I. THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT
A. READ 9:11.
B. FROM TIME TO TIME I HEAR OR READ PHRASES
THAT ARE ESSENTIALLY
MEANINGLESS. THEY SOUND RIGHT, BUT NO ONE STOPS TO THINK ABOUT
THEM.
IN SOME CASES, IF THEY HAD A MEANING AT ONE TIME, THEY DON'T NOW.
THIS
WEEK I READ IN THE REVIEW THE PHRASE, "TRANSCENDENT REALITY."
THE
WHOLE PHRASE WAS "WE OBSERVE IN OUR DAY AN OBVIOUS LACK OF A SENSE
OF
TRANSCEDENT REALITY."
1. ANY IDEA
WHAT THAT MEANS?
2. FROM THE
CONTEXT,WHAT I THINK THAT HE REALLY MEANT WAS,
"THE PRESENCE OF GOD."
C. TELL ME WHAT IS MEANT BY THE PHRASE IN
V.11 "THE BLOOD OF MY
COVENANT?"
1. WHAT WAS
THE COVENANT? (ESSENTIALLY THAT GOD WOULD BE
THEIR GOD AND THEY WOULD BE HIS PEOPLE. IN EX. 24:7 IT WAS THE
AGREEMENT
TO OBEY. SEE HEB. 9:20-22)
2. HOW DOES
BLOOD COME IN? (FAILURE TO KEEP THE COVENANT
RESULTS IN DEATH. CHRIST DIED INSTEAD OF US. SO HIS DEATH GIVES
US THE
BENEFIT OF THE COVENANT TO WHICH WE WOULD NOT NORMALLY BE ENTITLED.)
D. THIS FREES US FROM THE "WATERLESS PIT."
WHAT THAT MEAN? (DON'T
KNOW. DOESN'T SOUND GOOD. HARD TO FIND ANY COMMENT ON THIS. ONE
SUGGESTED THAT THIS WAS A WAY TO SHOW A DRAMATIC CHANGE IN THEIR
CIRCUMSTANCES.)
II. THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER
A. READ 11:12-13. WE QUICKLY RAN OVER
THIS LAST WEEK. DO YOU SEE A
CONNECTION WITH THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT DISCUSSION? (PRICE PAID TO
JUDAS FOR BETRAYING JESUS.)
1. (BY THE WAY,
THIS IS BETWEEN 9-12 DOLLARS. PRICE OF A DEAD
SLAVE BACK THEN IE, PENALTY IMPOSED IF KILLED SLAVE.)
B. PRETEND THAT THE LANGUAGE OF V. 12 WAS
PUT IN TODAY'S
EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT. WHAT IS THE EMPLOYEE SAYING? (I"M DONE. PAY
ME
WHAT I AM WORTH AND I WILL GO. OR, I QUIT AND YOU CAN KEEP THE
MONEY.)
C. WHO SET THE PRICE? (THE SHEEP)
D. WHAT DOES THIS PRICE SAY ABOUT THE ATTITUDE
OF THE SHEEP
TOWARD THE GOOD SHEPHARD?
E. WHAT PRICE DO WE PUT ON CHRIST'S SACRIFICE
TODAY?
1. HOW DO YOU
MEASURE THE VALUE OF SOMETHING? (WHAT YOU
ARE WILLING TO TRADE FOR IT.)
2. WHAT DO WE
TRADE FOR IT? (PLEASURES OF SIN FOR A SEASON)
3. IS THIS AN
INSULT TO CHRIST?
III. WHOM THEY HAVE PIERCED
A. READ 12:10. WHEN YOU THINK OF HOW
THE CHURCH SHOULD BE AND
HOW IT WILL BE IN THE LAST DAYS, WHAT KIND OF PICTURE DO YOU GET?
WHAT
WILL IT DO? HOW WILL THE PEOPLE ACT?
1.WE HAVE OFTEN
DISCUSSED THE PROPHETIC SIDE OF . IF THIS
REFERS TO THE TRUE CHURCH, WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE DOES THIS TEXT
SUGGEST WE WILL HAVE? (SPIRIT OF GRACE AND SUPPLICATION. GRACE
SEEMS TO
MEAN COMPASSION TOWARDS EACH OTHER. SUPPLICATION MEANS ASKING
GOD
FOR HIS FAVOR.)
2. AN ATTITUDE
OF SUPPLICATION FOR GOD'S FAVOR IS ACCOMPANIES
AN ATTITUDE OF GRACIOUSNESS TO ONE ANOTHER.
B. WHAT IS THE REFERENCE TO "ONE THEY HAVE
PIERCED? (JESUS. JOHN
19:34)
C. LOOK AT THIS OTHER ATTITUDE OF THE RIGHTEOUS,
THEY GRIEVE
BITTERLY. WHY WILL THEY GRIEVE OVER THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS?
(SEEMS THEY
REALIZE THE SINFULNESS OF SIN, THE LORD'S SACRIFICE AND THEY SEE THAT
IT
IS THEIR SIN THAT WOUNDS HIM.)
IV. A FOUNTAIN OPENED
A. IF YOU READ DOWN THROUGH THE BALANCE OF
CHPT. 12, IT REFERS TO
MORE THAT WILL HAPPEN "ON THAT DAY." THEN CHPT. 13 STARTS OUT
WITH THAT
SAME THEME. READ 13:1.
1. WHAT IS THE
FOUNTAIN THAT IS OPENED "ON THAT DAY" THAT
PROPHECIES THAT JESUS WILL BE PIERCED? (THE FOUNTAIN OF CLEANSING BLOOD.
THE IDEA OF THE BLOOD COVENANT AGAIN.)
2. READ V.2A.
WHY ARE IDOLS SO PROMINENTLY MENTIONED?
(RELIANCE ON MEN'S TEACHINGS IS JUST FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED TO BEING
WASHED IN THE FOUNTAIN OF CHRIST'S CLEANSING BLOOD.)
B.[ IF NEED MORE TIME: READ AND DISCUSS 13:4-6.
WHY DO PROPHETS WANT
TO DISGUISE WHO THEY ARE? ARE THESE GOOD GUYS OR BAD GUYS? DOES
THE
REFERENCE IN V.6 MAKE IT SEEMS GOOD GUYS? (THOSE WHO REALLY ARE FALSE
PROPHETS SAY THEY ARE NO PROPHETS AT ALL. SUGGEST DONOHUE IN
THIS
GROUP. ALTHOUGH THE LESSON SEEMS TO SUGGEST IN THE HEADING THAT
WE
ARE TALKING ABOUT JESUS, THE TEXT AND THE REFERENCE TO THE BC INDICATE
THAT THIS IS NOT JESUS, OR AT BEST IS A SECONDARY REFERENCE TO JESUS.
TWO
OTHER COMMENTARIES SAY NOT JESUS. THINK LESSON AUTHOR REALIZES
TECHNICAL PROBLEM, BUT WANTS TO SQEEZE IT IN TO THE PICTURE OF CHRIST
THAT HE HAS BEEN BUILDING.)]
C. READ 13:7. DOES THIS REFER TO JESUS? (YES.
CHANGE. SEE MATT.26:31 FOR
SPECIFIC REFERENCE.)
V. NEXT WEEK: NEXT WEEK WE LOOK AT A PICTURE OF CHRIST REIGNING
VICTORIOUSLY--HOW THINGS MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOR ISREAL AND HOW THEY WILL
BE WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN.