An Introduction To The Life Of Jesus For Quakers Inspired By The Musical Godspell

1. An Introduction To The Life Of Jesus For Quakers Inspired By The Musical Godspell Lesson 5 ~ Trial - Resurrection - Rebirth Suitable for ages 11 and older. These materials are meant for free distribution to individuals and nonprofit organizations. Images are from the public domain courtesy of Wikipedia.

2. Definitions Passover: Jewish holiday celebrating the liberation of Jews who were held as slaves in Egypt. Ten plagues were brought down by God on their captors the Egyptians. The last plague was when the angel of death “passed over” the homes of all who had sacrificed a lamb and painted blood over their doors. The first born son died in each family with small children who did not. This finally forced them give the Jews their freedom. Seder: Traditional Jewish Passover dinner celebrating the liberation of slaves. Communion: The experience of being one with God. Crucifixion: An ancient form of capital punishment where by a convicted criminal is nailed to a large wooden cross to die a slow painful death. Resurrection: The act of a soul rising from a dead body. Pentecost: The fiftieth day following the resurrection of Christ.

3. The Last Supper Jesus gathered the twelve disciples for the Passover Seder. There he prepared them for the terrible events he knew were coming.He told them he knew he would be betrayed and that he was destined to die soon. Still he tried to give the disciples hope and the courage to carry on his ministry. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. ~ Matthew 20-30 This is called the first communion which many Christians celebrate by the ritual of eating a small piece of bread and taking a small sip of wine. Quakers believe that communion can happen in our worship without these things.

4. Then the man they called Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests, and said "What will you give me to betray Him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment, he began to look out for an opportunity to betray Him. ~ Matthew 26:14-16 When Jesus was arrested, Peter denied knowing him three times. He was deeply ashamed and spent his life dedicated to preaching the lessons of Jesus. Judas was also ashamed and is said to have committed suicide. Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. ~ Matthew 27:15-20

5. Crucifixion - On the Willows On the willows, there We hung up our lives For our captors there Required of us songs And our tormentors mirth On the willows, there We hung up our lives For our captors there Required of us songs And our tormentor's mirth Saying… Sing us one of the songs of Zion Sing us one of the songs of Zion But how can we sing? Sing the Lord's songs? In a foreign land? On the willows, there we hung up our lives… This song refers to Psalm 137 which is a lament and remembrance of the time the Jews were enslaved by the Babylonians.

6. Finale Oh God, I'm bleeding - Oh God, I'm bleeding Oh God, you're bleeding Oh God, I'm dying - Oh God, you're dying Oh God, I'm dying Oh God, I'm dead - Oh God, you're dead Oh God, you're dead - Oh God, you're dead Long live God, long live God - Long live God, long live God Long live God, long live God - Long live God, long live God Prepare ye, the way of the Lord - Long live God, long live God …

7. After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” ~Matthew 28:1-10 This is important for Quakers because this was their justification for allowing women to preach at a time when this was forbidden.

8. Pentecost Jesus followers, who were now from many countries and who did not all speak the same language, continued to meet and pray, trying to decide what to do next. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. ~Acts 2:1-4 This is one of the many miracles that Christians site as proof that Jesus was Divine. Quakers site this event in the Bible as the inspiration for their practice of silent worship, where God allows us to have a deep understanding of each other, and to hear Truth even in silence or in messages that seem strange or hard to understand.

9. Day By Day Day by day Day by day Oh Dear Lord Three things I pray To see thee more clearly Love thee more dearly Follow thee more nearly Day by day… Christians and many Quakers believe that we can be reborn through religious experience. Being reborn means having a fresh new view of the world as if you were an innocent child again.

10. Queries What does freedom mean to you and why is it important? Why would it be important for us to be reborn? What can we learn from the life and death of Jesus to help us in our own lives?