The death of Jesus is obviously one of the biggest events in history. To Christians today it is THE most momentous event which shapes their lives and their thinking.
Christians remember and celebrate this every year at EASTER. It is a time when they don't just think about Jesus dying but about his resurrection and promise to them of eternal life. The symbol of Christianity - the Cross - comes from this event. It is a story with lots of twists and turns.. Let's investigate: |
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Let's start by looking at what has become known as 'The Last Supper' This was a very significant event in the bible in which Jesus and his disciples celebrate the Passover together. What is special about this passover is that it is one of the last occassions Jesus meets his disciples before his death. He breaks bread with them and sups wine providing new symbolic meaning to this for christians.
Jesus’ disciples were sometimes confused. They did not always understand the meaning of what Jesus said and did.
READ what happened in the last supper here:
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WHAT WAS THE MEANING OF THE BREAD AND THE WINE?
Jesus gave the Passover bread and wine a new meaning.
They did not realise that Jesus was about to die for them. They thought that Jesus had come to Jerusalem to become king. Was he not the Messiah? The long awaited Messiah who would set the people free from their foreign rulers, the Romans?
Later that evening, tired and confused, the disciples went with Jesus to the Mount of Olives outside the city.
- The BREAD was his BODY that would be broken for them.
- The WINE was his BLOOD that would be spilled for them.
- In this way Jesus connected the Passover meal with his own death.
They did not realise that Jesus was about to die for them. They thought that Jesus had come to Jerusalem to become king. Was he not the Messiah? The long awaited Messiah who would set the people free from their foreign rulers, the Romans?
Later that evening, tired and confused, the disciples went with Jesus to the Mount of Olives outside the city.
Jesus went to pray close to the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane (which means ‘the oil press’).
In the Garden Jesus struggled to come to terms with what was to come.
In the Garden Jesus struggled to come to terms with what was to come.
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U2: Until the end of the world
Listen to the song ‘End of the world’ by U2, read the lyrics below and discuss its relevance to what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?
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Watch from 15:23
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Jesus did not in fact undergo one trial but TWO! One from the religious court and one from the Roman court:
Late on Thursday night Jesus was brought before the SANHEDRIN: The Jewish Court of Law.
The court was full; every member was present. Jesus stood in front of the high priest. The trial began. A number of witnesses were called and Jesus was questioned again and again. Finally the High Priest asked “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?” “So you say,” Jesus replied. The High Priest was shocked. It was blasphemy for anyone to claim he was equal to God. It meant Jesus had broken the Jewish law. The Court of the Sanhedrin gave their verdict. Jesus was found guilty of BLASPHEMY. They said he should be put to death. But the Sanhedrin did not have the power to execute anyone. Only the Roman Governor, Pilate, could execute offenders, so they took Jesus to him. |
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Early on Friday morning Jesus was put in chains. He was brought before Pilate, the Roman Governor. Pilate tried to find out if Jesus was a trouble maker. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked. “So you say,” Jesus replied.
Pilate thought the prisoner was harmless and wanted to release him. But the crowd waiting outside were shouting “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The Roman Governor did not want a riot, so he made a quick decision. He charged Jesus with treason. Jesus had, after all, claimed that He was a king. He could be a threat to Roman authority in the region. Jesus had therefore broken Roman law. Pontius Pilate gave his verdict; Jesus was found guilty of treason and was sentenced to death. Roman soldiers came and took him away to be crucified. |
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The events of holy week are full of contrasts. For example:
After being sentenced by Pilate, Jesus was handed over to the soldiers for execution. Jesus had already been flogged and was now too weak to carry his own cross. If he had died on the way to the place of execution the soldier in charge would have been crucified instead. This prevented too much brutality. Simon of Cyrene, an African, was dragged from the crowd and faced the humiliation of carrying a condemned mans cross to Golgotha, ‘The place of the Skull’. . |
CRUCIFIXION
Crucifixion was a normal Roman way of dealing with criminals.
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After nearly six hours on the cross, Jesus died saying “It is finished”. His work for God was completed.
The soldiers came to break the legs of the dying men to speed their deaths, but as Jesus was already dead they thrust a spear into his side instead.
The soldiers came to break the legs of the dying men to speed their deaths, but as Jesus was already dead they thrust a spear into his side instead.
The next day was the Sabbath, so the body had to be dealt with quickly, but who would want the body of a criminal? Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, claimed the body and wrapped it in a linen sheet and laid it in his own tomb