[Dexter:] Notices for you, first of all those of you who are on the Committee. Any er ideas you've got you've got, please pass on to the Committee member Thursday dinner time. The only other er notice I've got for you is that tomorrow I forgot to put it on the notices tomorrow we've got a lot of visitors in school there's about er thirty five of them coming over who are likely to be joining us in the lower sixth next September er lessons with the lower sixth to find out what erm... what... lessons are like you know okay. Now do welcome them, do make them feel at home, especially those of you who are new to the place you will know and remember what it's like when you first come into a strange building that feels like home. Okay, so erm do them and then if they're lost on practical things like they don't know where the toilet is will you help them.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[Dexter:] and er
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[Dexter:] Thank you the only is that you will have seen organised generally supported that although I think we could support it a lot better than we have. So er think about that and remember
[speaker002:] It's a different format Mr Dexter this time, we're not having maths we're having a ten minute and that will be followed by a concert.... It's a completely different format, so you might... might like to come to that okay.
[Dexter:] Erm... this morning we have er another visitor and... who actually was a teacher and works at at a very senior position er heading er very interesting projects to technical location educations and I would like to er introduce you to Mr
[James:] Good morning everybody. It's about er ten years ago nearly that I er stopped being a teacher and when I was a teacher er up having to do assemblies er it was always something that I did with great reluctance and er was er pleased if I could get other people to do it er it seems rather odd then er that I've actually said yes coming to do er an assembly here today and it's perhaps a sign of mental instability on my part. Er what is necessary for me to also convey to you is that the theme that I was given today was one of forgiveness. Er... the only difference between the situation now and the situation when I was a teacher is that there are a lot of Christians in this room per square metre than there would have been in a school where I taught... and that applies to where I work now er because er... the number of Christians who are around me in in the workplace are actually even smaller I guess... and er that may be something that er you will need to recognise is an unusual feature of your school life and that er as you leave school so you're going to go into very different environments where people behave very differently. When a colleague discovered that I was coming here to do this er she saw it as laughable... and she also saw it as something that I would prefer to keep quiet from my colleagues and tried a bit of moral blackmail on me as well to say I'm going to tell them about that if you don't them about this sort of thing. Er to contact when you're talking about forgiveness er well that was just the end you know that point.... Life isn't always like that for me and there are times when I do have
[speaker002:] [cough]
[James:] Christians around me when I am on Sundays and on Sundays I'm often involved in my own church with er preaching appointments and for me when I'm preaching the... the good news that is the heart of is actually one of forgiveness. I know from my own life of faith that my thoughts, my words and my often fail to match up to the Christian ideal... there is much that I do that hurts other people and there is much that I do that does not reflect Christ.... The Christians good news is that guilt and shame that I have of such behaviour is actually taken away from me. I don't deserve that forgiveness, but the God who loves me who has actually died on the cross for me has actually taken all of that away and more than that has made me new, has actually raised me as a new life with him. I've been lifted out of my selfishness. Now you think that because I am... I am forgiven and I preach forgiveness that I would be pretty good as up people, but that's part of my human failure... and I must admit that I've given plenty of opportunity to practice at home and at work er the opportunity to forgive, but it doesn't come easily... and certainly it isn't a strong feature of the non-Christian world in which I work and which you will be working soon. Forgiveness is not a strong feature of life. You've been brought up in a television age and you've been particularly been brought up in an age of card cartoons and soap operas and in all of those you would er expect to see good being oppressed that's part of the plot in every cartoon there is a plot in every soap opera, that the good... the good people actually end up in difficult situations... and the way that results in the cartoons and in the soap operas is usually find revenge or punishment.... Let me give an example Dirty Den got his comeuppance in Eastenders... erm the Road Runner always er wants er always manages to get that crafty bull er to the follies of his own tracks. It's all to do with revenge and punishment rather than with forgiveness. The only trouble with storylines like that is that life is for more complicated er we may want to see justice be done, we may want to see virtue being rewarded, we may want to see er all of those things happen, but when we make mistakes... when we make mistakes, when we are not virtuous, we actually end up not being too keen, but justice should be applied straight away. We actually want mercy, we want forgiveness, we want leniency.... I've got on the tape here a song which is by Manny Fryer he used to sing in Steel Ice Band er now I know that that's sort of very old hat, I'm sorry, but I sort of live in the past and er this er I I believe also that these days so that er you know I can sort of justify that but this is a song that er she has sung which er reminds us that each of us has the potential to commit the crime... I'll try not to play it fast forward, let's see how we go. [music for three minutes]. consider today and it's two things. I'm inviting you to consider how far a Christian should go in forgiving and to how far a Christian organisation like this school should go, in showing forgiveness... er I just want to kick you off with one or two points on each of those. That... I On the first point about us and our own showing of forgiveness. Jesus himself has things to say, for example his disciples asked him how many times should I forgive somebody else.... I was actually looking at you before I came in, but just come out here for a second... There are two ways I can hurt you.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[James:] Actually there's probably... probably three ways that I can hurt you. One way I can hurt you is physically all right? And another way I can hurt you is er mentally... and the third way I can hurt you is by combining the two together. All right? But I think that basically there's either two or three ways that each one of us has the ability to hurt somebody else.... You've been doing it to each other all the time... but if I were to hurt you or if anybody else here were to hurt you physically or mentally... how many times would you forgive them? If they did it once, would you forgive them?
[speaker002:] Yes.
[James:] Yeah, probably. If they did the same thing again to you?
[speaker002:] Maybe.
[James:] Maybe.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[James:] and the third time? Er... it's very hard to keep on forgiving somebody for hurting you in the same way over and over again and in this particular example, three times and that's it. Just... just all right. Don't more than three times all right thank you very much for your help there. There is another question, how many times do I forgive somebody. Should it be as many as seven times... and Jesus had replied both no, no you should be able to forgive forgive them seven times, it should be seventy times... in other words stop thinking about counting and just get on with the forgiving.... And in the prayer that Jesus
[speaker002:] [cough]
[James:] he says that we should say God please forgive us as we forgive others.... So how far do you actually want God to forgive you up to three times and then no more... you know it's... it's that kind of er question that we're asking and that we... that I feel that is something we should be thinking about that how far should a Christian go in forgiving. It's er all this is a fascinating theory or is it a question in real life. I invite you to think about just how far you should go in forgiving others in daily living, whether it's in here or outside. Another on the second point about how far a Christian organisation like this school should go in showing forgiveness. You may be familiar with those sorts of stories which say my convent life was hell with the Sisters of Mercy er that kind of story about er church organisations that absolute not to show er Christian qualities in the way that they are organised is quite true that often Christian organisations do find it hard to show forgiveness. So should a school like this one equip for the realities of unforgiveness of the world outside, or should it be much more generous in the way it shows forgiveness... and can a school be organised so that it does actually reflect Christ's teaching on forgiveness. Is this the impossible. I'll be interested to hear what the teachers have to think about that and like you.... Can we just end with a... a short story about the job that I used to do before I did this one.... When I went to... the first meeting I had been appointed to the job, I went to the first meeting and there in front of me were lots of people who were managing their own schools... and they were organising how to spend money that they had been allocated.... all sorts of managing business and they had to work together and to hold group organisations. The person whom I was going to take over the job from said to me at the end of the meeting well what do you think of that meeting... and I must admit I the answer and luckily somebody else instructed with some other business and I felt I got off the hook here... but in fact that got dealt with very quickly and he came back to me and said well what did you think of the meeting... and I had to say to him just one word, was the way I put it. Because everybody in that meeting was thinking about blaming other people... they were actually trying to say it's not my fault that thing come in, it's not my fault that things are like this, it's somebody else's fault in a different organisation. It's not us, it's them.... and then I had to work with these people and I knew that that was the kind of way that they were operating... and I had to teach them by the way I worked... but in fact it was okay to admit that we do make mistakes. We have to admit that each one of us could fail in what we were supposed to be doing and in fact then we could work together, that we could forgive each other and that we could support each other in our work. In my present job I still try to keep that going. We do need to be able to show forgiveness in all the things that we do... but it isn't easy and Jesus devotion to is a great challenge to us as to just how far we can go. So in your groups now I appreciate it and I have asked. Erm I'd like you to be considering those two points. First how far a Christian should go in showing forgiveness and second how far a Christian organisation like this school should go in showing forgiveness. Thanks for your patience.
[speaker002:] [clapping]
[Dexter:] That was very kind of you Sir James erm.
[speaker002:] Particular example, remember this is all confidential I I'm told so er er it won't go any further than this... room. got anything [LAUGHTER] all the time So do you think it's something to do with maturity perhaps a child, a child is this wha what do you mean by forgiving? You can forgive or punish at the same time can't you, you can punish somebody and say that is wrong and yet you forgive them, that is you don't hold it against them... but you later on. they may get they get sort of get a bad name and perhaps not No. No. You also have to think of the effect it has on other people, how er if you just let people get away with it, it doesn't mean you hate them, loathe them and damn them but er you've got to make them realise that for other people, for everybody. What do you think er Graham.
[Graham:] what the parents you know.
[speaker002:] one-to-one
[Graham:] Yes.
[speaker002:] Martina?
[Martina:] [LAUGHTER] really.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] How then, how then? [LAUGHTER] Christians are supposed to forgive, but what if say it's the mother of somebody who had a child that's been murdered or if somebody has been raped you cannot say that they should forgive you cos they were a Christian. There's a lot of talk about forgiving or forgetting isn't there, some people say I can forgive but I can never forget. Er you might think about some of these parents who have children murdered in the how much do you think revenge comes into it? is it? It's not that they're in rehabilitation, it's just like seeing that person is locked away in the prime of their lives revenge. Is this revenge or is this just the stopping other people from suffering really? [LAUGHTER] Shut up [LAUGHTER] Anyway [LAUGHTER] [LAUGHTER] they ask about school say, but I don't think schools have the authority really to do anything either way about er forgiveness. It's like if you fall out with a teacher on the first day of term, if that teacher [LAUGHTER] You haven't that chapter for the rest of the year and say the teacher probably thinks well this child and [LAUGHTER] [whistling] I think forgiveness is not always An ideal
[Graham:] forgive thine enemy always remember
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Well next time I'll kick you [LAUGHTER] Okay number one. Yes, yes, yes. Number one then please spell the word Romeo, Romeo. Number two... spell the word Juliet... Number three spell the word Capulet, Capulet. Number four spell the word Montague, Montague... Number five spell the word Tybaot, Tybaot... Number six spell Benbolio, Benbolio... Number seven Balthasar, Balthasar... Number eight spell the word Escales, Escales, the Prince of Rome.... Number nine spell the word Mercutio, Mercutio... Number ten... spell the word Paris... Number eleven is worth two marks I want you to spell Friar and Lawrence. You get a mark for each. Friar and Lawrence, Friar and Lawrence.... Next one, Mantua, Mantua. When Romeo went to Mantua... then Verona, Verona... The last one is Apothecary, Apothecary, the man who sells Romeo the poison. Apothecary.... Okay, swap books then. Right, we'll go through them then erm and I would like to put your hands up tell me how to spell them. So number one Romeo, can someone spell Romeo for me please. [spelling] R O M E O [] [spelling] R O M E O [] that's right. Number two, Juliet. [spelling] J U L I E T [] Good, [spelling] J U L I E T [] Number three Capulet. [spelling] C A P U L E T [] [spelling] C A P U L E T []. Four, Montague. [spelling] M O N T A G U E [] [spelling] M O N T A G U E []. Next one, Tybaot [spelling] T Y B A O T [] [spelling] T Y B A O T [] Now Benbolio. [spelling] B E N B O L I O [] [spelling] B E N B O L I O [] Next one, Balthasar [spelling] B A L T H A S A R [] Good [spelling] B A L T H A S A R [] Er Escales, Prince, Prince of Rome. Paul.
[Paul:] [spelling] E S C A L E S []
[speaker002:] [spelling] E S C A L E S [] Mercutio [spelling] M E R C U T I O [] Good [spelling] M E R C U T I O [] Paris. [spelling] P A R I S [] [spelling] P A R I S [] Now Fryer and Lawrence two marks. Craig.
[Craig:] [spelling] F R I A R []
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[Craig:] [spelling] L A W R E N C E []
[speaker002:] Good [spelling] F R I A R L A W R E N C E [] Mantua [spelling] M A N T U A [] [spelling] M A N T U A [] Verona. [spelling] V E R O N A [] [spelling] V E R O N A [] and Apothecary, Lisa.
[Lisa:] [spelling] A P O T H E C A R Y []
[speaker002:] Excellent. [spelling] A P O T H E C A R Y [] fifteen and pass then back please. Right anyone less than ten? No, got eleven? Twelve? Thirteen? Well John was absent wasn't he, so he didn't have any test. Fourteen? Not bad. Fifteen? Excellent, well done, let's have a round of applause. [clapping] Right, we'll do a quick quick true or false. Then we'll do some. No you don't have to write the answers, I'll just ask them you orally. So true or false. duel. True. Romeo left a suicide note? True. True. Capulet? True. True. The nurse had a daughter named Susan? True. True, good. Erm Lady to murder Romeo in exile? True. True, good. Lady Montague dies of grief at Romeo's banishment? True. True, yeah. The Prince sentences death at the end of the play? False. False, good. Er Friar Lawrence was a Dominican monk? False. False. Can anyone tell me Friar Lawrence tell me what sort of a monk he was? He wasn't Dominican was he. Franciscan. He was Franciscan, yes Erm going to church on Sunday? And Shakespeare didn't existing story. True. Yes. Very good. Erm yeah, Romeo and Juliet was not completely his idea, it came from a sort of long poem which he read about two lovers and then he turned it into a play. So he got the basic idea from a poem, but obviously the play he wrote himself. Right, now let's do a bit of hot seating hey, where one of you will sit on a chair and pretend to be one of the characters and then the others will ask a question. So someone might be Friar Lawrence, someone might be Romeo. So let's have about six different characters, before we do it I'd like you need drafting books, just to think of a few questions that you would ask the characters. So let's have the obvious two, Romeo and Juliet.... Now which other four do you think were the key if you had to pick out six major ones, yeah. Friar Lawrence. Yeah, well Friar Lawrence because he's quite important to the plot.... Who else do think is important? Paris. Do you think Paris is that important? Would anyone like to argue with her and say it's not that much you know an important character. Sorry I lost Cos you don't hear much of him, he's just like the person you were planning to marry him, you don't hear much of him till started. Yes, go on were you gonna answer that? He's not much of a character, he's sort of a cardboard character isn't he, he's just the other man, the man that they want to marry Juliet. He's we don't really get to know him as a person. So let's see if there's anyone a bit more meatier and we get to know their character a bit more. The nurse. Yes, we want the nurse. She's a good character in it. Who else? Five and six. Stephen?
[Stephen:] Capulet.
[speaker002:] Capulet. Can anyone think of a better one maybe? Tybaot. Yes, Tybaot would be a good one, because he's full of aggression isn't he. Well he does get killed off in that doesn't he. Mercutio. Mercutio's a good one, yes. but he's not really in it that much is he. Erm anybody else, people like Balthasar, but they're only small characters aren't they. Montague we don't see much of, Rosalind we don't see at all. She might be, but I think there's six of the better ones. So think of a question for each of them then and write then down what you might ask them. So in your drafting books please. [whispering] Any volunteers on this table any of the six? It's not easy is it. Right two more minutes and then we'll start. Right let's make a start then. Right can we have Romeo on the chair please thank you. [clapping] Right, this is Romeo then, Romeo Erm does anyone want to ask questions then to Romeo, what yeah. What did you feel when you heard about I was surprised and I couldn couldn't believe what happened, I was saying gutted. My heart was split in two. I felt a rush of Wh wh this outrage. Thank you, thank you Romeo, right. If you loved Rosalind so much, how. My love for Rosalind was nothing compared to Juliet when I saw her beautiful dazzling [LAUGHTER] Right do you think you [LAUGHTER] Would you have got together with Rosalind if you never met Juliet, would you have actually got together with Rosalind? I felt, I felt, I never even thought of I mean I... I never felt nothing for Rosalind no interest or anything. Just infatuation was it? Yeah? Yeah Juliet was like a teenage queen or was it puppy love? Couldn't you see that I loved her when I s the moment I saw her, I just, I just I threw myself to her, I wanted to give her anything, even my life. Anyone got any questions about his fight with Tybaot and killing Paris and that side of any, Lisa?
[Lisa:] Do you regret between Tybaot and
[speaker002:] I just wanted to s revenge for it was supposed to be a fight for me, but I was really angry when he killed my friend so I wanted to revenge Tybaot and suddenly I killed him. Erm about Paris after you killed him why did you Juliet? Good question... Yes. Well I thought was a very decent man, even if I killed him. [LAUGHTER] Erm... he didn't even very much but as soon as he came between me and Juliet, he just I'm lucky I killed him. I just grabbed I just granted... granted his wish and I Thank you very much Romeo. [clapping] Juliet. Sorry about that. Right, any questions for Juliet then? Daniel?
[Daniel:] Did you ever feel for Tybaot's death?
[speaker002:] Of course I did he was my cousin. Of course I feel for him. But I was upset Romeo banished Why did you Well when my parents were Romeo and I have left my wealth, my family and it was. Anyway. Abigail? Did you always have faith that Romeo would come back for you? Yes I did, I Paul? [LAUGHTER] Well at first but it wouldn't work got to Romeo on time, so no I don't. just like Paris. Well... it was terrible, just think I was already married and your parents come up to you and say oh, you've got to marry someone else. How would you feel? Erm Catherine?
[Dexter:] Why do you think Romeo
[speaker002:] Well then my parents would have to accept it wouldn't they, they would have to have face face face up to the fact that I wasn't already married. Right, erm Erm when you went to what would you have resorted to if you didn't know I would have killed myself. Okay [LAUGHTER] well Matthew?
[James:] Did you really think there was a nightingale
[speaker002:] Well no, I knew it was a lark, but I didn't want Romeo to go. Excellent, well done. [clapping] Right Friar Lawrence then please. Well, in a way it wasn't dangerous I'd say, it was a very worked plan and it would have worked if the letter had got there, so I know it was going to work and I would not say it was dangerous. Okay Pardon? No, I wouldn't say because in a way I've saved her life. She's just that if she didn't take that potion of mine she would have killed herself anyway. So I did save her life. Okay, er What was your thought of Friar Lawrence couldn't get the letter to Romeo? Well when, when Friar Lawrence returned when he was meant to be giving the letter to Romeo, I was just devastated, I did I just didn't know what to do so all I could do was rush down to the graveyard and try and stop Romeo, by the time I was there it was too late. Right, thank you. Thanks very much. [clapping] Mercutio then. Do you hate Romeo coming between you and Tybaot when you were fighting? No, I don't hate Romeo, but he was my friend and he just wanted to keep the peace. I may he may I may have died in the end but still, you know he wanted to keep the peace and wanted to be his friend. Right, Abigail? after Well Romeo was although he wanted to keep the peace, he was a chicken so I had to... stick up for him cos I don I don't like people doing that to my friends. He says Romeo was a chicken. Do you agree with that? Why do you think, I mean in the fight didn't he. Well that doesn't necessarily mean he's chicken does it? It sometimes takes more courage to say no, I don't want to you than to get into the fight yeah. Right, Lisa?
[Lisa:] that Romeo was in love with Juliet so.
[speaker002:] Right yes but even if, even if Romeo took marriage, the fact doesn't always mean you're chicken does it just say let's talk about it instead. Catherine?
[Dexter:] Why do you think Romeo
[speaker002:] Well erm cos I like playing jokes and everything. I think they just thought I'm the type of person who'd go too far and... you know do a joke like that, but I'm not. Okay, last question. Mercutio, why do you always act so foolish? [LAUGHTER] I just want to live life to the full you know, enjoy myself, go round, you know. Right, thank you very much Mercutio. [clapping] Tybaot. angry, aggressive Tybaot.. What do you get out of I like it, it gives you a lot of fun and pleasure. It's like... you like... do ballet dancing, I do fighting. [LAUGHTER] Ballet dancing [LAUGHTER] Right erm, Eva?
[Graham:] Why should you
[speaker002:] Pardon?
[Graham:] Why do you Why did you go out of the way to kill Romeo?
[speaker002:] Cos I felt like it. [LAUGHTER] Yeah, he killed Romeo because he was in the opposite house, he was an enemy Mm wasn't he Montague really. Yeah. Mark?
[Martina:] Why when Mercutio assaulted you did you try to fight the enemy instead of Mercutio?
[speaker002:] Cos I Why? Cos I do, gets on my nerves. Can you remember when there was a bit of scuffle between Tybaot and Romeo earlier on? Once, once. Well yeah and because he talked to the He didn't like the way Romeo... gate crashed the Yeah I know. When Romeo said something to you, could you forgive Romeo? I don't think so, cos I've never liked him ever, even if he did get married to Juliet. Okay, thank you very much Tybaot. [clapping] The last one the nurse please. Right, go on. Why weren't erm everyone and the father and mother were calling Juliet, Juliet instead of when Juliet's did you just sort of Romeo? Yes. Why? Well because I thought Paris was better for her, cos Romeo's just a going killing people and especially her cousin. I know how much her cousin means to her. Thank you. Jane?
[Paul:] At the beginning of the play when you was dead set on erm getting married and was sort of arranging it, why, why su such a change of heart.
[speaker002:] Well cos of what Romeo did and anyway I didn't know about how much Paris wants to marry her. What means Well what would you expect when, when one of your loved ones died, you'd be very hurt and upset. Romeo was I mean Juliet was like a child to me. Juliet would still be alive. Could you repeat that please. Would you ever, would you ever Juliet alive? No, she was like a child to me. Okay, thank you and Catherine?
[Dexter:] Weren't you scared that you were being
[speaker002:] Well yes... I would be. Last question What do you think of Romeo taking Juliet away from you? Well happiness then what I can give her. Okay, thank you very much. [clapping] Some excellent questions raised there. Very good good way. Now I was looking through some brochures about erm productions of Romeo and Juliet, I haven't found one yet that's on before May. I want to try and get one before May before the exam, but there is a superb production on i the summer, it's on June and July and it's at an open-air theatre erm in Lincolnshire and what people do is they go and take a picnic and you sort of take your rug and sit there and cos it it'll be hot in the summer it would be really nice and you watch it outdoors and it's in this big stately home which is in it's own grounds and there's gift shops and restaurants and bars and... obviously won't go in the bars but [LAUGHTER] you know there's lo it's beautiful and like a big stately home you can wander round the gardens for a bit and then go and watch the performance and if it rains then there's a canopy you can pull the canopy over like at Wimbledon and you know it's a really nice day. Now I said Mr Nichol I'd to take you to that erm but the only thing is it's after the... so I don't know how you feel if you'd if you would rather see a performance before the exam, or you would rather see that one after the exam, or... two. [LAUGHTER] The thing is I mean if there's only a handful of you want to go, we can maybe get the mini bus and I could just take ten of you. If you didn't all want to go, you know you don't have to go, but then I could just take maybe ten or fifteen of you, but how many will be interested in going to the one in the summer in this lovely out-door theatre? Right, hands down. How many would want to go to one before May before the exam? Right, and how many would want to go to both? Oh excellent, right. Okay. So I'll try and get something sorted before May, if not then we'll go to the one in July, it'll be red it should be red hot in July... and it's a really nice day and if we make a day of it, then we can take a picnic and you know it's very so pleasant. We went with the sixth formers las last summer we went to see The Tempest and it's such a beautiful place you know, it's you're outdoors but it's quite weird the way they do it, because you're like in a canopy but the actual stage it outdoors, so you're covered but you get a bit cold and you need to take woollies and things, it can get a bit cold out there, but it should be nice in the summer. So we'll definitely get, get something. But it wouldn't be cheap the tickets, it's quite an expensive place to go to, but it would be well worth it, as it would be a good production. Okay. Examination paper.... Our councils are drawn from society on... the bring that into modern day life erm... our councils are drawn from all sections of society the Sanhedrin purely represent... representatives of the Jewish Community their elders, their leaders, their priests, their religious lay people, all... were represented on this highest authority this council. What kind of people what you expect to see on the local council in Nottingham? er well respected people councils. Yeah, but what kind of people, what kind of people give their give me some of the different types of people Well. What, pardon? Wealthy people. Wealthy people. Wealthy? Do you reckon? Do you reckon? Middle aged people. Middle aged people. Yes. People from different levels of society. Men. Do you mean what do you mean by different levels of society oh men oh right, sorry I was a bit slow on that one, just, just It, it tends to be men, yeah, it's more men No I don't think so. [LAUGHTER] let's get out of this conversation. What were you saying Matthew? Yeah, give me some examples.
[Craig:] a communal
[speaker002:] Right.
[Craig:] A manager.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[Craig:] And a shop floor worker.
[speaker002:] A shop floor worker good, yeah. Skilled, semi-skilled, non-skilled workers see the different levels of... of livelihood that you see to be measured on sort of thing... and er... therefore you've gotta good way of representing this society as a whole haven't you. The decisions that have to be made generally speaking. Local councils do help to direct communities and that's what the Sanhedrin were hoping that they could do too, they advised their communities. There are also there for very serious reasons too, sorry were you going to say something Jacqueline? Sorry I couldn't quite get that.
[Lisa:] shop floor.
[speaker002:] Not many people from the shop floor. Well, I mean you may be right I can't be I'm not I'm not absolutely certain myself but er it would be nice to think that we were represented at a local authority level, yeah, by different cross-sections of our community. You can't all be company directors, some of us are gonna have to be shop floor workers aren't we.... People making decisions for you at that level, but the point I'm trying to make is our society's much more complicated and much more sophisticated now in the way that arrangements are made, the decision making for the community. You do have you have local government and you have different political parties represented within that local government structure as well. We've also got you know that kind of a your national government what not that higher level. Er you've got people who were representing the community that's as far as law and order is concerned... er making decisions. Our society's very complex in that... that erm in that sense, the effect that you feel is break the law erm you know if you want certain services, we're supposed to have a structure in our society which is which is catered for, which caters for all eventualities. Now it's a system you go through if you break the law, you know we have an education system which is organised for us by our local community who builds the school, who runs the school, who's on the governors of those schools. The structures are there for the individual to respond to the community and in a helpful way sometimes. Sometimes if you've made a mistake and the parallel I'm drawing is with the Jewish... community in Jesus time. He would he'd been identified as a character that was at least stirring up trouble, but gradually this filtered through to the authorities. So what they did was they sent people out to listen to him, you've got evidence of that as early on as Chapter One and Chapter Two. Early suggested people was... just checking him out, finding out what's going on... they'd send the feelers out.... Erm... and when it was established that there was something serious here to... to question, they went and arrested him. The authorities arrested him so he got that kind of... and erm and then they started to ask him questions. Now... the authority of the community was carried by the Sanhedrin they brought him to what is... what they accepted as a trial erm... they'd assessed that something was going against their structures, and as I've already said... religious life was the most important thing... he'd broken it seems a religious law and the council the court the gathering together of the seventy members of the Sanhedrin were going to in a serious sort of way check this out, check this accusation out.... right so it was kind of it was a religious accusation. What was the accusation Andrew?... What were the religious leaders worried about? That they gathered together their Sanhedrin, their court and they brought him to it.
[Stephen:] Jesus was gonna was gonna take take over their power.
[speaker002:] I think that's an implication... of what they were accusing him of, but were they bringing him to trial for. You come to trial and you've been accused of something, what were they accusing him of? Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah. Claiming to be the Messiah. Anything else they accused him of, that's the key point, that was the key issue. Blasphemy. Blasphemy, claiming to be God. The same sort of thing... isn't it, you know this is this is the technical description for what it was. Yes? tear down the temple Tearing down the temple... and re-building it in three days. Extraordinary claims that were... were being made by Jesus. So he was brought to trial... so they could test out this, this whole situation, get to the bottom of it and the, the high priest Kiathas was the central figure in organising the troops. Yes? What is she for? Because er I was I was trying I was told yesterday that I didn't do Who told you that? Mr sir Right, would you do your religious studies er work in this lesson because I know nothing about that and er neither does Mrs Chester, so I will check that with Mr later. I'm sure that he has not said to you that you can do work other than your religious studies at the moment, so that's what you should be doing... but you say he has and we will check it later. Thank you. [door closing] [whispering] Could we just read this little passage then... and er can we share the reading. I'll start it off and then if you don't mind. Let me just point out to you that... last year if you remember they asked you to describe the... the passage where Jesus is crucified, that's 1521 to 31 and I guess they won't do that again this year, but they're likely to pick on a significant passage, significant section then you're asked to relate it... relate... the passage at the end of Mark's Gospel where Jesus is crucified. Well it could be the Jewish trial, it could be the Roman trial. You need to be very familiar with the text, you can't learn it word-for-word for goodness sake, but you certainly are able to identify all the key issues and key aspects of it and that's what you're looking out for, so you could re-tell the story again, you can re-tell the story again yourself accurately, identifying all the key points.... I'll start and then someone else can pick up. I'll read the first two verses. Right then Jesus was taken to the High Priest's house where all the chief priests, the Elders and the Teachers of the Law were gathering. Peter followed from a distance and went into the Court Guard of the High Priest's house. There he sat down with the guards keeping himself warm by the fire. Read on for me David will you David
[Daniel:] The Chief Priest and the whole council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death. They could not find any. Many witnesses told lies against Jesus against Jesus not even they however could make their stories agree.
[speaker002:] Thank you. Just hold it there. There are some very important bits that we need to be making a... a note of there, and many witnesses told lies against Jesus, but their stories didn't agree, they tried to find some evidence against him in order to put him to death Mark tells us, but they couldn't find any. Right, the story's building up to a sort of crescendo erm... the... the Sanhedrin was saying he heard him say I will tear down this temple which men have made and after three days I will build one that is not made by men... with our hindsight, with our knowledge of what went on. We're living after the event aren't we. We know what he was saying there, the three days gives it away... the death on the Friday and the Resurrection on the Sunday, right. We know what he's talking about. Put yourself in the in the shoes of the Sanhedrin, they didn't know what he was talking about, they're probably talking literally. You know and if you'd seen the size of the temple there were thinking well, come on, and the trouble that they'd gone through over their history to establish er a capital city with a temple as the main feature, they were not happy about him saying that.... Right.... But what Jesus was referring to was not the material kingdom, but the spiritual kingdom.... Can you imagine taking all those thousands of years trying to get your people together and then somebody saying well I'm gonna destroy your capital city and rebuild it.... Read on for us Paul please. [clears throat] and questioned Jesus as to the accusation. Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word and again the High Priest questioned him. Are you the Messiah the Son of the Blessed God? Just hold it there Paul. Quite important isn't it. So the High Priest brings it all together and says what's your answer. You're here, you're on trial, you can see him being accused of all sorts of things, defend yourself, job your opportunity to clarify in front of us, we represent the people. Tell us, what is this all about? You know simple language, they wanted to know where he was coming from, but Jesus it says would not say a word in answer to any of those accusations, but then the High Priest says are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God.... Read on for us Lena sixty two. Hold it there Lena. What is your decision... because these couple of verses erm are essential to our understanding of... what happens next. We need to understand the position of the Sanhedrin, Jesus is really representing... great changes in their tradition... great... a great revolution really and we know that what he was doing was... was sort of getting Christianity to grow out of Judaism, but it meant that Judaism had to move to one side. Jesus was saying it's a fulfilment of all the Old Testament prophecy... that referred to becoming a Messiah. He even uses words which come from the Old Testament Book of Daniel and they recognised that and here they've got this pathetic looking individual in front of them threatening to destroy the temple, threatening to this, that and the other and here you've got this power Sanhedrin... who can't recognise him really as the Messiah and yet... there's a ring of truth about some of things that he's talking about. The one in particular I'm referring to you will see we'd all see the Son of Man,they they'd recognised that... reference to himself Son of Man, they'd recognised that... because that comes out of the Old Testament Book of Daniel doesn't it, the Son of Man... seated on the right hand of the Almighty coming with the clouds of heaven. It's a sort of reference to the way the Messiah will come and rescue and save God's people.... So there's a ring of truth in what Jesus is saying here. I would guess that some of the Sanhedrin were confused. Some of them would be outraged... We certainly know that one of them was convinced by Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin... and you know that, that later on we're told of Joseph of Arimathea, but what did he do Michael do you know, does anybody know what Joseph of Arimathea did? Yes? He offered his... so there you have some insight into the members of the Sanhedrin, Joseph of Arimathea northern areas of er Judaea, Arimathea is and don't forget worried, worried Jerusalem now, this, this group together Yes Matthew.
[Craig:] What did he do?
[speaker002:] He er what I was just gonna say, he offered his tomb, his burying place to Jesus after he'd died, it's not the action of a man who totally rejected Jesus claims to be the Messiah. So he tells you that there was some, some sympathy towards Jesus through this on the Sanhedrin.... Just read on for us James please when you've finished yawning. It's a bit hot there in the sun isn't it. Sending you to sleep is it?
[James:] Mm.
[speaker002:] On you go James, good lad.
[James:] some of them, some of them began to spit on Jesus and they blind folded him.
[speaker002:] Thank you very much. Now I just want to explain something to you that you can that you can put down in your notes in any way that you like, that you can understand best yourself. You were not there, I was not there... Saint Mark or the person who wrote this Gospel was not there... Someone has recorded this for us... looking back on it. We know that Saint Mark... we know that the Gospel writer... recorded all this information about thirty years after the death of Jesus. This had happened thirty years previously. We know that he'd tried to gather all his sources of information together as best he possibly could and he wrote his Gospel very quickly. It's a it's a brief and abrupt account of the events of Jesus life.... But he wasn't there... he was gathering information together about the incident. His number one source of information is Peter... Mark the Gospel writer has an intention, he has a purpose within this Gospel. He has a duty, his Christian duty that he's adopted... to communicate this so that other Christians can understand what was happening to Jesus.... and there's so much of the kind of change in the last few chapters leading up to this which suddenly got Jesus being spat at... Saint Mark is telling us that Jesus has now been condemned. Look at the change. Go back a few chapters, visit Jesus in Kaburdian and Galilee. Go and see the reaction of the people who witnessed him cure the blind man... Blind Bartiamaus or Bethsiedum Go and check out what the woman who with a haemorrhage had to say about him. Here we've got him being spat at and condemned to death. Now Saint Marcus had to put all that lot together to make it look right and make it make sense, with hindsight, bringing all the important pieces together. What he's saying to us here is that... that there is... a reason that Jesus had been condemned and that those who had the authority to do so had carried out their work. They've done it swiftly... as possibly, too quick to be just. He was taken out of the garden at put on trial, all the others were gathered together swiftly... Normally a Jewish trial would take much longer than this. I think it looks like... he wanted to get the thing over and done with before the Sabbath.... But Mark has to put all the package together.... and it's extraordinary to notice to make a note of the fact that from being a defender of the people, a popular character, Jesus now is hitting rock bottom. From now on you'll see him... taking a part. He'll be ridiculed, he'll be mocked, he'll be scourged, you know something reserved for the people who were really being taught a lesson. You're being totally stripped of all your honour... your credibility... can you see that contrast that Mark is introducing us to. Jesus is absolutely hitting the floor this, rock bottom. He's heading towards death, he's in the clutches of the authorities and probably the common people taking a few steps back. Even his closest friends are going whoa, hold on, can't take the Sanhedrin on, hold on, look at the temple, look at the temple guards, look at this it's too much for me. Can't Jesus. We've seen him do it before, but he doesn't, doesn't say a word.... Probably that knocked Peter back a little bit, we'll read on a little bit later... but Peter fully abandons Jesus let's face it. He's not the guy he said he was. You know Jesus has been... the leader who'd been taken away from his group, very clever tactical ploy. Jesus had come to Jerusalem, the capital of Judaism to take on the religious authorities and at this point in time in this Gospel it looks like he's lost, gonna be dead in a couple of days.... It looks like he's lost and Mark paints a very clear picture of the suffering, the... the insults the mockery. He can't, he can't be treated much, much worse, he's not even guilty of anything except good. He does this deliberately to show that you too as a Christian will hit the floor. People will mock you, they'll, they'll hit you, they'll slap you, they'll accuse you of things that you you're not guilty of... they may even kill you.... And he's setting the scene for the Resurrection... he's setting the setting the scene for his triumph out of despair. A lot of things are yet to happen from where we've just left off the story.... Hello Mr I've just sent them back, they said they were coming looking for their guitar lessons. Whether that's true or not I've got to follow up there's no one here for them. I've sent them back to both in their trainers. They're er approaching your room now. Right, I've spoken to both of them first thing this morning about their trainers. I'll keep an eye out for them and have a word with them. Thanks Okay, hopefully you've had a chance to make, to make notes on that. I was I was looking at the syllabus last night and I was working out how much we've got to do yet and where we are an and I really do feel confident that no matter where you are in your course work situation, that if w if we planned the thing right and we sort it out between now and the summer,tha that we could well get a good few Grade A's in here and obviously work it well. I think to the top end, then those of you who were struggling around with D syndrome at moment, you know let's get you pushed in there. Erm... cos it's possible. Erm... here they are now. [LAUGHTER] Children, would you like to wave at them. [LAUGHTER] Erm... I have a sneaking suspicion that, that the area in they focus on... and it it's... the obvious was to think about it is Resurrection. That's just the kind of gut feeling that I have. If you wanna know anything about Christianity... Yes come in gentlemen. no blazer. No maths lesson unless you get up there pretty quick now. You, why haven't you got your change shoes on? Guiseppe, do see my problem? Everybody's doing it now. Bring your note in the morning about this and wear your shoes tomorrow morning. [door closing] Erm it's pretty obvious really you wanna know anything about Christianity, you don't know it, let's put it this way, you don't know anything about Christianity unless you know something about Resurrection. Okay, make sure you spell it right.... But that that's a little thought that I have, a gut feeling... you know... an instinct... erm that might be an area that could be chosen concentrated on this year. Erm we'll look at that again, that's enough on that. Any comments please any thoughts on anything anybody wants to say... at this point? No? Right, that's the Jewish trial. The thing to remember is... your last little note is that it seems to be that they're accusing him of blasphemy as it was said. They were accusing him of claiming to be God.... Right, they're accusing him to be... claiming to be God and they actually say... they actually say their decision is that he's guilty and should be put to death, they've condemned him to death. That's as far as their authority goes.... Can't kill him themselves. Why can't they kill him themselves Matthew? Because? Why haven't they got the authority. Pardon? Why didn't the Romans have to do it? government. Absolutely right.... You allow a certain amount of control to a group of people whose country you're occupying. The Romans were occupying the Jews country. They wanted to keep them happy, they let them carry on with their religion, it didn't interest them... but when it comes down to serious things like killing erm political agitators, the Romans wanted to deal with that themselves. You can you understand that? Right we're talking about the way you control the country, and the way you control the people. The Romans were very good at that, ultimately they just they were just a powerful military force, but they were also very clever about the way they... they kept their influence in various countries. What I want you to look for in the next little passage that we look at is the way that the Sanhedrin present their case to Pontius Pilate. What did they accuse him of in front of Pontius Pilate, that's what we're looking for in the Roman trial next to come. Is it a religious accusation or is it a political accusation. We'll leave it at that and we'll pick it up again next time because we've done enough on that. Could you get out th the stuff be careful of the recording equipment there but er. What stuff? Just under that, under there. Chapter eleven question please. Just different voices, so you know if you Hello Mum Not all odd stuff. Hello, Mum. [LAUGHTER] Erm it's for... it 's it's in order that, that in the nineties... we have a historical record, I think I'm I think I'm saying this right, there is a historical record of the kind of words that are being introduced into the into our language into our vocabulary like for example i.e. Like what ya, you old cockney sparrow. [LAUGHTER] Yes, well that only, only from the point of view that they're being used so often, that they're also almost becoming... well can you think of any words that, that are that are... that have been introduced recently into our vocabulary that have that have that have been acceptable in common language? You know that you wouldn't expect to see there normally, I mean the one I'm always on about is when everybody says you know that, that the thing is the thing is bad you know and when you say it's that, it's actually good. Wicked confusing isn't it. Perhaps they're changing the language round back to front. [LAUGHTER] Right, so when you're You know you've sensitive to popular culture haven't you to understand that. You know without thinking about it. Whe when they're actually describing something like homework oh that's cool, they don't really mean it as good, or do they? [LAUGHTER] Right, the Chapter questions. Use sellotape. Right you've done the answers to question one Dominic, excellent, well done, you're one of the best students in the class. Well you see you don't even know what chapter, I mean you know re rewind that recording, I'm sure it'll there'll be evidence on that on how many times I said Chapter eleven, question. Notts County Football Club are by far the greatest team the world has ever seen. [LAUGHTER] It's not all their bedrooms as well. Lena put your clothes back on. [LAUGHTER] You know like for example if I said come on chaps thank you, erm what you're actually doing then is confessing to me that you haven't finish off Chapter ten questions. That's enough of that, hang on. Let me ask these questions then we'll like agree. We'll take it from here, I think I'd like to carry on Chapter eleven. The reason for that is of course that this is significant to the syllabus that we're doing, you know Chapter eleven is the beginning of Jesus coming into Jerusalem in his final... final weeks. You're on Chapter eleven you see she's carrying on, getting on with it. Perhaps if you... perhaps if you hang on a minute, erm... well Jacqueline want wants me to answer one question for her. me to answer one question by the time I answer those three questions, where is everybody gonna be up to. Right, we'll begin... we'll begin on Chapter eleven... all right there's a compromise, the last question on Chapter ten. Sir We'll come back to that, we'll come back to that. two meanings. Yeah. Yes, I suppose so. Climax, a kind of climax of his mission, yeah. Yeah. Christians have hindsight, you're looking at it, you're looking at it two thousand years later and you can see him riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, knowing that he's going to a victory. Describe the events... Describe the events. Right, okay, erm... the last question Chapter ten, the Leader. This healing miracle restored a blind man's sight. Jesus had come to restore mankind's sight symbolism.... Erm as with many, many parts of the Gospel you're expected... you're expected to be able to look more deeply than on the surface.... Jesus had so much to communicate to people in such a small amount of time as we've realised... yes you can look upon the miracle of the cure of the blind man's sight. I think this, this one refers to Blind doesn't it. Yes. Well Blind that particular incident is actually packed with information. Mark tells us so much about who Jesus is and what he's come for just by showing us that one miracle... but what I'm suggesting to you here is that you can look for greater meaning in it, further symbolism.... Bartiamaus insisted... he wanted his sight back.... No... Often when we ask someone do you understand, can you see what I mean, okay. That kind of symbolism is often used isn't it. You know our eyes are very important to us, what he says, get a bit frustrated with you, you've not understood what they're tr trying to explain, they say come on, open your eyes will you, it's there, it's in front of you. All right? You're just on the approaches to Jerusalem, you're just coming in to Jerusalem... right? I think this happened in... when did it happen this in... between and Jericho, somewhere around that region, where was it Jericho. Jericho. He's on his way to Jerusalem where people will refuse to see... they will refuse to see... what Jesus means.... Their eyes are open and yet they won't see. if you look at the cure of erm... th the Blind Man of Bethsiedum which happened a little earlier, a similar thing happens when Jesus cures his sight, he can't see at first and Jesus has to do some more work on him with spit, spittle and er you know the, but there's something behind that it's not just a er... a nature miracle, sorry a healing miracle overcoming physical ailments, that's spectacular in itself... but the can take something else on board here without the attitude of people and their willingness to accept who Jesus was and what his details of participant Bartiamaus had been given... the vision he'd been given was more than just his eyesight. Okay? Because of his experience, he'd been taken further into God's Kingdom, he'd been given that vision into God's Kingdom, now that's more than just been given your eyesight, cos there's a lot of people will see, who have their eyesight intact, but refuse to have the vision that was necessary to accept Jesus, new kingdom. Yes Jacqueline? Sorry, again?
[Lisa:] The one where that's the Bethsiedum one isn't it?
[speaker002:] That's the Bethsiedum one yeah.
[Lisa:] That's not in Chapter ten?
[speaker002:] No it's not, I did say it's somewhere earlier on in the Gospel, but you weren't listening to me. the teacher or they maybe look stupid on the recording machine, that's all right. Right, Chapter Eleven then. Ten minutes later. I wanted to point this out at this point, you know if we just studied that particular area in the Gospel the Jewish trial. We've gone back er a few days now, Jesus is actually arriving in Jerusalem and the, the heading that's given... in... in the Good News Gospel here is the answer to that question... isn't it Matthew? What is that answer Matthew?
[Craig:] Erm.
[speaker002:] A sign of a good teacher that you know ask a student a question, point out to him that he's not been paying attention.
[Craig:] I do my
[speaker002:] You know who you were talking to. [LAUGHTER] Anyway, the answer to question one of Chapter Eleven is contained in the title of that Chapter. What is it Matthew?
[Craig:] sir.
[speaker002:] So, how is the beginning of this Chapter described. It's described as a triumph, it's described as a victory. We have Jesus arriving having won something. It's interesting to wonder what he's won.... Having read what you've just done.... Right what does this suggest about his arrival? Thank you. It suggests that he was extremely popular with the people if you read the passage.... As they approached Jerusalem near the towns of and they came to the of olives, Jesus have decided ahead. These instructions go to the village there ahead of you, as soon you get there you'll find a colt tied up that's never been ridden, right, a donkey. Untie it, bring it here and if someone asks you why you're doing that, tell them that the master needs it and we'll send it back at once. So they went found a found a colt... in the street, tied it to the door of the houses, there was tying it, some of the by-standers asked them what are you doing, untying that colt. They answered just as Jesus had told them and the men let them go. They brought the colt to Jesus the animals and Jesus got on. Many people spread their on the road, while others put branches in the fields and spread them on the road. The people who were in front and those who followed behind began to shout Praise God, God bless him, name of the Lord, God bless the coming Kingdom of King David our Father, Praise God. These are the affirmations that were being made as Jesus trotted in Jerusalem with this little donkey, his followers gathered all around him looking... from the heights of the walls of Jerusalem, there must have been one or two curious, astonished, worried eyes, the Sanhedrin, the Chief Elders, She has but I've not had time to er assess her yet. I'm going to inform erm a friend of mine who might be able to do that for us. on the er It certainly will cost them an awful lot of money, hundreds. Religious Studies would be very interested to hear all this [LAUGHTER] [LAUGHTER] No comments. [LAUGHTER] Erm... Where was I? [LAUGHTER] . there; s a lot of significance with. That's right,th the Jews thank you James, you were listening. You know a fervent Jew would always want to get to the centre of their faith, visit there. In fact it was, it was... it was required of them to get to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover for example. Erm... it's important that you understand that Jerusalem was very close to the hearts of every Jew. This was where Jesus was going, because he knew that to take... to take something over and let's face it Jesus was looking to take over... take something over... to fulfil something and he was hoping to fulfil Judaism to take it over, to fulfil it, he had to go to where it mattered. If you wanna take this country over, go to the Houses of Parliament. Thank you, thank you very much. Steady boys, steady on. Find your way out. Er well you one or two wise guys who have dropped in one or two interesting comments, but you know they'll just cut those out. [LAUGHTER]