Introduction: Have you ever considered the logic of the
sacrificial system of the Old Testament? If you sinned by
violating the law, why would an innocent animal be killed?
That makes no sense. Animal or human sacrifices to pagan
gods certainly exist in some societies, but they seem to be
a tribute to the gods rather than a punishment for the
violation of a legal code. Some Christian traditions sought
to restore logic to the system by encouraging a follower to
beat himself or pay a fine for sinful behavior. That makes
sense! The illogic of the Old Testament sacrificial system
is one of the most powerful witnesses to the fact that Jesus
is the Messiah, He is God. Let’s jump into our study of the
illogic proving our Lord is God!
I. The Lamb
A. Read John 1:32-34. How did John the Baptist know
which person was Jesus, the Son of God? (John
admits that he did not know Jesus, but the God who
established John’s mission instructed John that the
Holy Spirit would descend like a dove on “the Son
of God.”)
B. Read John 1:29. What does John say are the two
attributes of Jesus? (The first is that He is “the
Lamb of God,” and the second is that He “takes away
the sin of he world.”)
C. Read Leviticus 1:3-4 and Leviticus 5:5-6. Notice
these verses use the words “atonement,” “guilt,”
“sin,” and “compensation for sin.” What is the
purpose of these specific verses, and more broadly
Leviticus chapters 1-7? (These are God’s
instructions as to how His people can rid
themselves from the penalty and guilt for their
sins.)
D. Let’s discuss what John the Baptist says about
Jesus and what we see in Leviticus about how to
deal with sin.
1. Put aside all you know as a Christian, and ask
yourself whether a powerful god would like to
be identified as a lamb, a farm animal, or
would be interested in taking away sin? (These
seem very unlikely.)
2. Now take all you know about the Old Testament
sacrificial system, and ask yourself whether
calling Jesus a “Lamb” and talking about
dealing with sin makes sense? (This still has
lots of logical problems for a god, but it
directly fits the Old Testament sacrificial
system.)
II. The Meal
A. You may recall that in Lesson 2 of this series we
studied the amazing miracle of Jesus feeding
thousands by creating bread and fish. Read
John 6:14-15. What lesson did the people learn from this
miracle? (That Jesus was the future “prophet”
predicted by Moses who said this leader would be
like him. Of course, Moses brought the people out
of Egyptian slavery, defeated Egypt, and fed the
people in their journey to the promised land.)
1. Is it logical to conclude that Jesus is the
Messiah King that would overthrow the powerful
Romans? (Of course. This fits perfectly.)
B. This story continues the next day. Read
John 6:26-27. What is Jesus telling the people about their
understanding of His mission? (He encourages them
to think that He is the Messiah, but He wants them
to look at things in a spiritual light.)
C. Read John 6:31-33. What is Jesus saying that should
seem a bit odd to His listeners? (He is calling
Himself “the bread of God.”)
D. Read John 6:47-52. Are the Jews asking a reasonable
question in verse 52? (Yes. What Jesus is saying is
difficult to understand in terms of everyday
experiences.)
E. Read John 6:53-57. As I’m writing this, the
American holiday called “Halloween” is close at
hand. Feeding on human flesh and drinking blood
fits very well with this unfortunate holiday. What
would you think if you were listening to Jesus?
F. Read John 6:58-60. Do Jesus’ disciples understand
what Jesus is saying? (No. They call it a “hard
saying” and complain that it is hard to listen to
this kind of talk.)
G. Read John 6:61-63. When Jesus explains His “hard
saying,” is He suggesting that He is literally
talking about eating human flesh and drinking human
blood? (No! He says He is talking about “spirit and
life.” He says that if they could have seen Him in
His glory in heaven, they would understand that He
is not talking about earthly things.)
H. Read John 6:64-69. What is necessary to understand
Jesus’ words about eating flesh and drinking blood?
(We must have the understanding “granted” by God
through the Holy Spirit. Peter understands and says
that Jesus is “the Holy One of God.”)
I. Let’s go to Leviticus and read about sacrifices.
Read Leviticus 17:10-11, Deuteronomy 18:3, and
Deuteronomy 12:17-18. Who ate the Old Testament
sacrifice? (The priests and the people. They were
prohibited from eating the blood because it made
“atonement for your souls,” but they could eat the
flesh.)
1. Now think back to where we started with John
the Baptist calling Jesus the Lamb who takes
away sins. Is Jesus’ discussion about eating
His flesh something that makes sense from a
spiritual point of view? (Absolutely! Jesus is
teaching the people that if they look at this
in spiritual terms they will see that it is He
who fulfills the purpose of the sacrificial
system.)
J. Let’s talk about witnesses. As you think about the
witnesses that we have discussed in the previous
lessons and now, what witness do you think is the
most persuasive? (God is the most persuasive
witness, but the problem is that we have John
saying that God told him (John 1:33-34) that Jesus
is the Son of God. We do not have to rely on any
human perception to understand the Old Testament
sacrificial system and how Jesus coming to earth
and dying for us fits that system.)
III. The Spirit
A. Read John 7:37-39. How do you understand the
statement that “the Spirit had not been given?”
(This is a reference to Acts 2, where at Pentecost
the Holy Spirit filled Jesus’ disciples with power.)
1. Are the experiences of your life a witness that
Jesus is God? (This week I was back on the
campus of Andrews University. I stood in the
same place that over fifty years ago I said to
myself, “I don’t believe in God.” That lasted
about ten minutes because I started to think
about what my life would be without God. After
that brief lapse, I’ve never turned from a
belief in God because I see Him working in my
life. Now, over fifty years later, God has been
the driving force in my life. What a blessing
that has been!)
B. Read John 7:46-49. What witness do the Pharisees
think is of central importance? (The Pharisees say
that “the authorities,” meaning them, must agree
that Jesus is the Messiah.)
C. Read John 7:50-51. Nicodemus is one of the
“authorities,” what does he say is the best witness?
(Hearing the evidence and educating yourself about
Jesus.)
1. Is that what we have been doing?
D. Friend, the American judicial system does not allow
a lawyer to tell the jury what the lawyer believes
is true. You are not a juror, so I will tell you
that I believe based on evidence that Jesus is the
Messiah who came down from heaven, lived a perfect
life, became our perfect sacrifice to take away our
sins, and then returned triumphant to heaven so that
we can have eternal life. Will you, right now,
believe and accept Jesus as your Lord?
IV. Next week: Blessed Are Those Who Believe.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
