Notes from Life Transforming College International Course No. 202: The Life of Christ

1. Passion, crucifixion and
resurrection
Thursday, 10 October 13

2. The final events in the life of Christ
seem to happen very quickly
Probably the plot of the leaders to
kill Jesus is finalised by Tuesday -
they do not want it to happen
during the Passover as Jesus is still
popular
Blomberg suggests their original
plan might have been changed as
they end up arresting Jesus at
night and during the Passover
There is nothing that we can say
definitely happened on the
Wednesday - so we move on to
Thursday night...
Thursday, 10 October 13

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31. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief
priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to
hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched
for an opportunity to hand him over.
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread,
when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb,
Jesus’ disciples asked him, ‘Where do you want us to go
and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?’
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, ‘Go into
the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.
Follow him.14 Say to the owner of the house he enters,
“The Teacher asks: where is my guest room, where I may
eat the Passover with my disciples?” 15 He will show you
a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make
preparations for us there.’
Thursday, 10 October 13

32. 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things
just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the
Passover.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said,
‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is
eating with me.’
19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him,
‘Surely you don’t mean me?’
20 ‘It is one of the Twelve,’he replied, ‘one who dips bread
into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it
is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the
Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been
born.’
Thursday, 10 October 13

33. 22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he
had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples,
saying, ‘Take it; this is my body.’
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he
gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 ‘This is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured
out for many,’ he said to them. 25 ‘Truly I tell you, I will not
drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I
drink it new in the kingdom of God.’
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the
Mount of Olives.
Thursday, 10 October 13

34. Thursday night: the last supper
and Garden of Gethsemane
The last supper
Mk 14:10-26
Matthew 26:25 mentions the 30
pieces of silver - a fulfillment of
prophecy
- what motivated Judas?
- greed (it was not that much money)
- trying to force Jesus to take action
and be a political military deliverer
- unhappy with Jesus being a
“suffering servant”
Thursday, 10 October 13

35. Mk 14:12 - the first day - was the
first official day of the week long
festival of Passover
- no yeast in the house
- Jesus appears to be wanting
privacy / secrecy
- Passover was the favourite meal
of the year for most Jews and took
place as a family
- performed as God had
commanded and commemorating
the flight from Egypt
- Jesus acts as the father of a
“family”, who were arranged around
a U shaped table
Thursday, 10 October 13

36. Mk 14:12 - the first day - was the
first official day of the week long
festival of Passover
- no yeast in the house
- Jesus appears to be wanting
privacy / secrecy
- Passover was the favourite meal
of the year for most Jews and took
place as a family
- performed as God had
commanded and commemorating
the flight from Egypt
- Jesus acts as the father of a
“family”, who were arranged around
a U shaped table
Secret are a
South Korean
pop group
Thursday, 10 October 13

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40. - Jesus as host would have been
second from one end, John on
his right and Judas on his left
- Peter would have been in the
humble servants position
(opposite John)
- they would have said the
Passover liturgy (haggadah)
- each had 4 cups of wine and a
part of Ex 6:6-7a was repeated
Blomberg suggests it would have
been like this:
Thursday, 10 October 13

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42. Jesus is proclaiming a new
Passover, available through his
coming death
- the synoptics cover this to
differing degrees whilst John
focusses upon footwashing
- next the betrayal of Judas is
predicted
- then the meal takes place
Footwashing John 13:1-20
- Jesus is showing his love
- really dirty feet
- job for the most menial slave
Thursday, 10 October 13

43. - the event is open to
interpretation e.g. some
suggest that Peter understands
the principle is about spiritual
cleansing, but then in asking for
a bath he misinterprets it - he
receives salvation as a one off
event and then the footwashing
is simply a forgiveness/
cleansing for subsequent sin
- in itself this was simply a
common courtesy offered to
guests
- some churches make it an
ordinance / sacrament
Thursday, 10 October 13

44. - the event is open to
interpretation e.g. some
suggest that Peter understands
the principle is about spiritual
cleansing, but then in asking for
a bath he misinterprets it - he
receives salvation as a one off
event and then the footwashing
is simply a forgiveness/
cleansing for subsequent sin
- in itself this was simply a
common courtesy offered to
guests
- some churches make it an
ordinance / sacrament
Thursday, 10 October 13

45. Jesus now goes on to declare one
of his disciples is “not clean” and will
betray him
“Ancient hospitality customs were
such that a guest sitting at table was
sacrosanct and protected from
harm from anyone else present.
Thus in the most intimate setting we
have the beginning of the gravest
sort of betrayal” Ben Witherington
- how do we hold together the
human culpability of Judas and the
sovereign plan of God? Was Judas
really responsible for his
actions?
Thursday, 10 October 13

46. After he had said this, Jesus was
troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very
truly I tell you, one of you is going to
betray me.’
22 His disciples stared at one
another, at a loss to know which of
them he meant. 23 One of them, the
disciple whom Jesus loved, was
reclining next to him.24 Simon Peter
motioned to this disciple and said,
‘Ask him which one he means.’
25 Leaning back against Jesus, he
asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’
Thursday, 10 October 13

47. 26 Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to
whom I will give this piece of bread
when I have dipped it in the dish.’
Then, dipping the piece of bread, he
gave it to Judas, the son of Simon
Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the
bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, ‘What you are
about to do, do quickly.’ 28 But no one
at the meal understood why Jesus said
this to him.29 Since Judas had charge
of the money, some thought Jesus was
telling him to buy what was needed for
the festival, or to give something to the
poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken
the bread, he went out. And it was
night.
Thursday, 10 October 13

48. Luke gives a more detailed account
- his 2nd cup is probably the 3rd of
the haggadah - he is speaking of
his death at the same time as
drinking the cup celebrating God’s
redemption (from Egypt)
- much debate his followed on
when / if the bread and wine
become his body and blood -
transubstantiation /
consubstatiation but at the time the
meaning was plain and simple - so
this debate is for your theology
lectures!
- in effect it was an enacted parable
or prophetic action
Thursday, 10 October 13

49. Predicting Peter’s denial
Mk 14:27-31
As the time for departure nears Jesus
predicts all will desert him and
specifically Peter will deny him 3x
before the cock crows 2x
- even at this time Jesus acts to
comfort Peter
- Luke 22 has Jesus changing the
nature of the post resurrection work -
for now if you have a purse, take it, and
also a bag; and if you don’t have a
sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
- Blomberg suggests that Jesus
response is “Never mind, you just don’t
get it” Lk 22:38
Thursday, 10 October 13

50. Predicting Peter’s denial
Mk 14:27-31
As the time for departure nears Jesus
predicts all will desert him and
specifically Peter will deny him 3x
before the cock crows 2x
- even at this time Jesus acts to
comfort Peter
- Luke 22 has Jesus changing the
nature of the post resurrection work -
for now if you have a purse, take it, and
also a bag; and if you don’t have a
sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
- Blomberg suggests that Jesus
response is “Never mind, you just don’t
get it” Lk 22:38
Thursday, 10 October 13

51. Jesus’ final speech (discourse)
Jn 14:1-17:26
Once again the nature of this
material is more didactic in nature
and so our comments will not be
extensive.
Only John records a far longer
bersion of events after the
Passover meal.
- it is suggested that Jn 14-17
follow a pattern in Jewish
literature of a hero about to die
who is instructing his followers
how to live after he has gone
Thursday, 10 October 13

52. Jesus’ final speech (discourse)
Jn 14:1-17:26
- 14-16 is the address
- 17 is his high priestly prayer
14:1-31 Jesus departure and
return
15:1-17 vine and branches
15:18-16:4 - hatred from the
world
16:5-33 more on departure and
return
17:1-26 the “true” or “real”
Lord’s prayer
Thursday, 10 October 13

53. In Gethsemane
Thursday, 10 October 13

54. In Gethsemane
Thursday, 10 October 13

55. Prayer and arrest in the garden
Mk 14:32-52
Jesus and the disciples walk to the
Garden of Gethsemane (from Hb for
“oil press”
- he takes 3 with him and goes to a
private place where he prays and
encourages them also to pray that
they would not succumb to
temptation
- Mk 14:36 ‘Abba, Father,’ he
said,‘everything is possible for you.
Take this cup from me. Yet not what I
will, but what you will.’
Thursday, 10 October 13

56. Prayer and arrest in the garden
Mk 14:32-52
Jesus and the disciples walk to the
Garden of Gethsemane (from Hb for
“oil press”
- he takes 3 with him and goes to a
private place where he prays and
encourages them also to pray that
they would not succumb to
temptation
- Mk 14:36 ‘Abba, Father,’ he
said,‘everything is possible for you.
Take this cup from me. Yet not what I
will, but what you will.’
- the frailty of his humanity and
perfect obedience are revealed in the
prayer
- Jesus’ prayer is not answered in the
manner he asked for - see Heb 5:7
- in fact the answer was in death and
resurrection not being saved from
death
- Judas arrives with Jewish (and
possibly Roman) authorities to arrest
Jesus
- Jesus awakes the disciples and
then is kissed by Judas
Why did Judas need to identify
Jesus?
Thursday, 10 October 13

57. - maybe the darkness or he looked
like some of the other disciples
- the authorities had swords and
clubs, they feared problems?
- Peter cuts off the servants ear
(Malchus Jn 18:10)
- Jesus rebukes him and heals the
mans ear, even at this stage he is
showing forgiveness Lk 22:51, it is
not the time for rebellion Matt
26:52-56
- Jesus is in control, after all the
soldiers fall at his feet Jn 18:4-9
- the disciples run for their lives,
including a naked man Mk 14:51f!
Thursday, 10 October 13

58. - maybe the darkness or he looked
like some of the other disciples
- the authorities had swords and
clubs, they feared problems?
- Peter cuts off the servants ear
(Malchus Jn 18:10)
- Jesus rebukes him and heals the
mans ear, even at this stage he is
showing forgiveness Lk 22:51, it is
not the time for rebellion Matt
26:52-56
- Jesus is in control, after all the
soldiers fall at his feet Jn 18:4-9
- the disciples run for their lives,
including a naked man Mk 14:51f!
Thursday, 10 October 13

59. - maybe the darkness or he looked
like some of the other disciples
- the authorities had swords and
clubs, they feared problems?
- Peter cuts off the servants ear
(Malchus Jn 18:10)
- Jesus rebukes him and heals the
mans ear, even at this stage he is
showing forgiveness Lk 22:51, it is
not the time for rebellion Matt
26:52-56
- Jesus is in control, after all the
soldiers fall at his feet Jn 18:4-9
- the disciples run for their lives,
including a naked man Mk 14:51f!
Thursday, 10 October 13

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