Torah Reprise
In Hebrew, Torah translates to "The Law". It also is the name given to the first five books of the Bible, the historical books telling us the story of how God created the world and then chose the family of Abraham, Issac and Jacob as the people He would use to bless all of the nations of the world.
Centuries later, Jesus came to not only save us from our sins, but to also clear up misconceptions about God and The Law. In music, a reprise is when an old song is given a new flare and republished. In this section of the gospels, we will consider the "reprise" by Jesus to provide us with more insight to God's nature and His Law.
Read Matthew 5:17-20
- What do you think Jesus meant when He said He did not come to abolish the Law? See verse 17.
- Why did He add that His followers had to have greater righteousness than the most religious people in their community, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law? See verse 20.
- Why was this an important introduction to His teaching?
Read Luke 5:1-28
- This is a familiar passage and we can miss it's importance as part of the whole story. Does it remind you of The Chosen series? Who was it that Jesus chose to follow Him? Why were they unlikely students/followers -- men who the current Jewish religious leaders would NOT have chosen? Why did Jesus choose them?
- Jesus was a teacher, but there were many teachers in Israel. He was unusual because He also provided for their needs and healed them, see verses 4-7, 12-13, and 18-26. What does this tell us about God? What does this tell us about Jesus? How did this impact the power of His teaching?
- This world of ours is in dire need of hearing the gospel. How does this encourage us to spread it? What should our methods be?
Read Luke 5:28-39
- The people compared Jesus to John the Baptist who was previously the most famous preacher of that day. John and his disciples fasted and prayed. Why? Jesus was feasting with new friends. Why? See verses 5:29-35.
- If Jesus did not mean to abolish the Law, what did He mean by the new wine and the new wine skins? See verses 36-38.
- Jesus' last comment was that people prefer old wine. Why do people prefer the old? What does He mean by this metaphor? See verse 39.
- What character qualities should we pursue in order to hold the Jesus' new wine?
* * * *
Jesus and the Sabbath
Read Exodus 20:8-11
- This section of scripture is the giving of the Ten Commandments. How did God command the Israelites to observe the Sabbath?
- What reason did God give them for this law? See verse 11.
- Forty years later, Moses reminded the next generation of Israelites of the Ten Commandments before they entered the promised land. What reason was given for observing the Sabbath? See verse 15.
- Why do you think God commanded even the servants, animals and foreigners to observe the Sabbath? See verse 14.
- Why would rest be holy?
Read Luke 6:1-11
- What did Jesus teach about the Sabbath by His actions in this section of the gospel?
- Based on these instances, what were the Jewish leaders teaching about the Sabbath and the Law? What were they focusing on? What were they ignoring?
- What did the Jewish leaders think of Jesus? What did Jesus think of them? All these men, including Jesus, were teaching from the same Law and worshiping the same God. Why were they in conflict with each other?
- All of us can be tempted to act like the Jewish leaders. Can you see any of their attitude in yourself?
- After reading this section of the gospel again, does it change your thinking about the Sabbath? How so?
- How would we apply what Jesus is teaching here to our lives?
* * * *
The Upside-Down Kingdom
Read Luke 6:12-19
- Jesus prayed before He chose His 12 apostles. Describe how He prayed. How was His prayer different from how you usually pray before you make an important decision? See verses 12-13.
- A huge crowd gathered around Jesus. What did Jesus do? See verses 17-19. Why do you think He did this?
Read Luke 6:20-26
- Jesus describes here what is sometimes called the Upside-Down Kingdom. When Jesus calls someone "blessed" what does He mean? For a fuller description, check out the Amplified Version of the Bible, available on most Bible apps.
- Why does Jesus call poor and hungry people blessed?
- Why are we blessed when we weep?
- Why are we blessed when we are hated, insulted and rejected?
- How can these things be good? What good can come of these things?
- Why is being rich and well-fed a problem?
- Why does laughing turn into weeping and mourning?
- Why is a a problem when everyone speaks well of you?
- How can these things be bad? What bad can come of these things?
- We are trying to make sense out of what Jesus is preaching. What do we do when scripture does not seem to make logical sense to us? How do you usually deal with that? How does Jesus' compassion for the people (see verses 17-19) help us?
- What is the main point Jesus is making? How can we translate this into everyday life?
* * * *
Jesus and Justice
Read Deuteronomy 19:15-21 and Leviticus 24:17-22
- There is a famous line from the movie The Untouchables: "He pulls a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital. You send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way." That is not God's way. Justice is important to God. He is perfectly just and wants Israel to be also. What did God command here?
- How did these commandments provide justice for God's chosen people?
- Why were these good laws?
- What would be the result of these laws?
Read Matthew 5:17-20, 38 and Luke 6:27-38
- What was Jesus commanding here?
- When Jesus said "You have heard it said..." He was talking about these scriptures from Deuteronomy and Leviticus. He said He did not come to abolish the Law but His teaching does seem different. What is Jesus' point? Why is He making this point?
- What would be the result of Jesus' command?
- When you read this, who do you think of as an enemy, someone who has hurt you personally?
- This is really hard. And in some cases dangerous to our emotional and/or physical selves. How can we do this in real life? What would be a first step?
For further study see: Matthew 18:15-35; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 and James 2:12-13
* * * *
Good and Evil
Read Psalm 19:7-14
- This song was written by David, King of Israel. How did David describe God's Law in verses 7-11?
- Verses 12-14 were David's prayer. What was he asking of God? Why do you think he asked these things of God? What does this tell us about God's Law?
- David's description of the Law has it's foundations in his knowledge of who God is. Read how this psalm begins, verses 19:1-6. How did David view God? How does this affect how David views God's Law?
Read Luke 6:36-42
- What did Jesus command here?
- What would be the results of obeying this command?
- Why is this law good?
- What did Jesus mean by verses 39-40?
- What did Jesus say is the source of good or bad in our lives? See verse 45.
- Jesus told the crowd that a man's speech would identify him as good or evil. A man's deeds would show who he really is following, who he really trusts. Who are we surrounding ourselves with? Who do we follow? Can we tell by their words or actions if they are good or evil and where they are leading us?
- How about ourselves? Does our "fruit" indicate we need a heart correction? Do our actions and lifestyle demonstrate we are following Jesus?
- Are we alert to not only the "fruit" in others but also in ourselves? Are we making excuses instead of confessing, repenting and praying for the Spirit's power?
- Are we avoiding the near occasions of sin? Do we detest our sin? Do we believe God is Good, Glorious and deserving of all our love, allegiance and trust?
* * * *
True Riches, True Peace
Read Proverbs 23:1-8
- The core lesson is in the middle of this section, verses 4-5. What does it say about riches? What does it say about work?
- Surrounded by this core lesson is wisdom about rulers and misers (a begrudging host/stingy is another translation). What does it say about rulers? What does it say about misers?
- What do you think of this teaching based on your experience?
- Where do you fall on the spectrum below? 10 = Workaholic
- Where do you fall on the spectrum below? 10 = Carelessly generous
5 = Diligent to work and rest
0 = Lazy
5 = Compassionate and responsible
0 = Stingy/hoarder
Read Matthew 6:19-34
- What did Jesus teach about riches in verse 19-24?
- What did Jesus mean when He said the eye is the lamp of the body in verses 22-23?
- Immediately after the topic of money, Jesus launches into a discussion about anxiety. In those days, food and clothing were scarce for the majority of people. If you had one change of clothing and a good cloak to keep warm and to sleep with, you were doing well. If you could feed your family daily, you considered yourself blessed. Work was not for a new outfit or iphone; it was survival. Yet Jesus told these people not to worry. What did He want them to do instead?
- What do you think of Jesus' teaching? How would you rate yourself on this spectrum below? 10 = Tortured by constant overwhelming worry and anxiety
- What can we do to get closer to having peace? What would be a next step for you?
5 = Struggling, especially when things don't go my way
0 = Peace all the time
No comments:
Post a Comment