Archive for the ‘Jesus’ tag
January 24, 2010: Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
The text for this lesson is Luke 4:16–30
Key Points
- In Nazareth, throughout His ministry, and even today, Jesus is rejected by people who do not have faith in Him. God’s Word clearly shows that Jesus is God’s Son, and in faith, we believe.
- Law: Sin blinds my eyes to the Savior. Because of my sinful weakness, I want God to show me His power with a miracle.
- Gospel: Through God’s Word and Sacraments, I can see and believe in Jesus. God, through water and His Word, has performed the greatest miracle for me, granting me forgiveness and eternal life with Him.
Discussion Points
1. In the synagogue, Jesus would read Scripture from a scroll and then preach on the text He read. In Romans 10:17, Paul says that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” What was the primary means of teaching in Jesus’ time? Were Bibles available to the people? Would many people have been able to read Hebrew? What does this tell us about the importance of preaching in Jesus’ ministry and in the New Testament?
2. In Luke 4:24, Jesus literally says, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown” (author’s translation). What does the word amen mean? Why is it attached to prayers?
3. Describe the experience of spending time with people who remember what you were like when you were growing up. How does familiarity with a person’s background color your image of him or her? What would the people of Nazareth recall about Jesus’ childhood? How could this give insight into Jesus’ statement, “No prophet is acceptable in his hometown” (Luke 4:24)?
4a. What phrases in Luke 4:18–19 indicate that Jesus will be a teacher and work miracles? Read Luke 4:31–37. How does this account in Capernaum revisit the two primary themes from His previous sermon?
4b. According to Luke 4:23, Jesus anticipated that the people of Nazareth would expect Him to perform signs and wonders such as He had done in Capernaum. “Physician, heal yourself” might be a reference to the idea that one should not forget to help his own family and friends while he assists complete strangers. Yet as a prophet, Jesus would fare no better than the prophets of Israel, such as Elijah and Elisha, who were often rejected by the people. There-fore, God sent Elijah to the Gentile (non-Israelite) widow in Zarapheth, and Elisha was given the task of cleansing the pagan Naaman. How does the account in Luke 4:28–29 suggest what will eventually happen to the prophet Jesus? Read Luke 13:31–34.
5. In Luke 4:18, Jesus says that He will “set at liberty those who are oppressed.” As has been noted, the Greek word translated as “set at liberty” is often used to describe the forgiveness of sins, so this passage announces one of the major themes of Jesus’ preaching. Read Isaiah 53:6, our Bible verse for today. In what way does sin still oppress us? In what sense are we liberated from the oppression of sin? See Luke 1:77 and 24:47.
6. Jesus quotes the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor.” Who else besides Jesus is mentioned in that verse? What event was a key revelation that Jesus is the promised Anointed One or Messiah? See Luke 3:21–22 and Acts 10:38.
7. The language of Luke 4:18–19 indicates that God has come to restore the fallen creation, to release it from bondage to decay and death. Read Colossians 1:15–20. Whom does Paul describe as the Creator of all things? How does the Creator reconcile creation to Himself? How does Luke 4:18–19 support the theme of the restored creation?
8. Luke 4:19 says that Jesus came to “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The background for this statement is found in Leviticus 25, in which the Year of Jubilee is prescribed to the Israelites. Read Leviticus 25:8–10. How often was the Year of Jubilee? What occurred during this year? What themes are found in both Leviticus 25:8–10 and Luke 4:18–19?
9. What did Jesus mean in Luke 4:21 that “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”? To which passage does this refer? What does this say about the power of His preaching? What does preaching accomplish in the Church today? See 1 Corinthians 1:21–25.
10. In Luke 4:15–16, we learn that Jesus customarily taught in the Jewish synagogue. He would read the Old Testament and interpret it, revealing Himself as the Messiah. How did Paul and the apostles use the synagogue to expand the Church? See Acts 9:20; 13:5; 14:1 as examples. How does the preaching that Paul did in the synagogues compare with the preaching we hear at church today?
11. In light of Jesus’ preaching in Luke 4:18–19, why do we still see the consequences of sin in creation? What does God really desire from us? Read Hebrews 11:1.
January 17, 2010: Jesus Changes Water into Wine
The text for this lesson is John 2:1–11.
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.
January 3, 2009: The Boy Jesus in the Temple
The text for this lesson is Luke 2:41–52.
Key Points
- As a boy, Jesus was found in His Father’s house. In God’s house, I hear His Word, see that Jesus is my Savior, and receive His gifts of forgiveness and salvation.
- Law: Because of sin, I, like Jesus’ parents, do not understand what God says to me.
- Gospel: God makes His Word clear to me through the power of the Holy Spirit.
December 27, 2009: The Birth of Jesus
The text for this lesson is Luke 2:1–20.
Key Points
- A Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.
- Law: Because of my sin, I fear God as the shepherds did.
- Gospel: God’s Son, Jesus, takes away my fear and offers me true peace.
December 20, 2009 – The Birth of John
The text for this lesson is Luke 1:57–80.
Key Points
- Zechariah spoke God’s Word announcing that John would give people knowledge of salvation in the forgiveness of sins. God speaks through His Holy Word to give me knowledge of salvation and forgiveness through Jesus, His Son.
- Law: God wants me to listen and obey Him, following His ways.
- Gospel: God looks at me through the obedience of Christ and is pleased.
December 13, 2009: The Birth of Jesus Foretold
The text for this lesson is Luke 1:26–38.
Key Points
- God favored Mary because of Christ, choosing her to be the mother of the Savior. God favors me because of Christ, choosing me to be His child.
- Law: Like Mary, I deserve nothing from God because of my sinfulness. God grants me unmerited grace and favor because of His Son. God must punish sin.
- Gospel: In His mercy, God sends His Son to take my punishment upon Himself. Because of my sin, I was separated from God. Because of God’s grace and favor, the Lord is with me. On my own, I am sinful and not blessed. Christ blesses me with His presence, just as He did Mary and Elizabeth.
September 6, 2009: David Becomes King
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 16:1–13; 2 Samuel 5:1–10.
Key Points
- Just as David reigned over Israel, so the God-man, Jesus, our David, reigns over the kingdom of grace, of which we are citizens.
- Law: My sinful foolishness blinds me to the wise ways of my heavenly Father.
- Gospel: God truly sees and knows what I need; He does what is good, right, and salutary for me through His Son.
Context
For the Israelites, the grass was always greener on the other side of the political fence. Not content with having God alone as their King, they wanted a man to wear the crown, like their peer nations had. (See 1 Samuel 8:19–20.) So God gave them Saul. But God also forewarned them: green grass is deceptive, as the Israelites soon discovered for themselves. Saul’s reign began well but then went downhill. Angered by Saul’s acts of insubordination, the Lord through Samuel told Saul that because he had rejected God’s Word, God had rejected him from being king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:26). The Lord would give the kingship to a neighbor of Saul’s, someone better than he (1 Samuel 15:28). As the ensuing story tells us, David was that neighbor.
May 31, 2009: John’s Vision of Heaven
The text for this lesson is Revelation 21:1–22:21.
Key Points
- Those who believe that salvation has been accomplished by the all-availing sacrifice of Jesus’ blood on the cross will bear the name of Christ written on their forehead in Holy Baptism, and will have the right to the tree of life.
- Law: If I do not believe in Christ as my Savior, I will not enter the gates of heaven.
- Gospel: I am baptized and believe in Jesus, the Lamb of God; He has written my name in His Book of Life, and I shall be saved.
Context
This is the acme of John’s Revelation, indeed, the crescendo of all the Scriptures. In many ways, it is also a digest or summary of the Bible, for in these two chapters is contained the teachings of sin and salvation, heaven and hell, Jesus and the Church, the Holy Trinity, and so forth. John plucks images, as if flowers, from various other books of the Old Testament and New Testament to weave this textual bouquet that pictures the inheritance of the saints.
April 19, 2009: Jesus Reinstates Peter
The text for this lesson is John 21:1–19.
Key Points
- We are all like Peter in our words and actions, denying our Lord and weeping bitterly over what we have done. We are in need of the same comfort that Peter received—the comfort of sins forgiven and the assurance that even though we are faithless, Jesus will remain faithful.
- Law: God demands that I love Him and none other solely and completely. In my sin, I worship whatever pleases me the most at the time.
- Gospel: God’s love is everlasting and ever faithful; when I deny Him, He acknowledges me for Christ’s sake.
Context
In John’s Gospel, Jesus appears to His disciples three times after His resurrection: on the actual day of resurrection (John 20:19–23); a week later, when Thomas was present (20:24–29); and here, at the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). The event has echoes of a much earlier occasion, when Jesus called these men to be His disciples, for at that time too, they caught tons of fish after heeding Jesus’ words (Luke 5:1–7).
April 12, 2009: Jesus Dies and Lives Again
The text for this lesson is Mark 15:1—16:8.
Key Points
- Good Friday is both the worst of days, revealing the gravity of our sin and God’s wrath, and the best of days, forever portraying God’s love for us in the crucifixion and resurrection of His Son.
- Law: Though I was not there, I am among those who spat in Jesus’ face and crucified Him by my sinfulness.
- Gospel: Willingly, Jesus came to earth, suffered, died, and rose again so that God might enliven me and forgive my sins.
Context
Our Holy Week was for the Jews the week of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In Jerusalem, it was standing room only. Because the Jews were under Roman rule, the death penalty could only be pronounced by a Roman official—thus, Pilate’s involvement. Jesus is executed on Friday but rapidly removed from the cross because of the approaching Sabbath. He rests in the tomb the few remaining hours of Friday, then Saturday (the Sabbath), and then rises sometime on the third day, Sunday. Sunday, therefore, becomes the day for Christians, replacing the Sabbath of the old covenant.
