Man with an evil spirit 1: 21-28
Question about the Sabbath 2: 23-28
Man with the withered hand 3: 1-6
Resurrection day 16: 1-2
The Pharisees objected to people working on the Sabbath because the law forbade it (Exodus 34: 21)- their interpretation of the law (The oral law) was very strict. Jesus’ stresses the fact that God gave the Jews the Torah to help them, not to make their lives more difficult, therefore human needs come before religious laws. Jesus says the Sabbath was made for people’s benefit, not the other way round. He has authority to say this because the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. This outlook would have outraged the Pharisees, it was utterly alien to their way of thinking.
Christians also believe that the Sabbath day is holy but Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath changed the way in which it was practised. Firstly it came to be celebrated on Sunday, not Saturday - as Sunday was the day when Jesus rose from the dead. It is still considered a day of rest but it is not so legalistic, it is a time when Christians come together to worship. The has recently been controversy in Britain about Sunday trading, parliament passed a law allowing more shops to open on Sundays. Many Christians felt this was wrong as Christians might be forced to work preventing them from keeping it as a day of rest and a day for going to church, also it could damage family life as the only day many families spent together was a Sunday. Others also argued that Sunday would become just like any other day in the week.
Eucharist, Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the breaking of bread
At the last supper Jesus was celebrating a Passover meal, recalling the salvation of the Hebrews from slavery. He effectively changed the meaning into a memorial meal that his followers would come to celebrate after he had risen from the dead, to recall the salvation they received from sin and death through his death and resurrection. A lamb was killed to save the Hebrews from slavery, and every year lambs were sacrificed in the temple to remember this salvation. For Christians Jesus is the Lamb of God who is sacrificed on the cross and who is present in the Bread and Wine at the Mass.
At the centre of the Eucharist for Christians is that Jesus died for all human beings. By taking part in the meal Christians feel that they are obeying Jesus’ own command to do this in remembrance of him. Christians see the Eucharist as a sign of communion and unity which they share. Where Christians are divided, most of them believe that it is important to work for a time when all Christians will be able to share in one Eucharist.
Christians disagree about what Jesus meant when he said that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood. However there are other interpretations:
· Most Protestant Christians feel that Christ is spiritually present in the Eucharist, as in all acts of worship. The bread and wine are symbols of this presence.
· Catholic Christians see the Eucharist as being a re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice.
· The Catholic Church also teaches that after the bread and wine have been blessed they change. They are no longer just bread and wine, although outwardly their appearance does not change. They become the body and blood of Christ. His body and blood are truly present on the altar - this change is called transubstantiation. Christians who hold this view will not throw away any bread or wine that is left over.
Almost all Christian celebrations of the Eucharist have a similar pattern:
The ministry of the word - This part of the service, containing prayers, Bible readings, hymns, acts of confession and perhaps a sermon.
The taking of bread and wine - here worshippers are reminded of the origins of the Eucharist and the bread and wine are put on the altar or table;
The great thanksgiving (Eucharistic Prayer) - The bread and wine
are consecrated - made holy.
Holy Communion some or all of those
attending the ceremony receive the consecrated bread and wine.
There are differences in the way the Eucharist is celebrated among the churches.
Orthodox Church: Holy Communion is distributed by dipping a piece of bread in the wine and then giving it on a long spoon. Not every one will receive communion as it is considered an act that needs careful preparation.
Baptist churches: the wine is often distributed in separate glasses by church leaders. People do not drink from the same cup but from their own little cups together. In the Baptist church, and many other Protestant churches, the worship is directed towards the Bible and at the heart of the service there will be readings and preaching. The services tend to be less formal than churches where the Eucharist is a the heart of the worship. Communion will only take place every month or so.
Catholic Church: the Eucharist is the centre of worship, there will be readings and a sermon usually but the focal point is Holy Communion. People will receive the bread by going up to the altar and either kneeling on the altar steps or standing in front of the priest. In many Catholic Churches the consecrated wine is not shared. In the Catholic church most priests celebrate Mass every day.
Jesus’ Baptism 1: 9-11
The Commission 16:16-20
Jesus was baptised by John, as were many of his followers. The story marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus himself never baptised anyone, but told his disciples to baptise. From the very beginning baptism was a sign of salvation from sin and membership of the Church.
Baptism is a sacrament accepted and practiced by nearly all Christians. Water is poured on the person baptised, or he or she goes under the water, and the words ‘I baptise you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’ are said. Baptims has a rich meaning.
· It is the main ceremony of membership into the Church.
· People repent of sin and renounce evil. (The parents and Godparents do this in the case of infant baptism)
· It is the sign of a new life with Christ.
· It spiritually cleanses the person being baptised. (They are freed from sin).
Most Christian groups practise infant baptism as the welcome into the Christian community. As they receive this sacrament they are given the strength it bestows from the earliest age. Catholics believe that although the child has not committed any actual sins, he or she is freed from Original Sin by baptism. However, some Christians argue that infant Baptism is meaningless because the infant is too young to realise and appreciate what is going on. Also, some parents have their children baptised but have no intention of bringing them up in the Christian church.
Baptist churches practice believers’ baptism. They allow someone to be baptised only when they are able to say for themselves that they accept Jesus as their saviour. Believers’ baptism is usually celebrated by total immersion (the person goes right under the water).
In the early days, baptism was immediately followed by confirmation, when the gifts of the Holy Spirit were believed to be given to the new Christian. As the Church grew, and infant baptism became widespread, this sacrament came to be separated from baptism. It became an opportunity for people to ‘confirm’ for themselves the undertakings made on their behalf during baptism (though this wasn’t its original meaning). This became known as the rite of confirmation. The promises made on the infant’s behalf are made again publicly. The person being confirmed is of an age when he or she will be able to understand these promises.
This
is the final topic
1.
For each
of the three topics, do a table with two headings, then and Christians
today. Note the meaning of the topic for Christians at the time of Jesus and
for Christians today.
2.
List
arguments for and against
(a) infant baptism
(b) Sunday trading
3.
For the Eucharist,
draw a table with two columns, Catholics and Other Christians, and
two rows Similarities and Differences, and note what goes into
each space (see below)
