April 6, 2025 – A Study of Matthew – Through the Curtain

Through the Curtain

Psalms 22:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
⁴ In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Who has forsaken David (or Jesus), the author of the Psalm (verse 1)?

When does David cry out (verse 2)?

How is God enthroned (verse 3)?

What happened when David’s ancestors trusted God (verse 4)?

What happened when David’s ancestors cried out” to God (verse 5)?

Who despises David (verse 6)?

How do people treat David (verse 7)?

Why did people think the Lord might deliver David (verse 8)?

Who did God make David trust in (verse 9)?

How long has God been David’s God (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

Matthew 27:45-56 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

When did darkness come “over all the land” (verse 45)?

What does “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” mean (verse 46)?

Who did “some of those standing there” think Jesus was calling (verse 47)?

What was offered to Jesus to drink (verse 48)?

Why did the people want to leave Jesus alone (verse 49)?

What happened after Jesus “cries out again” (verse 50)?

How was the curtain of the temple “torn in two” (verse 51)?

What broke open (verse 52)?

When did the “holy people” come out of the tombs (verse 53)?

Who exclaimed “Surely he was the Son of God!” (verse 54)?

Why had the women “followed Jesus from Galilee” (verse 55)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

In your opinion, how does David’s pivoting from feeling forsaken to stating his trust in God in Psalm 22:1-10 anticipate Jesus saying He was forsaken, then giving up His spirit, but being recognized as “the Son of God” by the centurion in Matthew 27:45-56?

Acts 7:51-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Who do the stiff-necked people “always resist” (verse 51)?

What have they done to the “Righteous One” (verse 52)?

How was the law that they have not obeyed given (verse 53)?

How did the members of the Sanhedrin react (verse 54)?

Who filled Stephen (verse 55)?

What did Stephen say that he saw (verse 56)?

How did the Sanhedrin react to Stephen’s words (verse 57)?

What did they do to Stephen (verse 58)?

Who did Stephen ask to receive his spirit (verse 59)?

What did Stephen cry out (verse 60)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

In your opinion, how does Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 reveal the salvation that comes by doing what those who mocked David in Psalm 22:1-10 said, ““He trusts in the Lord . . . let the Lord rescue him”?

In your opinion, how does Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 show us what it means to have the curtain torn in two from top to bottom in Matthew 24:45-56?

Hebrews 10:19-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Who does Paul say has “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (verse 19)?

Where has “a new and living way opened” (verse 20)?

What do we have (verse 21)?

What happened “to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” (verse 22)?

Why can we “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (verse 23)?

What should we consider (verse 24)?

What should we not give up (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the difference between being forsaken by people and feeling forsaken by God?

In your opinion, for all of us who sometimes feel like the forsaken worm that David described in Psalm 22:1-10 how does Hebrews 10:19-25 help us have “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place”?

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:19-25 reveal to us about the purpose of the agony and death of Jesus in Matthew 27:45-56?

In your opinion, how does Hebrews 10:19-25 help us understand why Stephen in Acts 7:51-60 could face death with such confidence and assurance instead of feeling forsaken?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts, and Hebrews teach us about the “new living way opened for us through the curtain”?

In your opinion, how do we move from feeling forsaken by God to having “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 13, 2022 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Hope for the Forsaken

 

Hope for the Forsaken

Psalm 22:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
² My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
⁴ In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
    scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
    they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
⁸ “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
    since he delights in him.”

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
    you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast on you;
    from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
    for trouble is near
    and there is no one to help.

Who does the Psalmist say has “forsaken me” (verse 1)?

When does the Psalmist call out without an answer (verse 2)?

Who is God enthroned as (verse 3)?

Who trusted God (verse 4)?

When were they saved (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does the Psalmist mean by “but I am a worm and not a man” (verse 6)?

Who mocks the Psalmist (verse 7)?

Why do people say “let the Lord rescue him” (verse 8)?

What did God make the Psalmist do (verse 9)?

How long has the Psalmist worshipped God (verse 10)?

What is near (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 15:33-41 - New International Version (NIV)

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

How long was darkness over the whole land (verse 33)?

When did Jesus cry out “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani” (verse 34)?

What does “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani” mean (verse 34)?

Who did they think Jesus was calling (verse 35)?

What did they offer Jesus to drink (verse 36)?

Why did they leave Jesus alone (verse 36)?

What did Jesus do “with a loud cry” (verse 37)?

What happened to the curtain in the temple (verse 38)?

Who said, “Surely this man was the Son of God” (verse 39)?

Who watched from a distance (verses 40 and 41)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, why was the first line of Psalm 22:1-11 the perfect thing for Jesus to cry right before He breathed His last in Mark 15:33-41?    

Acts 7:54-60 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Who was furious and gnashed their teeth at Stephen (verse 54)?

Who filled Stephen (verse 55)?

What did Stephen see (verse 55)?

What did Stephen say (verse 56)?

Who covered their ears, yelled, and rushed Stephen (verse 57)?

Where did witnesses lay their coats while Stephen was being stoned (verse 58)?

What did Stephen pray (verse 59)?

What did Stephen cry out (verse 60)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how was Stephen in Acts 7:54-60, for whom trouble was near like the Psalmist in Psalms 22:1-11, different from the Psalmist in not crying out that he was forsaken?

In your opinion, why did Jesus in Mark 15:33-41 cry out as one who was forsaken and Stephen in Acts 7:54-60 for those who were stoning him not to have their sins held against them?

Hebrews 10:19-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

How do Christian brothers and sisters have “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” (verse 19)?

What is the “new and living way opened for us through” (verse 20)?

Who do we have “over the house of God” (verse 21)?

What do we do “with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (verse 22)?

Why can we “hold unswervingly to the hope we profess” (verse 23)?

What should we consider (verse 24)?

What should we not give up (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the trust of the Psalmist in God in spite of feeling forsaken in Psalms 22:1-11 fulfilled by what Hebrews 10:19-25 says that Jesus has done? 

In your opinion, what does Hebrews 10:19-25 show us that Jesus accomplished even though He was forsaken by the Father when He breathed His last breath in Mark 15:33-41?

In your opinion, how does Stephen in Acts 7:54-60 demonstrate the “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” that Hebrews 10:19-25 says that the blood of Jesus can give us? 

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Mark, Acts and Hebrews help us understand about what it means to be forsaken by God?

In your opinion, how are we, who were forsaken because of our sins but have had “our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” by Jesus, to approach our days and the Day?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

February 17, 2019 – Looking Backward and Forward from Zechariah – Hardened or Sincere

-            The

Hardened or Sincere

Leviticus 23:26-32 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁷ “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present a food offering to the Lord. ²⁸ Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord your God. ²⁹ Those who do not deny themselves on that day must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ I will destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day. ³¹ You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. ³² It is a day of sabbath rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your sabbath.”

Who spoke to Moses (verse 26)?

What are the Isralites to do on the “Day of Atonement” (verse 27)?

What is supposed to happen instead of work on the “Day of Atonement” (verse 28)?

Who will be “cut off from their people” (verse 29)?

In your opinion, why will God “destroy from among their people anyone who does any work on that day” (verse 30)?

How long is this ordinance supposed to last (verse 31)?

What kind of rest is this supposed to be (verse 32)?

When is this sabbath to be observed (verse 33)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Zechariah 7:1-14 - New International Version (NIV)           

¹ In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, the month of Kislev. ² The people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek, together with their men, to entreat the Lord ³ by asking the priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets, “Should I mourn and fast in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord Almighty came to me: ⁵ “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? ⁶ And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves? ⁷ Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’”

⁸ And the word of the Lord came again to Zechariah: ⁹ “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. ¹⁰ Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

¹¹ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and covered their ears. ¹² They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was very angry.

¹³ “‘When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,’ says the Lord Almighty. ¹⁴ ‘I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land they left behind them was so desolate that no one traveled through it. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.’”

When did the “word of the Lord” come to Zechariah (verse 1)?

Who “sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek” to “entreat the Lord” (verse 2)?

What question was ask of the “priests of the house of the Lord Almighty and the prophets” (verse 3)?

How did the Lord respond to the question (verses 4 and 5)?

In your opinion, what did God want to people to realize when He ask “was it really for me that you fasted” (verse 5)?

Who did the Lord accuse the people of feasting for (verse 6)?

When were “the words of the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets” (verse 7)?

Who said “administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” (verses 8 and 9)?

What was not to be ploted “against each other” (verse 10)?

How did the people respond to the word of the Lord (verse 11)?

What did the people do to their hearts when they “would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit” (verse 12)?

Why did God not listen “when they called” (verse 13)?

Who “made the pleasant land desolate” verse 13)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the reason for the Day of Atonement that the Lord commands the Israelites to observe in Leviticus 23:26-32 and the days of mourning that the Israelites had been observing for seventy years in Zechariah 7:1-14?

John 16:16-24 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

¹⁷ At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. ²¹ A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. ²³ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. ²⁴ Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Who will the Disciples see “no more” and then see again (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what does “in a little while you will see me no more” mean (verse 17)?

What did Jesus ask the disciples (verse 19)?

Who will rejoice while the disciples “weep and mourn” (verse 20)?

Why does the woman giving birth forget “the anguish” (verse 21)?

In your opinion, why will no one take away the disciples joy (verse 22)?

What will the disciples no longer do (verse 23)?

When will the disciples’ joy be complete (verse 24)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what part of the grief to joy process that Jesus tells the disciples about in John 16:16-24 does the Day of Atonement mentioned in Leviticus 23:26-32 most resemble?

In your opinion, how are the people who Zechariah was responding to in Zechariah 7:1-14 different from the disciples Jesus was talking to in John 16:16-32?

Hebrews 10:19-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Why do Christians “have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” (verse 19)?

What is the “new and living way opened for us through the curtain” (verse 20)?

Who do we have (verse 21)?

How should we draw near to God (verse 22)?

How are we cleansed “from a guilty conscience”  (verse 22)?

What should we “hold unswervingly to” (verse 23)?

What are we to “spur one another on toward” (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why should we “not give up meeting together” (verse 25)?

What is approaching (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the assembly that God commands the Israelite people to have in Leviticus 23:26-32 different from the meetings that Paul is encouraging in Hebrews 10:19-25?

In your opinion, what does the fasting and feasting in Zechariah 7:1-14 reveal about the diffences between the people of Bethel and the people Paul is addressing in Hebrews 10:19-25?

In your opinion, how is the confidence that Paul claims for Christians entering the “Most Holy Place” in Hebrews 10:19-25 related to the joy that Jesus tells the disciples they will have after their grief in John 16:16-24?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Leviticus, Zechariah, John and Hebrews help us understand about the dangers of a hardened heart and to approach God with sincerity?

In your opinion, how can we spur ourselves and others “on toward love and good deeds”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

January 17, 2016 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Giving Up and Encouraging

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Giving Up and Encouraging

Matthew 27:50-56 – New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁰ “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵² and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.”

When did Jesus give “up his spirit” (verse 50)?

What happened in the temple at the moment that Jesus “gave up his spirit” (verse 51)?

Whose bodies were “raised to life” (verse 52)?

Why did “the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus” exclaim “surely he was the Son of God” (verse 54)?

In your opinion, why did “many women” watch from a distance (verse 55)?

Why had the women, including “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of Zebedee’s sons” followed Jesus (verses 55 and 56)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Leviticus 16:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. ² The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

³ “This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴ He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.”

When did the Lord speak to Moses (verse 1)?

What were the sons of Aaron doing when they died (verse 1)?

What was Moses to tell Aaron (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what is the significance of the curtain and the Most Holy Place (verse 2)?

Where will the Lord appear (verse 2)?

What is the first thing that Aaron is to do when he is preparing to enter the Most Holy Place (verse 3)?

How is the clothing that Aaron is to wear described (verse 4)?

What is Aaron to do before putting the clothing on (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does the death of Aaron’s sons and the actions that Aaron is to take before going through the curtain to the Most Holy Place in Leviticus 16:1-4 help us to understand about the significance to the tearing of the curtain at the death of Jesus in Matthew 27:50-56?

Hebrews 10:19-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Why do we have “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” (verse 19)?

How is the “way opened for us through the curtain” described (verse 20)?

What is the “way opened for us through the curtain” (verse 20)?

Who has a “great priest over the house of God” (verse 21)?

How should we “draw near to God” (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to have “our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us” and “having our bodies washed with pure water” (verse 22)?

What should we “hold unswervingly to” (verse 23)?

Who should we “spur” on “toward love and good deeds” (verse 24)?

What should we not give up (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what has changed that would allow Paul to tell us that we “have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place” in Hebrews 10:19-25 in comparison to Aaron losing two sons and then needing to offer sacrifices and bath himself and wear special clothes in Leviticus 16:1-4?

In your opinion, at what moment described in the passage of Matthew 27:50-56 do you think that the “new and living way” that Paul talked about in Hebrews 10:19-25 was opened for us through the curtain?

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ² for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

What does Paul not need to write about (verse 1)?

How will the “day of the Lord” come (verse 2)?

What will people be saying when “destruction will come on them suddenly” (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why is the impossibility of escaping the upcoming destruction described as “labor pains on a pregnant woman” (verse 3)?

Why should “brothers and sisters” not be surprised (verse 4)?

What are the brothers and sisters children of (verse 5)?

How should we be (verse 6)?

When do “those who sleep” sleep and get drunk (verse 7)?

What should we do with faith and love (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to put “the hope of salvation” on as a helmet (verse 8)?

What did God appoint for us (verse 9)?

Why did Jesus die for us (verse 10)?

What should we do for each other (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is Paul’s discussion in Hebrews 10:19-25 about having “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” then instructing us to encourage one another “all the more as you see the Day approaching” expanded on by his discussion in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” followed by the statement that “He died for us so that . . . we may live together with him” and instruction to “encourage one another and build each other up”?

In your opinion, how would you describe the difference in God’s relationship with people prior to Jesus dying on the cross as shown by Aaron and his sons in Leviticus 16:1-4 and after Jesus dying on the cross by Paul’s instruction to put “on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet” when he is discussing the coming “day of the Lord” in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11?

In your opinion, what does 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 show us about why Jesus “gave up his spirit” in Matthew 27:50-56?

In your opinion, what do these passages, from Matthew, Leviticus, Hebrews and 1 Thessalonians show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 27:57 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)