Begin your time together by sharing a story of forgiveness, either when someone forgave you or when you had to forgive someone else. How did that moment feel?
Sorrow and rage fight to gain control in this episode. The Prince has been led “like a lamb to the slaughter,“ and executed; killed, ironically, Larus points out, by “the very beings created in his image.“ Raina, having trouble with her grief, uncharacteristically strays from the factual, demanding that Larus tell her how he feels about what he’s done. Showing a tender side, Larus confesses he didn’t think the Prince would go through with it. He says the General told them the Prince’s arrival was an invasion, and their orders were to defend their home. He swears he never knew it was going to be at the expense of the Life-giver: “I didn’t even know He could die,“ Larus mutters. Raina does not allow him to shift the blame, stating that he participated in the execution of his own choice. Cadan explains how the Prince arranged for our pardon: “Without the shedding of blood, there can be no sacrifice.“ He also tries to make Larus see why the King cast them out of heaven to earth. Larus admits that the General never explained things, that they all loved the Prince, and finally says: “I’m sorry... I didn’t want it to end like this.“ Raina, who is having difficulty continuing the interview, states that this is not the end, and that the Prince made the sacrifice for more than just the humans, implying even Larus himself. When Larus still doesn’t understand why the Prince would do this, Cadan explains now the universe “knows the difference between the viciousness of the arch apostate and the tenderness of the Prince.“ Instead of accepting the “death of God“ as His sacrifice, Larus again claims his right, under orders, to defend his home, stating that the death of the Prince was a mistake, but that He should never have come to Earth. Cadan asks how he can be so calloused, and points out that while Larus was mocking the Prince, he didn’t see the Prince looking at Him, asking the Father to forgive him. Cadan says he has tried to save his brother, but he has gone too far and has “doomed himself.“ As the earthquake begins and Larus begins to shape—shift into the demon he has become, we understand that Larus has made his choice.
1. Having learned that the Prince has been executed, what does it mean that He was led “like a lamb to the slaughter“?
2. What, according to Cadan, is the reason the Prince, Larus, and the other rebelling angels were all sent to earth?
3. Larus says he’s sorry, and that he “didn’t want it to end like this.“ Raina replies: “You think this is the end?“ What does she mean?
4. Raina says she offered to “die for the mortals.“ Why was her willingness to sacrifice herself insufficient?
5. What “bond“ was broken with the Prince’s death?
6. What is Cadan’s point when he says to Larus: “You were so busy mocking the Prince, you didn’t see Him when He looked at you“?
7. What is the significance of the earthquake at the end of this episode?
1. Have you ever received something that you didn’t deserve? What was it? How did you feel about it?
2. What is the greatest gift you’ve ever received?
3. What do you think—does Jesus’s death and resurrection make a practical difference in your life today? How? (Get specific.)
The wonderful thing about God’s grace is that it covers a multitude of sins and places forgiveness and restoration within our reach. Through Jesus we are promised not just life eternal, but life to the full! Yes, in a future sense, but beginning right now, in this moment. Take some time to pray that you would together experience the abundant life that Jesus promises. Claim His sacrifice on your behalf and victory in His name.