Welcome to Christianity Explored! Join us for a meal, followed by our fourth session investigating the truth of Christianity, with Mark's Gospel as our guide.

In the last session, we saw that Jesus came to cure our heart problem — our sin. You can see a short summary of last session here. In this session, we will see what Mark tells us about why Jesus died.

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Session Four Notes

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. — Mark 10:45

• Jesus' death on a cross wasn't a tragic waste of life. It was a rescue.
• Jesus taught his followers that he must be killed. He came to "give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
• As Jesus was dying on the cross, darkness came over the whole land. God was acting in anger to punish sin.
• On the cross, Jesus was in some way "forsaken" or abandoned by God, as God punished sin.
• Jesus gave himself up as a substitute to be punished on our behalf. He bore the punishment that our sin deserves, so that we can be rescued.
• When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:38). Because of the cross, the way is now open for people to approach God.