BASIC QUESTIONS

1
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• BASIC QUESTIONS
• What was the Last Supper?
• KEY IDEAS
• Christ used the Passover meals Cup of Blessing
  as the occasion to institute the Sacrament of
  the Eucharist, which he called the Blood of the
  Covenant.

2
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• BASIC QUESTIONS
• What is the Cup of Consummation?
• KEY IDEAS
• Christ refused to drink the Cup of Consummation
  during the Passover meal. In Gethsemane, he asked
  the Father to let him be spared the cup. He drank
  it to the full in his Passion and Death.

3
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
  CHRIST
• Was Christ surprised by his arrest, Passion,
  Death, and Resurrection?
• No moreover, he made frequent reference to these
  inevitable events. 
• When did Christs popularity reach its height?
• In the third year of his public ministry, upon
  his entering Jerusalem, the crowd proclaimed him
  the Messiah, the Son of David. (We celebrate this
  on Palm Sunday).
• What were the religious authorities planning when
  Christ entered Jerusalem?
• They were deciding how to put him to death.

4
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• Why did Christ enter Jerusalem riding a donkey?
• This fulfilled Zechariahs prophesy, in which the
  people of Jerusalem would be filled with joy
  because their king is approaching, humble and
  riding on a donkey (cf. Zec 99). 
• What were the two stages in the establishment of
  the New Covenant?
• The celebration of the Last Supper
• Christs Sacrifice on the Cross.

5
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE MISSING CUP
• What was the Passover meal?
• the commemoration of the passing of the Israelite
  people out of slavery
• their reception of the Law,
• and the establishment of Israel as a nation set
  apart.

6
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE MISSING CUP
• At the first Passover what did the Jews to do
  with the blood of the slaughtered lamb?
• They took hyssop, dipped it in the blood, and
  touched the lintel and the two doorposts with the
  blood. 
• What did the blood of the Passover lamb
  accomplish?
• It saved the firstborn male of each Hebrew family
  from death.

7
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• Why did the Jews celebrate the ritual meal each
  year?
• God had instructed them to celebrate it annually
  to remember what he had done for them.
• How did Christ change the Passover meal during
  the Last Supper?
• He transformed the Passover ritual into the
  celebration of the New Covenant.
• What is the relationship between Christ and the
  Passover lamb?
• Christ became the spotless Passover Lamb, and,
  through his Blood shed on the Cross, all people
  were freed from the slavery to sin, and the
  People of God were transformed into the New
  Israel.

8
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• What did Christ mean by Blood of the Covenant?
• He declared he was establishing a New Covenant,
  but, instead of the animal blood spilled at Mt.
  Sinai, it would be his own Body sacrificed and
  his own Blood to seal the promise between God and
  man. 
• How did Christ leave the Passover meal
  unfinished?
• He did not drink the fourth cup, the Cup of
  Consummation.

9
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE CUP OF CONSUMMATION
•  
• What did Christ ask the Father in the garden?
• To take this cup from him, meaning his final
  sufferings. 
• Why should the use of the word cup capture our
  attention?
• This cup of suffering is identified with the Cup
  of Consummation that Christ had not drunk earlier
  that evening at the Last Supper he was to drink
  it in his Passion and Death.

10
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• What was the sign of Judass betrayal?
• He gave Christ a kiss, which was the ordinary way
  a disciple would have greeted his master.
• What may have been Judas motivation to have
  betrayed Christ?
• Judas may have been a Zealot who hoped for a
  political messiah, a military leader who would
  defeat the Roman occupiers. Judas may have become
  frustrated with Christs teachings (cf. Jn 664)
  of love for neighbor, obedience to authority, and
  his willingness to suffer death.

11
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• I AM
•  
• What did most of the Sanhedrin believe even
  before the trial?
• Christ was a false prophet and blasphemer.
• What kind of evidence was presented against
  Christ?
• Evidence was produced by false witnesses who
  contradicted each other.
• How did Caiaphas (the High Priest) gain the final
  evidence to convict Christ?
• Caiaphas asked Jesus directly if he was the
  Messiah (Christ).

12
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• How did Christ respond to the Caiaphass direct
  question?
• I am and you will see the Son of man sitting at
  the right hand of Power, and coming with the
  clouds of heaven (Mk 1262).
• What legitimate point did Caiaphas have to
  condemn Christ?
• Christ identified himself with the Son of God,
  which would have been blasphemy were he not the
  Son of God.
• How did Caiaphas violate the Mosaic Law?
• At hearing such blasphemy, he tore his robes,
  which the high priest was not supposed to do.

13
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• PILATE EXAMINES JESUS
• Why did the Sanhedrin have to ask the Roman
  governor to put Christ to death?
• Under Roman law, they were not allowed to carry
  out a death sentence, so they had to persuade the
  Roman authorities Christ was guilty of a secular
  crime deserving death.
• How did the Sanhedrin try to convince Pilate that
  Jesus should be put to death?
• They said Jesus was a leader among the
  revolutionary Zealots, who sought to reestablish
  the Kingdom of Israel.
• What lie did the Sanhedrin tell Pilate?
• They said Jesus forbade the Jews from paying
  taxes to Caesar.

14
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• What was Pilates initial reaction to the
  Sanhedrins charge?
• He wanted nothing to do with the case.
• What reason did Jesus give Pilate to explain why
  he would not let his followers fight for him?
• His kingdom is not of this world. 
• What reason did Jesus give Pilate for his having
  come into the world?
• To bear witness to the truth.

15
5. The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ (continued)

• CONDEMNED TO DEATH
• How did Pilate see Jesus at this point?
• Pilate saw Christ as innocent of any crime
  against Rome. 
• Why did Pilate send Jesus to Herod Antipas?
• Herod Antipas ruled Galilee, Jesus home
  district. Pilate hoped Herod would make a ruling
  so he would not have to.
• What was unjust about Pilates decision to flog
  and release Jesus?
• Though Pilate acknowledged Jesus was innocent, he
  still had Jesus flogged a terrible,
  life-threatening punishment perhaps to appease
  the Sanhedrin.

16
5. The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ (continued)

• What custom did Pilate invoke to persuade the
  Sanhedrin to change their mind about Christ?
• He invoked his custom of pardoning one criminal
  at Passover. He gave them the choice between
  Barabbas and Christ. 
• Why did Pilate finally give in to the Sanhedrins
  demands?
• If he would have released Christ, they would have
  said he was no friend of Caesar. Pilate knew if
  he were to allow a rebel to live, he would have
  been in trouble with Caesar.

17
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ (continued)

• Guided Exercise
• Work with a partner to read the Catechism, no.
  598 (below), and then review the paragraph in the
  student text beginning, The role that Judas,
  and answer the following question in writing 
• Some have blamed the Jews for killing Christ and
  have used this as a basis for anti-Semitism.
  According to the Church, who is responsible for
  having killed Christ?

18
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• ST. PETER AND JUDAS
•  
• How did Judas betray Christ?
• He revealed where the chief priests could arrest
  Christ safely. 
• How did St. Peter betray Christ?
• After Christs arrest, St. Peter denied he even
  knew him. 
• What was lacking in Judass repentance?
• When he tried to return the money the Sanhedrin
  had paid him, they refused his offer. He
  despaired of forgiveness and killed himself. 
• What was right about St. Peters repentance?
• Christ prophesied that St. Peter would deny him
  three times before the cock crowed. At the third
  crow, St. Peter wept bitterly out of a sorrow
  fueled by love.

19
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• JESUS CRUCIFIED
• Why did Christ need help carrying his Cross?
• He was weak from having been scourged. 
• Legally, how did the soldiers press St. Simon of
  Cyrene to carry Christs Cross?
• Soldiers could press a person into service to
  carry baggage for one Roman mile.
• When Christ said, If any one forces you to go
  one mile, go with him two miles (Mt 541), to
  what was he referring?
• He referred to the same Roman law in the previous
  question.

20
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• Why did someone offer Christ wine mixed with
  myrrh?
• It was a painkiller he refused it. 
• Why did the Jewish authorities object to the sign
  Pilate had placed above Christ?
• The sign identified Christ as the King of the
  Jews. They said it should read, This man said,
  I am King of the Jews (Jn 1921). 
• What kind of mockery did Christ experience on the
  Cross?
• He was mocked both by passersby and by one of the
  thieves crucified with him.

21
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• In the Roman Empire, for whom was crucifixion
  reserved?
• Crucifixion was reserved for the most heinous
  criminalsfor example, rebels and runaway
  slavesto deter others from imitating them. 
• Why was crucifixion a terrible punishment?
• It is both very painful and deeply humiliating. 
• Why does breaking the legs of a crucified man
  hasten death?
• The crucified has to use his legs to push himself
  up to breathe. If the legs are broken, he dies
  more quickly of asphyxiation.

22
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE LAST CUP
• Why is this not a cry of despair Eloi, Eloi,
  lama sabachthani?
• This lamentation begins Psalm 22, which ends in a
  triumphant delivery by God. 
• What is the connection between the sponge soaked
  in sour wine on a branch of hyssop and the
  Passover?
• During the Passover, a bunch of hyssop was used
  to sprinkle the blood of the Passover lamb.
  Christs last drink of wine was administered by a
  sponge attached to a branch of hyssop. 
• What is the meaning of Christs last sip of wine
  and his declaration, It is finished?
• It meant he was drinking the Cup of Consummation,
  completing his own Passover. He was the New Lamb
  sacrificed for all people.
• What is the connection between the Eucharist and
  Calvary?
• The offering of Christs Blood on Calvary will be
  offered until the end of time in the Eucharist.
  Each time the followers of Christ gather to share
  in the meal of their salvation, they share in the
  Blood of the New Covenant established by Christ.

23
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• Why was Christ pierced?
• He appeared to be dead. The soldier wanted to
  ensure it. 
• How do two Old Testament prophecies come together
  in Christs piercing?
• First, the Mosaic Law forbade the breaking of any
  of the bones of the Passover lamb by not
  breaking Christs legs, the Gospels confirm that
  Christ is the New Passover Lamb. Second, at the
  time of Christ, wine was drunk after mixing in
  water. The Blood and water spilling from the side
  of Christ refers to the Eucharist, and the Church
  continues to mix water and wine to prepare the
  chalice in the celebration of the Eucharist. 
• What does the rending (tearing) of the curtain of
  the Temple signify?
• The separation between God and his people was
  ended.

24
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE BURIAL OF CHRIST
• Why was Christs body placed in a tomb rather
  than a common grave like most crucified
  criminals?
• Two secret followers of Christ were St. Joseph of
  Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, and St.
  Nicodemus, a Pharisee. They received permission
  from Pilate to take Christs Body and place it in
  a new tomb. 
• Why did the chief priests ask Pilate to have
  Christs tomb guarded?
• They feared Christs followers would steal the
  body and claim he had risen from the dead.

25
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• THE WOMEN WHO MET THE RISEN LORD
• Why did a group of women go to Christs tomb
  early Sunday morning?
• They went to anoint the body of Christ properly,
  as it was done in haste Friday afternoon due to
  the approach of the Sabbath. Extension The
  Jewish day was calculated from sunset it lasted
  from sunset Friday evening to sunset Saturday
  evening. The women, then, went to Christs tomb
  at the break of daylight the following (Sunday)
  morning. 
• To whom was the Resurrection first announced?
• An angel, dressed in white, announced the
  Resurrection to St. Mary Magdalene, Mary the
  mother of James, and Salome. 
• Why was St. Mary Magdalene weeping at Christs
  tomb?
• She thought somebody had moved or stolen the body
  of Christ.

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The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• How did St. Mary Magdalene finally recognize
  Christ?
• He called her by name, Mary. 
• What did the disciples think of St. Mary
  Magdalenes announcement she had seen the Lord?
• It seemed an idle tale, that is, untrue
  gossip. 

27
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ

• Closure
•  
• Free write for five minutes on the relationship
  among the Last Supper, Christs Death on the
  Cross, and the Eucharist.