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.

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 Points

• God in His mercy promised to send John to prepare sinful people for the coming of the Lord.
• Law: God in His Word calls us to repentance, declaring us righteous because of Jesus. Law/Gospel Points Zechariah and Elizabeth were ordinary people, sinful just as I am. I need to repent and return to the Lord.
• Gospel: I, like them, stand righteous before God in spite of my sin, being justified by Christ, the Righteous One. God forgives me for Jesus’ sake, drawing me to Him through His Word and Sacraments.

Discussion Questions

1. Today we begin the season of Advent. The word advent means “a coming to” or “an arrival.” Today’s lesson tells of the promise that John the Baptist would come to prepare the way for Jesus’ own coming. In Advent, we focus on the advents (plural) of Jesus. Give three examples of advents of Jesus, and discuss how each one is important to our lives as Christians.
2. Today’s lesson is set in and around the temple in Jerusalem. Though the inner workings of the temple, and the tabernacle before it, are unfamiliar to most of us, basic knowledge of them helps us understand many events and ideas in the New Testament. God’s presence dwelled in the temple, and priests offered sacrifices to Him there, as He had instructed them to do. One of the rites of the temple was the burning of incense. Exodus 30:1–10 describes the institution of this rite. Zechariah was a priest, and he had been chosen to serve at the altar of incense, which was just outside the Holy of Holies (Luke 1:8–9). This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a high honor. While the priest offered incense, believers would offer prayers at the temple (Luke 1:10). What does incense symbolize? See Psalm 141:1–2. Why might God have instituted the use of incense for Old Testament worship?
3. God spoke to Zechariah through the angel Gabriel, the messenger whom He had sent. Angels were often sent by God to be His messengers. Whom did Jesus later send out into the world as His messengers to speak on His behalf? Who are Jesus’ messengers to the world today? How can we tell whether someone is a true or false messenger of God?
4. Luke 1:6 says that both Zechariah and Elizabeth were “righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” Why can this verse not mean that Zechariah and Elizabeth were saved by perfect obedience to the commandments? See Romans 3:23–24. What does it mean that they were “righteous before God”? What does it mean that they were “walking blamelessly” in God’s commandments and statutes?
5. What Old Testament couple is brought to mind by the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth? See Genesis 17:15–19. What similarities do you see between the stories? Why is it important to read that the saints in the Bible sometimes fell into unbelief?
6. Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament and was written around 430 BC. Read Malachi 4:5–6 and Luke 1:16–17. What key phrases in these verses indicate that Malachi’s prophecy was fulfilled in the person of John? What event does Malachi say will happen after Elijah comes?
7. Read Luke 3:3. What was John’s basic message? According to Luke 1:16, what would be one outcome of John’s preaching? If Luke 1:16 refers to the repentance of some of the Jews, to whom might Luke 1:17 be referring?
8. Luke 1:15 says that John “must not drink wine or strong drink.” This is one of the requirements for someone who would take a Nazirite vow. Read Numbers 6:1–3. What is the purpose of the Nazirite vow? What kind of tone does this set for John’s ministry? According to Psalm 104:15, what does wine symbolize? In Luke 7:33–34, Jesus contrasts His own ministry with John’s, saying that John drinks no wine but that He does. What could this difference in their ministries indicate?
9. God made Zechariah mute because he did not believe the promise given through Gabriel. Zechariah would have known the story of Abraham and Sarah, among other similar stories, of God opening closed wombs. He should have known better than to doubt God. Instead, he asked for a sign to prove that the prophecy would come true. God muted Zechariah in order to chastise him for his unbelief but also, ironically, to provide the sign for which he had asked. When misfortunes occur in our lives, should we interpret them as God’s punishments? Why or why not? What are the only signs of God’s love for which we should look? Read Mark 16:16 and Romans 8:28. What are some examples of signs that people today seek in order to confirm that God loves them?
10. Luke 1:15 says that John would “be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” Read Luke 1:39–45. Who alone can give faith? What could these passages tell us about the possibility of unborn babies having faith? Can we be certain that God gives faith to infants who are baptized? What impression do these passages give to us concerning the value Elizabeth and Mary placed on their unborn babies?

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).

Discussion Points and Questions

1. Regardless of how our culture defines love, what matters most is how God defines it. If the Bible is the Word of God (and it is!), then it defines reality for us. Explore how God expects us to love Him and others by reading Deuteronomy 6:1–9; 10:12–13. What is involved in this love, and what do God’s expectations reveal about us?
2. What is the nature of God’s love for us? See John 3:16; 13:1; 15:12–14; Romans 5:6–10.
3. Luke 5:1–11 recounts a miraculous catch somewhat like John 21:1–14. In both cases, the abundant catch of fish represents the future ingathering of disciples of Jesus who will come to faith by the Holy Spirit’s work through the apostolic ministry, as Jesus promised Peter: “From now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). Yet Peter did not become a fisher of men, much less a sheep-feeder, overnight. He failed his Lord many times before and after Christ’s resurrection. Summarize Peter’s track record on the basis of Matthew 16:13–23; 26:30–35; John 18:10–11, 15–18, 25–27.
4. What brought Peter to repentance and kept him from falling away completely? See Luke 22:31–34. According to Hebrews 7:25, how is our salvation preserved?
5. What moved Jesus to forgive and reaffirm Peter as an apostle? What similarities exist between John 13:36–38 and John 21:15–19?
6. Jesus teaches Peter that His love for Jesus will be expressed in action: “Feed My lambs. . . . Tend My sheep. . . . Feed My sheep” (John 21:15–17). Peter would be given the privilege of serving the sheep who belong to the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–21). According to Acts 2:38–42, how did Peter fulfill Christ’s commission to catch men and feed and tend His sheep?
7. What does 1 Peter 5:1–4 teach about ongoing feeding, tending, and shepherding in the Christian church? How is it that pastors are at the same time equal to all other Christians but also called to exercise oversight?
8. According to ancient traditions not found in the Bible, St. Peter was martyred by crucifixion in AD 68. Jesus had predicted that Peter would be a martyr and glorify God through his death (John 21:18–19). Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me.” How does Acts 5:40–42 describe Peter taking his cross from Christ and following, even through suffering? What does Peter teach Christians about suffering in 1 Peter 3:14–18; 4:12–19?
9. “Do you love Me?” Jesus asked Peter. He asks us the same question. According to John 14:21, 23–24, what will we do if we love Jesus? What commandments and words does Jesus refer to? See John 14:1; Matthew 11:28–30; 26:26–28.

For Next Week

Read Acts 13:1–14:28 for the next lesson on St. Paul’s first missionary journey. We will expand on the key point: “Just as God sent Paul and Barnabas to spread the Gospel, so today He sends pastors to preach the Gospel, baptize, and feed Jesus’ body and blood to His children, against whom the gates of hell cannot prevail.”

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?