Learning Jesus | Week 16
Learning Jesus Week 16
l i f d e a t h
Key Word – Cross >> Central Passage – Luke 9:57-62 >> Self-Reflection – Day 5
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.
GK Chesterson
Day 1
Background Notes – Last week we read that Jesus healed a blind man in two stages. In the first stage the man moved from blindness to partial sight, and in the second stage he moved from partial sight to complete sight. We then were encouraged because when Jesus asked His apostles if they would leave Him as others had done, Peter said: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God,” to affirm Jesus as the only way to life.
However encouraging these words are, this does not mean that the Twelve understand the Father’s plan to give them life through the death of their precious Teacher. So the Twelve have moved from blindness to partial sight, but they do not have complete sight yet. God’s plan or “way” to eternal life through the death and resurrection of His Son is still blurry to them. This passage opens with the words “From that time,” meaning from the time Peter declared Jesus is the way to life.
Matthew 16:21-28
1. In Matthew 16:21, Jesus “from that time” and for the first time spells out His sacrificial death. What four things “must” happen?
2. The word “rebuke” Matthew chose here means to censure using physical restraint. Notice this action is attributed to Peter, not Jesus. However, Jesus does verbally rebuke Peter.
o Explain Peter’s rebuke to Jesus as if you were talking to a fifth grader.
o Now explain to this same fifth grader why Jesus calls Peter “Satan.” Consider why Satan would NOT want the things that “must” happen to happen.
Read Mark 8:34-Mark 9:1.
Background Notes – Since the crowd is also present along with the disciples, Jesus speaks in a parable by comparing the cost of discipleship to picking up its cross. Luke includes Jesus stating this is a “daily” discipline (Luke 9:23). Notice that Jesus is addressing “this adulterous and sinful generation.” Remember on the day of His rejection, Jesus warned this “generation” of Israel that they would be physically disciplined as a nation. His prophecy for this is fulfilled in A.D. 70 when Jerusalem is destroyed (Matthew 12). This context helps us understand that Jesus is not talking about a loss of spiritual salvation. He is saying that if a Jewish believer tries to avoid loss of life by denying Him and His words before this “adulterous and sinful generation,” then they would lose their lives anyway when Jerusalem was destroyed. Although this is a warning for this generation of disciples, it still has great spiritual application for disciples of Jesus’ time and our own. We will explore this in Day 5.
3. How is Jesus’ call to death both a physical and spiritual call to life?
We will review the meaning of the final verse of this text regarding “the kingdom of God” when we study the Transfiguration tomorrow.
Day 2
Background Notes – In yesterday’s reading, Jesus promised He would come a second time to earth, but this time in all His glory. At His incarnation, Jesus added humanity to His deity making Him both fully God and fully man; however, His deity was physically veiled. If it were not, Jesus’ glory would have radiated a great light for all to see. After He shared God’s plan for Him to go to Jerusalem to die at the hands of Jewish leadership and rise again on the third day, Jesus also made this promise: “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” As you read or listen, mark or record the details that support how James, Peter, and John saw the POWER of the kingdom of God.
Read Luke 9:28-36.
1. Three Leaders
Jesus -- Son of God, the Messiah, rejected by the chosen nation, leader of the Twelve, on a mission to die for the sins of the world.
Moses -- author of the first five books of the Bible, including the Law, and leader of the newly formed Israelite nation during the exodus from Egypt to the border of the Promised Land.
Elijah -- a wild prophet who rebuked royalty and idol worshipers with a forceful demonstration of God’s power. Other prophets connect Elijah to God’s final redemptive plan.
o What do these three seasoned leaders talk about?
o Why is it so appropriate that these three talk of such things?
Background Notes – In Luke’s eight days, he is including the day to walk to the mountain and the day to return. The highest mountain in Caesarea Philippi is Mount Hermon, and it provided the perfect seclusion for Jesus to reveal His glory. The glory of God is referred to as the Shechinah glory.
Peter believes Jesus is the Messiah and he sees Jesus in His glory and the glory of Moses the lawgiver and Elijah the prophet, so he believes that the Messianic Kingdom, the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles, is here. So logically he suggests the building of tabernacles. What he does not understand is that THE final Passover, the death of the Lamb of God, must be fulfilled before the Feast of Tabernacles.
2. Three apprentices
o How are James, Peter, and John still in process of understanding? (v.33-36)
o Why do you think Jesus allows these three to see His glory?
Note that the text also states that Elijah and Moses “appeared in glory.” Elijah led Israel during a challenging time in Israel’s history when only a remnant worshiped the One True God. Like Enoch, he never died (2 Kings 2). As he was caught up in the whirlwind into heaven, his body was translated from mortality to immortality. Moses died just before Israel entered the Promise Land, and God buried him, but no one knows where (Deut 34:7). While Moses’ death is a bit mysterious, he did die and was buried, so his glory was only “soul” glory. Elijah, however, never died, so his glory was both body and soul.
3. How at this meeting of the three leaders is God revealing promises of kingdom glory to the three apprentices?
Day 3
Our passage yesterday on the transfiguration of Christ reminded us that Jesus walked the earth with His glory veiled. After the Israelites worshiped the golden calf, Moses climbed Mount Sinai a second time to cut two tablets of stone like those he broke in his anger over Israel’s idolatry. Discouraged, Moses asked God to show him His glory. God said He would make all His goodness pass before Moses while He hid him in the cleft of a rock and covered him with His hand. Moses saw only His back while the LORD passed saying, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” (You can read Exodus 32-34 for the fuller story.)
1. When you see the LORD capitalized in the Old Testament, the name for God being used is Yahweh. This name emphasizes God’s character as a covenant keeper. What did God teach Moses about His glory in relation to His character and person?
2. Underline the details that reveal Jesus’ goodness, His glory: His mercy, graciousness, slow-to-anger patience, steadfast love, and faithfulness in both the background notes and passages below. You can preview question 3 to see how you’ll use what you underlined.
Background Notes – According to Zechariah 14:16-21, the Messianic Kingdom shall be a time when Israel’s enemies throughout the ages shall finally acknowledge the One True God. During this time, the very Gentile nations who rose up against Jerusalem during the Tribulation shall come to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts (angel armies) during the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. Any nation who does not come to worship Jesus, the King of the Messianic Kingdom shall be punished.
Read John 7:2-10.
Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private.
Background Notes – Jesus’ four half-brothers challenge Him by basically saying, “If you’re really the Messiah, prove it. The Feast of Tabernacles is the perfect time for you to go to Jerusalem and make yourself the King that Zechariah prophesied about.” When Jesus said that it is not His time, He meant it was not time for Him to go to the cross yet, and therefore He was not going to the Feast of Tabernacles for the purpose of making Himself King. He would wait upon God’s timing for His death. Consider that His brothers knew that going to Jerusalem to proclaim Himself as King would put Jesus’ life in danger. Jesus does go to the Feast, but not in response to His brothers’ challenge.
Read Luke 9:51-56.
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.
Background Notes – On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus decides to take the route that takes Him through Samaria. Remember Jesus stopped in Samaria on His way OUT of Jerusalem when He spoke to the woman at the well. That time, no Samaritans harassed Jesus because being Jewish enemies, they were delighted when a Jew left Jerusalem. This time, however, Jesus is traveling TO Jerusalem, and so the Samaritans do not allow Him to pass through their territory. So Jesus bypassed Samaria taking the longer route via Perea, which is east of the Jordan River.
3. What did Jesus teach the Twelve about His glory in regards to His character and person as He, their fully God and fully Man disciplemaker, interacted with these two hateful groups of people? Consider answering this question as a prayer of praise.
Day 5 –
l i f d e a t h Self-Reflection
To engage in this discipleship self-reflection, you will need to have read or listened to the passages from all five days of this lesson, and Day 4 in particular. ENJOY!
In this week’s lesson we saw Jesus’ inner circle -- Peter, James, and John -- in action. They were not impressive. But they have one thing going for them that Day 4’s potential candidates for discipleship did not. They were already following Jesus. Perhaps you are thinking, “Yes, they’ve been following Him for two years now. Shouldn’t they be more impressive? I mean...”
Peter told Jesus, basically. “Don’t go to the cross, Messiah. Let’s set up your kingdom now.” (Day1 & 2)
James and John suggested “Do you want us to execute your enemies right now?” (Day 3)
You might need to re-read the stories to see it, but there is a lot to love in these men. Jesus thought so. He created them, and now He is holding them to the commitment they already made to deny their rights to be anything other than what He, the King of the Kingdom, created them to be.
How about you?
1. Why are you, like Peter, wanting Jesus to set up His kingdom now? How might you, like James & John, be displaying impatience for those opposed to God?
2. Why is Jesus able to remain merciful, gracious, slow-to-anger, steadfast in love, and faithful? Consider His commitment to God and to you, a former enemy.
3. How could you be trained, as Jesus is training His disciples, to follow Jesus’ example? Consider that Jesus called His Twelve “that they might be with Him” (Mark 3:14).
4. Let’s say you remain in training, and now you are growing in greater likeness to Christ. How is this freeing you to be who God created you to be?
5. How would your growth contribute to answering the prayer Jesus taught His disciples: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?
6. How does God’s long plan, not your “now” plan, bring greater glory to God (and even to you)?
7. Why must you commit to denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus now and all the tomorrows?
REFLECTION Questions
These questions along with the Central Passage will usually be the focus of your group’s discussion each week.
1. Share with your group your answers from Day 5’s Self-Reflection.
2. Did you notice the seeming contradiction that Jesus calls every person every where to take the time to count the cost of total commitment to Him. But once we have counted the cost, He wants us to act without delay to follow Him and without wavering? Added to that seeming contradiction is that having become a disciple we still struggle with God’s seemingly slow execution of establishing His kingdom.
Why are these seeming contradictions not contradictions at all in light of God’s goodness & glory?
3. Continue to plan your Hands of Grace project. Outreach liaisons, submit your decisions on the form Andie provided. Thank you!
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
• Open Share Time -- Allow time for each to share “starred” insights or questions from Days 1-3. Allow others to respond to the shared insight.
• Discuss the Central Passage (This week that is Day 4 Luke 9:57-62.)
• Discuss the Reflection Questions and plan for Hands of Grace.
God’s joy & strength to you,
kpaulson@gracelaredo.org