Life, Death, Resurrection

Below you will find a list of events that occurred after the death of Jesus.

1. Jesus is buried
2. Jesus appears to his disciples
3. Jesus ascends to heaven

In the Christian tradition the term "sacrifice" refers to moments when the divine and human come into contact.

Outline how sacrifice can be seen in one event from the life of Jesus.

• Jesus knew his life was in danger but he went to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples.
• Jesus suffered for around six hours before his spirit was given up and Jesus died on the cross.
• Jesus offered his life to God in order to benefit the lives of others and Christians believed that this offering to God was a sacrifice.
• It saved Christians from sins and enabled them to enter a new life in the Kingdom of God.

Describe two difficulties the first Christians faced after the death of Jesus.

• The first Christians suffered at the hands of those he didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
• Within a short time, the persecution of Jesus' believers became even more severe.
• Stephen was a senior member of the Christian community.
• Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin became he was accused of blasphemy for believing in Jesus.
• He was sentenced to death by stoning.
• Stephen became the first Christian martyr to die for his faith.
• Some disciples were afraid and confused after the death of Jesus.
• Jesus was supposed to be the Messiah, the Saviour.
• The disciples couldn't comprehend the reasons of his death.
• They couldn't believe that their leader had died.
• It wasn't until Pentecost until they realised why Jesus had died.

Outline one way in which the first Christians dealt with the difficulties they faced after the death of Jesus.

• The first Christians gathered for worship in secret as the Jewish community rejected them.
• The Roman rulers considered them a security threat.
• As the Christians worshipped God together, they felt that they were a member of the same family and part of something important.
• The belief grew stronger as the first Christians worshipped God on a regular basis together.

Outline how Jesus' death affected the people who were following him.

• The first Christians suffered at the hands of those he didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah.
• Within a short time, the persecution of Jesus' believers became even more severe.
• Stephen was a senior member of the Christian community.
• Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin became he was accused of blasphemy for believing in Jesus.
• He was sentenced to death by stoning.
• Stephen became the first Christian martyr to die for his faith.
• The first Christians had a total change of heart.
• Unlike before, they always put God first in their hearts.
• They even left their families and they were always traveling.
• Many first Christians escaped and fled Jerusalem to escape to Damascus because they were being persecuted.
• Saul was an enemy of the Christians and he led house to house searches throughout the city of Jerusalem to capture Christians.
• Saul followed the first Christians to Damascus and brought them back to Jerusalem to face trials.
• The disciples were very confused and sad at the death of Jesus.
• Their leader died and they didn't know what to do.