DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

4A:

• What comes to mind when you think about the seasons of Christmas and Easter?
• What customs or traditions are associated with Christmas and Easter in your home country? Or with other religious festivals?
• Do you know anything about the Christian beliefs that lie behind Christmas and Easter?
• What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

4B:

• Can you think of anyone who has given up their life for another person or a cause?
• Can you imagine a situation where you might give up your life for someone else?
• How would you respond if you knew someone had given up their life for you?
• What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

4C:

• Do you believe in life after death? What do you think happens to us after death?
• Why do you think many people find it hard to believe in life after death?
• What do you think about the idea that Jesus died and rose from the dead for us? What difference might it make?
• What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

KEY PASSAGES FROM THE FILM

4A – “He came to bring life to the world”

The four Gospels are historical accounts of the life of Jesus, written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are based on eye-witness testimonies.

You see Jesus touching the lives of people in extraordinary ways. When he taught, they felt that the wisdom of God was speaking through him. When he forgave sins, they felt that the mercy of God was reaching out to touch them. When he prayed, it seemed that there was no distance between earth and heaven.

4B – “The Saving Death of Jesus”

Christians believe that Jesus gave his life for us by dying on the cross, and then rose from the dead on the third day, in the glory of the resurrection.  His death brings us peace with God, and the hope of eternal life. It brings healing. And it brings forgiveness for what the bible calls sin, which is all the wrong we have done and all the harm we have caused.

The cross of Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. It undoes all the damage that has ever been done and sets us free. It was of infinite value because the one saying Yes was the Son of God. All we need to do is to unite our yes with his, and try to love him in return.

4C – “The meaning of the Resurrection”

Christians believe that Jesus died and was raised to life on the third day by God the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit. He appeared to his friends and disciples – teaching them and sharing his life with them.

After forty days, he was taken up into heaven, body and soul, to be with the Father. Then, on the feast of Pentecost, he sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church, so that all people could share in this new life.

When he rose from the dead, Jesus did not just come back to his old life; he entered into a completely new way of being. His human body is now glorified, sharing in God’s eternal life. This is a new creation, freed from suffering and death. The resurrection is a symbol of hope, a sign of God’s victory over sin and evil.