NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.
Bible Passage: Exodus 12:1-13
Discussion Questions: What emotions might someone feel if they received a life-saving organ transplant as the result of another person’s death? What emotions might the family of the one who died experience? How should we react to the truth that Jesus died so that we can live? What are the ramifications of this truth?
Food for thought:
Nothing could prepare a person to meet someone who lives because their loved one died. Over the past few years, media has covered meetings between organ recipients and the loved ones of the individual who donated the organ. In most cases, the death of one person made it possible for another to live. The donated organ becomes a way for a grieving family to see in a tangible way that the death of their loved one was not in vain. In some cases, strong bonds are created between the donor family and the recipient who has found a new family.
In Exodus 12, we find Moses directing all the Israelites to kill an unblemished animal from their flocks so that their firstborn sons could live. The blood of the animal was to be placed on the doorposts and lintel of the houses. This would be the first Passover, as God executed his judgment on the Egyptians in the final of 10 plagues. For the firstborn to live, an unblemished and innocent male sheep or goat had to die. This simple act of faith (applying the blood of a lamb to the door) pointed to the future when Jesus would die in our place as our Passover Lamb.
Through the death of Jesus, we now live. He came for this purpose. He was a great teacher. He was a great healer. He was a great leader. He was these things, but ultimately He was the Savior who died in our place. Through faith in Jesus, we get a new heart that is no longer scarred with sin. The Holy Spirit also takes up residence in believers.
Just as families of organ donors treat the recipient of the organs as family, we too are now treated as family. We are now a part of God’s family, and we have received an invitation to spend eternity with the One who died for us. How can we repay the One who died so we can live? We can’t, but we can humbly thank Him and live a life that reflects gratitude for His sacrifice.
Explore the Bible
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.
