Scripture & Redemption (AQA GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

Redemption themes in Mark

• The account of Jesus’s crucifixion in Mark’s gospel outlines several important Christian teachings about redemption

• Jesus is shown to be:

  • The example

  • The restorer

  • The victor

Jesus as the example

• Jesus is an example to all people because of his total obedience to God’s will

  • Jesus's experience in the garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion shows how he vowed to do God’s will, even though he knew it would bring immense suffering and even death

• This set the example for all Christians to remain faithful and obedient to God’s will

Jesus as the restorer

• Jesus is the restorer, as his death restored the relationship between God and humanity

• Mark (chapter 15) records that after Jesus’s death, the veil that separated the holiest part of the Temple from the rest was torn in two

  • This event symbolised the end of the separation of humans from God

Jesus as the victor

• Jesus is the victor over sin and death because he experienced suffering, pain and death as a human

• He brought the presence of God into these human experiences and, therefore, allowed humans to share in the defeat of suffering and death

  • This event is symbolised by the description that “darkness came over the whole land” (Mark 15:33) while Jesus suffered on the cross

Redemption themes in John and Acts

John’s gospel: The resurrection

• The account of Jesus’s resurrection in John’s gospel outlines several important Christian teachings about redemption

• John 20:1–16 describes Jesus’s resurrection and shows how these events transformed the disciples’ lives

• When they first heard of Jesus’s resurrection, the disciples did not understand and thought the body had been stolen

  • They had to be persuaded that Jesus had actually risen from the dead, showing that this was a real event

• The account tells that Mary Magdalene was the first to see the risen Christ

  • This also shows that the event was real. A made-up account would not include a testimony from a woman, as this was less likely to be believed in the culture of the time

• Mary did not recognise Jesus at first

  • This shows that while it was Jesus, he had entered a new creation, and things were now different and more perfect
    

Acts of the Apostles: The ascension and coming of the Holy Spirit

• The Acts of the Apostles starts with the account of Jesus’s ascension

• Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help the disciples complete his work

• The disciples were told that they were to be witnesses “to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8)

  • This means that the disciples had to spread the news of Jesus’s work of redemption to everyone so they could all share in and be part of it

• Jesus ascended into heaven and was no longer visible to the disciples

  • This shows that he had conquered sin and death and was now to live in the presence of God, in glory

• Two angels (men in white robes) told the disciples that Jesus would return in glory in the future

  • This shows Christians that the redemption of the world will be fully complete at the end of time when Jesus returns in glory

• The Holy Spirit came to the disciples as promised at Pentecost when they were “filled with the Holy Spirit”

• This is the same Holy Spirit of God that Jesus had promised

• The coming of the Holy Spirit is described as fire and wind

  • Both these elements are used in the Old Testament to symbolise the presence of God

• The Holy Spirit gave the disciples strength and courage to go out and preach Jesus’s message and lead others to redemption

  • Before the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were gathered together in one house

  • Afterwards, they were no longer afraid and immediately went out to teach and baptise others

The Holy Spirit descends on the apostles at Pentecost

_{Fresco in the Orthodox church, Batumi, Georgia is licensed under CC0 License}