Finding Jesus in the Old Testament
Part 2 of an interview with Kristen
Hatton,
Author of The Gospel Centered Life
in Exodus for Students
For many, Sunday school as a child is
fondly remembered, with the introduction to the gospel story helped along with
large picture books and easy-to-digest stories. Growing older, we made the move
to Bibles with fewer pictures and more words and began to find the gospel in the
Old Testament as well. However, we may have missed key instruction on how to
make that transition. The new Gospel-Centered
Life for Students series for teens and young adults will help make the
connections clearer.
In the first book of the series, The
Gospel-Centered Life in Exodus for Students, author Kristen Hatton leads readers in finding
and meeting Jesus in unexpected places as well as seeing the pattern of
redemption present even in the Old Testament. As they learn the entire Bible is
one unfolding story about Jesus, and the same God who spoke to Moses also sent
his son to redeem our sins, study participants will better understand how to
read Scripture and view it as the “manna” needed for their daily life.
Q: Why did you feel it was so important
to write a Bible study specifically for teens?
Years ago, after starting a small group
Bible study for my daughter and some her friends, I realized quite quickly
there was very little in the way of Bible study curriculum for teens. Instead everything at the Christian bookstore appeared to be
topical, feel-good messages for navigating a happy, successful teen life. I
wanted something more.
Teens need to have their eyes lifted off
themselves to see the truth about who Jesus is for them. They need to be deeply rooted in Scripture, to learn who God is
beyond Sunday-school sound bites. They need to see his Word as the one
unfolding story about his Son. Otherwise, Scripture can just seem like
disjointed bits of advice and rules. If that is all it is to
them, it’s no wonder their Bibles are read more with the goal of checking quiet
time off the to-do list than seeing it as the daily “manna” needed for all of
life. Therefore, my hope in writing The
Gospel-Centered Life in Exodus for Students is to bring teens into the
bigger story of the gospel so that they see Jesus as central in all of God’s
Word and to their lives.
Additionally, in bringing teens to the Word
of God, I hope they develop a habit of being in God’s Word and a desire for
greater biblical literacy. Unfortunately, many of today’s younger generation of
Christians have not grown up in the Word and have very little knowledge of the
stories and how everything fits together. Instead, they are often spoon-fed
moralistic teaching and given single verses pulled out of context. So as the
church, youth leaders and parents, we must strive to teach our students how to
read and approach the Bible through studies in books of the Bible.
The reason I proposed to write a study
in Exodus came from having used my pastor-husband’s sermon series from Exodus
as a springboard for crafting my own Bible study lessons when I was wasn’t able
to find the kind of studies I was looking for. What I love about Exodus is
how clearly God’s pattern of redemption is laid out.
For most of my group, seeing Jesus in
the Old Testament was eye-opening. They didn’t expect him to show up in such
places as the tenth plague, the wilderness and the tabernacle. They also didn’t
expect to see how we’re just like the Israelites. As I had hoped, Exodus helped
me show them how the Old Testament speaks forth the gospel and is still
relevant to us today.
Q:
In what ways will students be able to relate lessons about the Israelites from
the time of Moses to their everyday lives today?
It’s easy to read Exodus and look down
on the Israelites for grumbling and so quickly turning away from God when He
continues to pursue and bless them. When students see how sin taints their
motives and desires and shows up in the false gods they turn to looking for an
identity (whether it’s their appearance, performance, perfectionism, the desire
for recognition or acceptance), they will be faced with how much they are like
the Israelites with their golden calf.
Furthermore, our view of the Ten
Commandments tends to be very black and white. For instance, we are told not to
commit murder and because we have not killed a man assume we have kept the law.
With this perspective we think much more highly of ourselves than we ought. If
sin is more than our outward behavior and includes our thoughts and desires, we
are faced with the realization our dismissal of someone or lack of love toward
a classmate is in effect killing them. The Ten Commandments read in this way
exposes to students how they fail to measure up to the law, and therefore, need
Christ’s righteousness.
Q:
The book was designed for small group study, but could it be used for
individual study or for the entire congregation? How does the book target teens
specifically, and is it a study all ages could participate in?
The book was designed as a small group
resource, but will work just as well for individual use. In fact, one of my
teenage sons has already started using it for his daily quiet time. I would
also recommend families use it together around the dinner table. In both of
these scenarios, an individual or family could break each hour-long lesson into
smaller chunks and spend multiple days or a week on each lesson.
For a parent reading it alongside their
teen (the same would be true for adult small groups or individual adults using
it), I believe they will find the gospel truth and application of the lesson no
less relevant for them than it is for students. While the “Bible Conversation”
and “Article” in each chapter is written with the high school or college
student in mind, the application of the Word is the same for us all because our
hearts are all the same. So while the outward manifestation of sin may present
itself differently in a teenager versus an adult, the particular scenarios used
in the book will still expose the root sin. Ultimately, seeing how Jesus shows up
in each passage and the gospel He brings to bear is the truth we all—no matter
our age—need to hear.
Q:
How do we sometimes fail at teaching children how to study the Bible? How does
the Gospel-Centered Life series instruct students how to better study the
Bible?
Unfortunately, children are not taught
how to study the Bible correctly because so many adults use it primarily as an
instruction book or moral guide. By this I mean we see it as a book of
laws—do’s and don’ts—for living the Christian life. If that’s all it is, like I
said before, I can see why we wouldn’t want to spend time reading and studying
it. However, when we see it as the one unfolding story about Christ’s worth and
work for us, it changes our approach.
The Gospel-Centered Life series will
seek to elevate Christ throughout scripture. It will lead students to make
observations and ask questions of the text and encourage them to read a book in
context so they gain a fuller picture of who the author is writing to and why.
By slowing down to think and read critically, along with the discussion and
exercise sections, students should gain a deeper understanding of particular
books. Throughout they will be coached to see the gospel centrality, and the
relevance of the gospel to all of life.
Q: What is the format for each lesson
in the study?
Each lesson focuses on one primary passage or
event so that by the end of the twelve lessons a student should have a good
grasp of the entire book of Exodus. The lessons are structured so they could be
done within an hour, and a suggested amount of time to spend in each section of
the lesson is given. They are designed to be interactive with a leader
facilitating but can be done solo as well.
At the beginning of each lesson the “Big Idea” or
main takeaway is clearly stated. To get started there is a time of “Bible
Conversation” that includes a related icebreaker conversation, the reading of
the passage and follow-up discussion questions. This time is followed by an
“Article” to help unpack what was read in the text and includes more discussion
questions. Before “Wrap-Up and Prayer” an “Exercise” is given. Some exercises
are group-driven while others call for more introspection and journaling. The
point of the exercises is to further personalize and apply the lessons to the
individual readers. Except for two lessons that cover more chapters in Exodus
than others, there is no take-home reading or work.
Learn
more about Kirsten Hatton and The
Gospel-Centered Life in Exodus for Students at www.kristenhatton.com. She is also active
on Facebook
(@kristenbhatton), Twitter
(@Hattonkb) and Instagram (@kristen_hatton).
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