Archive for the ‘sheep’ tag
March 10, 2013: Jesus Seeks the Lost
The text for this lesson is Luke 15.
Key Point
- In our sin, we were lost from God and doomed to die. God, in His love, sought and found us and keeps us with Him forever.
- Law: Because of my sin, I am lost from God.
- Gospel: My heavenly Father continually seeks me through His Word and Sacraments, claims me as His own, and keeps me safe in faith.
Discussion Points
- The relationship between shepherd and sheep is used frequently in Holy Scripture to describe the relationship between the Lord and His people. Sheep have a reputation for wandering.
According to Isaiah 53:5–7, in what way are we all like sheep? Why is “everyone turning to his own way” such an apt description of sin? How did God atone for the sins of the sheep? - The emphasis on sinners returning to the Lord in today’s lesson fits perfectly with the primary theme of the season of Lent: repentance.
The verse that is sung before the Gospel reading during the season of Lent is Joel 2:13. According to Joel 2:12–13, what is repentance? Why can the repentant sinner confidently approach God, knowing that He will forgive? - According to Luke 5:27–32, why did Jesus love to eat with tax collectors and sinners? Which group didn’t think they needed to eat with Him?
- Some background information can help us interpret the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3–7). First, shepherding was a despised trade at the time. Shepherds were considered unclean, even sinners. Second, it was common for Palestinian shepherds to work together, so when one went off to look for a lost sheep, the other shepherds would keep watch.
Further, the open country served as a safe place for the sheep to graze, even when the shepherd had to leave for a time. Third, a lost sheep will, after a while, become despondent and lie down, completely helpless.
The shepherd has to lift the sheep upon his shoulders and bring it back to the flock. Based on the parable and the background information, answer the following questions:-
a. Whom do the shepherd and lost sheep represent? Why?
b. What does the shepherd’s carrying of the lost sheep represent?
c. In what way is this parable a critique of the Pharisees? - The parable of the prodigal (wasteful) son is one of the most beloved in Scripture, yet there are several details about its cultural background that can shed additional light on this story. We will go through the parable of the prodigal (wasteful) son in five sections: (a) 11–16, (b) 17–19, (c) 20–21, (d) 22–24, and (e) 25–32.
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a. In Luke 15:11–16, whom does the prodigal son represent?
b. Read Luke 15:17–19. Do you think the son was truly repentant? How could you see yourself in the son’s shoes?
c. In Luke 15:20–21, we see the dramatic meeting of the father and the son. How does the father’s love resemble God’s love for us? According to Romans 2:4, how does repentance come about?
d. Read Luke 15:22–24. How does this part of the parable apply to us?
e. In Luke 15:25–32, we hear the sad story of the elder son’s lack of love for his father. Whom do you think this part of the parable was directed at? How does it apply to us? - The parable of the lost coin, Luke 15:8–10, shares the same message as the parable of the lost sheep but with one significant difference: the person seeking the coin is a woman. Whom might she represent and why?
- Earlier, we discussed how important table fellowship was in Jesus’ day. We still can relate to this somewhat through our enjoyment of family meals and dinners with friends. But what is the most important table fellowship we share as Christians? Who is welcomed at His Table?
April 25, 2010: Jesus, Our Shepherd
The text for this lesson is John 10:22–30; Psalm 23
Key Points
Discussion Points
1. The theme of shepherding is important throughout Holy Scripture. Joshua was appointed as Moses’ successor over Israel so that the people would not be “as sheep that have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:17). The great king David had been a shepherd (1 Samuel 17:15). The religious and political rulers of Israel were often referred to as shepherds, although more often than not, the Lord was angry with them for neglecting their duties. And, of course, the Lord is characterized as the Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 23). In John 10, Jesus, the Son of God, presents Himself as the Good Shepherd. There are passages in the Old Testament that had promised to Israel that the Messiah would be like a shepherd. According to Ezekiel 34:15–16 and Isaiah 40:10–11, who would be the shepherd of Israel? Who is the shepherd in Ezekiel 34:23–24? How do these three passages taken together point to Jesus? According to Matthew 2:1–6, who is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament predictions about shepherds of Israel
2. An allegory is a rhetorical or literary device used to express certain truths through symbolic fictional figures. Jesus’ parables are examples of allegories. In John 10, Jesus uses an allegory to depict Himself as the Good Shepherd of Israel. According to John 10:10–18, what is the chief way that the Good Shepherd demonstrates His love for the sheep? How does this passage testify that Jesus is truly God? What is the ultimate goal of the Good Shepherd’s oversight of the flock?
3. Jesus was able to communicate important teachings using very few words. John 10:27 is an example of this, in which He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Let us examine each of the three phrases of that verse in detail.
(a) “My sheep hear My voice.” This phrase underscores the importance of being within earshot of the Good Shepherd. If we are so far away from the Shepherd that we cannot hear Him, then we will be lost. According to John 6:68, why is the voice of the Good Shepherd so powerful? According to John 5:24, what is the result of hearing and believing the Word of the Good Shepherd? What does John 10:2–5 say is the way sheep recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd amidst the cries of strangers? What has Jesus done to ensure that His sheep can hear His voice, according to Romans 10:14–17?
(b) “I know My sheep.” Occasionally people ask, “Do you know Jesus?” It is important that we know and confess Him, but in Galatians 4:9, Paul explains what is even more important. How does Paul help us keep first things first? According to John 10:14–15, what is so profound about the Shepherd’s knowledge of the sheep and their knowledge of Him?
(c) “My sheep follow Me.” The result of hearing the Shepherd’s voice and being known by Him is that we follow Him. Following Him only comes about because the Holy Spirit moves us to do so through the Shepherd’s voice. We do not make a decision to follow Him; He knows and chooses us. Jesus promises incredible grace to those who follow Him: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The light of eternal life is given to those who follow Him. But we also know that following Him is not easy: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). According to Romans 8:35–36, what often happens to sheep who follow the Good Shepherd? Yet according to Romans 8:37–39, what is the glorious promise of comfort given to His sheep?
4. When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), He was emphasizing His divine oneness with the Father. How does John 10:28–29 also emphasize Jesus’ divinity and provide us with a source of comfort? According to John 5:18 and 19:7, how did the Jews respond to Jesus’ teaching that He was the Son of God?
5. In John 10:28, Jesus identifies Himself as the eternal Shepherd, for He says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” How does Revelation 7:13–17 reiterate the theme of Jesus as the eternal Shepherd?
6. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). We are sinful sheep in need of a Shepherd to save us. According to 1 Peter 2:21–25, how has the Good Shepherd saved us? Since the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep, what kind of lives should we live?
7. According to 1 Peter 5:1–4, whom did the Good Shepherd give to His Church to be shepherds of God’s flock?
8. In what ways does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, use a rod and staff in caring for us? What instruments has He placed in the hands of His undershepherds, pastors, to use in their flocks?
March 14, 2010: Jesus Seeks the Lost
The text for this lesson is Luke 15.
Key Points
Discussion Points
1. The relationship between shepherd and sheep is used frequently in Holy Scripture to describe the relationship between the Lord and His people. Sheep have a reputation for wandering. According to Isaiah 53:5–7, in what way are we all like sheep? Why is “everyone turning to his own way” such an apt description of sin? How did God atone for the sins of the sheep?
2. The emphasis on sinners returning to the Lord in today’s lesson fits perfectly with the primary theme of the season of Lent: repentance. Both Jesus and John the Baptist began their ministries with the same message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). Jesus made this the primary message of the Church’s preaching when He said “repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). The Lutheran Reformation could be described as an effort to return the Church to the proper biblical understanding of repentance. As Luther said in his first of Ninety-Five Theses, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, ‘Repent,’ He willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” The verse that is sung before the Gospel reading during the season of Lent is Joel 2:13. According to Joel 2:12–13, what is repentance? Why can the repentant sinner confidently approach God, knowing that He will forgive?
3. Luke 15:1–2 sets the stage for the three parables that follow. Tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus. Tax collectors were notorious for being corrupt; the sinners would have been those who had committed public sins. It was remarkable that Jesus agreed to eat with them. In Jesus’ time and still in the Middle East today, to eat with someone was a sign of fellowship and peace. It cannot be emphasized enough how significant table fellowship was to the Jews. The Pharisees, who were righteous (self-righteous, that is), would never have eaten with someone who was a sinner—someone who had lived a life of manifest sin. For them, it was “once a sinner, always a sinner.” This is why they grumbled about Jesus’ table fellowship practices. According to Luke 5:27–32, why did Jesus love to eat with tax collectors and sinners? Which group didn’t think they needed to eat with Him?
4. Some background information can help us interpret the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3–7). First, shepherding was a despised trade at the time. Shepherds were considered unclean, even sinners. Second, it was common for Palestinian shepherds to work together, so when one went off to look for a lost sheep, the other shepherds would keep watch. Further, the open country served as a safe place for the sheep to graze, even when the shepherd had to leave for a time. Third, a lost sheep will, after a while, become despondent and lie down, completely helpless. The shepherd has to lift the sheep upon his shoulders and bring it back to the flock. Based on the parable and the background information, answer the following questions:
(a) Whom do the shepherd and lost sheep represent? Why?
(b) What does the shepherd’s carrying of the lost sheep represent?
(c) In what way is this parable a critique of the Pharisees?
5. The parable of the prodigal (wasteful) son is one of the most beloved in Scripture, yet there are several details about its cultural background that can shed additional light on this wonderful story. We will go through the parable in five sections: (a) 11–16, (b) 17–19, (c) 20–21, (d) 22–24, and (e) 25–32.
a) In Luke 15:11–16, the wasteful son wastes more than material goods; he wastes his father’s great love for him. In Jesus’ day, it was unheard of for a father in good health to give his inheritance to his sons until his death. So the younger son basically was saying to his father, “I wish you were dead. I want no part of life with you anymore. I’d rather go off and spend my time and money with people I don’t even know.” People hearing this story would expect the father to blow up at the son and deny his request. But the father does not; he graciously grants his son’s wishes. Then the son liquidates his share of the inheritance and heads to a foreign land with lots of cash in hand. He squanders it all, living recklessly. After the money is gone, the son becomes a slave to a foreigner, doing something that a good Jew would have found abhorrent: feeding pigs. (The Old Testament deems pigs unclean, and Jews couldn’t eat or touch them.) Whom does the prodigal son represent?
b) In Luke 15:17–19, the son comes to his senses. He realizes that his father’s servants have it much better than he does. He plans to return and make a deal with his father. He will give up the title of son in exchange for the role as servant. Do you think he was truly repentant? How could you see yourself in the son’s shoes?
c) In Luke 15:20–21, we see the dramatic meeting of the father and the son. Several details are important. First, while the prodigal son is returning to bargain for forgiveness, the father is moved with compassion and runs to embrace and kiss his son. Aristotle wrote, “Great men never run in public.” It would have been humiliating for a noble man in that culture to run, but the father is so overjoyed to see his son that he tosses aside societal conventions. Recall that the son is poor, filthy, and probably smelly, yet the father does not care. He loves the son so much.
And this love moves his son to true repentance, for he does not make a bargain but only confesses his sin and unworthiness; he does not tell his father to make him a servant. How does the father’s love resemble God’s love for us? According to Romans 2:4, how does repentance come about?
d) In Luke 15:22–24, the father restores the son to full sonship in the household. Without even making the son wash up, the father puts the very best robe on him, covering his shame. He puts the family’s signet ring on his finger, signifying full authority over the family property. The servants put sandals on his feet, signifying that he has authority over the servants—he is not a slave but a son. Finally, killing the fattened calf meant that a great party was thrown to celebrate his return. How does this part of the parable apply to us?
e) In Luke 15:25–32, we hear the sad story of the elder son’s lack of love for his father. He has nothing but bitterness for his brother. He won’t go into the party. He says to his father, “I have slaved for you and you never even gave me a goat so that I could party with my friends, but you’ll go all out for this sinful one?” It would have been humiliating for a nobleman to be called away from a feast by a son who refused to enter. But the father loves him just the same and gently rebukes him, reminding him of the great news about his brother. Whom do you think this part of the parable was directed at? How does it apply to us?
6. The parable of the lost coin, Luke 15:8–10, shares the same message as the parable of the lost sheep but with one significant difference: the person seeking the coin is a woman. Whom might she represent and why?
7. Earlier, we discussed how important table fellowship was in Jesus’ day. We still can relate to this somewhat through our enjoyment of family meals and dinners with friends. But what is the most important table fellowship we share as Christians? Who is welcomed at His Table?
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).
