Easter Sunday: family SUNDAY Don’t Passover Easter A study by Brian Roberts Lesson Big Idea: As a celebration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter must remain an important celebration in the Christian’s life. Scripture Focus: Numbers 9:9–14 9 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the pass- over, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land. Key words and Ideas that stand out to you from the Scripture Focus: _______________________________________________________________ The Lesson in Context On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus directed the Passover meal with His disciples. However, Jesus purposely changed the order of the meal. There was bread, but instead of being broken in remembrance of the night when Israel fled Egypt or the wilderness wanderings, Jesus said the bread was symbolic of His body, and it was meant to be broken and blessed in remembrance of Him (Matthew 26:26). In addition, in all previous times of Passover remembrance, the wine represented the covenant promises of God (1) to bring out Israel from the yoke of the Egyptians, (2) to rescue Israel from slavery, (3) to redeem Israel with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment, and (4) to show the Lord would take Israel as His own people and be their God. These are covenant promises and normally they would be the focus of remembrance during the drinking of the wine on Passover. However, just as the meaning of the bread was changed, Jesus said the wine would be representative of His blood. Jesus said His disciples should drink the wine in remembrance of Him. He did this because He was initiating a New Covenant (Matthew 26:27). 1 3932121 Adult PDG Spr21.indd 1 11/10/20 9:41 AM Lesson Outline A. The Passover is a meal of ___________________. 1. The parts of the meal must be eaten in a certain order because the food itself 1 DAY is symbolic and representative of the first Passover where God delivered Israel from Pharaoh. 2. Each element of the Passover meal carries significant meaning and a _______________ purpose. B. On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus directed the Passover meal with His disciples. 1. There were no _________ ________ during the Last Supper Jesus had with His 2 DAY disciples. 2. Jesus, who is our great High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, performed Passover without a nod to the bondage of the past. C. Besides the weekly Sabbath, there are seven major feasts and holy days instituted by God. 1. In the narrative of the Old Testament, the feast days are significant events. 3 DAY 2. These feasts maintain and even grow in significance for the New Testament church. Reflection Questions from Lesson DAY 4 DAY 1. Have you ever eaten a meal with specific rules, such as proper dining etiquette? How are these rules different from the Passover as a feast of remembrance? 2. How has the understanding that your sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus changed the way you worship? DAY 5 DAY 3. Why was a New Covenant needed? 4. Should the Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah and Purim hold the same signifi- cance as the seven holy days outlined in the Law? (See Leviticus 23.) DAY 6 DAY 5. Why do you think it is important for the church to pay special attention to some of the holy days mentioned in Scripture? 2 3932121 Adult PDG Spr21.indd 2 11/10/20 9:41 AM Daily Discipleship Prayer Focus: Lord, thank You for Your death on the cross. Bible Passage: Numbers 8 Numbers 9 DAY 1 DAY What is something God is speaking to you through prayer and His Word today? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Prayer Focus: Lord, thank You for overcoming death through Your resurrection. Bible Passage: Exodus 6 Exodus 7 DAY 2 DAY What is something God is speaking to you through prayer and His Word today? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Prayer Focus: Lord, I never want to forget Your sacrifice for me. Bible Passage: Matthew 21 Matthew 22 DAY 3 DAY What is something God is speaking to you through prayer and His Word today? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Prayer Focus: Lord, I offer You my worship because my sins have been washed away. Bible Passage: Matthew 23 Matthew 24 DAY 4 DAY What is something God is speaking to you through prayer and His Word today? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Prayer Focus: Lord, thank You for the hope of Easter. Bible Passage: Matthew 25 Matthew 26 DAY 5 DAY What is something God is speaking to you through prayer and His Word today? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ Prayer Focus: Lord, You are worthy of all praise. Bible Passage: Matthew 27 Matthew 28 DAY 6 DAY What is something God is speaking to you through prayer and His Word today? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 3 3932121 Adult PDG Spr21.indd 3 11/10/20 9:41 AM Family Connection SUNDAYfamily Easter Sunday: Don’t Passover Easter Lesson Big Idea: Faith in Jesus’ resurrection gives us power over death. Bible Story: Jesus’ resurrection in Luke 24:1–12, 36–49 Use the conversation starters below to help create spiritual discussions with your family. Children Memory Verse: Romans 6:9 Bring It Home: Today we learned about being empowered by the Holy Ghost. As your • What were the reactions to the child faces difficulties throughout the week, empty tomb? remind your child that Jesus died so we can have the power of the Holy Ghost to help us • How does Jesus’ resurrection give overcome. Do the activity on the back of the us power? take-home paper together and discuss how God’s power helps us overcome. Youth This week, your family is encouraged to • Are eggs and easter baskets a plan a night doing something everyone distraction from what is really important enjoys doing together. During that time during the Easter holiday? discuss how we celebrate Easter. Consider the following questions for discussion: • Why is it important that we focus on God during “national holidays”? • What is the biggest takeaway we have from the Easter experience if we are just looking at the Bible? 4 3932121 Adult PDG Spr21.indd 4 11/10/20 9:41 AM Room for the Resurrection: A Place for Jesus A series by Scott Graham Lesson Big Idea: To experience the resurrection and life Jesus brings, we must make room for Him in our homes. Scripture Focus: Luke 10:38–42 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Key words and Ideas that stand out to you from the Scripture Focus: _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ The Lesson in Context Being honest with ourselves, we must admit we all experience times when the im- portant crowds out the essential in our lives. The busy nature of life can consume days and entire weeks with matters that seem vital at the moment but are actually rather insignificant when viewed through the lens of eternity. A thousand years from now, none of us will care if the yard was perfect or the sheets were ironed. We will not give one thought to the size of the house we lived in here nor the car we drive. We will not even care about the economic impact of the COVID-19 virus of 2020. How will any of those matters compare with the glory of our eternal reward? Paul said it this way, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:17–18, KJV). To experience the full impact of the resurrected life of Jesus Christ in our homes, we must adopt Martha’s passion to get Him there and Mary’s focus to attend to Him there.