Death and Resurrection. The Garden of Gethsemane (14:32-42) “Father, my father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from

Death and Resurrection

The Garden of Gethsemane (14:32-42)

“Father, my father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want” (v.36)

Meaning

Jesus could have tried to avoid crucifixion.

He deliberately accepts his death, because he believed he was doing God’s will.

Jesus calls God ‘Abba’ an Aramaic word meaning father.

Jesus is overwhelmed with fear and grief.

He begs God that he might not have to suffer. Jesus experiences agony and distress like any other human being.

The Garden of Gethsemane (14:32-42)

The humanity of Jesus is seen in this story.‘Father, my father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want. (v.36)

This prayer expresses the closest relationship between God and Jesus.

Jesus was aware that suffering (the cup) lay ahead and he was frightened.

He prayed to be released but only if it was God’s will.

Problems for Christians Today

Some people find the idea of Jesus’ praying hard to accept.

If Jesus is God, why does he need to pray? How could the Son of God be distressed? The answer is that although Jesus is God, he

also a human being – and human beings get frightened and need to pray.

If Jesus was not really terrified at the thought of the agonising death that was waiting for him, then he would not really be human, and his death and resurrection would have no meaning.

Betrayal and Arrest (14:43-52)

• Chief priests, teacher of the law and elders = Sanhedrin - The religious authority come to arrest Jesus

• Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss, a common form of greeting to betray Jesus

• Jesus does not resist his arrest. He accepts what is happening as fulfilling scripture.

“All who hate me whisper together about me, and love to make the worst of everything… Even the friend

whom I trusted, who ate at my table , exults over my misfortune.”

(Psalm 41:7,9)

• They arrest him at night to avoid riots by the crowds.

Different attitudes to Judas

Most Christians consider Judas a traitor.However, it could be argued that Judas

had no choice. He had to fulfil his destiny – and Jesus’ destiny too.

Because of this some Christians today view Judas differently from the way he appears in Mark’s gospel.


These Christians think there might be several possible explanations for Judas’ actions.

Perhaps Judas himself had been arrested when Jesus cleansed the Temple and in return for freedom he agreed to hand over Jesus.

Was Judas disillusioned when he realised that Jesus had no intention of becoming a political or military Messiah, or did he want to force Jesus’ hand, thinking his arrest would lead to an uprising against Roman rule?


Or what if the betrayal was a deliberate act towards fulfilling prophecy? If so, Judas might have acted with Jesus’ full agreement in ‘betraying’ his master.

Another alternative is that Judas’ motivation in betraying Jesus to the Romans was to help him. As a close friend, Judas was helping Jesus to fulfil his destiny to die on the cross.


QuestionsDo you think Judas was a traitor? Explain

why.Explain why other people would not agree

with you.

Trial before the High Priest (14:53-65)

This Means:-The Sanhedrin accuse Jesus of

blasphemy.Blasphemy is using God’s name

wronglyIt was a religious trial, if found guilty

the punishment was death.

Trial before the High Priest

Key Points The lack of evidence. False testimonies not agreeing, including

the destruction of the Temple in three days The silence of Jesus The question of the High Priest Jesus’ agreement that he was the Christ,

the Son of the Blessed One The condemnation for blasphemy.

Christian Attitudes to Justice

This was an unusual trial. Most people today would probably say that

justice was not done. The Sanhedrin did not follow the rules found in

Deuteronomy (19:15-19) about how to conduct a trial.

This passage might encourage Christians to be sure that justice is always done and that others see that it is done.

They might also think that the law must always be followed properly and cannot be influenced by personal feelings.


QuestionHow might this story of an unjust and

unfair trial be an encouragement to Christians undergoing persecution?

How might this affect Christian attitudes to justice today? Give different points of view in your answer.

Trial before Pilate (15:1-15)

Jesus was questioned, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

This is not a religious crime. Here he is charged with Treason. A political crime.

The Sanhedrin make him out to be a threat to the Romans.

Pilate obviously didn’t think that Jesus was a threat to the Romans.


Apparently it was a custom for the Roman governor to release a prisoner during Passover.

The Jewish authorities got the crowd to shout for Barabbas, a murderer.

Pilate knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. (v. 10, 14)

Pilate wanted to please the crowd and avoid a riot. He released Barabbas and had Jesus flogged.


Important Points The name Barabbas means Son of the

Father. He may also have claimed to be a messiah.

Mark totally blames the Jewish leaders for Jesus’ death.

Mark does this to show Jesus was not a threat to the Romans.

How Christians Today view this Trial

Many Christians in the past blamed Jewish people for the death of Jesus because of the accounts in the gospels. This led to hundreds of years of anti-Semitism and persecution of Jewish people by Christians. Today most Christians see the trial as fulfuling God’s plan.


Christians today realise that they should not be anti-Semitic because this goes against Jesus’ teachings of treating everyone as you would wish to be treated, and also because Jesus himself was a Jew and lived according to Jewish Law.


In 2005 Pope Benedict XVI offered greetings to ‘… my brothers and sisters of the Jewish people, to whom we are joined by a great shared spiritual heritage, one rooted in God’s irrevocable promises’.


QuestionsExplain why many Christians today see

the trial before Pilate differently from Christians in the past.

Who is to blame for Jesus’ death?

Tasks

Read Danes p180-182 / AQA p32

Using full sentences answer the following questions.

• Why did Mark include so much detail about Simon of Cyrene?

• Why was Jesus offered wine mixed with myrrh?

• Why do you think he refused it?

• Explain the meaning of the initials INRI.

• Describe 2 ways in which Jesus was mocked on the cross.

• Why didn’t Jesus get off the cross and prove he was the Messiah?• Why does Mark include Jesus’ words ‘Eloi Eloi lema sabachthani’?• How can these words help Christians?• Explain the symbolism of the Temple curtain being torn in two.• Why did Mark include the Centurions comment?

Crucifixion 15:21-29

Crucifixion was a common form of torture and capital punishment in ancient times. Romans used it as a deterrent for those who might oppose the Empire.

Victims usually died as a result of suffocation but they often hung in agony for days – Jesus’ death was considered unusually quick.


Jesus was beaten so badly that he couldn’t carry the crossbar himself so Simon of Cyrene was called upon to carry it for him.

Mark gives us details about Simon, perhaps to show that he was an eye witness and to show the crucifixion really happened in this way.


Jesus is crucified at 9 o’clock in the morning at a place called ‘Golgotha’ which is an Aramaic word for ‘skull’; Mark translates it for his Gentile readers.

Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh, which was a pain killer, but Jesus refused to take it ; this shows courage.


The Roman soldiers don’t care about the prisoners and throw dice to see who would get the clothes. Under Roman Law the crucified man’s clothes belonged to his executioners.

The notice ‘The King of the Jews’ was written above the cross, showing why he was being crucified. He was crucified as a traitor. Perhaps Pilate wanted to frighten off any other Jews who might claim to be King of the Jews.


Jesus was crucified with two ‘bandits’.

They might have been robbers or revolutionaries or Zealots.

Even at the end of his life Jesus was with outcasts.

Passers-by, Jewish leaders and the two robbers insult Jesus and told him to save himself.


The saying about the Temple comes up again. No one is interested in what Jesus meant by it, they just think he is boasting about his power.

Mark is showing here that they have totally missed the point. Jesus is the Messiah who will suffer and die and so the point is he stays on the cross.


Everything went dark for 3 hours from midday to 3 o’clock.

Jesus cries out, ‘Eloi, eloi, lema sabachthani?’

‘My God, my God, why did you abandon me?’

This is shocking for Christians – why would God abandon Jesus?


The words are a quotation from the first line of Psalm 22. God is on the side of the writer of Psalm 22 and so he will be on the side of Jesus.

People watching mistake what Jesus said and think that he is calling for Elijah.

People thought that Elijah would return at the time of the Messiah. This shows that they think that Jesus is the Messiah.


Jesus was offered a sponge filled with wine vinegar which may have been an act of kindness or more mocking.

Jesus cries out and dies. At that moment the curtain in the Temple

separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple is torn in two.

This is symbolic of what has just happened.


The barrier between God and people (sin) has been removed by Jesus’ death.

The Centurion soldier (a Gentile) standing by the cross says, ‘This man was really the Son of God!’

The first person to have faith in Jesus after his death is a Gentile.

Jesus’ Kingdom is for Jews and Gentiles.


For Mark, for the Centurion and for Christians, the man who dies on the cross truly is the Son of God.

The Importance of Jesus’ crucifixion for Mark

The Old Testament prophecies told of the Suffering Servant of God and this ws the message Mark wanted his readers to understand.

This message was especially important for the early Christians as they faced persecution.

If the founder of their faith could face suffering and rejection, then so could they.

Questions

Many Christians today retrace the journey of Jesus through Jerusalem to the spot where it is believed he was crucified. Why would they want to do this?

Which parts of the story of Jesus’ crucifixion emphasise that Jesus is for all people, not just the Jews?

Christians Today

Many Christians view Jesus’ death as the sacrifice to end all sacrifices because Jesus gives his blood voluntarily so that every person can bridge the gap between God and humanity.

Today many Christians feel that this idea shows God as harsh and cruel in condemning his own son to suffering and death.

They also reject the idea that God needed a perfect sacrifice.

Christians Today

Other Christians think about this in a different way: Mark wrote that Jesus gave ‘his life as a

ransom for many. A ransom is a sum of money demanded for the release of a prisoner.

This ransom had to be paid to free people from their sin and bring them back to God.

God showed his love for humans to such an extent that he was prepared to allow Jesus to die as this ransom which would enable humanity to come back to him.

The Burial 15:40-47

This means The women have not abandoned Jesus,

unlike the male disciples. Joseph of Arimathaea was a member of

the Jewish Council and a supporter of Jesus; not all Jews condemned Jesus.

Joseph asks for Jesus’ body so that it can be buried before the Sabbath begins, according to Jewish custom.

The Burial 15:40-47

Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead and asks for this to be checked.

This may show that Mark wanted to demonstrate that Jesus was actually dead so that it shows that he did rise from the dead and was not in a coma.

The Burial 15:40-47

The women watch to see where Jesus was buried so that they could come back after the Sabbath and anoint the body, according to Jewish customs.

A large stone was rolled across the entrance to the tomb.

Why did Mark record Jesus’ burial?

Mark records that Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body and buried him.

The burial indicates that Jesus was really dead.

Roman soldiers and others handling the body would not make a mistake about this.

The reports of Jesus’ burial encourage Christians today to believe it actually happened.

Why did Mark record Jesus’ burial?

Also, by writing about it in this way Mark may have tried to avoid any arguments about where Jesus had been buried.

The early Christian Church had to answer charges that suggested that Jesus had not really died at all, and that the women had gone to the wrong tomb on the Sunday morning.

Christians Today

However, the Gospel records that Pilate sent a soldier to check Jesus

was dead (15:44)The women took note of where the

body of Jesus had been placed (15:47)

Questions

Do you think it is important that there are now two sites in Jerusalem that are claimed to be the burial site of Jesus?

Resurrection 16: 1-8

This means Women come to the tomb as soon as the

Sabbath ended – very early in the morning.

Jesus’ resurrection was discovered on Sunday morning. Sunday becomes the holy day of the week for Christians, not Saturday as it is for the Jews.

The women were carrying out the usual customs of anointing a dead body.


Women are concerned about moving the heavy stone which has already been moved when they arrive.

A young man in white, on the right is sitting in the tomb.

He is a messenger/angel from God – white is often used to show a link with God. (At Transfiguration Jesus’ clothes are shining white)


Angel gives the women the message that Jesus is risen.

Jesus will meet them in Galilee which is a familiar place to them where they were happy.

Jesus will gather them together; he is the shepherd who will gather the sheep together.


Jesus mentions Peter showing that he has forgiven him for his denial.

The women are terrified and run away which is not surprising. They show a fear of God (see Who is Jesus?)

The women told no one … perhaps this was not seen to be a good ending to the Gospel.

Christians Today

Some Christians only see meaning in the death of Jesus if it is linked to the resurrection.

Without the resurrection they do not see how the death of Jesus achieves anything.

In the resurrection they see his triumph over death.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God frees people from the slavery of sin and death.

They see the power of God’s love as so strong that it overcomes sin and death.

Humanity is now reconciled to God even if some people are unaware of the good news.

Past Questions

a) Who was Pontius Pilate? (2)b) Outline what happened between Jesus’

death and his resurrection. (6)c) Explain why the death of Jesus is

important for Christians. (8)d) ‘Jesus is alive today’.

Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion showing you have thought about more than one point of view. (4)

Documents

Death and Resurrection. The Garden of Gethsemane (14:32-42) “Father, my father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from