God

Tempted

Free will

Sinless

Atonement

With God in paradise

Eternal life

Physical and spiritual understanding of Resurrection

• Resurrection is a gift from God. Theologians have debated over what form the resurrected body will take but all believe that there will be eternal life with God for the faithful.

• Much of the discussion hinges on the understanding of Jesus’ resurrection and whether it should be understood in physical, spiritual or other terms.

Jesus’ resurrection

• Resurrection as physical fact• The gospels all report an empty

tomb on Easter morning. Mary Magdalene saw Jesus in the garden and the disciples saw him, spoke with him and ate with him.

The meaning of the resurrection requires a physical resurrection; otherwise Christians would have used different categories of life after death for their reflections.’

NT Wright

Resurrection of spirit

• The resurrection is a different sort of existence from an earthly resuscitated body. Resurrection experiences are Christ’s spirit, which survived death, communicating with the disciples. The disciples’ very real experiences led to physical interpretations of resurrection.

Resurrection beyond historical analysis

• Karl Barth argued that the resurrection was not the sort of event that could be studied by historical enquiry.

• He saw that the empty tomb proved that the resurrection was not just a spiritual event, but this did not mean that the precise way a corpse was or was not brought back to life was the central issue either.

• Whatever the nature of the resurrection, as an event it anticipates the resurrection at the end of time and brings forward into history both that resurrection and the full and final revelation of God

Death of Jesus

Explained through images, analogies, similes and metaphors, none of which on their own give a full explanation of the significance and meaning of his death.

Analogies

•A battle – victory over evil•An example – of self-sacrifice•A sacrifice – for sin

•A ransom – to set us free•A substitute – in our place

A battle – victory over evilBut evil still exists today?

Jesus’ death was like D-Day (decisive moment that made victory certain). V-Day (official victory day) still to come.

An example – of self-sacrificeBut surely we are not

meant to sacrifice ourselves like Jesus did?

We should live our lives sacrificially by putting others before ourselves. (In most cases this will not lead to death!)

A sacrifice – for sinBut isn’t sacrificing animals and people barbaric?

So are the consequences of sin; and Jesus death was the final, once and for all sacrifice.

A ransom – to set us freeBut who was the ransom paid to?

Himself? God was buying us back from the slavery of sin and setting us free by paying the price (death) that was laid down for sin.

A substitute – in our place

But surely it’s unfair for an innocent man to die for the guilty?

Yes, but God was like a loving father choosing to take the punishment for the wrongdoing of his family.

This piece of paper is 3 things:

•Proof of Purchase – I have purchased the goods

•Receipt – the store has accepted my payment•Guarantee – the goods are fit for purpose

The resurrection of Jesus is:

•Proof – that he was who he said he was

•Receipt – God has accepted Jesus’ payment for the sins of the world

•Guarantee – that those who follow him will also be resurrected

2010 Exam Paper

• Describe the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus 4KU

• Belief in the resurrection alone is not enough to lead a Christian life.”

• Do you agree 8AE

Describe the events surrounding the

resurrection of Jesus.Examples of areas covered:Death in agony on crossBody removed by followers, wrapped and taken to tombFollowers visited tomb to care for bodyBody was not thereWomen spoken to JesusAppearances to followersAscent to HeavenChrist seen in the flesh by others

“Belief in the resurrection alone is not enough to lead a

Christian life”Do you agree? 8AE

AgreeMuch depends on one’s beliefs about salvationBelief in the Resurrection and what it achieved arefundamental to the Christian lifeResurrection demands that you are ‘born again’ in Jesus ChristTo believe in the Resurrection but not in the moral life Jesus demanded is incompatible with Jesus’ teachingJesus required his disciples to be ‘fishers of men’showing that Resurrection belief alone was insufficient

Disagree

Some beliefs in predestination may suggest that God’s will is more important than your personal beliefs in terms of salvation which is part of the Christian lifeIf there is no belief in the Resurrection then there is no point in living a Christian life.The resurrection is a key part of most creeds – morality does not have the same emphasis

Homework

• Pg 74 – 82, trying all qs 1-20 and exam Qs

• Christianity 2010 exam paper