Archive for the ‘John’ tag
August 8, 2010: Jesus Heals with Mud
The text for this lesson is John 9
Key Points
- Jesus healed the blind man with mud and spit to show the work of God. Jesus shows the work of God in us as He heals us of sin with water and His Word.
- Law: All sickness is a result of sin in the world.
- Gospel: Jesus has power to heal all sickness. He opens my eyes to see who He really is and heals me of my sin with water and His Word.
Discussion Points
- Who were upset that Jesus healed the man born blind on the Sabbath? Why?
- What healed the man’s blindness? Why did Jesus tell him to go wash in the pool of Siloam?
- What are the similarities between what Jesus did for the blind man and what God does for us in our Baptism?
- How do you think the man changed after Jesus gave him sight?
- How did the man’s physical blindness help him understand his spiritual blindness?
- How did he come to see God at work in his life? What has Jesus done to bring us all into the light of God’s love?
- How did Jesus’ use of dirt and saliva show who He was and work His plan of salvation?
- How is Jesus the light of the world?
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.
February 22, 2009: The Transfiguration
The text for this lesson is Mark 9:2–10.
Key Points
- The transfiguration of God’s Son, Jesus, exemplifies the transformation that God gives us. Through uniting us in Baptism with His death and resurrection, Jesus purified and transformed us from sin-filled children of Adam to Christ-filled children of God.
- Law: Though Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, when sin corrupted him, he “fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image” (Genesis 5:3, emphasis added). Sin-filled Adam sired a sin-filled son. And if we ask, “Mirror, mirror of the Law, who’s affected by this flaw?” it will point its reflective finger at us, to all the sin-filled sons and daughters of Adam. As we sing, “In Adam we have all been one, One huge rebellious man; We all have fled that evening voice That sought us as we ran” (LSB 569:1).
- Gospel: The Son of God became a man to make us sons of God. He restored us to the image and likeness of God. No, yet more! He restores and improves that image and likeness. His transfigured flesh, radiating the brilliance of divinity, links us bodily with God Himself as we are baptized into Him, purified, and transformed from the sin-filled children of Adam to the Christ-filled children of God.
