The New Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Student Workbook, SW13

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T H E N E W T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about the revelation of Jesus and his true Messiahship shown in his suffering and crucifixion. In considering the weighty evidence of Jesus’ Passion week, i.e., those events leading up to his death on the cross, what specific issues and concerns are raised in your study of this material? What particular questions arise now regarding your own understanding and appreciation of Jesus’ suffering on our behalf? How does meditation on this material make you feel? How has God stirred your heart regarding the importance of the material you have just studied? Maybe some of the questions below might help you form your own, more specific and critical questions. * Could Jesus truly be the Messiah without his suffering and death on the cross? Explain. * Why is it absolutely necessary to be certain about the identity of the Messiah? Is there a difference between the Christ of faith and the Jesus of history , or must they always be understood to be one and the same ? * In what sense is Jesus’ experience on the cross to be the standard and pattern of all authentic discipleship and spirituality? Explain your answer. * What do you make of Jesus’ awareness of the need to fulfill Scripture, even in the midst of his worst and most painful moments of torture and suffering? What does this suggest about the importance of Scripture in understanding the true identity of God’s Messiah? * How do the “Seven Words of the Cross” help us to understand the mind of Jesus in those final, nearly unbearable moments of his life? * In what sense are we to understand our Lord Jesus as “our Passover” (1 Cor. 5.7)? How does the original Passover celebration and our Lord’s celebration of the Passover help us to understand the nature of Jesus as our Passover ? * Jesus’ body is buried in a borrowed tomb. Why do you believe that the burial of Jesus is so prominent, both in the Gospel message (e.g., 1 Cor. 15.3-4), and historically in documents as critical as the Nicene Creed (e.g., “was crucified, dead, and buried . . .")? * Why must the Christian religion be understood only in the shadow of the agony and sufferings of Jesus on the cross? Why is it impossible to give a full and satisfying explanation of the nature of the Christian faith without highlighting and focusing on his suffering, crucifixion, death, and resurrection?

Student Application and Implications

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