Question 2: Explain the importance of Jesus suffering death and resurrection for Christians today
The suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus hold a central place for Christians today and the aim here is to explain the significance of these events in relation to Christian beliefs.
The trauma and suffering people endure during their lives can be both mental and physical - two types which can cause very different kinds of pain for the individual. Mental suffering, such as fear, sorrow or anguish affects the mind or self and the wounds inflicted can result in untold psychological damage that can be hard to repair. Physical suffering, by comparison, is caused by actual damage or injury inflicted onto the body, resulting for example, in a broken bone or a bleeding wound.
During his lifetime Jesus experienced both mental and physical suffering, evidence of which can be found within Mark’s Gospel. In the account of the Roman Trial we learn of the physical torture he endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers after Pilate ordered him to be scourged and crucified.
‘They struck his head with a reed and spat on him’ – (Mk 15: 1-20).
In the account of the Crucifixion that follows, Mark tells how Jesus suffered the tremendous physical burden of carrying his own cross and was subjected to the long drawn out torturous death that was crucifixion.
‘…it was the third hour when they crucified him…. At the ninth hour Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.’ – (Mk 15: 21-39).
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From Mark we also learn how Jesus suffered mentally. At Gethsemane, his awareness of being betrayed, leads to a display of strong human emotions.
‘…a sudden fear came over him and great distress.’ (Mk 14: 32-52).
Known also as the Agony in the Garden, this chapter clearly depicts Jesus’ mental agony as he prayed to God for the help and strength to make the sacrifice expected of him.
‘Everything is possible for you. Take this cup away from me. But let it be as you, not I, would have it.’ (Mk 14: 32-52).
At the Roman trial Jesus endured false accusations, public humiliation, ridicule and rejection, with the shouts of ‘crucify him’ (Mk 15: 1-20), a sharp contrast to the shouts of ‘Hosanna’ heard from the same crowd on his entry into Jerusalem a week earlier. (Mk 11: 1-11).
His cry from the cross of ‘Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani?’ (Mk 15: 21-39), translated as ‘my God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ can literally be taken to mean that Jesus felt abandoned. However, as a quote from Psalm 22, which starts in anguish and despair but then turns to hope, Christians could also infer from his words that his death would bring hope into their faith.
It should be remembered that Mark wrote his gospel at the time of the persecution of the early Christians in Rome. Letting them know that Jesus had suffered too, would have helped them come to terms with their pain. In the Old Testament Isaiah foretold, ‘surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,’ (Chapt. 53) and this sense of unity through shared suffering continues to be deeply meaningful for Christians today. Mark’s accounts of Jesus’ anguish give strength to Christians by illustrating how good can come out of pain and suffering - the pain and joy of childbirth is a universal experience of this. The tragic events of 9/11 provides a modern day example of communities coming together through shared suffering.
God’s willingness to allow Jesus to suffer is seen as an expression of His love for us, for it brought about the redemption of the human race from the sins of our first parents- the tearing of the Temple Veil at the moment of Jesus’ death symbolized that the barrier of sin between God and humanity was broken; (Mk 15: 21-39). The fact that Jesus suffered as a human is particularly important because it enables Christians to feel he can empathise with us and as a result our relationship with him is deepened. He knows our pain for he has experienced it himself – his friend Peter’s betrayal for example - and so can comfort us in ours, helping us to carry our own burden, and by learning to recognize that we cannot always be happy overcome our own personal problems.
The sacrifice Jesus made by giving his life as a ransom for our sin, evokes gratitude and both inspires and encourages Christians to adopt him as a role model and follow his example by spreading the good news and making sacrifices in their own lives - thinking of others first, putting their needs before our own selfish ones and forgiving the offences of others. Lent is a particular time when we make special Lenten promises to give something up we like and to help others but we should seek to act out our beliefs in our everyday lives, however small these acts may be they demonstrate our faith- missing a favourite television programme when an upset friend wants to talk; visiting an elderly relative instead of going shopping; forgiving your sister for accidentally ripping the skirt she borrowed from you!
Christians, particularly Roman Catholics, express their beliefs about the suffering of Jesus through many different practices: in prayer when we pray for the strength to respond to life’s challenges in a true Christian manner; when making the sign of the cross - a sign which sanctifies everything, brings us closer to salvation and is good for the soul; the wearing and displaying of crucifixes – a symbolic reminder that Jesus suffered for us; the Stations of the Cross which help us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and enables pilgrims to come and pray to them; the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary which keep in memory the principle events in the history of our salvation and praise God ; by observing a period of abstinence at Lent which mirrors Jesus’ suffering in the desert and using the help he gives us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.
Jesus’ death and resurrection are what set him apart from any other prophet or spiritual leader. This proof of his divinity forms the basis for our Christian faith (Mk 16:1-18) and also shows His power over death, which is the basis of hope for our own resurrection into an eternal life of happiness with Him. The belief is that since Jesus overcame death, we should not view death either as the end or something to be feared but rather the beginning of a person’s life. Seeing it as a vital gateway to eternal life with Christ provides a positive attitude towards death and the reality of it reminds us of the judgement that follows, when we must account for our lives. Knowing this has implications for the moral life we choose to lead, for by allowing us our own free will to make decisions, God signalled that it was up to each individual to prove they are worthy to enter Heaven. Thus, we will not be condemned by God but by our own thoughts and deeds and the spirit in which they were enacted. ‘Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’ (Mk 10:28-31).
As Mother Theresa reflected, ‘I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I don't know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will NOT ask, “How many good things have you done in your life?”, rather he will ask, “How much LOVE did you put into what you did?’’
Christians believe Jesus is God, we pray to him because we know he is alive and can hear us. Believing that we are forgiven makes forgiveness easier towards ourselves and to others. Everyone is seen as being made up of body and soul and that within our lives we should take both seriously, physically and spiritually just as Jesus did. Our spiritual relationship with God is based on a profound level of mental or emotional communion and to exercise our spiritual side so that it may grow and deepen, we need to take time out from the physical and material aspects of our everyday lives to reflect in solitude on this relationship. This may be through silent contemplation, praying, reading the Bible, or embarking on a period of religious retreat.
These Christians beliefs about the death and resurrection of Jesus are conveyed through worship and practice; every Sunday at Mass or church service, during the celebration of Easter which means ‘new life’ and at funerals where priests wear white, symbolizing the belief that a death should be celebrated as it is the beginning of new life in heaven; this is mirrored in the Priest’s words ‘life is changed, not ended.’
The suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus prove to Christians today that Jesus is God, he sacrificed himself for us but he continues to live through us and that we should pray to him to strengthen our belief and faith that one day we will be reunited.
