This week we
will continue to study the Gospel of Luke.
Earlier in 9:51, we were told that Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem, and from John 11, we understand that the home of Martha and Mary was in Bethany, about 2 miles from Jerusalem on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olive.
(1) What was the intention of Martha in opening her home to Jesus (and His disciples)?
(2) Judging from this story, what did Martha do to make sure that she did the utmost to prepare her home?
(3) As far as her intention was concerned, was she right in so doing?
(4) What was Jesus doing while Martha was busy doing all the preparations? Why?
(5) What was her sister, Mary, doing when Jesus was teaching inside her house?
(6) Why didn’t Martha do what her sister chose to do?
(7) Why didn’t Mary do what her sister chose to do? Did she not know she also had an obligation to make preparation for her guests?
(8) While Martha was obviously upset at Mary, what choices did she have?
(9) What did she choose? Why?
(10) Describe what was ultimately wrong with Martha's activity in the following areas:
a. Making the preparation itself
b. Making the preparation while Jesus was teaching
c. Making too lavish a preparation which prevented her from listening to Jesus
d. Making such a preparation that she became worried and upset
e. Being “distracted”? What does "distracted" mean?
(11) In entering Martha’s home, what was Jesus’ ultimate desire for her?
(12) Jesus commended Mary for having “chosen what is better”? What was it?
(13) Why did Jesus say that “it will not be taken away from her”? Who wanted to take it away from her?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) The disciples obviously had plenty of opportunities to watch Jesus pray. What might have prompted this disciple to (eventually) ask Jesus to teach them to pray?
(2) In so asking, did the disciple have in mind:
a. What to pray for?
b. The words that should be used in our prayers?
c. The proper format of prayers?
d. The proper posture of prayers?
e. Or…?
(3) Have you ever met someone whom you might be prompted to ask, “Can you teach me to pray”? If so, what might have prompted you to ask that person?
(4) I think we can all agree that Jesus did not mean for the “Lord’s Prayer” to be repeated verbatim as our prayer. Rather it was to show us the essence of our faith which is naturally manifested in our most intimate moments with God, that is, when we pray. Try to divide this prayer into meaningful parts.
(5) What comes first in your divisions? Why?
a. How important is it that we are aware that the one to whom we pray is our “Father in Heaven”? (Refer to Rom. 8:14-16; 1 Jn. 3:1; Matt. 6:32)
b. God is certainly holy and so is His name. What then could cause His name not to be hallowed? And what will cause His name to be hallowed? (You may want to refer to Jer. 7:30, Ezek. 36:20, Mal. 1:6; 4:2 etc.)
c. What do you understand of God’s Kingdom in terms of the following:
- Who reigns over it? (Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 11:15)
- What is its realm? (Isa. 9:7; Jn. 18:36)
- Who belongs to it? (Jn. 3:3; 2 Pet. 1:11)
Why should we pray for its coming?
(6) Why does Jesus put praying for our daily bread before the rest?
a. What does praying for our “bread” represent?
b. What might the emphasis on “daily” be? (See Matt. 6:34)
(7) This is a prayer to the “Father” which means that there is a basic assumption that the one who prays has a relationship with God as His child — one whose sins have been washed by the blood of Christ:
a. What kind of forgiveness does this prayer refer to? (See 1 Jn. 1:9-10 which is written to believers.)
b. What if, as Christians, we do not wish to forgive those who have wronged us? (See also Matt. 6:14-15)
c. What does forgiveness mean in this context? Does it simply mean God does not seek to judge us or the full restoration of fellowship and communion?
d. How then should we apply this to our forgiveness of others?
(8) Why does Jesus not teach us to pray, “Help us not to sin”, and instead, “lead us not into temptation”?
a. What is the difference between the two?
b. We like to say that temptation is not sin, but what if we allow ourselves to continue to face the same temptation repeatedly?
(9) Having reflected on the above, what changes should you make in your prayer-life?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
In this passage about prayers, Jesus first told a parable in vv. 5-8 and then gave the application and the reason for it:
11:5-8 – The Parable
(1) In this parable, is the person asking for his own need, or for the need of someone else?
(2) As a result, is it correct to say that the context of this parable is intercession?
(3) Why does the person go to the friend and ask for bread? What time was it? What does it signify?
(4) What is the reason that moves the friend in bed to give even at such an inconvenient time?
(5) How much is the man in bed willing to give as a result?
11:9-10 – The Application
(6) In the application of this parable, Jesus mentions about (i) asking, (ii) seeking, and (iii) knocking:
a. Is there any difference between the three, (perhaps in intensity)?
b. Why then does He use this three-fold application?
c. Is there any difference in the outcome?
(7) Is it a blanket promise? Why is it told in the setting of a parable of intercession?
11:11-13 – The Reason
(8) Describe how God is different from the man in bed in the parable in terms of the following:
a. The relationship with the petitioner
b. The motive in answering the request
c. The ability to answer the request
(9) In assuring us that God, our Father in heaven, will answer our prayer, Jesus speaks of the giving of the “Holy Spirit to those who ask Him".
a. What is the significance of the giving of the Holy Spirit to those who ask for themselves? (Acts 2:38, Eph. 1:13)
b. When we ask on behalf of someone the gift of the Holy Spirit, what kind of intercession is it? (Acts 10:44-47)
c. How will God respond to such requests? Why?
(10) How then should you pray for the salvation of your loved ones or friends?
(11) Do you think this passage is only applicable to intercessions? Why or why not?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
(1) At the healing of the man muted by the demon, what was the crowd’s reaction? What would your reaction be if you were there?
(2) If you were a skeptic, what possible explanations might you have for such a miracle?
(3) On your list of possibilities, does it include what is said in v. 15?
(4) Why did they attribute Jesus’ power as from demons? Did they have any basis for that?
(5) If you were Jesus, what would you do?
What did Jesus do?a. Rebuke them severely
b. Perform another miracle to prove yourself
c. Perform a miracle of punishment
d. Patiently reason with them, hoping they might repent
(6) In vv. 17-20, what reason did Jesus give to correct them?
(7) Now that we know that within Satan’s empire, they are united. How does Satan’s empire compare with the church of Jesus Christ in this respect?
(8) Now, do you know one of the main reasons why the church of today is so weak and without power? What should you do, as a member of the church?
(9) According to Matthew 12:45, Jesus ended His patient explanation with a stern warning directed to that generation which benefited from the earthly presence of the Son. How did they resemble the condition of the man in the parable in the ways below?
a. It was swept clean of evil spirit.
b. Yet it was unoccupied.
c. It was eventually occupied by many more wicked spirits.
(10) Is our generation any different?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) What might be the reason that “the crowds increased”?
(2) Jesus has already performed numerous and unmistakable miracles. Why did the people still want to “see a miraculous sign from Him” (See Matt. 12:38)?
(3) Why did Jesus call it a “wicked” generation? In what sense were they wicked?
(4) Jesus obviously continued to perform other miracles, like the healing of the ten lepers (Lk. 17:11-19). Why then did He say, “none will be given it, except the sign of Jonah”?
(5) How was Jonah (i.e. his miracle of surviving in the belly of a big fish for three days) a sign to the Ninevites?
(6) How did the Ninevites respond to his preaching and his sign? (Jon. 3:5)
(7) How then was Jesus (i.e. His rising from the dead on the third day) a sign for that generation?
(8) How did the people of His generation respond to His resurrection?
(9) Why did the Queen of the South (i.e. the Queen of Sheba of 1 Ki. 10; see especially the queen’s comment in 10:7-9) make such a long journey to visit Solomon?
(10) How would you compare Solomon to Jesus, in terms of who they are, what they could offer, and their wisdom?
(11) What would the Queen of the South do if she was alive in Jesus’ day?
(12) How then would the Ninevites and the Queen of the South condemn the people of Jesus’ generation with their responses to Jonah and Solomon respectively?
(13) How about our generation? Are we any better or worse? Why?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
11:33-36
Jesus appears to be talking about the light and lamp from a different context than that of the salt and light after the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. So let’s reflect on this parable within the present context of light within us:
(1) Since what Jesus says in 11:33 is true, consider what then might be the reason that people cannot see us shine for Jesus.
a. We purposely hide our light. (Is it possible?)
b. There is, in fact, no light, but darkness within us.
(2) In v. 35, Jesus appears to give an answer to the above question.
a. What is His answer?
b. What does He mean by “See to it then, that the light within you is not darkness”? Light may become dim and may turn dark, but how can light “is (be)” darkness? (Unless when we think we see, we in fact cannot see!)
11:37-44
Jesus obviously did not wash His hands to use it as an opportunity to teach the Pharisees:
(3) The Pharisees go to great length to ensure that they are ceremonially clean, so that they may enter into the temple, and that includes many additional rules of how cups and dishes are to be washed, and how hands and arms are to be washed.
a. According to Jesus, what was wrong with such an approach to holiness?
b. What reason did He give?
c. In v.41, what was Jesus’ advice to them in order that all things be clean? Why?
(4) Does Jesus think tithing is not important?
a. What should be the purpose of tithing?
b. What is meant by justice?
c. Why did Jesus mention justice and the love of God together?
(5) Jesus rebuked them for loving the most important seats and greetings. What might be the equivalent errors within the church today?
(6) According to Lightfoot, the Jews white-washed their tombs not for beauty, but to warn people not to come near, lest they become unclean. Given this background, what was Jesus accusing the Pharisees of?
11:45-54 – Rebuking the teachers of the law
(7) Should not the teachers of the law teach as the Law teaches without compromise?
a. The Law is certainly burdensome and impossible to carry out to perfection. What then should the teachers of the Law do?
- Stop teaching what they could not do themselves
- Distinguish between the spirit of Law and human traditions added to the Law
- Or...
b. What did they do instead?
(8) What might be their motives in building tombs and memorials for the prophets of the past?
a. Why did Jesus say that it, in fact, testified to their approval of the sins of their forefathers?
b. In order to reveal their wickedness and hold them responsible for the blood of “all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world”, what did Jesus say God would do in v. 49?
c. Why would their sins be even more serious that than that of their forefathers?
(9) What is the key to knowledge (i.e. the Way to God, see Jn. 14:6)?
a. How did they take it away?
b. Who might be the equivalent to the teachers of the law in this respect today?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Here is a collection of sayings given by the Lord when a huge crowd of many thousands gathered around Him. But this collection of sayings is primarily meant for the disciples, not the crowd in general:
v. 1 – The Yeast of the Pharisees
(1) What does yeast mean? (See 1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9)
(2) How would you define hypocrisy?
(3) How does hypocrisy act as yeast?
vv. 2-3 – Nothing can be hidden
(4) Since it follows immediately after the warning of the yeast of the Pharisees (and their plot to trap Jesus), let’s consider its meaning with this context in mind:
a. How does this teaching echo that of the analogy of the sin of the Pharisees as yeast in terms of their sin being revealed?
b. We all have sinned secretly, but if such sins are not properly dealt with, will we be able to keep it a secret forever?
c. What is meant by “will be proclaimed from the roofs”? Does it refer to the final judgment or while we are alive?
d. Chuck Swindoll likes to say that a secret affair on earth is in fact a public scandal in heaven. What do you think?
vv. 4-5 – Whom we should fear (I)
(5) Who ultimately controls our fate? God or Satan?
(6) Whom then should we fear?
(7) What then should our attitude be when persecuted for Christ’s sake?
vv. 6-7 – Whom we should fear (II)
(8) But for those who belong to God , what should our relationship with Him be marked by? Why?
(9) Do you really believe that God cares about sparrows?
(10) Do you really believe that the very hairs of your head are all numbered?
(11) What does it say about our God?
(12) What does it say about you?
vv. 8-12 – Whom we should fear (III)
(13) Talking about failure to acknowledge Christ, why did Peter, even after being warned, still fail to acknowledge Jesus? (See Lk. 22:31-34)
(14) Was he subsequently forgiven? Why? (See Jn. 21:15-17, 22)
(15) In what way(s) might we fail to acknowledge Jesus these days?
(16) Does the exhortation not to worry (or to prepare to speak in your defense) apply only to the answering of our persecutors or to the preaching and teaching of Scriptures also? Why? What is the difference?
(17) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?