The book of Exodus tells the story of when the Hebrews were made to be the slaves of their Egyptian neighbors. For hundreds of years God’s people lived under the heel of Egyptian oppression and tyranny, and for hundreds of years they cried out to God for their freedom. God sent Moses, the exiled adopted royal prince of Egypt (who happened to be a Jew), and used him to deliver his people from their captivity. The Jews marked their liberation with a festival called Passover. For lack of a better term, it became their freedom festival, their Independence day. But when Jesus came He changed everything, including the meaning and scope of the Passover festival. It was no longer about the freedom of a nation but about a freedom offered to the whole world. It was about freedom, not from government oppression, but something bigger and better than that. Freedom for you and for me that was purchased at a high price. With His life, Jesus gave us something better. With His life, Jesus gave us freedom from sin and forgiveness of sin.
God could have chosen to give His son’s life on any day of the week, during any season. Why do you think God chose the Passover Festival? Does the timing of Jesus death, the fact that it occurred during that festival, change anything about how you view the story of Jesus’ crucifixion?
The cross has become a common symbol in the world today. How has the popularization of the cross impacted it’s meaning? Does the symbol hold any meaning or evoke any feeling in you? Explain.
Why do you think it is easy for many to gloss over the meaning and events of the crucifixion? How can we guard against that in our own lives?
For His disciples, the cross wasn’t a moment of triumph. It was the end of their hopes and dreams. What changed that would take a symbol of death and transform it into what it is today? Why is that important for us today?
Because of what Jesus did on the cross we are free from sin, forgiven of every failure, and free to live the life God desires for us to live. The short version is that sin is no longer our master. How has that idea impacted you in your own life?
Jesus told the story of a man who had been forgiven a great debt only to turn around and demand repayment from a man that owed him money. You can read the whole story in Matthew’s book (18:21-35). The point of the story was that forgiven people should be forgiving people.
We’ve been forgiven of our worst moments, and God absorbed the price that our worst moments cost. Don’t be like the man in the story Jesus told. One of the most compelling things an unbelieving world could witness is a group of people that love and forgive at their own personal cost. Be forgiving.