This guide assumes that the group has already worked through Study Guide One and can draw the Tabernacle from memory. If they cannot, send the group home with the floor plan and resume next week.
The seven I AM declarations of Jesus in the Gospel of John are not random metaphors. Each one corresponds, with stunning precision, to a specific piece of furniture in the Tabernacle. By the end of this seven-session guide, every member of the group will be able to walk through the Tabernacle in their imagination and explain how Jesus fulfils each piece in turn.
Session one — I AM the Bread of Life
Read John 6 verses 25 to 51. Then read Exodus 25 verses 23 to 30 (the Table of Showbread). Discuss the twelve loaves of bread arranged in two rows of six, the bread that was eaten only by the priests, the bread that was always present before the Lord. How does Jesus fulfil this? Why does He insist that the manna in the wilderness was a shadow and that He Himself is the substance? Mark the Table of Showbread on the diagram and write "I AM the Bread" beside it.
Session two — I AM the Light of the World
Read John 8 verses 12 to 20, and John 9 verses 1 to 7. Then read Exodus 25 verses 31 to 40 (the Menorah). Discuss the seven-branched lampstand, beaten from a single talent of pure gold, the only source of light in the Holy Place. How does Jesus fulfil this? What is the significance of the seven lamps that burn continually? Mark the Menorah on the diagram and write "I AM the Light" beside it.
Session three — I AM the Door
Read John 10 verses 1 to 10. Then read Exodus 27 verses 16 to 19 (the Gate of the courtyard). Discuss the single entrance into the Tabernacle — the gate of fine linen embroidered in blue, purple and scarlet. There was no other way in. How does Jesus fulfil this? What does it mean that He is the only door? Mark the gate on the diagram and write "I AM the Door" beside it.
Session four — I AM the Good Shepherd
Read John 10 verses 11 to 18. Then read Exodus 25 verses 17 to 22 (the Mercy Seat) and Numbers 7 verse 89. Discuss the place of meeting between God and the high priest, the cherubim that face inward toward the mercy seat, the voice that speaks from above the cherubim. How does Jesus, as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep, fulfil the mercy seat? Mark this beside the Holy of Holies on the diagram.
Session five — I AM the Resurrection and the Life
Read John 11 verses 17 to 44. Then read Exodus 25 verses 10 to 16 (the Ark of the Covenant) and Hebrews 9 verses 4 to 5. Discuss the contents of the Ark — the manna that did not rot, the rod of Aaron that budded, the tablets of the law. The Ark was the only place where life endured beyond death. How does Jesus, as the Resurrection, fulfil this? Mark the Ark on the diagram.
Session six — I AM the Way, the Truth, the Life
Read John 14 verses 1 to 14. Then walk the group through all three courts of the Tabernacle in turn — the Outer Court (way), the Holy Place (truth), the Holy of Holies (life). Jesus is the entire Tabernacle in person. Discuss how this declaration is the summary of the entire system. How does He alone open the path through every chamber?
Session seven — I AM the Vine
Read John 15 verses 1 to 11. Then read Exodus 27 verses 1 to 8 (the Bronze Altar) and the New Testament image of the believer abiding in Christ. Discuss the connection between the altar of sacrifice and the vine that bears fruit. The fruit of abiding is the same fruit that the altar produces — a life laid down. Close the seven-session guide with the diagram complete, every piece marked, every I AM placed, and pray together.
This study guide draws together material from Parts Two and Three of Behold — The Kingdom of God is at Hand.