This week we
will continue to study the Gospel of Luke.
Vv. 13-15
(1) A man approached Jesus for help. Given the kind of problem he had, what options did he have besides asking for Jesus’ help?
(2) Have you included the option suggested by the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 6:7?
(3) Why was he wrong in approaching Jesus as a judge or arbitrator on matters like this? He might have considered Jesus as someone like Solomon who had the wisdom in judging among them. Why shouldn’t he treat Jesus like Solomon?
(4) In v.15, Jesus pointed out his ultimate mistake. What was it?
Vv. 16-21 Following this incident, the Lord used a parable to warn us about greed.
(5) Shouldn’t producing a good crop be a blessing from the Lord? Why or why not?
(6) The crop was so great that the man needed more space to store it. What options did he have?
(7) It appeared that the plan of building a bigger barn meant something more than logical planning. What was his core reason for the project according to v.19? Why was it wrong? Why did Jesus call him a fool?
(8) For us, saving to provide for a rainy day, retirement or other legitimate purpose is part of life. But in what way(s) might we begin to resemble this man and become a fool in the eyes of Jesus?
(9) Reflect on the words of Jesus of v. 21 which contains a two-fold verdict on the man.
a. What are the two mistakes?
b. Can one store up things for oneself and be rich toward God at the same time? Why or Why not? (See 1 Jn. 2:15)
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Following up on the parable of the rich fool, Jesus told two more analogies to hammer home His points concerning the things of this life.
(1) Jesus asks us not to worry about life, and in particular about food and clothing:
a. What is meant by “worrying”?
b. How do we know that we are “worrying”?
(2) Jesus is not disputing our need for food and for clothes, but that life is more than them:
a. If food and clothing are really basic essentials of life, how then can life be more than them?
b. If our existence is reduced to mere eating and wearing, how different would we be from animals?
(3) Normally, how would you look at the life of ravens and other birds?
a. Do they simply exist on a “survival for the fittest” principle?
b. How do the words of Jesus dispute such a notion?
(4) Are you convinced that you are much more valuable than the birds? Why or why not?
(5) If you do, how then should you live?
(6) If you don’t, what can you do?
(7) Do you think the length of a person’s life, including yours, depends on God alone?
(8) How do modern men try to prolong their life by “worrying”?
(9) Does it really work?
(10) The example of the lilies seems to go beyond the need for basic survival but to address, perhaps, the desire for luxury:
a. Can you remember a captivating moment when you beheld the beauty of flowers in nature or in a painting?
b. Do you agree with what Jesus says in v. 27? Why or why not?
c. What then is the collective message of the lilies and the grass?
(11) Has this message of the Lord ever had any impact on you? Why or why not?
(12) Are you then a person of little faith?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Many parables and imagery of weddings are used of Jesus’ second coming, and this is the one in which we are portrayed as slaves waiting for the Master coming back from His wedding banquet. Note that a continuous banquet is portrayed here with many slaves assigned to serve and huge lamps in place to light up the great palace-like hall.
(1) How important should this banquet be to the slaves?
(2) What will constitute proper preparation?
(3) Describe how this banquet might apply to us in the following ways.
a. Being aware of who we are and our expectation to be in this banquet
b. The reminder to get dressed to serve
c. Keeping the lamps burning
(4) What is the reward for the slaves who are found to be watching and ready when the Master comes?
(5) How amazing is this reward?
(6) The parable implies that not all slaves will be ready and watchful. Why is that? Is it true of you?
(7) Why did Jesus use the analogy of a house being broken into to emphasize the need to be ready? In what way is this analogy true of His coming again?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
(1) Peter asked a very interesting question concerning the last parable (of the need to be ready as slaves of the Master):
a. What if the parable was told only to them, His disciples (12:1)?
b. What if the parable was told for all to hear?
c. What might be the difference, as far as Peter was concerned?
(2) If Peter assumed that he was not just a slave, but the head of the slaves, what then would be his duties?
(3) What do you think is the emphasis of the duties described in v. 42?
(4) How may you apply this to yourself?
(5) What will be the reward of such a faithful servant? Really?
(6) V. 45 describes the wicked servant:
a. What does he do?
b. Why would he do such things, given the fact that he, whom the Master had put in such an important position of His household, must have known the Master very well?
c. What might be the message for us today?
(7) Jesus gives two possible scenarios for such wrongdoing by the manager: One where the servant did such wrongs willfully and one where the servant did such wrongs unknowingly.
a. How would such a lead-servant not know the wrong he is doing to the other slaves?
b. What will his punishment be?
(8) What then is the answer given by Jesus in answering the question of Peter with this parable?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
12:49-53
(1) We like to think of Jesus as the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6), but Jesus said He has come to bring division instead. Is there any contradiction between the two? Why or why not?
(2) What was the baptism that He was talking about and why was He distressed until it was completed? (Mk.10:38-39)
(3) Two features of the
division that Jesus talked about are:
(i) It happens because
of Him (i.e. believing in Him).
(ii) It occurs particularly within the
closest of families.
a. Why did He mention it after He talked of His baptism?
b. Why did He wish that such a fire “were already kindled”?
c. Did you have any such an experience of division within your family because of Him?
d. Can you recall such divisions within families that happened in recent history?
(4) Taking a longer-term view, what have these divisions led to eventually?
12:54-56—Directed to the crowd
(5) If they were fairly accurate with their weather forecast (rain comes from the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and heat from the dessert in the south), we are far more accurate today:
a. What was the present time that Jesus referred to?
b. How is it any different now?
c. Should we not know our time as well? Why or why not?
12:57-59
(6) What does this parable have to do with our present time?
(7) Should we be expecting judgment from God? Why or why not?
(8) What should the world do?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Apart from Luke’s reporting here, we do not know anything about the death of the Galileans executed by Pilate or the death of those under the fallen tower in Siloam. However, the people appeared to associate the way some of the people died with being the result of their sin. Why?
(2) Honestly examine yourself: Do you somehow have a similar assumption when you hear of someone who dies an especially horrific death?
(3) Did the people not having the same attitude toward Jesus’ horrific death on the cross?
(4) How did Jesus correct their view? What does “perish” mean? (See Jn. 3:16)
(5) If the fig tree stands for the nation of Israel (an imagery not uncommon in the OT), what is the message to the crowd?
(6) But this parable can also be applicable to each individual.
a. How does the parable apply to you and me when it comes to God’s patience?
b. How then should we pray for our loved ones and friends who have yet to receive Christ?
(7) We are often frustrated and may even be in despair as we face the present world that continues to reject God and defy His words. How would this parable speak to the current situation of the world?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Should we blame the people for attempting to observe the Sabbath to the best of their ability? What did the Sabbath mean to them?
(2) Why do you think they did not have any second thoughts about untying their animals from the stall and leading them out for water?
(3) Why do they think it’s okay to do so on Sabbath?
(4) Did Jesus think they were right in so treating their animals?
(5) Why then did they (especially referring to the Pharisees) think differently about the healing of this woman?
(6) Jesus attributed the plight of the woman as being bound by Satan: Can you imagine the plight of this woman for the last 18 years? What must have this healing meant to her?
(7) What did the ruler of the synagogue say about the incident? Was he attacking Jesus or the people? What then was his error?
(8) Define his kind of hypocrisy.
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?