Archive for the ‘peace’ tag
April 11, 2010: Jesus Appears to Thomas
The text for this lesson is John 20:19–31
Key Points
Discussion Points
1. “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Easter is not over. The season of Easter runs for seven Sundays, so we have plenty of time to bask in the warm glow of the resurrection of the Son. But even better, every Sunday is a little Easter! As we saw last week, Jesus’ resurrection occurred on a Sunday (Luke 24:1). The Early Church made a sharp break from Judaism by abandoning the Sabbath (Saturday) and devoting Sunday to worship. The primary reason for the use of Sunday is that Jesus rose on the first day of the week. Luke reports in Acts 20:7, “On the first day of the week, when we gathered together to break bread,” which is a reference to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on a Sunday. In Revelation 1:10, reference is made to “the Lord’s day,” which is clearly Sunday. Indeed, every Sunday is a celebration of the Lord’s resurrection, and that is reflected at various points in the Divine Service. What parts of the liturgy confess Jesus’ resurrection?
2. How is Christianity distinctly different from these Eastern religions? What tendencies in some parts of Christendom share the flesh is bad and spirit is good philosophy with Eastern religions
3. John 20:19 says that the disciples had the doors locked “for fear of the Jews.” According to John 15:18–20, why might the disciples have been afraid?
4. Jesus said to the disciples “Peace be with you” and then showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed! According to Colossians 1:18–20 and Romans 5:1, what kind of peace has Jesus won for us, which is cause for great rejoicing?
5. Read Matthew 16:16–19. What is the rock on which Jesus will build His Church? Whom does Peter serve as the representative of in that scene? In what way does John 20:21–23 show the fulfillment of Matthew 16:16–19? How does John 20:24 provide us with a clue as to which group of disciples received the Holy Spirit in John 20:21–23?
6. Recall that the first words of both Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 are “In the beginning.” John wanted his readers to have the creation account in mind when reading about God’s redemption of the creation from sin and death through the Word made flesh. John 20:22 records that Jesus breathed on His disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit. Compare John 20:22 to Genesis 2:7. What are the similarities and differences between these verses? In light of what the Holy Spirit will empower the disciples to do in John 20:23, what is the significance of John 20:22 for the Church?
7. Read Luke 24:21–24. How might the response of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus help explain Thomas’s great reluctance to believe that Jesus had risen? Does John portray Thomas as any more doubting than the other disciples? How does Jesus use Thomas to provide a teaching moment for the Church?
8. With Jeremiah 17:9 in mind, what is comforting about knowing that we have pastors who are available to pronounce forgiveness to us when we are troubled by our sins?
9. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Though as Christians we have not seen Jesus, we love Him, believe in Him, and greatly rejoice (1 Peter 1:8). “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Isaiah the prophet wrote, “Truly, You are a God who hides Yourself” (45:15). Yet our Lord has given us all that we need and more. How are we able to hear Jesus even though we cannot see Him? How can we touch Him without being able to sense His presence?
10. In John 20:30–31, the purpose statement of the entire Gospel is given. John recorded a selection of Jesus’ signs in order that the recipients of his Gospel “may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing [they] may have life in His name.” In truth, this could be the purpose statement of the entire Bible. According to Acts 2:38, how do we receive life in Jesus’ name? In light of Matthew 28:19, why is the name placed upon us at Baptism capable of giving life? What is the relationship between John’s purpose statement and Christian Baptism?
March 21, 2010: Jesus Is Anointed
The text for this lesson is Luke 7:36–50.
Key Points
Discussion Points
1. Today draws us deep into the Lenten season. As we have seen in previous weeks, the theme of Lent is repentance, which is brought about when God’s Law shows us our sinfulness and the Gospel shows us God’s promise of forgiveness for Jesus’ sake. Repentance includes both sorrow over sin and faith in God’s forgiveness. Last week, we saw how the prodigal son’s father showed great love and mercy toward him, moving him to repentance. This week, we see how a sinful woman encountered the love and forgiveness of Jesus, which moved her to repentance, saving faith in Him, and also great love for Him. She was not saved by her works of love but by trusting in Jesus. How does Romans 4:4–5 explain why faith is not a work done by people? What does Romans 4:6–8 say is the essence of the righteousness of faith, such as the faith that the sinful woman had in Jesus?
2. Luke provides the only account among the Gospel writers of the sinful woman anointing Jesus’ feet with tears and ointment. Matthew, Mark, and John describe a woman coming to Jesus soon before His Passion in order to anoint His head with oil. Though Luke records a different event than the other evangelists, the anointing of Jesus in Luke might have the same symbolic value as the anointing recorded in the others. According to Matthew 26:12, what was the purpose of Jesus’ anointing? How is this lesson especially appropriate as we approach Holy Week?
3. In Luke 7:36–39, it is mentioned four times that Simon, the man Jesus was invited to eat with, was a Pharisee. As we read through Luke’s Gospel, we learn a number of important facts about the Pharisees that help us understand why Jesus often criticized them. In Luke 7:30, we hear that the Pharisees rejected God’s purposes for themselves because they refused the Baptism of repentance of John the Baptist. In Luke 11:39, when the Pharisees noticed that Jesus did not ceremonially wash before the meal, Jesus said, “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.” In Luke 15:2, they complained about Jesus welcoming and eating with sinners. Later, Jesus tells the story of the Pharisee who went to the temple to pray, saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11). In today’s lesson, it seems that Luke wanted to make sure that the hearer of His Gospel would pick up on the fact that Simon was a Pharisee. What clue could this fact indicate about the way the story will unfold? Do we still have Pharisees in our midst today?
4. We confess in the Nicene Creed that Jesus Christ is “God of God, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.” What things does Jesus do in today’s lesson from Luke 7 that only God can do?
5. What actions demonstrate Simon’s rejection of Jesus as the greatest Prophet, the Messiah? What is ironic about Simon’s statement, “If this man were a prophet, He would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39)? According to Luke 5:20–21 and Luke 7:49, what work of Jesus scandalized the Pharisees more than any other?
6. What is the main point of the parable of two debtors? Which of the debtors represents us?
7. The sinful woman would have been banned from table fellowship with the Pharisees because of her outwardly sinful life, which made her unclean. She shows great love for Jesus and welcomes Him as the most honored guest, unlike Simon the Pharisee. The contrast between the woman and the Pharisee is striking. Jesus says to Simon, “I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47). Does this verse indicate that the woman was forgiven because she loved Jesus or that she loved Jesus because she was forgiven? How do the second half of the verse and the parable of the two debtors help us find the right answer? How does 1 John 4:19 shed light on this question?
8. Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus shares table fellowship with tax collectors, sinners, and Pharisees. In today’s lesson, the woman was one of those sinners whom Jesus ate with and to whom He delivered forgiveness. Jesus ate with the Pharisees, but they did not desire His forgiveness. According to Luke 13:26–27, what will be Jesus’ message on the Last Day for Pharisees who ate at the same table with Jesus but did not believe in Him? What words of warning does Luke 13 give to us today as we gather around our Lord’s Table?
9. The Pharisees had tamed God’s Law by making it manageable. They thought they could fulfill it. They thought life could be lived without sin. Occasionally, you will encounter people today who believe the same thing. Their delusion is just another sign of how deeply sin penetrates us all. Left to our own devices, we can even fool ourselves into thinking that we are not sinful! But Paul says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” When we realize that, we will appreciate why we needed Jesus to come save us. What does Luke 1:77 tell us is Jesus’ mission? How was His mission completed, according to Ephesians 1:7?
10. The liturgy for Holy Communion takes us through a remarkable transition. As we enter, we are poor, miserable sinners. When we receive the Benediction, the Lord blesses us with the gift of peace as we depart. Jesus tells the woman in today’s lesson, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The Lord shares the same message with us in the Divine Service. Peace with God is found throughout the liturgy, in particular with the words of Absolution and the preaching of the Gospel, and culminates within the Service of Holy Communion. After the Words of Institution are spoken and Christ’s body and blood are present on the altar, the pastor says, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” Our peace comes from the altar. After we receive the Lord’s body and blood, we are told to “Depart in peace.” In the Nunc Dimittis, we sing, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace.” According to Romans 5:1, what is the cause of our peace with God?
March 1, 2009: Jesus Calms a Storm
The text for this lesson is Mark 4:35–41.
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.
