Unit 8: Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

Transfiguration 2 Mark 9:2-13 Transfiguration: At the Transfiguration Peter, James and John see Jesus in his full glory accompanied by Moses and Elijah. How much of the truth do we choose to see?

Transfiguration 3 Psalm 23 Mountains and Valleys

Jesus: Man of Peace and Source of Conflict The Road to the Cross 4 The time of his public ministry was short: between 1 and 3 years. Jesus’ message was one of love and compassion but... Jesus’ message caused conflict and tension. Why?

Jesus: Man of Peace and Source of Conflict …Why Conflict & Tension?  Because... Jesus’ teachings about marriage, authority, the role and meaning of the Law, the Temple, and worship conflicted with the teachings of people in positions of power. Mt 21:12-13  Jesus made society’s outcasts the center of his message about God’s Kingdom. Lk 19:1-10  Jesus claimed authority above that of the religious and political powers of his day. Mk 2: The Road to the Cross

Jesus Enters Jerusalem The Road to the Cross 6 Matthew and Luke 19:28-21:38  Events  Who would Jesus get in trouble with?

The Last Supper 7 Terms: Paschal Mystery – Paschal is an adjective to indicate something is related to Passover. Sometimes Jesus is called the Paschal Lamb. Paschal Mystery is a term that indicates that the Passover is connected to the mystery of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. The symbols of Passover can help us figure out what Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection mean.

The Last Supper More Terms… Seder - The feast commemorating the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, celebrated on the first night or the first two nights of Passover. The meal is full of symbols, the most important being the Paschal Lamb. (See Exodus 12:1-28 for the description of the first Seder.) Jesus’ last meal with his disciples before his passion & death - the Last Supper- may have been a seder meal. Eucharist – The word literally means “thanksgiving.” The sacrament that remembers and relives the Last Supper and Jesus’ sacrifice of himself to redeem our sins. The word also refers to Jesus’ body & blood under the appearance of bread and wine. 8 The Last Supper

9 Luke 22 (and synoptics)  Connected to feast of Passover.  Began according to normal Jewish meal custom: giving thanks ( eucaristhsa ) to God for the meal.  “This is my body” and “this is my blood” are NOT part of the Jewish ritual.  Disciples do not understand that Jesus is connecting this meal to his coming death. Read John Make a notecard about  The EVENTS that happen at the Last Supper (ch 13)  What Jesus TEACHES at the Last Supper (ch 14-17)

John’s Last Supper The Last Supper 10 Very different from the version in the synoptics Not on the day of Passover, but on the day before No mention of Eucharist Instead Jesus washes the feet of the disciples to teach that true leadership is about service Jesus gives long speeches that contain the important parts of his entire ministry  Love one another  The Father and I are one  “I am the vine, you are the branches...”  The world may hate you  The Spirit will come and guide you

The Passion Narratives Passion 11 The Passion Narratives are the written accounts of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion in the 4 gospels. “Passion” refers to Jesus’ suffering. Other sources besides the Bible report the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. Jesus did not “stand out” in the way he died. The Romans crucified many people. The events of Jesus’ last days are the most “historical” that we know about his life.

The Passion Narratives Terms: Sanhedrin – The highest court over the Jews in Judea. The Romans gave them free reign. The one exception was that the Roman governor had to approve death sentences. Pontius Pilate – The Roman Governor of the Holy Land at the time of Jesus. He approves Jesus’ death sentence. Golgotha – The Place of the Skull. The site of Jesus’ crucifixion. Also called Calvary. 12 Passion

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The Tomb Is Sealed Resurrection 14 At this point we know the following about Jesus: Jesus was a rabbi, but there were MANY rabbis in Israel at the time. Jesus was a healer, but there were other healers too. Jesus was crucified, but so were many people convicted of crimes by Rome. Jesus was laid in a stone tomb, but so was everyone who died.

Resurrection 15 We know the following about those who encountered him: Most people never even heard of him. Some were angered by his teachings Some felt their power was threatened by who people believed him to be Some had faith that he was a man of God A few believed him to be the Messiah, but even these reacted to his crucifixion with doubt, anxiety, fear, confusion and guilt.

But then, RESURRECTION! Resurrection 16 Easter Sunday! Jesus was dead, and now is alive -- but in a new way! There were NO EYEWITNESSES to the resurrection. All 4 Gospels report THAT it happened. Each Gospel has a different version of what happened AFTER Jesus rose:

Resurrection 17  The earliest version of Mark reports Jesus’ resurrection, but ends without Jesus appearing to anyone.  In Matthew, Jesus appears to the women as they run to tell the disciples the message from the angel that Jesus is risen. Jesus appears to the disciples in Galilee and sends them out to make disciples of all nations.  In Luke, Jesus appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, then to the disciples in Jerusalem, then he ascends to heaven. But then, RESURRECTION!

 In John, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene as she weeps outside the tomb, then to the disciples (except Thomas), then to all of the disciples again, then to 7 disciples on the Sea of Tiberias, and the Gospel reports that Jesus appeared many more times.  In the longer ending of Mark he appears to Mary Magdalene, the 2 disciples, then the 11 before he ascends. But then, RESURRECTION! 18 Resurrection

What was the risen Jesus like? Post-Resurrection 20 New Life  Jesus did not just “wake up”, he was transformed.  He was the same Jesus, yet somehow different. Radiant life  Jesus was no longer limited by time and space.  He appears and disappears, walks though walls, etc. Bodily life  Jesus had a body the disciples could not only see but touch as well. Even though the events reported in the gospels are different, the description of the risen Jesus is consistent!

The Ascension Post-Resurrection 21 Only described by Luke (at the end of his Gospel and at the beginning of Acts). Mentioned in the longer (late) ending of Mark. The idea of it being 40 days after the resurrection comes from Acts We need to understand the Ascension (“going up,” Jesus’ going to the Father)  NOT as Jesus leaving earth, but  as Jesus being freed to be everywhere at all times

Reactions to the Risen Jesus Post-Resurrection 22 Some believed that his disciples stole his body and said that he was risen. His closest followers were COMPLETELY tranformed  from the confused “never-quite-get-it” doubting apostles to men of deep conviction  from fearful men hiding from their fellow Jews to men willing to die to give testimony to Jesus and his message  from men anxious about their own well-being to men whose only concern was to spread the Good News

Pulling it all together Post-Resurrection 23 Jesus challenged his followers during his public ministry to rethink their ideas about  the King (God)  the Kingdom (reign of God)  and the people of the Kingdom (Israel/us) So to bring forth the Kingdom of God, WE must  love, serve, and forgive in order to allow  God’s power to defeat sin, death and evil. Commission: The authority to do something in someone else’s name. (The Great Commission: Matthew 28:16-20)

Post-Resurrection 24 Jesus’ ascension freed him from being present to only  those disciples (the 12 and the other followers)  in that place (Israel)  at that point in history (30 C.E.) to challenge THEM to bring forth the Kingdom and allows him to be present to  all people  in all places  at all times and thus to call us ALL to bring forth the Kingdom! Pulling it all together