Holy Week

See: The Gospel Narratives, Holy Week Services, celebrating Holy Week

The story behind the Christian Festival of Easter is to be found in the Gospels of the New Testament. It is difficult to totally divorce it from the rest of the life of Jesus as it is essentially the climax, as the Easter festival is the climax of the Christian year. Belief in the resurrection and the saving value of the death of Jesus Christ, however this is expressed, is what marks a Christian out from other people. Expressing these beliefs in terms of human language has occupied theologians from the time of the Early Church to the present day and has taken many different forms. Essentially it remains a "Mystery" which each person comes to terms with, guided by Scripture and the Church, as part of their faith, and such human language fails to express the depth of meaning it contains.

It would be useful at this point to consider the story as contained in the Gospels and the nature of-the Gospel material. It must be remembered in dealing with the Gospels that we are not dealing with a modern historical biography. Such a biography could be expected to take an impartial view of its subject, to check the historical facts and let these speak for themselves. Certainly modern biographies would include many items which are conspicuous by their absence in the Gospels. For instance, we have no description of his childhood or any part of his life until he began his work of preaching. We can only guess what might have happened during those 30 years. What the Gospels do contain is a record of the last, probably three years of this life and that is incomplete. (cf John chp 20 vs 30,chp 21 vs 25)

We also have to recognise that the four accounts we possess in the Gospels cannot always easily be harmonised. Each bears the imprint of the author, quite clearly expressing the material in the way that suited his purpose best. The names given to the authors are based on tradition. There were more than four Gospels written in the first and second centuries although the Church recognised the intrinsic value of these four and so included them in the canon of Scripture. We do however have a useful record as long as we recognise the limitations. Few people would deny that Jesus existed at all or that he suffered a criminal's death during the Roman occupation of Palestine. While there are differences in the account of the last week . of Jesus' life in the Gospels, if all four accounts were the same we might well suspect that it was an invention of a later date, : rather than the memories of different people remembering different aspects of a real event. These were then combined with the theological emphasis of the writer to give us the narrative we have now.

The Gospels were written by those who believed in order to promote the faith. "Those (signs) written here have been recorded in order that you may hold the faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this faith you may possess life by his name." John chp 20 vs 31. They were written by people of faith to people of faith. It has been suggested that Mark's Gospel was used as a handbook for teaching about the life of Jesus to those in . Rome who were learning about their new faith, and was based on the memories of St Peter.

St Matthew's Gospel was written by a Jewish convert to Christianity to show how Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old. Testament and so must have been the long-awaited Messiah.. (Messiah is a Hebrew word and is translated into Greek in the word Christ, both meaning the "anointed one")

St Luke himself states his purpose at the beginning of his Gospel, chp 1 vss 1-4. He addresses the Gentile world, explaining Jewish beliefs and customs as he goes and stressing the universality of ; Jesus' preaching.

St John in the Fourth Gospel aims his work at the intellectual Gentile world, using many of the ideas found in Greek and other philosophical and religious systems to express the significance of Jesus.

The story of Jesus' death is probably the section of the four Gospels where we find the greatest degree of unanimity among the authors. The account of that last week takes up a disproportionate amount of the Gospel narrative which is believed to cover three years of Jesus' ministry; out of 16 chapters _St Mark devotes 6 to the last week, St Matthew 8 out of 28, St Luke 5 out of 24 and St John 10 out of 21. This could be said to indicate the importance of those seven days to the early Christians.

A compilation of the Gospel Narratives

The Triumphal Entry - Palm Sunday Matthew chp 21 vss 1-11

Mark chp 11 vss 1-11

Luke chp 19 vss 28-44

John chp 12 vss 12-19

The week begins with the Sunday before the crucifixion. Jesus and his disciples arrive on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jews. He instructs two of his disciples to go and fetch a donkey on which he then rides into the city. He is welcomed into the city by crowds who wave palm branches and call out words of welcome. Having made his entry into the city Jesus looks around and goes out again. It was Passover time and many thousands of other people would also be heading for Jerusalem to celebrate that feast. The city would be crowded and many pilgrims would camp outside the city or if possible arrange to stay with family or friends who lived nearby. Passover was one of the three pilgrim feasts (the others being Tabernacles and Pentecost) when all those Jews who could do so went to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was not only the capital city, it had a special place in Jewish belief and tradition - as it still does today. It was the city of David, captured by him to be made his capital, and to be a home for the Ark of the Covenant, the chest made to contain the laws given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai (cf Exodus chp 25 vss 10-22). Although David brought the Ark to Jerusalem it was his son Solomon who built the first temple in Jerusalem in which the Ark was housed (1 Kings chp 8 vss 1-9). The temple became the focal point of the Jewish faith and by the time of the Exile in Babylon (c586 - 536BC) the Jews believed that they could not offer sacrifices to God anywhere else but at the Temple in Jerusalem. During their time in Babylon the idea of worshipping God through reading and studying the scriptures emerged and the Synagogues could and did exist anywhere - as long as there were ten adult men in the community to administer them, but there could only be one Temple and that had to be in Jerusalem. On their return from Exile the Jews rebuilt the Temple, and at the time of Jesus the third Temple was still being built, Herod the Great having provided the money to make it a most magnificent edifice. (The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is all that remains of this third Temple today after the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD70).

The Passover was and is the Jewish festival which remembers how God freed his people from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses (Exodus 12). Easter, the "Christian Passover", celebrates how God freed mankind from the slavery of sin through Jesus. The Gospel writers and theologians since have drawn many parallels and it can be no coincidence that the crucifixion took place at the same time as the Passover. The Messiah was and is also associated with Passover and it was as the Messiah that Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem by the crowds on what has come to be called Palm Sunday. The words used by the crowds show how opposition to Jesus was being provoked. Jesus seems to have been popular with the ordinary people but not with the officials, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and this opposition was to prove fatal. There have been several indications in the Gospels before this of the dangerous nature of the opposition to Jesus. While he was out in the countryside he was relatively safe, but in Jerusalem he was within their reach and where they had the most influence. In choosing deliberately to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, Jesus was making a statement about what he thought his Messiahship meant. He was fulfilling a prophecy in Zechariah chp 9 vs 9, as Matthew and John point out in their Gospels. He was also saying that he believed in peace and brotherhood. The Jews seemed to expect their Messiah to be a warrior, like his ancestor David and as such to rid them of the hated Roman army occupation. It unlikely that any warrior would consider leading an army on a donkey!

Cleansing the Temple

Matthew ch 12 vss 12 -17, Mark chp 11 vss 15-19, Luke chp 19 vss 45 -68, (John chp 2 vss 13-22)

The exact timing of this event is not clear. Mark suggests that it happened on the day after the Entry into Jerusalem, Matthew sees it as the climax to the events of the Sunday, Luke is unclear, while John puts the whole episode at the very beginning of Christ's ministry. It is not necessary here to seek to reconcile these accounts. In each Jesus is seen as clearing the house of God of a market which he saw as inappropriate in such a place, and quoting the words of the prophets Isaiah (chp 56 v 7) and Jeremiah (chp 7 vs 11) in support of his actions. The market was there to sell animals for the sacrifices in the Temple and to change the Roman coins for Jewish currency. The Law said than only perfect male animals could be offered to God (Leviticus chp 1 vs 3) and any animal which was not perfect would not be acceptable. It is likely that much of the profit of this sale went to the priests in the Temple and so they would be unlikely to accept animals not bought there. The. money had to be changed as the Roman coins had the image of the Emperor on them and possibly one of the gods as well and such images were not to be taken to the inner precincts of the Temple. The rates of exchange were said to be rather high and again that the Temple authorities took a percentage and so had an interest in keeping them high. No doubt such a market meant a great deal of noise as well which would not be conducive to prayer. The market was held in the outer courtyard of the Temple known as the court of the Gentiles which makes the quotation about the house of prayer for all nations particularly relevant. No Gentile was allowed to go further into the Temple on pain of death.

Jesus's interference in the affairs of the Temple will have done little to enhance his popularity with the religious authorities and led to many questions about his right to do such things.

The Day of Questions Matthew chp 21 vs 23-chp 23 vs 39 Mark chp 11 vs 27- chp 12 vs 44: Luke chp 20 vs 1-chp 21 vs 4.

This is the name traditionally given to the Tuesday of Holy Week because of the questions which Jesus was asked while he taught in the Temple. It is difficult to find a parallel in John's Gospel. The questions vary from those which seem sincere to those where they are attempting to trap Jesus.

The first question is about the source of his authority and is related to his actions in clearing the Temple. When his questioners refused to discuss the origin of John the Baptist's authority, Jesus refused to discuss his own.

The second question was a deliberate trap and was about the question of paying taxes to the Romans. If Jesus had said that no taxes should have been paid they would have been able to accuse him of this to the Roman authorities. To say that the Jews should pay these hated taxes would have led to great unpopularity with the Jews. Jesus' answer using the coin was one which avoided both of the pitfalls.

The third question was asked by the Sadducees and was about the possibility of life after death. This was . a point of disagreement between themselves and the Pharisees and may not have been a trick question, simply asking Jesus' opinion on the matter, although they may have hoped to make him look foolish in a scholarly argument. They put forward a hypothesis based on the practice of Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy chp 25 vss 5-10). This said that if a man died childless it was the duty of his brother or next-of-kin to marry the widow and that the first child to be born of the union was the dead man's heir. (The story of Ruth is an example of this.) The practice was probably obsolete by the time of Jesus and may have originated at a time when the , only form of after-life was believed to be through your children.

Jesus' reply comes down firmly on the side of the Pharisees. There is life after death but it will be totally different from this life. Marriage is an institution which belongs to this world and the question as to whose wife she might be will be irrelevant. Far from Jesus looking foolish, it was Sadducees who were shown to have misunderstood the teachings to be found in the book of Moses.

The next question came from a lawyer - that is an expert in the Torah, the Jewish religious Law. It seems to have been sincerely asked and was about the greatest commandment, something which was debated by students of the Torah. Jesus' answer was entirely orthodox, quoting the Shema, (Deuteronomy chp 6 vss 4-5), and Leviticus chp 19 vs 18. To Jews the meaning of the word neighbour would mean other Jews. The comment of the lawyer, bringing in also the ideas of the prophets that doing right was more than important as offering sacrifice, earns Jesus' commendation. Luke puts this question on a different occasion, and the subsequent question ,about "Who is my neighbour" leads to the story of the Good Samaritan. (Luke chp 10 vss 25-37).

The final question is asked by Jesus himself of the scholars in his audience and is about the relationship of the. Messiah to King David. This is followed by a condemnation of the lawyers and the Pharisees by Jesus. He says that they have misunderstood the purpose of the law and are making religious duty burdensome for the people instead of something that people can do joyfully.

The day ends with the incident of the widow's offering, where Jesus points out that it is not the actual amount you are giving to charity, but the real cost of that gift to the giver which matters to God.

Jesus at Bethany. Matthew chp 26 vss 1-13, Mark chp 14 vss 1-9, Luke chp 7 vss 36-50, John chp 12 vss 1-8

This is the occasion when Jesus is anointed and the various accounts are rather different. It traditionally belongs to the Wednesday of Holy Week, although Luke tells of an earlier anointing at Capernaum. John says it took place at the home of Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead and that it was Lazarus's sister Mary who anointed him. Kings were anointed at their coronation, the Messiah was the anointed one, and bodies were anointed for burial. It may well be that all three ideas were involved here. The complaint about the waste of money which could have been put to better use than buying an expensive ointment, comes from various people in the accounts. The most significant may well be Judas in John's Gospel, as it perhaps indicates his dissatisfaction with what is happening.

The Last Supper : Matthew' chp 26 vss 17-30, Mark chp 14 vss 12-26, Luke chp 22 vss 7-38, John- chp 17 vs 26

This was the last occasion on which Jesus was able to meet his closest disciples. Knowing Judas was already in league with his enemies, Jesus went to great lengths to keep the exact location of his supper secret from them all until the last minute. Even those who were to get the supper ready were given directions which involved a secret sign and a password. It would be quite unusual to see a man carrying a water jar as this was woman's work, and Jesus had obviously arranged this beforehand, as well as what they were to say when they arrived at the house.

Whether it was a real passover meal is debatable. That it was a special occasion is not. This is the meal which Jesus gave special meaning to and commanded his disciples to repeat in his memory and so has become the basis of the Eucharist service in the Church which is known by a variety of names - the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion, the Mass. Sharing bread and wine was a part of the passover meal and of other religious communal meals and was an action well known to all Jews..' It was the new meaning which Jesus gave to, the bread and wine which made this meal special to his followers. In this Jesus is trying to warn his disciples of what is to come and at the same time teach them that this will not be the end of everything, but that his death will have purpose and meaning. They obviously found all this quite difficult to understand at first, and the events of the next few days would almost destroy them too, but later they would remember what Jesus had said and then they would be able to understand.

John's Gospel does not include an account of the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. He has a great deal of teaching about it however in the discourse about the Bread of Life following the feeding of the Multitude (Chapter 6). In its place in the Passion narrative John includes the account of the washing of the disciples' feet before the meal. This was the duty of the lowest slave in the household and Jesus was giving his disciples a lesson in humility which they were to remember as leaders of the Christian community. John also includes a lot of teaching in his account of the supper, including the New Commandment 'love one another" (John chp 15 vsl2).

The Garden of Gethsemane: Matthew chp 26 vss 31-56 Mark chp 14 vss 27-52 Luke chp 22 vss 31-53 John. chp 18 vss .1-11

After the supper was over Jesus and his followers set off for the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane means oil press and we picture the next events taking place among the olive trees in the Garden in the darkness. Gethsemane is still to be seen in Jerusalem.

The disciples are tired and fall asleep, even the three closest to Jesus, Peter, James and John. Only Jesus is aware of the danger they are in and what will happen over the next few hours. In the face of the coming ordeal Jesus prays for strength. In a very human moment he asks his Father that he might be spared the suffering (symbolised in the cup), but is able finally to say "Yet not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark chp 14 vs 36) and, when the time comes, to turn and face his captors.

Jesus is arrested by the Jewish religious authorities; possibly the Temple police led the crowd. The moment of Judas's betrayal is marked by a kiss - the sign of affection and friendship. One of Jesus's followers, (according to John's Gospel it was Peter), draws a sword but is told by Jesus not to make any resistance. The unfortunate servant who had his ear cut off is healed by Jesus in Luke's account. Even at this moment Jesus can take thought for others. As Jesus is taken the disciples flee, as he warned them they would, and Jesus is left to face the ordeal alone.

The Jewish Trials: Matthew chp 26 vss 57-68 Mark chp 14 vss 53-65 Luke chp 22 vss 66-71 John chp 18 vss 12-24

These were not in the legal sense trials, but rather a questioning of the prisoner before taking him to the Roman authorities. Jewish law stated that trials were not to be held at night, which this was, and it seems unlikely that the necessary number of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court, could have been there. It also is unlikely that they would have been allowed by the Romans to hold a trial which would lead to a man's death. By their questioning though, the Jewish authorities were able to decide for themselves that there was a case for Jesus to answer. They convicted him on a charge of blasphemy which according to their Law was a capital offence. Even this was not done in, accordance with their own rules, which said that if witnesses disagreed there should be an end to the trial, and that a prisoner could not be condemned on his own admission - which is exactly what they did.

Peter's Denial: Matthew chp 26 vss 69-75, Mark chp 14 vss 66-72, Luke chp 22 vss 56-62, John chp 18 vss 15-18,vss 25-27

Jesus had warned that this denial would happen before cockcrow and Peter had refused to accept that he could do such a thing. When put to the test though his courage failed him, which is understandable when to admit to his connection with Jesus could have led to his death. It should be noticed however that he did have enough courage to follow Jesus this far when it seems that the rest of the disciples (except one, according to John) had run away altogether. His shame and remorse when he realised what he had done are very real. Matthew chp 26 vs 75 "He went outside and wept bitterly".

The Roman Trial: Matthew chp 27 vss 1-26, Mark chp 15 vss 1-1S, Luke chp 23 vss 1-25, John' chp 18 vs 28-chp 19 vs 16

The Jews were not allowed to pass and carry out a death sentence and so had to take their prisoner to the Roman Governor. He would be unlikely to sentence a man to death for blasphemy according to Jewish religious Law and a charge acceptable to the Romans had to be presented. In Luke this is stated by the Jewish authorities in this way: "We found this man subverting our nation, opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar, and claiming to be Messiah, a king" (chp 23 vs 2) This is a charge of treason and of sedition. Pontius Pilate, the Governor, apparently did not find this very convincing and tried to set Jesus free. At one point, according to Luke, on finding out that Jesus was a Galilean, he sent him to Herod Antipas who was in charge of Galilee and was in Jerusalem for the feast. However Herod had a similar problem of knowing what to do with. Jesus and returned him to Pilate. Eventually. Pilate gave in to the demands of the Jews as it seemed as if there could be serious trouble. According to Matthew he was afraid of a riot starting and so literally washed his hands of the whole affair (Matthew chp 27 vss 24-5). Even when he offered to release Jesus or Barabbas as a favour at the festival, the Jews preferred Barabbas, who was. in prison for the part he had played in a rising against the Romans. He was set free and Jesus was led away to crucifixion.

The Crucifixion: Matthew chp 27 vss 27-55 Mark chp 15 vss 16-41 Luke clip 23 vss 26-49 John chp 19 vss 17-37

Crucifixion was a normal method of execution used by the Romans for their subject people. It was cruel and lingering death and men were known to take several days to die, hence Pilate's surprise when Joseph asked for the body, that Jesus was already dead (Mark chp 15 vs 44). Practice varied slightly in different parts of the Empire, but what happened to Jesus was very much part of the routine._ The prisoner 'was flogged to start with, which would .begin to weaken him. At this point the soldiers took the opportunity to taunt Jesus with the charge that he claimed to be a king and they gave him the crown of thorns to wear. The man was then expected to carry his cross to the place of execution, which would weaken him further. Usually it was only the Cross-piece of the cross which was carried, the uprights being left at the place . of execution: The usual picture of Jesus with the whole cross may not be accurate. Whichever is the case, Jesus evidently found the burden too great and had to have help. That we should be told the name of the man who helped Jesus with the cross when we know so few names from the Gospels (and even the names of his sons by Mark), suggests that they were all. well known to the Christian community when the . Gospel was being written down and may indicate that they became members of it. Jesus spoke to a group of women on his way. to crucifixion (Luke chp 23 :vss 27-31) : and from this the legend of St Veronica grew. She is said to have wiped his . face' with a handkerchief and, the imprint of his features remained on the cloth:

The place of the execution was known as Skull Hill - that being the translation of its Jewish name, Golgotha, and its Roman name, Calvary. There the condemned man was nailed to the cross through hands and feet, and the cross raised to the vertical. Again the traditional picture may be a little inaccurate as nails through the palms of the hands would be unlikely to take the weight of a dying man, and it may be that the nails were driven through the forearms or wrist, or that the body was also secured with ropes round the shoulders. Whatever the method, the outcome was the same. The cause of death was most likely to be heart failure, brought about by the combination of shock and' pain, and the constriction of the muscles round the heart due to the position of the arms and the weight being taken by them.

According to Mark chp 15 vs 25, the crucifixion took place at 9am. At noon a supernatural darkness covered the scene, and Jesus finally died at 3pm. During that time he was taunted by the Jews to perform some miracle and save himself.

The atmosphere of the different Gospels varies and this is shown in what they record Jesus saying at this point. In Matthew and Mark little is done to relieve the stark horror of what is taking place, and the only words we have are known as the Cry of Desolation "My God, My God, why bast thou forsaken me!" (Mark chp 15 vs 34, Matthew chp 27 vs 46)

While this is the first line of Psalm 22, a psalm which ends with confidence in God, it also shows Jesus in real mental torment, feeling that at this moment God has abandoned him to his fate. In Luke we are given the picture of the calm, confident Jesus, who as they drive the nails through his flesh says "Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing" (Luke chp 23 vs 34) and can promise the thief who was crucified next to him and defended his innocence, "I tell you this: today you shall be with me in Paradise" (chp 23 vs 43) His dying words are calm "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit" (chp 23 vs 46) In John his death is seen as a triumph, not a defeat. He gives the care of his mother into the hands of the disciple whom he loved (John chp 19 vs 27), and his last words are "It is accomplished!" (chp 19 vs 30).

The Burial: Matthew chp 27 vss 57 -61, Mark chp 15 vss 42-47, Luke chp 23 vss 50-56, John chp 19 vss 38-42

As a special favour the relative or friends of the dead man could ask for his body for burial. Often the bodies of criminals were buried in a common grave. Such a favour was granted in the case of Jesus and the body was put into a rock tomb in the garden of Joseph of Arimathea. Because it was so close to the beginning of the Sabbath the usual burial customs could not be observed as this would be "work" and work was prohibited. on the Sabbath, and so this task was left until the Sabbath was over. The tomb was closed, and according to Matthew a guard was put on the tomb in case the body should be stolen and the disciples claim he had risen from dead.

Such rock tombs were not unusual in Jerusalem and the stone would be a flat round stone, similar to a millstone in shape, which could be rolled along in a groove in front of the opening to the tomb. Such tombs were expected to be used for more than one burial, although so far this one was empty.

Holy Week Services

PALM SUNDAY

In Christian Churches processions remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Crosses made from palm leaves are blessed and carried in . the procession, hymns are sung with many hosannas:

The first of the four accounts of the Passion is read, thus changing the mood from one of rejoicing to sadness, and setting the tone for the remainder of the week.

MAUNDY THURSDAY

In earlier times the rich and powerful followed the example of Jesus by doing for the servants the more menial tasks which the servants usually did for them. The practice survives in two forms today: The Queen distributes Maundy money to pensioners, one man and one woman for each of the years of her life. Church leaders wash the feet of twelve people - one for each of the disciples. There used to be a famous fair in Norwich on Maundy Thursday - the Tombland Fair, for horses, cattle and general merchandise. People brought their wares, particularly fish, in Maund baskets.

In churches the final Eucharist before Easter is celebrated, the altar hangings and any other decorations are removed. In some churches a vigil is kept over the consecrated bread and wine which will be used during the following days.

GOOD FRIDAY

This is a day of great sadness in the church's year and Christians will go to their church for at least part of the day. There are often services which remember the last three hours during which Jesus hung on the cross, lasting from mid-day until 3pm, and people will come and go during that. Processions of witness take place in many towns, where Christians of many denominations join together to follow the cross, singing hymns and usually ending in one church for a service. As this is a fast day, fish is traditionally eaten, which should be boiled and not fried, although like many customs, this is not always observed. The most well-known item of food for Good Friday is of course the hot cross bun. This may go back to pagan times as the Romans offered Zeus a cake baked in the form of a bull with a cross on it to represent it horns. The Christian custom can trace its beginning to a monk in St. Albans who gave small spiced cakes with the sign of a cross on them to the poor visiting the monastery of St. Albans on Good Friday in 1361. The idea proved so popular that he continued to do so, keeping his recipe a closely guarded secret. Hot Cross Buns were made and eaten every Good Friday after this throughout the country, and it was thought that they had special curative powers. People hung them from the ceilings in their kitchens to keep away evil, and they were said to never go mouldy. They would be ground down and used as medicine for a variety of illnesses. Marbles is a game associated with Good Friday, possibly because of the soldiers at the foot of the cross who played dice.

HOLY SATURDAY

This day marks the end of Lent, the final day of preparation for Easter itself. The secular world calls this day Easter Saturday, but for Christians it is a holy day, when Christ lay in the tomb.

Celebrating Holy Week

Diary of Holy Week

Pupils listen to the Gospel account of the events of Holy Week starting from Palm Sunday and ending with Easter Sunday. This could be built up as a diary which could be added to either in their own books or as a classroom display. Alternatively they could be asked to write it as a diary kept by one of the disciples or friend of theirs. The events of each day could be discussed as well as the feelings of the people around who witnessed them. It could be a group activity so that groups look at a different day each in some depth, with everyone coming together to think about the events of Good Friday and through to Easter Day.

Power - A look at Palm Sunday

This topic is an opportunity to address several questions - What is power? Who are today's powerful people? How may power be used for good or evil? In the story of the temptation of Jesus (Luke chp 4) how could Jesus have misused His power? Collect symbols of power, pictures of powerful people or powerful words. Think about power struggles in the experience of the children. The topic culminates with the story of Palm Sunday when Jesus came in peace rather than as the powerful soldier Messiah the Jews expected. The palm cross is an evocative symbol of this as held one way it resembles a sword but reversed it is an even more powerful symbol for Christians; a symbol of goodness overcoming the power of evil.

If your local church makes its own palm crosses rather than buys them ready made you could ask a member of the team to demonstrate the making of the crosses and let the children have a go!

Good Friday - The Symbol of the Cross The cross is the symbol of Christianity, but appears in various forms, from the plain

empty cross to the ornate crucifix. There are also various shapes of cross such as the St Andrews Cross, which also happens to be the shape of the Greek letter "ch" for Christ. An investigation of the different ways in which the cross is portrayed can be part of a wider topic on symbolism, but may also help concentrate on the ideas of Easter in a very real way.

It should, be remembered that this symbol is in fact an instrument of torture and death, although Christianity has perhaps sanitised it by using it. Teachers, rightly, do not wish to talk about the bloodthirsty aspects-of Jesus' death with young pupils but it cannot be totally ignored. It is a paradox at the heart of Christianity that one who came to save appeared to have failed totally when he died as a common criminal. Investigating the messages of the Cross will help pupils begin to understand why Christians commemorate Jesus' death on Good Friday.

There are other artefacts which may be used by the children to investigate the story of Easter and its significance for Christians including artwork, a paschal candle, a rosary and a hot cross bun. Allowing children to ask questions of the artefacts and interact with them will enable them to begin to understand Christian beliefs. Easter cards may be looked at in the same way as Christmas cards (see above), asking whether they celebrate a religious festival or the coming of Spring.

The Stations of the Cross

In most Roman Catholic and some Anglican churches a series of fourteen carvings or pictures may be found around the walls showing the stages of Jesus' journey to death. They mirror the stopping places on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, the traditional route of Jesus' final journey. There may be a fifteenth station showing Jesus' resurrection. It is customary to

"make" the stations of the cross during Lent by walking around the stations and meditating on their story. This is a very emotive exercise which is not appropriate for young children, but Upper KS2 may like to work out the story of Good Friday by creating their own stations which could then be used as a display in the school hall. Pupils could be asked to devise their own list of stations using just one gospel; this will result in a shorter list of stations, perhaps seven or ten in total. You may wish to start your "stations" earlier in the gospel narrative, perhaps at the Last Supper.

The traditional list of stations is:

1. Pilate condemns Jesus to death 2. Jesus is given the cross 3. Jesus falls under its weight 4. He meets his mother Mary 5. Simon of Cyrene is forced to help carry the cross 6. Veronica wipes Jesus' face (traditional not Biblical) 7. Jesus falls again 8. Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem 9. He falls a third time 10. His clothes are stripped off. 11. He is nailed to the cross. 12 Jesus dies on the cross 13. Jesus is taken down from the cross 14. Jesus is buried in Joseph of Arimathaea's tomb 15. Jesus is raised from the dead.