Lesson 14 - The Redemption

(Lesson 14)

The Redemption

“He himself bore our sins….By his wounds you’ve been healed” 1 Peter 2:24

Discussion Guide:

In short, the meaning of the redemption is that Jesus Christ died for our sins. Jesus offered his suffering and death on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He is the redeemer of the entire human race. There is no other redeemer. No one comes to the Father except through the Son (John 14:6) whether they believe it or not. He regained the right for us to become children of God and heirs of heaven. This was a condition that was lost because of the original sin that our first parents committed. He offered atonement for all sins throughout all time. Our heavenly Father accepts the sacrifice of his Son because it is the perfect sacrifice. He died for us because he loves us. We must be eternally grateful for the love that Jesus showed when he willingly gave up his life to redeem a sinful world. In the sacrifice of the Mass, the redemption is perpetually made present. His resurrection on the third day was the definitive victory over Satan, sin and death. The Catholic faith teaches that the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is an historical fact “…it is impossible not to acknowledge that it is an historical fact” (CCC 639,643). Jesus is the eternal high priest who reigns forever in Heaven and on earth. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Discussion Points:

· Our sins are the reason that Christ chose to redeem us on the cross

· Jesus died on Good Friday for the sins of the world

· His suffering is commonly referred to as the Passion of Christ

· Jesus willingly gave up his life out of love for us

· The place where they crucified Christ is called Golgotha

· Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor who executed Jesus

· The crowd handed Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion

· A guilty man (Barabbas) was set free and Christ was unjustly punished

· Jewish people should not be held collectively responsible for the death of Jesus

· All sinners were the authors of the Passion of Christ

· When we sin, it is an offense against the crucified Lord

· On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead

· Jesus won the victory over sin and death

· The Catholic Church teaches that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact


Matthew 27:27-50

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "This man is calling Elijah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.



The Redemption

“He himself bore our sins….By his wounds you’ve been healed” 1 Peter 2:24

Opening Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for giving us Your dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ. We thank You for the forgiveness of our sins and the love that was demonstrated on the cross at Calvary. We thank You for the atonement of our sins. Amen

Theme:

Jesus died for our sins. He freely went to the cross because he loved us and he wanted us to have a pathway to heaven. He defeated the powers of Satan, evil, and death. His resurrection from the dead is an historical fact.

Bible Readings:

John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.

1 John 1:5-10 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:1-4 My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people.

Explanation of the Bible readings: John 3:16-21 summarizes how the death of Jesus Christ is the supreme sign of God’s love for mankind. We are all offered a great gift from God. It is our duty to respond to this free gift of salvation. St. John tells us that faith and repentance are necessary if we are truly going to become followers of Christ and be saved. As St. Augustine said, “God created us without us, but he will not save us without us”. We must cooperate with grace at every stage of our lives. 1 John 1:5-10 emphasizes the difference between walking in the light and walking in the darkness. If we do not make an effort to repent of our former sins, we walk in darkness. Often, it takes great strength to form our lives according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. When we fall, we have an advocate in Jesus Christ. If we say we have no sin, it usually means that we do not accept Church teaching. That is the quickest road to perdition. If you think you know what is objectively sinful better then the Church does, think again! That attitude reveals tremendous arrogance and an unwillingness to repent! Do not let yourselves be deceived by false teachers. We must walk by faith in Christ and never by our own likes and dislikes. Following the teachings of the Catholic Church as revealed by God Himself is the best way to do this! 1 John 2:1-4 tells us that Jesus died for everyone on earth. There is no one that is beyond the saving power of God. Even the worst sinner can come to the knowledge of Christ and be saved. Heb 2:17 tells us that his human nature was perfect and made the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus was human in every way except sin! At the same time he was the eternal God incarnate. What a great and awesome mystery of the faith!

John 1:39 Jesus was the Lamb of God
John 8:21-30 We must believe in Jesus Christ
Luke 23:49 Faith and repentance can save anybody at any time

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CHRIST'S REDEMPTIVE DEATH IN GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION

"Jesus handed over according to the definite plan of God"
599 Jesus' violent death was not the result of chance in an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, but is part of the mystery of God's plan, as St. Peter explains to the Jews of Jerusalem in his first sermon on Pentecost: "This Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God."…
"He died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures"

601 The Scriptures had foretold this divine plan of salvation through the putting to death of "the righteous one, my Servant" as a mystery of universal redemption, that is, as the ransom that would free men from the slavery of sin… Indeed Jesus himself explained the meaning of his life and death in the light of God's suffering Servant. After his Resurrection he gave this interpretation of the Scriptures to the disciples at Emmaus, and then to the apostles.

602 Consequently, St. Peter can formulate the apostolic faith in the divine plan of salvation in this way: "You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers. . . with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake." Man's sins, following on original sin, are punishable by death. By sending his own Son in the form of a slave, in the form of a fallen humanity, on account of sin, God "made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

God takes the initiative of universal redeeming love

604 By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: "In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins." God "shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."

605 At the end of the parable of the lost sheep Jesus recalled that God's love excludes no one: "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." He affirms that he came "to give his life as a ransom for many"; this last term is not restrictive, but contrasts the whole of humanity with the unique person of the redeemer who hands himself over to save us. The Church, following the apostles, teaches that Christ died for all men without exception: "There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer."

Christ's whole life is an offering to the Father

606 … The sacrifice of Jesus "for the sins of the whole world" expresses his loving communion with the Father. "The Father loves me, because I lay down my life", said the Lord, "[for] I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father."

607 The desire to embrace his Father's plan of redeeming love inspired Jesus' whole life, for his redemptive passion was the very reason for his Incarnation…

609 By embracing in his human heart the Father's love for men, Jesus "loved them to the end", for "greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." In suffering and death his humanity became the free and perfect instrument of his divine love which desires the salvation of men….

614 This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices…

615 "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous." By his obedience…Jesus atoned for our faults and made satisfaction for our sins to the Father.

639 The mystery of Christ's resurrection is a real event, with manifestations that were historically verified, as the New Testament bears witness. In about A.D. 56 St. Paul could already write to the Corinthians: "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. . ."

643 Given all these testimonies, Christ's Resurrection cannot be interpreted as something outside the physical order, and it is impossible not to acknowledge it as an historical fact. It is clear from the facts that the disciples' faith was drastically put to the test by their master's Passion and death on the cross, which he had foretold. The shock provoked by the Passion was so great that at least some of the disciples did not at once believe in the news of the Resurrection. Far from showing us a community seized by a mystical exaltation, the Gospels present us with disciples demoralized ("looking sad") and frightened. For they had not believed the holy women returning from the tomb and had regarded their words as an "idle tale". When Jesus reveals himself to the Eleven on Easter evening, "he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen."

Faith words:

Atonement: In Catholic theology, the Atonement is the Satisfaction of Christ, whereby God and the world are reconciled or made to be at one.

Redemption: In the New Testament, it is the term designating the "great price" which the Redeemer paid for our freedom from sin.

Reflection Questions:

Why do we make the sign of the cross?





Why do we refer to the day of the crucifixion as Good Friday?





What must we do to benefit from the redemption that Jesus accomplished on the cross?