Lenox Federated Church - Firm Foundations, Creation to Christ

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Firm Foundations

Creation to Christ

Lesson 46 - Jesus Rode to Jerusalem; Judas Planned to Betray Jesus;

Jesus Instituted the Lord's Supper

Questions for the LFC Firm Foundations Coordinator may be emailed to firmfoundations@lenoxchurch.org

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REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. What is much more important than being rich? Understanding and believing God’s words about Jesus, the Deliverer.

2. Who decides when we will die? God.

3. Is the story of the rich man and Lazarus a parable? No, it really happened.

4. What is the difference between a parable and an actual event? A parable never uses proper names, such as Lazarus. An example of a parable is that of the rich farmer that we read about in Luke 12.

5. Where do people go when they die? Either to Heaven or to a place of punishment.

6. Will anyone ever be released from the place of punishment? No, once a person goes to the place of punishment, he will never escape.

7. What did the rich man ask Abraham to do?

a. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus with even one drop of water to cool his tongue.

b. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers so they wouldn’t end up in the place of punishment.

8. What did Abraham tell the rich man that his brothers should do? Abraham said that they should believe the writings of Moses and the prophets, that is, the Old Testament.

9. How can we find the way to God and to everlasting life? Through God’s Word, the Bible.

Crowds of people followed Jesus everywhere He went.

- Some wanted healing for physical problems.

- Others wanted political freedom from the Romans.

- Very few were thinking about their spiritual needs.

- Very few were willing to admit that their greatest need was to be saved from Satan and sin and death.

What do you expect to find in Jesus?

Think about it as we study our lesson.

As Jesus and His disciples walked toward Jerusalem, they came to the little town of Bethany, just outside of the city of Jerusalem.

LOCATE BETHANY AND JERUSALEM ON THE MAP BELOW.

Bethany was the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Only a short time before, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus sat on the young donkey and rode into Jerusalem just as God had said that He would.

The crowds welcomed Jesus as the promised Deliverer from God.

- They praised Him as the one whom all the prophets of God had promised that God would send to be their king.

- But, unfortunately, most of the people did not trust in Jesus to save them from Satan’s power, their sins, and God’s punishment.

- They only wanted Jesus to be their king so He would deliver them from their enemies, particularly from the Romans who ruled their country.

The Jewish leaders were determined to kill Jesus, but they were frightened of the crowds. Jesus was very popular because of all the great miracles He had done.

Judas was one of the twelve men whom Jesus had chosen to be His closest companions, but Judas was not concerned about his own sinfulness before God.

- He did not trust in Jesus as the Savior of sinners.

- Judas followed Jesus for his own personal gain.

- Note:

John 12:6 tells us that Judas was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he helped himself to what was in it.

When it seemed that he wasn’t going to receive any personal benefits from following Jesus, he was willing to sell Jesus to His enemies.

What God said in His Word came true.

- God said that a friend of Jesus would sell Him to His enemies.

- Judas had been a close companion of Jesus for three years.

PROPHECY CHART:

WHAT GOD SAID WOULD HAPPEN TO THE DELIVERER:

Old Testament                                                                                       Prophecy Fulfilled

Prophecy                                                                                                in New Testament

Isaiah 9:7 David's descendant Matthew 1:1

Isaiah 7:14 Born of a virgin Matthew 1:18-25

Micah 5:2 Born in Bethlehem Matthew 2:1

Hosea 11:1 Flee into Egypt Matthew 2:14

Isaiah 11:2 Some of His characteristics Luke 2:52

Isaiah 53:4,5 Suffer for others John 10:11

Psalm 41:9 Betrayed by a friend Mark 14:10-11

Mark 14:10-11 is the record of the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Psalm 41:9: “Betrayed by a friend” .

“Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.”

Satan was guiding Judas to betray Jesus.

- Satan hates Jesus because Jesus is God and He speaks the truth.

- Satan thought that, if he could get the Jewish leaders to kill Jesus, he would hinder God’s plan to destroy Satan and deliver sinners.

Judas went to the enemies of Jesus and told them that he was willing to betray Jesus for money. What do you think the Jewish leaders thought of that?

Matthew 26:14-15 tells us that the Jewish leaders promised to pay Judas thirty pieces of silver. “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”

- Note:

Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a common slave. Over five hundred years earlier, God had told His prophet Zechariah that this was exactly what was going to happen to the Deliverer.

PROPHECY CHART:

WHAT GOD SAID WOULD HAPPEN TO THE DELIVERER:

Old Testament                                                                                      Prophecy Fulfilled

Prophecy                                                                                                in New Testament

Isaiah 9:7 David's descendant Matthew 1:1

Isaiah 7:14 Born of a virgin Matthew 1:18-25

Micah 5:2 Born in Bethlehem Matthew 2:1

Hosea 11:1 Flee into Egypt Matthew 2:14

Isaiah 11:2 Some of His characteristics Luke 2:52

Isaiah 53:4,5 Suffer for others John 10:11

Psalm 41:9 Betrayed by a friend Mark 14:10-11

Zec. 11:12,13 Sold for 30 pieces of silver Matthew 26:14-15

Matthew 26:14-15 is the record of the fulfillment of the prophecy found in Zechariah 11:12-13: Sold for 30 pieces of silver.

The Word of God is absolutely amazing.

Not one detail of prophecy goes unfulfilled.

Who remembers what particular event the Jews were remembering when they ate the Feast of the Passover?

Jesus knew that the disciples would meet a man carrying a water jar.

- This was an unusual thing to see because the work of getting and carrying water was usually left to women.

- The Lord knows everything before it happens.

- Consider:

He knew, five hundred years before it happened, that Jesus would be sold for thirty pieces of silver. He knows even the small and insignificant things; the Bible tells us that God sees and knows even when one little sparrow falls to the ground and dies. ( Matthew 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.”) God is infinitely wise, and yet He sees and cares about the smallest details of life.

Jesus knew, without anyone telling Him, that Judas was going to betray Him.

Yet Jesus loved him and was very sad to think Judas would do this to Him.

- Note:

When the Jews ate together like this, they broke pieces of bread from the loaves on the table, and then they dipped the pieces into a large bowl in the center of the table. This bowl usually contained mashed fruit. Jesus was acting as the host at this meal. In the Mideast, it is a particularly evil thing to accept hospitality from a person and then injure him in any way.

Jesus said that the one who was going to betray Him was one of his twelve companions who was sharing the meal with Him.

- Jesus and the one who was going to betray Him were dipping pieces of bread into the same dish.

- Even though they were sharing this meal together, very soon afterward, this companion of Jesus was going to sell Him to His enemies.

When Jesus said that it would be one of the twelve, He was probably trying to make Judas realize what a horrible thing he was planning to do. Jesus was giving Judas an opportunity to change his mind.

Jesus often called Himself “the Son of man,” for although He was the Son of God, He was also a real man. Jesus knew that He had to die, just as God had foretold through the prophets in the Old Testament. But even though Jesus had to die, it did not excuse Judas. God did not make him betray Jesus. Judas would be punished forever for his sins: his selfishness, his part in the murder of an innocent man—the Son of God, and, most of all, for his refusal to trust Jesus Christ as His Savior. His horrible deed was evidence that he did not believe.

Jesus broke the bread and then explained that, just as He had broken the bread, so His body would soon be broken by evil men.

Jesus said that the wine which He poured out for them to drink was a picture, or illustration, of His blood which, when He died, would flow out of His body. Jesus said that, when He died, He would be giving His life in the place of sinners.

It’s impossible for us to imagine the deep love of Jesus. He had never sinned. Yet He was going to die for sinners. Everyone at that table needed what He was going to do. Everyone in the world, past, present, and future, needed what He was going to do. Everyone of us, you and me included, needed what He was going to do in our place.

QUESTIONS:

1. Why didn’t Jesus accept the offer of the people for Him to be their king?

2. Why didn’t the priests and Jewish leaders arrest and kill Jesus immediately?

3. Had Judas ever realized his sinfulness, repented, and trusted in Jesus?

4. For how much had the prophets said the Deliverer would be sold?

5. For how much was Jesus sold?

6. How did Jesus know what Judas planned to do?

7. Who did the prophets say would betray the Deliverer?

8. To what did Jesus liken the broken bread?

9. To what did Jesus liken the poured-out wine?.

10. For whom did Jesus say His blood would flow out?

Suggested Daily Bible Readings:

Day 226: Daniel, Chapters 1 and 2

Day 227: Daniel, Chapters 3 and 4

Day 228: Daniel, Chapters 5 and 6

Day 229: Daniel, Chapters 7 and 8

Day 230: Daniel, Chapters 9 and 10