The Cross Teacher's manual

A book by Christian Education Publications Published January 2014 Copyright © Edward Surrey 2013 This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism and review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without the express permission of the publisher.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc. Christian Education Publications PO Box A287 Sydney South NSW 1235 AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 2 8268 3344 Fax: +61 2 8268 3357 www.cepstore.com.au National Library of Australia ISBN 978-1-925041-0-95 Project manager: Derek Nelson Managing editor: Natasha Percy Theological editor: Guangyao Un Typesetting and design: Joy Lankshear Cover design: Joy Lankshear

Read this Stop and reflect Group discussion

CONTENTS Introduction

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1. Cross purposes

6

Genesis 3

2. Cross reference

11

Exodus 12

3. Cross eye

15

Isaiah 53

4. Cross roads

19

Matthew’s Gospel

5. Cross examination

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John 19

6. Crossed line

27

Romans 5

7. Star-crossed lovers

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1 John 4

8. Cross to bear

35

Mark 8

9. Cross culture

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1 Peter

10. Cross court Revelation 5

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INTRODUCTION Unit aim When Paul defended his ministry to the church at Corinth he said that he taught nothing ‘except Christ and him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 2:3). The cross was at the core of the gospel. The Cross aims to present the death of Jesus, through the story of the Bible, allowing students to have a deeper grasp of the heart of the Christian faith and the person Jesus Christ.

uncovered in order to see the true nature of what went on at the cross. At times, looking at a man being executed will of course be uncomfortable, as will looking at our sin, and God’s anger, which made the cross necessary. But it is here, at the cross, that God’s love, his rescue plan and his character are seen most clearly. To understand ourselves and our worth, we have to understand the cross and how God sees us there.

Foundations of the curriculum

How to run it—pedagogy of the curriculum

Biblical Theology: There are many themes that can be traced through the storyline of the Bible, and one of the major themes is the cross. This course will give students an overview of the story of the Bible, stopping off for a closer look at various points that are related to the cross. This means that students will be moving through different books of the Bible each week. They may find themselves in unfamiliar parts of the Bible, and so returning to the big picture each week will be important.

The lessons are designed to be sensitive to the needs of the classroom. They aim to keep students informed, interested and engaged. The primary way they do this is by showing students aspects of the Bible and Christianity which they may not have seen before, in a way they can grasp.

Systematic Theology: The Cross highlights not just the story of the cross, but also the theology behind it as it unfolds in the Bible. This will be mainly a penal substitutionary atonement view of the crucifixion—that Jesus took the penalty for our sins by dying in our place.

There are historical truths that need to be

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To this end, each lesson starts by engaging the students in the topic, followed by a chance to recap the story so far. Then each student will examine a passage of the Bible, answering basic comprehension questions to get into the text.

Then some implications and applications will be discussed to close the lesson. Some parts are best done individually, in pairs, groups or as a whole class depending in the class at hand. Some sections can be left out and substituted for the Extras in this Teacher’s manual, or something you’ve seen elsewhere.

Where it is going – overview of the curriculum

Chapter 1—Genesis 3 A look at what is wrong with the world, and with us—God is angry at our sin.

Chapter 2—Exodus 12 The Passover, introducing the idea of a substitute.

Chapter 3—Isaiah 53 The Old Testament’s predictions of the cross, specifically that a perfect servant would take our pain and punishment.

Chapter 4—Matthew’s Gospel The life of Jesus and why he had to die.

Chapter 5—John 19 The cross as the true Passover, with Jesus taking our place.

Chapter 6—Romans 5 All the cross has achieved for us: hope, peace, access, help and love.

Chapter 7—1 John 4 The cross as God’s view of love, and how that impacts our relationships.

Chapter 8—Mark 8 The Christian life in the footsteps of Jesus, with death to self.

Chapter 9—1 Peter The impact of the cross on the Christian view of suffering and evil.

Chapter 10—Revelation 5 Jesus is risen! What the cross shows us about Jesus now.

INTRODUCTION

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5 CROSS EXAMINATION JOHN 19 Aim To see how Jesus died as the perfect substitute in our place, by examining the details of the cross in comparison with the Passover.

Outcomes Students will: • know the biblical story of the cross • understand some of the historical background of the crucifixion • start to look at what the cross means for us, by examining its substitutionary nature.

Background So far the course should have been like trying to put together a jigsaw without the box lid. But now we’re going to show the students what they have been piecing together. The main focus is John’s account of the cross.

Instead, consider giving students a short ‘mindbreak’ in the middle of the lesson.

John’s Gospel, being different from the others in content and style, takes a slightly different slant on the cross. It really focuses on the way that the cross fulfils the Passover. This may mean you start by recapping Chapter 2, perhaps watching the clip from The Prince of Egypt if you ran out of time then. To get the most out of this lesson, a good reminder of what we have seen about the seriousness of sin, the need for a substitute and the Passover lamb will make it much richer.

The lesson Death Display/read to the class the following extract from Wikipedia: ‘Crucifixion was used for slaves, pirates and enemies of the state. It was considered a most shameful and disgraceful way to die ... a means of exhibiting the criminal’s low social status ...

Because of the seriousness of the topic at hand,

[and] the most dishonourable death imaginable.

there are less group work activities, and more

The citizen class of Roman society were almost

reading and writing exercises. This is a good

never subject to capital punishments, with the

thing, as the cross is not to be taken lightly. I

exception of those condemned of high treason;

prefer not to recommend videos for this section.

they were fined or exiled instead.’

5. CROSS EXAMINATION

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1. What does this excerpt show about Jesus’ death?

It was extremely shameful.

Discuss • In light of all the evidence what should have happened to Jesus?

2. What sort of person did the people who condemned Jesus think he was?

They thought he was a common criminal.

• Why do you think Jesus ended up getting crucified?

Here, the answers can be ‘the crowd’, ‘Pilate’, ‘Jewish leaders’, and ‘it was part of God’s plan’.

Reason for Treason

The point to get across is that responsibility for

Set the scene for the courtroom trial of Jesus of

end, it’s hard to imagine that any of us would

Nazareth. Get the students into groups and have

have acted differently to those who were

them construct and argue their respective sides

present.

the cross is complicated, and complex. In the

of the case, using the following biblical passages.

Have some be lawyers, others witnesses being called to the stand.

The death of God

If you choose some good chief lawyers for each

While we don’t want to focus the whole lesson

side of the case, this can work really well. If not,

on the physical elements of the cross, it is

turn it into a whole class or pairs activity where

important to make sure our facts are straight.

people have to look at both sides.

The aim is not to shock or scare students, but to

The case for Jesus of Nazareth being guilty • 5:18: He claimed to be God, and broke the Sabbath.

• 11:47–48: Jesus’ words and actions could

Display/read to the class the following extract from Wikipedia: ‘While a crucifixion was an execution,

result in the Jews losing the

it was also a humiliation, by making the

temple.

condemned as vulnerable as possible.

• 19:7: According to Jewish law, Jesus

Although artists have depicted the figure

must die because he claimed to

on a cross with a loin cloth or a covering

be the Son of God.

of the genitals, writings by Seneca the

The case for Jesus of Nazareth being innocent

Younger suggest that victims were crucified completely nude. When the

• 8:37: The Jews only wanted to kill him

victim had to urinate or defecate, they had

because they didn’t like his teaching.

to do so in the open, in view of passers-by,

• 11:47–48: They were only acting in their own interest.

Key witnesses • Pilate—18:38; 19:4, 6, 8–10, 12: couldn’t find him guilty.

• The crowd—18:39–40; 19:15: were paid off and just doing what others wanted.

• Religious leaders—18:30; 19:6, 12, 15: pushed Pilate to give a verdict, persuading him into thinking that Caesar wouldn’t like Jesus’ claims.

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inform them.

resulting in discomfort and the attraction of insects. Despite its frequent use by the Romans, the horrors of crucifixion did not escape mention by some of their eminent orators. Cicero, for example, described crucifixion as “a most cruel and disgusting punishment” and suggested that “the very mention of the cross should be far removed not only from a Roman citizen’s body, but from his mind, his eyes, his ears”.

Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with

an iron club, an act called crurifragium,

8. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘It is

which was also frequently applied without

finished’? (19:30)

crucifixion to slaves. This act hastened the death of the person but was also meant to deter those who observed the crucifixion from committing offenses.’

3. Taking all of this into account, what is amazing about Jesus’ concerns from the cross? (John 19:26) He cared about his mother.

4. Take a look at John 19:28–30. Why do you

His mission to forgive sins was over. Notice he didn’t say ‘I am finished’ as if he was resigning.

It’s more like something you would say at the end of an exam: ‘it is finished’.

9. In light of the cross, draw a line to where the centre statements should go.

For Jesus: God’s anger, Our sin, The punishment we deserve, All that Adam and Eve did.

think it doesn’t focus on the details we find in the

For Us: Jesus’ perfection, Jesus’ relationship

Wikipedia extract?

with God, Peace with God.

The spiritual side of Jesus’ crucifixion is much more important than the physical details. Also, readers at the time would not have needed a detailed explanation. Just as we know roughly what happens at a hanging, people would have understood the physical details of Jesus’ crucifixion already.

Extras More Bible work Read John 19:1–7.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is King. So what is ironic about what the soldiers did to Jesus in

5. What seems to be John’s emphasis instead in 19:24, 28, 36? He doesn’t seem to focus on the physical pain or humiliation of Jesus, because there is something grander in view. Something is being fulfilled here. But what?

Fulfilling the Scriptures.

Passover 6. Try and match up the references from the Old Testament and the crucifixion.

Exodus 12:22 = John 19:29 (hyssop) Exodus 12:46 = John 19:34 (No broken bones)

verses 1–3?

Pilate eventually handed him over to be crucified (v 16). John, the writer of this Gospel, claimed to be a witness of all that went on (v 35).

List all the pieces of evidence that suggest that John was an eyewitness of the crucifixion as someone reads verses 17–27.

Look at the seven things Jesus said from the cross and discuss what they mean. i. Luke 23:34: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. ii. Luke 23:43: Truly, I say to you, today you will

Exodus 12:23 = John 19:33 (blood being spilt on

be with me in paradise.

wood)

iii. John 19:26–27: Woman, behold your son.

7. How are Jesus’ death and the Exodus linked?

It’s the same time of year, and the connections are clear. Jesus is the perfect Passover lamb.

Behold your mother. iv. Matthew 27:46: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? v. John 19:28: I am thirsty. vi. John 19:30: It is finished.

5. CROSS EXAMINATION

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vii. Luke 23:46: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

Clip If you have a mature class, then a look at the crucifixion on the various YouTube videos on the life of Jesus might be appropriate. But it won’t be for all. This animated one may be more appropriate—it is accurate (using the text of the Bible) but somehow the animation makes it more palatable: youtube.com/watch?v=h4UJKrzWJ2M

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