How does it feel?

This past week, we discussed Jesus' Passion on the cross. Some central goals to this class is to gain a better understanding of what Jesus experienced on earth, how it felt to be Jesus and what Jesus' suffering means to us in our walk today. Up to now, Jesus' experiences in ministry, at the Last Supper and even in the Garden, while sometimes a stretch to relate to, aren't completely outside the realm of our own experiences. At the very least we probably feel like we can relate to Jesus in some way. That connection stops at the cross. None of us have undergone anything remotely close to crucifixion. We all assume that crucifixion was really painful. "Really painful" seems to be a woefully inadequate description of Calvary. But how do we describe something we have no ability to relate to? In some sense there is a part of us that doesn't want relate to Calvary. The cross is offensive to us. Not the act of sacrifice itself mind you. It's the blood. I have linked an article titled "The Science of the Crucifixion" that may add to our understanding on a physiological level. Mind you, I believe this is the hardest part for us to relate to but maybe the most critical. After reading the article, I have a few questions for you to consider and comment on if you'd like:

1) Why crucifixion? Couldn't Jesus have made a valid offering by dying a less excruciating death?
2) Why does the death of Christ make us so uncomfortable? Why does watching a movie like "The Passion of the Christ" bother us more than fiction movies like "Silence of the Lambs" or even war movies like "Saving Private Ryan"?
3) When "The Passion of the Christ" came out, there were many accounts of Christians who couldn't watch the entire movie and walked out. There may even be some who can't stomach the graphic physiological accounts of Calvary like I linked to. Is there some obligation on the part of Christians to watch the movies and internalize the gritty details of this story? Or is it OK for us to just say, "Look, I don't need to focus on the gory details because they have nothing to do with my relationship with Christ"?

Feel free to comment below with your answers to these questions or other general comments.

Four Questions for the Lord's Supper

This Sunday in our discussion of the Last Supper and it's parallels with the Passover, we briefly considered the Jewish tradition of asking the "four questions" during the Passover meal. The questions and their answers are an interesting way to teach the history behind the annual event to the children at the table. Depending on who you ask, the questions are answered by either the elders at the table or by the children themselves. Later I posed the question, what would be our "four questions" about the Lord's Supper. Keep in mind that the purpose of asking the questions is to teach. They aren't simply questions that children might have, but rather questions that would be helpful for them to understand why we do what we do. So what would your "four questions" be?

I also wanted you to consider the idea of a Christian observation of a Passover Seder. I'll stop short of recommending that we all start observing Passover rituals. But, I do think it's an interesting idea and I'm curious whether any of you feel it would be right or wrong, helpful or futile. I know some of you have observed Passover and maybe could share your experience with the rest of us. If we were to celebrate Passover, what role would Christ have and how would we alter the traditional ritual to focus on Christ. Is this even necessary since we observe the Lord's Supper and it effectively takes the place of Passover for the Christian. I read about these folks who are finding the Passover to be enriching their faith but, they are meeting opposition in some curious places. Feel free to discuss in the comments.

Welcome

Thanks for taking the time to come check out this blog. I hope you will find this a useful tool to continue your study outside of our class time and I encourage you to comment on the posts. Please feel free to offer suggestions for improvement.