Lesson Eight

LESSON 8: THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: MARK 14:43-72

17:33

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LESSON OBJECTIVES

Students will describe how it was part of God’s plan for Jesus to suffer and die.

Students will explain that because Jesus suffered, he can also help us with our suffering.

SCRIPTURE BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

Jesus is Silent:

The silence of Jesus follows along with the theme that Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 tells us that the Servant will be “led like a lamb to the slaughter” and will remain silent (53:7). The Servant will then die in the place of God’s people (53:8), but he will come back to life (Isaiah 53:10-11).

Jesus Confesses:

Jesus clearly says he is the Messiah when the high priest asks him. But Jesus adds on to his answer. He declares that he is the Son of Man who will come on the clouds of heaven. Jesus is telling them that he is divine, and he will rule God’s kingdom for eternity. Moreover, it is he who will sit in judgment over them one day. This is why they charged him with blasphemy and called for his death.

INSTRUCTION

WELCOME & REVIEW

Welcome! Our lesson today focuses on Mark 14:43-72. The lesson is entitled “The Sufferings of Jesus.”

Last week we learnt about “Jesus and the Temple.”

Last week we learnt about “The Last Supper.” How does the Passover relate to the life of Jesus Christ?

(Allow students to answer. Possible answer: The Passover ultimately pointed to the death of Jesus Christ. The Israelites celebrated it as a commemoration of God’s deliverance from the firstborns’ plague in Egypt. Because they applied the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, the angel of death passed over their houses. Similarly, Jesus is the Passover lamb that is able to save all mankind. He is the sacrificial lamb.)

INTRODUCTION

The teacher decides to punish you and your classmates for being disorderly in class. Each one of you will receive the same punishment. Just before the punishment starts, your younger brother who studies in another school bursts into your class and volunteers to take the punishment on behalf of everyone. In your mind, it seems like a big joke. However, your teacher takes it seriously and marches your small brother to the punishment arena. You shudder at imagining what shall happen to him.

What would be going on in your head as you listen and watch your brother?

(Allow students to answer. Possible answers: Pity, confused, unsure of what todo, still think it is a joke, wonder what’s wrong with the teacher, wonder why he should take the punishment.)

That connects to our lesson today on “The Sufferings of Jesus.” We shall see how he suffered on our behalf.

Could you readily agree to be punished on behalf of another person?

(Students do not need to answer in class.)

VIDEO CLIP

Let us watch the video clip entitled “The Sufferings of Jesus.” Give careful thought to how the trial of Jesus happened.

(After the video clip, release the students to sit together in their small groups for group discussion.)

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360p, 246 MB

SMALL GROUPS

Who can describe in their own words the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane? (Hint: look at Mark 14:43-47 for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Answer: Judas led a crowd armed with swords and clubs to the garden where he betrayed Jesus with a kiss. The men arrested Jesus and took him away. One of the disciples cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.)

Read Isaiah 53:5-7 and Mark 14:48-49. How did the arrest of Jesus and the suffering that followed fulfil what had been written by Isaiah about the Messiah?
‍(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: The Old Testament in many instances spoke about the Messiah. Specifically, Isaiah 53 gives a detailed account of the suffering that Jesus would go through. His suffering and subsequent crucifixion were a fulfilment of what had been prophesied. It was God’s plan for Jesus to suffer and die for the sins of the world.)

Why did the Sanhedrin condemn Jesus to death? (Hint: look at Mark 14:61-65for help.)
(Allow students to respond. Answer: Jesus had confirmed to the high priest that he was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One who would sit at the right hand of the Mighty One and come on the clouds of heaven. The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin considered that blasphemous, and the punishment was death.)

When will the kingdom of God be fully established?
(Allow students to respond. Answer: Jesus is the Messiah now, and his kingdom has broken into history now. But it will come in its fullness when the Son of Man comes on the clouds of heaven.)

How does knowing that Jesus suffered help us when we are suffering?
(Allow students to answer. Possible answer: It is comforting to know that Jesus Christ suffered on our behalf. He spared us the suffering and willingly took it upon himself. When we are in trouble, we can pray to him for deliverance and trust that he can help us.)

Everything that happened to Jesus was a fulfilment of Scriptures. Nothing happened to him by chance. He expressed his love for each one of us by suffering on our behalf. He is our substitute and that means we can trust him to help us in all our sufferings. He is the only one who cannot walk out on us. We can be confident that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

How does knowing that Jesus will never leave you change how you feel about the future?
(Students do not need to answer in class.)

In the Garden of Gethsemane, all the disciples fled. Only Peter accompanied Jesus to the courtyard. But when questioned, he denied ever knowing Jesus. The best thing about Jesus is that he does not flee when we are in trouble. He also does not deny knowing us. Jesus loves us always, and we can trust him to be with us every day of our lives.

Thank you for all your responses. Let us rejoin the other groups so that we can close the session together.

APPLICATION

It was God’s plan that Jesus would suffer on our behalf. He was betrayed by a friend. He was arrested like a criminal. The disciples deserted him. He was given an unfair trial. At his hour of need, his closest friend denied him. Yet, he did not fight back. He took it all for us. He was our substitute. He suffered on our behalf.

REFLECTION

Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied him. What kind of a friend are you? Are you there for your friends when they need you most?

PRAYER

(In your own words, pray and thank Jesus Christ for suffering on our behalf. Pray alsothat he will give the students victory in whatever problems they might be facing.)

Lesson 7

Lesson 9

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Introduction

Alexis: Hey everyone, it's Alexis. Last session, Eli talked about how Jesus gave his life to restore us to God. But he did more than that. Jesus established a kingdom that is still going today. And that's what I'm talking about, the Kingdom of Heaven in the Here and Now. After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent about 40 days with his followers. After that, he gathered his closest friends and said this to them before ascending back into heaven:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus’ final words to his followers are what we know today as the “Great Commission”. With those words, the followers of Jesus knew exactly what to do, and they went straight to work. Just kidding. No, they didn't. They kinda just stood there looking up. Take a minute to put yourself in their shoes - What would you do? God shows up and does something amazing; now it's your turn. What is your first reaction? Are you excited? Scared? A little bit of both? Describe how you think you might feel.

Empowered by the Spirit for Kingdom Living

I think one question Jesus' followers asked was, "What are we supposed to do?" Which is fair. It might be a question you’re asking. Maybe you're wrestling with something God’s doing in you, and you can't quite figure out what to do next. You're in good company. Jesus' followers went back to the place where they had been staying, and they waited for days. Imagine how that felt. Waiting on God can be tricky. It’s hard to tell if you're waiting in faith or hiding in fear. I'm sure many followers have prayed for God to give them a sign. Well, they got one. Listen to this:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:2-4)

The Holy Spirit came and filled the people in that room, and crowds from all over came running. And what happened next is really cool. The followers of Jesus emerged and began speaking to people from every nation in their heart language. In Acts 2, we read that about 3000 people joined God's kingdom that day!

So what does it look like to live in God's kingdom on Earth? Well, it means following the way of Jesus, our King. Think about that for a moment. Read Galatians 5:16-26. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Can you relate to the tension between your flesh and the Spirit that this passage describes? How do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life to produce the fruits listed in verses 22-23? Write down your thoughts.

Being the Church

Living in this freedom to follow Jesus, we are able to be what Jesus called “His Church.” The Church is the embodiment of God’s kingdom on Earth. Imperfect, but becoming more like Jesus every day. The Church isn’t a building or institution - it’s millions of followers of Jesus who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, do two things: They love God, and they love others. That’s simple to say, difficult to do, trust me. But we’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is working through us to build God’s kingdom on Earth and make us more like Jesus every day. I trust in God’s big mission, and I hope you do too. See you next time.

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