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| 4 What do you think it means that the slain lamb appears instead of a lion? A lamb is not the typical animal you would associate with a victorious conquering Messiah. Jesus also did not follow the typical models of success and victory; instead of fighting back, he accepts death and is killed and in the non-violent way that defeats the powers of death. If Jesus would have called on the angel and purged the earth, it would be appropriate for John to see Jesus as a lion on the throne. 5 Why do you think this scene was such a message of hope to the first century church? They knew that even though they faced great persecution and death as martyrs, they could trust that Jesus Christ was overseeing the events and was looking out for them because he was in control of the scroll. They also knew that Jesus had faced death too, as a lamb, and that they could face it with confidence and bravery because he conquered eternal death and secured their spiritual destinations by ransoming them with his blood. He showed a way out of this chaotic world that didn’t involve fighting back. Even though the world didn’t consider him successful, Jesus redefined victory by triumphing non-violently as a servant Messiah instead of using force to win our ransom. 6 Is this message of hope just for the early church? No, verse 9 speaks of universal salvation for every tribe and tongue and people and nation. We can all have hope that Christ showed us a better way to live and paid the price to declare us “not guilty”. APPLY: (5–10 minutes) Hand out the crosses to each student. Ask them to tie their ribbon around the cross as a symbol of how Christ’s non-violent sacrifice gives us hope so we don’t have to worry about anything. We don’t have to have victory as the world sees it because Christ has given us a different kind of triumph. Continued... |
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