Learning Jesus | Week 7
Learning Jesus Week 7
Soul Author-ity II
Key Word – Authority >> Central Passages: Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26
Day 1 Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26 Central Passages of the Week
Background Information – In our last story Jesus performed a Messianic miracle when He healed a leper. Even though Leviticus 14 detailed God’s commands for the cleansing of a healed leper quite extensively, no priest had ever performed the ritual because no Jew had ever been healed of leprosy. In this story of the healing of the paralytic, you shall see that the Sanhedrin, Israel’s Supreme Court, has initiated the same investigation process they initiated with John the Baptizer. This, therefore, starts the Observation Stage. During this stage a delegate of Jewish leadership is sent to simply observe a possible Messianic claimant’s teachings and actions. They do not ask Jesus any questions yet, at least not out loud.
As you read Luke’s telling of the story, note the details that reveal a large delegation of Jewish leadership has been sent. Why was a larger delegation sent to investigate Jesus than sent to investigate John? The answer is again Jesus has healed a leper. It is fitting that Dr. Luke, who would be most intrigued with this healing, recorded the details that point to Jewish leadership’s keen interest in Jesus.
1. Using only Matthew 9:1-2a, Mark 2:1-4, and Luke 5:17-19, note the sparse but powerful W’s the writers include to deftly set up the conflict.
o when & where
o who
o what
o how
o why
Background Information -- When Jesus says “...your sins are forgiven you,” He speaks in the passive voice. The active voice would be stated in this way: “God has forgiven your sins.” The Hebrew form of this passive statement is used only in Leviticus 4 – 6 in the Old Testament. In these chapters, it describes the blood sacrifices necessary for atonement, the forgiveness of sins in a salvation sense. When a person offered the required sacrifice, he acted in faith to God. He was not saved by the work of making the offering, but because of his faith. In Hebrew this passive statement meant God was doing the forgiving. Jesus chose to speak to the paralytic as only God Himself could speak.
And who knew this better than anyone else in the room besides Jesus? The Pharisees and Scribes. They knew Leviticus 4-6, so they knew that Jesus was stating He forgave the paralytic’s sins in a salvation sense.
2. Jesus answers their unspoken questions with a question of His own using the rabbinic logic of moving “from light to heavy,” “easy to difficult” (kal v’chomer). The purpose of this logic was to give your student time to determine the answer to his own question himself (Mark 2:9)
o What is the answer to their own question that Jesus is prompting them to understand?
o How does Jesus intentionally provoke the Sanhedrin’s delegates to make a decision about His Person?
3. When the paralytic’s own people saw him, they saw him as a sinner under judgment to the degree that his ailment visibly proved to all that he was bound for eternal destruction. Given this, why do you think each gospel writer states that Jesus “saw” the four friends’ faith, but then told the paralytic his sins were forgiven?
Deep Think (Totally Optional)
In Lesson 2, we reviewed our temptations for self-glorification: 1. to be self-sufficient 2. to be lauded by others 3. to be powerful. Keep these temptations in mind as you read below about how Israel slid into minimizing the authority of Scripture even as its leaders sought to maximize its protection.
Sopherim & Tannaim Schools – After the Babylonian exile and return to Israel, after the completion of the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament, Judaism transitioned from Biblical Judaism to Rabbinic or Pharisaic Judaism. A school arose called the Sopherim (scribes) which initiated a process called pilpul to determine how many laws could be logically derived from one law. These derived laws served as a fence to prevent Israel from breaking the Mosaic Law or Torah. The Sopherim did not always agree with one another, but they did agree that no one could disagree with the Torah.
A second school called the Tannaim arose because they believed the Sophers had left too many holes in the fence. The Tannaim also did not always agree with one another, but they did agree that no one could disagree with the Oral Law of the Sopherim. This school was still “mending fences” during Jesus’ ministry. In A.D. 220 the Oral Law was finally written down to form the Mishna. The result was that each law in God’s Word now had hundreds or even thousands of man-made laws, “fences,” added to it.
Pharisees – The word “pharisee” comes from the Hebrew word which means “separated.” This sect also arose during the 400 years of silence that followed the exile and return. The purpose of this sect was to maintain separation from the Gentiles since Israel’s sin of idolatry and disregard for the Mosaic Law led to the 70-year exile. To this end, the Pharisees upheld the Oral Law as equal in authority to the Mosaic Law. They justified this by stating God had given two laws to Moses, one written and one oral.
Scribes – Some of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were the scribes adding to the Mosaic Law. These men studied the Law and wrote commentaries on it. They taught the people, interpreting the Mosaic and Oral Laws for them. They also made copies of the Law following extremely meticulous protocols.
As you continue reading the gospels, watch how the Pharisees and Scribes are blind to the glory of the Messiah because they are enslaved to protecting their own glory.
How does knowing all this brainy stuff lead you to worship the God of the Word?
You might choose to answer this in the form of a prayer to God.
Day 2 Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32
Background Information – Jesus is transitioning to the second stage in the Sanhedrin’s investigation: Interrogation. Now you will see Jewish leadership asking a question, but in this story they question Him indirectly through His disciples.
Levi, also called Matthew, collected taxes in service to the Romans who occupied Israel. Tax collectors often charged more than Rome required, so this profession was forbidden to Jews by Jewish law. Unless one was a fellow tax collector or prostitute, even associating with a tax collector was forbidden by Jewish law. Because they were considered criminals, tax collectors could not be judges or even witnesses in a court of law, nor could a charity accept their donation.
What if a tax collector wanted out of “the life”? The rabbis’ answer was that repentance for a tax collector was virtually impossible.
1. How does Matthew respond to Jesus’ call in the same way as Peter, James, John, Andrew, and the Samaritan woman did?
2. What can we learn about following Jesus from Matthew’s party?
3. The scenes in this narrative shift several times because this is a compressed story. It may seem as though the Pharisee and scribes were at the party, but their “grumbling” to the disciples occurred after they heard that Jesus sat at table with tax collectors and sinners. Then Jesus responds after He hears about their grumbling.
How does Jesus’ answer indicate that He condemns sin yet has compassion on the sinner?
Consider to what type of sinner Jesus extends compassion in your answer.
Day 3 Leviticus 16:30; Psalm 51:2-7; 103:8-12
Background Information – Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic before healing him, and Jesus called a tax collector to repentance and engaged him in relationship. Our leper story last week along with these stories affirm Jesus’ authority over defilement, His authority to forgive sins and His authority over man. This kind of authority extends compassion to sinners who acknowledge their need. We are going to spend a few days in the Old Testament, the Word the Jewish authorities knew and should have internalized for themselves so that they too could have ministered with authoritative righteous compassion for their people.
Our first reading from Leviticus shares the purpose for the Jews celebrating the annual Day of Atonement.
1. Leviticus 16:30 God commanded the Jews to make an offering on the Day of Atonement. What did those who trusted the Word of the Lord receive?
Background Information – Our second reading is a Psalm King David wrote after he repented from his sins against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. Taking advantage of his position as King, David slept with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife. When she became pregnant, David sinned against her husband and Bathsheba a second time by ensuring Uriah’s death. David did not repent until after the child was born and became sick, so he took about a year to confess his sin.
2. Psalm 51:2-7
o What truths about God’s nature does this Psalm teach?
o What truths about man’s nature does it teach?
Background Information – In this Psalm, David is praising God for His covenantal relationship with Israel. Through these covenants, God has obligated Himself to remain steadfast in His love and remove sin completely from those who fear Him. To remove sin “as far as the east is from the west” means His removal is infinite because, unlike the north and south poles, east and west never meet.
3. Psalm 103:8-12
o What truths about God’s nature does this Psalm teach?
o What truths about man’s nature does it teach?
Day 4 Isaiah 1:18; 38:17; 44:22; 53:6-12
Background Information – As you read, note any details that support what you learned about our sin and God’s forgiveness yesterday and note any new revelation that helps you understand why Jesus came to earth as our Representative and Substitute.
1. Isaiah 1:18; 38:17; 44:22;
o What truths about God’s nature do these verses teach?
o What truths about man’s nature do these verses teach?
Background Information – When Israel read about the Messiah, they noted that the Messiah was both a Suffering Servant and a Victorious Warrior. They could not, however, reconcile these two roles in one person. Isaiah 53 depicts these roles as being fulfilled in One Person, but emphasizes Him as the Suffering Servant. As you read, think of the sinners Jesus has engaged with already – Nathanael, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the father of the dying son, all of Nazareth who rejected Jesus, the man possessed by a demon, Peter the fisherman, the leper, the paralytic, the tax collector.
For sinners such as these and for us, Jesus fulfilled His call to suffer on the cross and also His vindication in rising from the dead. Remember Jesus knew this passage as did all Israel. But only Jesus chose to accept God’s plan for the Suffering Servant as the ONLY way for sinners to be saved from the wrath of God.
2. Isaiah 53:6-12
o What truths about man’s nature do these verses teach?
o What truths the Father’s nature do these verses teach?
3. Isaiah 53:6-12
o According to the prophesies here, how shall Jesus suffer? Why must He suffer if we are to be saved?
o According to the prophesies here, how shall Jesus be vindicated? Why must He be vindicated if we are to be saved?
Day 5 1 John 1:5-10; 2:1-2
Background Information – Today we are jumping to the book of 1 John, written by one of Jesus’ inner circle apostles. John is writing after Jesus has died and risen and ascended into heaven. He is highlighting Jesus’ role as our advocate with the Father, which is His current work. He was our Savior when He paid for our sins on the cross, and He still is our Savior as He is making us more and more like Him. He did not fail in completing His first work for our justification, and He will not fail in completing His second work for our sanctification.
1. 1 John 1:5-10
o What truths about man’s nature do these verses teach?
o What truths the Father’s nature do these verses teach?
2. 1 John 2:1-2
o What truths about man’s nature do these verses teach?
o What truths the Father’s nature do these verses teach?
REFLECTION Questions
These questions along with the Central Passage will usually be the focus of your group’s discussion each week.
We must see that Savior Jesus pushes against Pharisaic teaching on behalf of sinners at His own expense. He stirs the conflict because He does what the Law requires for the weak and vulnerable.
1. Consider the stories we have read these past two weeks. Why do you think these lessons were titled “Soul Author-ity”?
2. Think about your week, month, year. What is your response to Jesus’ sole authority over your soul? Your response might be a bit of a mix. That’d be normal.
3. Last week your group made a list of people in our community that some may view as “lepers.” When you think about Jesus and His authority over their soul, for whom is your group sensing a call or burden?
4. Given what you have learned this week and how God is moving in your life right now, what is a prayer request you can share with your group? Use this space to also record others’ prayer requests when you meet.
• My prayer –
• Group Prayer Requests –
COMMUNITY GROUP TIME
• Discuss the Central Passages questions. (This week that is Day 1— Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)
• Open Share Time -- Allow time for each to share “starred” insights or questions from Days 1-5. Allow others to respond to the shared insight.
• Discuss Reflection Questions.
• Did anyone memorize a favorite verse from this week?
• Close in prayer.
God’s joy & strength to you,
kpaulson@gracelaredo.org