Key Points

• Jesus, our risen Savior, ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us there with Him.
• Law: I sin when I think that Jesus has left me alone when He ascended. It is a sin to want to keep Jesus physically present with me here on earth. Like the disciples, I am tempted to want Jesus to be an earthly ruler and restore His kingdom on earth.
• Gospel: Jesus ascended for me to prepare an eternal home, yet He promises to be with me always. Jesus, my ascended Lord, gave me His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper and His Word to sustain me until I join Him in heaven. Jesus’ death and resurrection restores me to Himself; His ascension promises that He will come again to bring me to His heavenly kingdom.

Discussion Points

1. Since about the fifth century, the Church has kept a paschal candle lit during worship from Easter through Ascension Day. On Ascension Day, which occurs forty days after Easter (Acts 1:3), the paschal candle is extinguished after the reading of the Gospel. This symbolizes Jesus’ removal from the sight of His disciples. We now live by faith, not by sight. However, the other candles in the church have been lit from the paschal candle, and they continue to burn. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells His disciples, “You are the light of the world,” and in Psalm 119:105, we hear that God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. In light of these verses, what might the candles that remain lit after receiving light from the paschal candle symbolize?
2. Luke begins Acts by saying, “In the first book . . . I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen” (Acts 1:1–2). By saying that Jesus “began to do and teach” things in Luke, it suggests that Jesus will personally continue to do and teach. What do this passage and Acts 1:8 tell us about how Jesus’ “doing and teaching” will continue even after His ascension? How is this reminiscent of Luke 10:16?
3. This week we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Where is heaven? What insights do Philippians 2:9–11 and Ephesians 4:8–10 give us concerning Christ’s ascension and exaltation?
4. In Acts 1:4–5, Jesus tells the apostles to wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come, “for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” We recall that John’s was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Most likely all of Jesus’ apostles had been baptized by John. Yet Jesus promised to baptize them with the Holy Spirit, which was fulfilled when the Spirit descended on the apostles on Pentecost. Some people argue that water Baptism does not give the Holy Spirit, but that there is a separate Baptism of the Holy Spirit. How do John 3:5; Ephesians 4:5; and Acts 2:38 refute the idea that the Lord ordained more than one kind of Baptism for the Church?
5. On the road to Emmaus, two of Jesus’ disciples were lamenting His death and expressing their disappointment, saying, “we had hoped that [Jesus] was the one to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). In other words, they were hoping that Jesus would be a powerful earthly Messiah who would restore Israel to greatness. How does the question from the apostles in Acts 1:6 demonstrate that they had not yet gotten it? What do John 18:33–38 and 19:1–3, 18–19 teach about Jesus’ kingdom? When would the apostles finally get it? How does Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:29–36 demonstrate this?
6. Acts 1:9 says that Jesus “was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.” Poof! Jesus was gone. Well, not really. In fact, the presence of the cloud was a sign that Jesus was not really leaving but just changing His mode of presence with the apostles. According to Exodus 13:21–22 and 14:24–25, what was the significance of the cloud over Israel during the Exodus? According to Exodus 40:34–38, where did the cloud reside with Israel? What might the cloud at the ascension have to do with that Old Testament cloud?
7. Acts 1:11 states, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” What exciting thing for believers does Luke 21:25–28 tell us about Jesus’ return? What event does 2 Corinthians 5:10 say will occur when Jesus returns? According to Mark 13:32, when should we expect Jesus’ return to happen? What should be the Christian’s constant expectation and prayer, according to Revelation 22:20?
8. The disciples’ separation from Jesus was not a sad one. “They worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:52–53). Based on Matthew 28:20, why were they so joyful? How does the celebration continue in Acts 2:42? What pattern did their worship set for the Church of all ages?
9. Sometimes people call God the man upstairs. Since the ascension, perhaps that’s not such a bad title for Jesus. However, that expression comes from the days when the office of the boss was located above the factory floor. His office had windows, and he could observe what everyone was doing without their knowledge. That’s actually intimidating and scary, but according to Hebrews 4:13, what is the nature of God’s knowledge of our lives? Is that passage Law or Gospel? What do 1 Timothy 2:5–6 and Romans 8:33–34 tell us about the man upstairs? Are those passages Law or Gospel?
10. What words in John 14:1–3 show us that to be in heaven is to be where Jesus is? Why is the passage so frequently used as the text for funeral sermons?

Key Points

Discussion Points

1. Read Romans 6:3–5. Why is every day a perfect one for reflecting on Jesus’ resurrection?

2. Luke 5 tells how Jesus calls His first disciples, including Simon Peter. He says to him, “From now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). How had Peter’s catching men progressed in the days and months prior to today’s lesson? When does Peter’s job as a fisher of men really begin?

3. What did the sign in John 2:11 accomplish? According to 1 John 4:9, how was the love of God revealed (manifested) to the world?

4. Simon Peter and six other disciples were together in Galilee. John 21:3 records Peter suggesting that the group go fishing. The best time to fish was at night, which explains why they went out when they did. What possible reasons could have motivated the disciples to go fishing so soon after Jesus’ resurrection?

5. After a night of fruitless fishing, the disciples surely were frustrated. They did not know Jesus standing on the shore. He said, “Little children, you do not have any fish, do you?” What do you think it means that Jesus called them little children? How does this event reinforce what the disciples had learned from Jesus in Matthew 6:8?

6. Peter’s response to Jesus was zealous, as we see in his plunge into the water. He was an emotional person, prone to follow his instincts, which were often wrong. The other disciples lagged behind, dragging in the net. On shore, Jesus already had a charcoal fire lit, with fish and bread prepared. Yet strangely, Jesus told them to bring some of the catch, and Peter went out and dragged it in himself. John notes that the net was not torn, and there were 153 large fish. The details in this story seem puzzling, but Jesus never revealed Himself without revealing more fully who He is for His disciples and for the Church. Peter, as the representative of the apostles, had dragged the fish ashore, and there were an abundance of large fish. In light of the saying from Luke 5 that Peter would be catching men, what might these fish have symbolized? 

7. After Jesus invited the disciples to breakfast, none of them dared ask who He was since “They knew it was the Lord.” Then He took the bread and fish and gave it to them. Compare this passage with Luke 24:30–31, 35 and John 6:11. What do we learn about one of the ways Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples? How does this point to one of the ways He reveals Himself to us today?

8. In last week’s lesson, we learned that Jesus gave His Holy Spirit to the apostles so that they could forgive and retain sins. In which places do many people seek to find the Holy Spirit revealed today? Where have Lutherans always confessed—based on the sure Word of God—that the Holy Spirit is revealed among us? See John 6:63 and 3:5.

9. One of the Bible passages we are studying today is 1 Peter 2:24, which says that Christ “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” This reminds us we are saved only by the wounds of Jesus. John paints a beautiful picture of this in John 19:34 and 1 John 5:6–8. What does this picture depict?

Key Points

• Through His first miracle, Jesus revealed Himself to be true God. God uses His Word and physical means—water, bread, and wine—to reveal to me that Jesus is my Savior.
• Law: Like the disciples, I am unsure who Jesus is.
• Gospel: In His Word and Sacraments, Jesus shows me that He is the Savior, as He showed the disciples through His Word and miracles.

Discussion Questions

1. In Jesus’ day, weddings were occasions for great feasts, often lasting several days. Sometimes we forget the true humanity of Jesus, but we see it in His attendance at the wedding at Cana. No doubt He took part in the festivities, enjoying the delicious food and wine and having a wonderful time with His friends. At another time, we see Jesus go off into the wilderness to fast for forty days. And later, we see His great agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and in His Passion. How are these different parts of Jesus’ life typical of our own lives?
2. Jesus performed an amazing miracle at the wedding at Cana by changing water into wine. This demonstrated His divine attribute of omnipotence, that is, being all-powerful. How does Jesus use His omnipotence today for our benefit?
3. In John 2:10, the master of the feast tells the bridegroom, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine.” Concerning our human nature, of what does this remind us?
4. It is commonly said that the wedding at Cana was recorded to demonstrate Jesus’ divinity. This is true but does not tell the whole story. As you will see in the outline provided by your leader, a major part of the book of John is made up of seven signs. (The number 7 often indicates completeness in the Bible.) The miracle at Cana is said in John 2:11 to be the “first of His signs.” That also could be translated as the “chief of His signs” or “source of His signs.” Based on this observation, what can we say about the significance of the sign He performed at Cana? How did this sign function for His disciples? See John 1:50 and 2:11. How does it function for us? See John 20:30–31.
5. We have seen above that the purpose of the miracle at Cana—and all the other signs—is to reveal Jesus’ glory and strengthen the faith of His followers. Read Isaiah 25:6 and Amos 9:13, two prophecies related to the expected age of the Messiah. What about Jesus’ miracle at Cana, in particular, revealed His glory and showed that the Messiah had come? Compare Mark 2:22 with this miracle. What do the old wineskins and Jewish purification jars represent? What do the “new wine” and “fresh wineskins” (Mark 2:22) and “the good wine [kept] until now” (John 2:10) represent?
6. Read Isaiah 62:5 and Jeremiah 2:2. How do these Old Testament passages describe the relationship between God and His people? Why is a wedding such an appropriate place for Jesus to manifest—to reveal—His glory? How is Jesus described in John 3:29? Who is the bride? See Ephesians 5:25–27.
7. When a concept is introduced early on in John’s Gospel and recurs repeatedly throughout, this often leads to a very important point later. Two of these words are hour and glory, both words that appear in John 2:1–11. Read the following passages that mention the hour of Jesus: John 7:30; 12:23–24; 13:1; 17:1. What is Jesus’ hour in these verses? How does this shed light on what Jesus means by His hour in John 2:4?
8. We noted above that the first part of John’s Gospel is called the Book of Signs and the second is the Book of Glory. Read John 1:14; 2:11; and 8:54 for references to Jesus’ glory in the first part of John. Then reread John 12:23–24 and 17:1. Why is it significant that the words glory and hour appear together in these verses? Read John 19:2–3, 19. In what way is Jesus portrayed as a king? Why is it so shocking that Jesus’ glory is to be found at the hour of His crucifixion?
9. We saw above that Jesus’ signs reveal who He is for the disciples and for us. Yet not everyone got His signs. Often people missed the underlying meaning. Read John 6:26, 34–35. Why were the people seeking Jesus? What was the true meaning of the sign that He had performed (the feeding of the five thousand)? How does focusing solely on the miraculous nature of Jesus’ signs continue to lead people astray today?
10. The purification jars mentioned in John 2:6 represent the ceremonies of the Old Testament, while the wine Jesus creates from the water in them is a sign that the New Testament has come. What did the Jews do with those purification jars? What is this suggestive of under the New Testament? According to Ephesians 5:25–27, what does Christ, the Bridegroom, do for His Bride, the Church?
11. Wine, light, water, and food are symbols of salvation in John’s writings. When God’s Word is attached to water, it becomes Baptism, a vehicle of salvation—a Means of Grace. When the Word is attached to bread and wine, it becomes the Lord’s Supper, another vehicle of salvation—a Means of Grace. Read John 19:34–35; 1 John 1:7; 5:6–8. What do these passages teach us about the Lord’s appointed Means of Grace?

Key Point

• Jesus was gracious to Peter when he feared drowning. Jesus is gracious to us and is ready to catch us as we sink in sin and unbelief; His hand is always strong to save us.

Context

This story is preceded by the feeding of the five thousand. Both accounts are “exodus flavored,” only in reverse. In Exodus, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and then were miraculously fed manna in the desolate country. In Matthew, the Jews are miraculously fed bread; then the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee. Both sea traversals happen at night (Exodus 14:21–25; Matthew 14:25), and both are made possible only by the Lord’s miracle. He is the one who brings about the new and better exodus for Israel and the world—an exodus out of sin and death into righteousness and life.
Discussion Points and Questions

1. Read Matthew 14:22–24. Why does Jesus send His disciples ahead of Him? What had Jesus been doing prior to this? Why had He gone out to this desolate place in the first place? What does Jesus finally have the opportunity to do?
2. While Jesus is praying, where are the disciples? What is happening to them and their boat? How does this experience contrast with what Jesus has been doing?
3. Read through the account of Jesus’ meeting up with the disciples again (Matthew 14:25–28). Take the words at face value. What’s really happening? Do the disciples really believe they’re seeing a ghost? Do they still doubt when Jesus speaks to them?
4. Peter is in a precarious position, not only with respect to the storm, but also with respect to his understanding of Jesus. His reason tells him that it can’t be the man Jesus, but his heart and senses tell him that maybe this is Jesus. What does he need to be sure? What causes him to doubt again?
5. What does Jesus do after Peter begins to doubt? Does the confession of the disciples change throughout this experience?
6. The disciples were continually wavering in their faith. Do we sometimes waver in our faith? How does Jesus help us with our faith?
7. How then does this story call us to react when the storms of our lives trouble us?

For next week, read John 2:13–22, Jesus clearing the temple. Jesus is usually depicted in the Gospels as authoritative and able to “out-teach” everyone else, but still meek. These violent acts may seem out of character at first. Consider what Jesus is really doing here and what we are to think of His actions.

Key Points

• Just as Jesus calmed the storm with His Word for the frightened disciples, so He calms and ends the storm of sin and its certain death by taking our sin on Himself and dying in our place so we may live eternally.
• Law: “God doesn’t care about us, our fears, our sufferings, our anything.” That’s what we think, all too often, when the storms of life hit. We feel God is giving us the cold shoulder, or, worse by far, wonder if He even exists. Fear suffocates faith, leading ultimately to despair and hopelessness.
• Gospel: God does care. In the vast cosmos, nothing is as much the object of His love as you. Though, when walking through this valley of sorrow (or being tossed about in a ferocious sea), it seems the Lord is heartless, He is anything but. He is with you. At the right time, He will provide peace through His Word, bring you out of the valley and storm, and calm your trembling heart.

Context

This story is preceded by several parables about the kingdom of God, as well as its King, Christ Himself. The crossing of the Sea of Galilee, though a true story, also serves as a kind of parable, one acted out. This body of water is particularly susceptible to such sudden squalls as befell the disciples. A similar incident occurred later, at which time Peter tried his footing on the boisterous waters (Matthew 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–51).

Discussion Points and Questions

1. What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with our day-to-day troubles, or even those more stressful times of life, such as financial crisis, marital conflict, or the suffering of a loved one? To know that our sins are forgiven and that we live forever with Christ in heaven is good and true, but how does that help you now?
2. Jesus has been preaching to the crowds by employing parables (Mark 4:33). He has been teaching them of the kingdom of God. Now evening has come, and what does Jesus say? Why is He so ready to move on?
3. Take note of who goes with Him “to the other side.” Who accompanies Him across the sea, and what becomes the condition of the sea? What does the boat on the stormy sea symbolize (see 1 Peter 3:20–21), and how does that symbol seem problematic in Mark’s account?
4. What do the disciples say when they wake Jesus? Is the assessment of their condition completely accurate?
5. How does Jesus respond to their request? Is He critical of the disciples? Why or why not?
6. See Genesis 1:1–10. What does Jesus’ rebuke and calming of the storm demonstrate? What kind of “fear” are the disciples filled with?
7. Read Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10:13. Does the story in Mark help us understand this any more? How does God help us when we feel burdened or tempted by great suffering or distress?
8. See Psalm 102:25–27. What does it mean to perish?

Next week, we begin our Spring quarter of Growing in Christ! Please continue to join us and share this podcast with your teachers, colleagues, and friends.

Key Points

• Just as Jesus by Word and touch raised the dead girl to life, so by His divine Word, Baptism, and Supper, He kills and buries death and raises us to life eternal.
• Law: “The wages of sin is death”—wages death pays faithfully and fatally (Romans 6:23). From the stillborn babe to the gray-haired grandma, death is no respecter of persons. It has its way with us all, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Thus, for the sinner, death is the ultimate defeat, the ultimate fear, the sad end to pre-hell days.
• Gospel: The glory of God is a living man. Death is the foe of God, man, and the God-man Jesus. He is not only life itself, He is a killer of death and the bestower of life. That life He gives via Hiw Word, the very Word that once crafted a living man from dust and will, one day, raise us from the dust, resurrected and re-created to live forever with Him.

Context

Jairus, as a “ruler of the synagogue,” was likely a VIP in Capernaum. Such rulers were a combination of what we would call an elder and pastor. They kept order in the synagogue (Luke 13:14), read the Scriptures aloud (Acts 13:15), and either preached or asked others to preach (Acts 13:15). This account is interrupted by the story of a hemorrhaging woman who, upon touching Jesus’ clothing, is healed (Mark 5:25–34). Ironically, both stories feature the number twelve: the daughter of Jairus is twelve years old and the woman had suffered from a bloody discharge for twelve years (Mark 5:25, 42).

Discussion Points and Questions

1. How does it feel to see suffering in youth? Is this more difficult than the death of a loved one who has lived to a good old age?
2. What is Jairus’s title? What exactly does he do when he meets Jesus? What does this tell you about Jesus’ reputation and standing in the Jewish community at that time?
3. What do the comments of those from Jairus’s house indicate? How does Jesus counter their misunderstanding? Upon what is Jesus relying to strengthen Jairus?
4. What can you say about the people “weeping and wailing loudly”? Why are they doing this? How do Jesus’ question and comment counter this commotion?
5. Think about other miracles Jesus performs and who observes them. For examples, look at Mark 3:1–6; Mark 7:32–37, and John 11:33–46. Why does Jesus here send everyone outside and take only the mother, father, and His closest disciples?
6. Compare the healing of the woman with the twelve-year flow of blood (especially Mark 5:25–26) with the healing of this girl who was twelve years old. What is the relationship, keeping this number twelve in mind?
7. What did Jesus “charge” them with and tell them to do after the girl arose? Why did Jesus tell them to give her something to eat? Compare this with Acts 9:17–19.
8. Without a doubt it is difficult, just like it was for Jairus, to face the suffering or death of a child. Yet Jesus, before He does anything, tells Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” What is your reaction to those words? Are they a comfort? How is the sermon in the Divine Service like these words of Jesus?
9. Do you remember the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed? What does it say about the resurrection? See 1 Corinthians 15:45–50. How is the Holy Spirit involved in the resurrection?

For next week, read Mark 9:2–10, the transfiguration of Jesus. Is this story similar to another story we have discussed? How is it different?

Key Points

• We sinners rejoice, for we too have been called from our own sin to dine at the table of the friend of sinners: Jesus.
• Law: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8). But also, if we say we have no sin as bad as so-and-so’s, we dupe ourselves just as much. The root of hypocrisy is self-deception. We think we are much higher up on God’s “honor roll” than our peers. Such lies, which dam up the flow of repentance and forgiveness, leaves the sinner damned. Jesus is the friend of sinners. He lives with them, eats with them, dies with them. Self-made saints have no friend in Jesus, for they despise His compassion as well as His companions.
• Gospel: If we confess our sins, if we say “I am a sinner,” Jesus will say, “I am your friend. Fear not. I am faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness” (see 1 John 1:9).

Context

Tax collectors in the Roman world make America’s IRS look like a charity organization. Men such as Levi (aka Matthew) made their income by scraping every dime they could from their fellowman’s wallet. Worse yet, since Jewish tax collectors were employed by the Roman government, they were viewed as backstabbers. So, fuse together Scrooge and Benedict Arnold, and there you have a man such as Levi.

In the ancient world, you didn’t just pull up a chair at any table. To be in “table fellowship” with someone was to say, “I am a comrade of this person. I accept and affirm him.” Thus, when the Pharisees see Jesus dining with “tax collectors and sinners” (which to them were virtually synonymous), they are aghast (Matthew 9:11).

Discussion Points and Questions

1. How do we show our friendship with others? What kinds of activities do we do together? What do the Scriptures say Jesus does with His friends?
2. See Mark 4:35–41 and Mark 1:16–18. Who is the ruler of the seas? What does Jesus do by the sea?
3. What difference does Mark record between Jesus’ words to the crowd (compare with Mark 1:15) and his words to Levi? How does this distinguish Levi from the crowd? What is the significance of this, considering Levi was a tax collector?
4. Where is the next place that we see Jesus calling after Levi? What is He doing, and with whom?
5. What is so surprising and offensive to the scribes? With whom would they expect Jesus to be eating? What does this expectation tell us about Jesus?
6. Who are the ones who need Jesus, according to His words in Mark 2:17? Are there any that are righteous? Whom, then, does Jesus call?
7. Who are Jesus’ disciples in this passage? How do we live as His disciples?
8. What do we say in the Confession and Absolution in the Divine Service? How does this relate to being called by Jesus to be His disciple? Are there other opportunities for Confession and Absolution outside of the beginning of the Divine Service? Why would we want to take advantage of those opportunities?

For next week, read Mark 10:13–16: Jesus and the little children. What are your impressions of little children? Are they more innocent than the rest of us? Why does Jesus say we must become like little children?

Key Points

• In Jesus, access to heaven is given to all who believe.
• Law: You get the god you believe in. If you believe “God” to be a mean-spirited, unforgiving, damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t deity, then your belief in that false god attaches you to him. Again, if you believe “God” to be an everybody-gets-to-heaven, anything goes, laid-back Lord, then your belief in that false god attaches you to him. Remember, you get the “God” you believe in. But if the deity in whom you believe is false, then, alas, he is nothing more than one of the devil’s myriad disguises. And what you get is hell.
• Gospel: Jesus is who Jesus is. He is not whomever we twist, wrench, or otherwise manipulate Him into being. He defies our expectations, knowing all, loving all, dying for all. Something good did come down from Nazareth. That good is the Savior, who is the true Jacob’s ladder, for upon Him the angels come down to escort us upward to our heavenly home.

Context

There is a changeover between John the Baptist and Jesus. Before Jesus is baptized, and even long after, John has his disciples while Jesus has His (Matthew 9:14; John 1:35; John 4:1; Acts 19:1–7). Only over time did the two groups become one. One of the Baptist’s followers, Andrew, has already come to follow Jesus, bringing hid brother, Simon Peter, with him. Here, two more brothers, Philip and Nathanael (ake Bartholomew), confess faith in the Savior—Nathanael a tad reluctantly at first. In the following story, the wedding in Cana, we see something of a “parable” of the transition from John to Jesus where water (=John) is transformed into wine (=Messiah).

Discussion Points and Questions

1. Our passage begins with the words “The next day.” Read John 1:29 to hear more of what was happening beforehand. What does John say about his own ministry in John 1:31–34? How will the Son of God be recognized?
2. Read John 1:43–45 again. Who claims to have found whom? Who really found whom?
3. John had called Jesus the “Son of God” and the “Lamb of God.” What does Philip say about Him? What does he mean that Moses and the prophets wrote about Him? Read Luke 24:26–27 and 24:44–47 to help answer the question.
4. What does Jesus mean when He says Nathanael is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit? How is this a fault of Nathanael’s? How is it a strength?
5. How did Jesus know Nathanael? Again, who really found whom in this encounter? How does Jesus’ statement affirm what John and Philip have said about Him? What does He say to Nathanael? What are the greater things Nathanael will see?
6. John said that he saw heaven opened and the Spirit descending upon Jesus. Jesus says Nathanael will see the heavens opened, with angels ascending and descending on Him. When are the heavens opened for us?
7. Nathanael makes a strong confession about who Jesus is. What is this confession? Expand upon its meaning. What confessions do we make of Jesus?
8. Even though Moses and the prophets had testified about who the Messiah would be, Nathanael underwent a significant learning experience in his encounter with Jesus. Does this tell us anything about our own knowledge of Jesus? Under what circumstances should we be open to a deeper understanding of Him?

For next week, read Mark 2:13–17, Jesus’ call of Matthew. Think about people whom you consider to be “sinners.” How would you feel if they started coming to church? What if they became close friends with some in your congregation?