This week we
will continue to study the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus uses this young man’s decision (to forsake eternal life because of his “great wealth”) to point out the almost “impossibility” for the rich to enter the kingdom of God:
(1) Why is wealth such a huge hurdle for the rich in entering the kingdom of God?
(2) What about the lack of riches? Is it a greater hurdle or does it make it easier for one to enter the kingdom of God? Why?
(3) Judging from the disciples’ reaction, what did they think?
(4) What might be some of the great hurdles or barriers that could prevent one from following Christ?
(5) What is the implication of Jesus’ statement in v. 27?
(6) Peter’s response to the entire scenario is quite interesting. What prompted him to make the statement in v. 28? Was it a statement or a question? What point was Peter trying to make?
(7) What essentially was Jesus' reply to his “question”?
(8) Have you found this true in your life? Why or why not?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) As they were getting near Jerusalem, Jesus once again told His disciples about what would happen to Him in advance, but this time greater details were mentioned:
a. Take a look at Daniel 7:13: What might be the Messianic and prophetic expectations associated with the Son of Man?
b. And yet, how did what Jesus highlighted here contradict their expectations?
(2) Luke says the “disciples did not understand any of this”. If you were one of them, would you have understood? However, what might be the things that could have caught your attention at the time and why?
(3) Jericho was quite a busy town (See Note below). As a beggar, with such enormous traffic as thousands followed Jesus into the city, what kind of an opportunity did it present to him?
(4) And yet, what was the focus of this beggar? Why (especially in view of the words he said)?
(5) Why did the people try to stop him? Whom did they look upon him as?
(6) Why did they consider such a request to Jesus at such a time inappropriate? Did Jesus not heal the blind before?
(7) Did this stop the blind man? Why not?
(8) Jesus “ordered” the man to be brought to Him. What kind of authority did He command? Or, what kind of authority did the people confer to Him and why?
(9) Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”. Was it not superfluous? Why then did He ask?
(10) In the Bible, every time God asks, it is not because He is ignorant, but He means to reveal the heart of men or to give people a chance to repent or express themselves (e.g. Gen. 3:11). Which was the case here?
(11) Consider the reply of this man to Jesus’ question in v. 41 and the response by Jesus in v. 42. Especially consider the words, Lord, faith and healed. How were they related?
(12) How did the blind man demonstrate his faith and what was the result of such a faith?
(13) Do you think he received only physical healing? Why? (The literal translation of “healed” should be “saved”.)
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“Jericho was an important place yielding large revenue to the royal
family. Since the road from the fords of
the Jordan to Jerusalem passed through it, it became a stopping place of
Galilean pilgrims to Jerusalem…”
(Pictorial
Bible Dictionary, 414)
(1) Luke says that Jesus was passing through Jericho (obviously for the last time) heading toward His final destiny in Jerusalem, and yet He took the time to heal the blind man and to save Zacchaeus. What then is the lesson to us as we go through what we perceive as a transition in life?
(2) We know that tax collectors were viewed as sinners by the Jewish people of the time (see Lk. 15:1-2). How did the people look upon Zacchaeus since he was the “chief tax collector”? (See the reaction of the crowd in v. 7.)
(3) Try to put yourself in the shoes of Zacchaeus:
a. What kind of wealth did you enjoy?
b. What kind of relationship did you have with the common folk?
c. Would you be a happy and fulfilled person? Why or why not?
(4) Obviously, people were flocking either to see Jesus or were following Him:
a. What did Zaccheaus do in order to catch a glimpse of Jesus?
b. Given his size (being short), his status (being rich and powerful) and his relationship with the people (being hated), why was he so desperate to see Jesus — simply to catch a glimpse of Him, like most people?
(5) Reflect on v. 5 carefully. How
special were Jesus’ actions? What did the following actions imply?
a. Looking up and spotting Zacchaeus, a grown-up and well-dressed man on a tree
b. Calling him to come down, mentioning his name (what impact might it have on Zacchaeus to have heard his name called by Jesus)
c. Wanting to stay in his house
(6) Why did the people think it was inappropriate for Jesus to be the guest of a sinner like a tax collector? In what ways had they erred?
(7) Zacchaeus’ response to Jesus’ visit was obviously an act or expression of his repentance.
a. What do you think was the reason for or the thing that triggered his repentance? (possibly more than one)
b. How genuine and unusual was his act of repentance?
c. How did his repentance compare to yours?
(8) In announcing Zacchaeus’ being saved, why did Jesus highlight the following particulars?
a. Salvation had come to his “house".
b. Zacchaeus was “also” a son of Abraham. (Did it have anything to do with the crowd’s comment in v. 7?).
c. Jesus has come to seek and save the “lost”.
(9) Compare Zacchaeus to the rich young ruler in 18:18-23.
a. Who was the better person?
b. How similar were they?
c. How different were they?
d. How was the promise in 18:27 realized?
e. But why didn’t Jesus ask Zacchaeus to sell everything he had and to follow Him?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
Note:
Refer to Exodus 22:1, Leviticus 6:4-5 and Numbers 5:7 for the laws concerning restitution. The ones in Leviticus and Numbers appear to be more relevant to the case of Zacchaeus.
(1) What has Jesus done that prompted the people to think that “the kingdom of God was going to appear at once”?
(2) In the parable, under what circumstances did the servants serve in the absence of their master according to v. 14?
(3) How similar was it to our situation today? (see also Jn. 15:18-19)
(4) All servants were entrusted with one mina, and it was called a “small matter”. What is the message to us today?
(5) Whether it was ten cities or five, how did the reward compare to the one mina (equivalent of three months’ wages) entrusted? What is the message?
(6) Let’s consider the third servant:
a. How much was he given?
b. Do you think he liked his master?
c. Do you think he really wanted or cared about his job, given that he didn’t even bother to put the money in the bank?
d. While the other servants spent time putting the “money to work”, what do you think of how this servant spent his time?
e. Do you think that what he said of his master was true?
f. If it was true, what would he have done with the money?
g. In what sense was this servant “wicked”?
(7) How do you understand the statement that “to everyone who has, more will be given”?
(8) The parable does not stop at dealing with the servants, but with the dealing with the enemies of the king. What is the ultimate message to the crowd who anticipated the immediate appearance of the Kingdom of God?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) The riding on a colt into Jerusalem is significant in that it fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. How significant is this prophecy and its fulfillment in establishing who Jesus is?
(2) Even though this was the fulfillment of this important Messianic prophecy, and the people related this entrance into Jerusalem to the immediate appearance of the Kingdom of God (see Lk. 19:11), how ridiculous was this riding on a donkey by the King of kings and Lord of lords? Why did Jesus have to enter Jerusalem this way?
(3) As for the colt, what might be the significance of the fact that “no one has ever ridden” on it?
(4) What might be the significance to the two disciples of this unusual experience of getting the colt?
(5) According to Luke, on what basis did this large crowd of disciples affirm His Messiahship by shouting joyfully from Psalm 118:26?
(6) Why did the Pharisees urge Jesus to rebuke the crowd? Did they not hear and see the same miracles and read the same Scriptures?
(7) Reflect on Jesus’ reply in v.40. What should we do with the good news of Jesus Christ today?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) Read vv. 41-44 and reflect on what moved Jesus to weep over Jerusalem.
a. Did He come to grant peace or to destroy Jerusalem?
b. But how tragic and devastating would be the outcome?
c. Why?
d. What is the meaning of not recognizing the time of God’s coming to them?
(2) Do you think Jesus still weeps over Jerusalem today?
(3) Do you think Jesus weeps for the world?
(4) Is there anything in your life that might cause Him to weep?
(5) As a “service” to the worshippers, the priests allowed people to sell doves for sacrifices and to operate money changers to “facilitate” offerings. But Jesus accused them of being “robbers” and drove them out of the temple (court’s area). How might the priests justify their actions to allow these things to happen? How did Jesus’ accusation serve to purify their motives?
(6) Jesus rarely used violence. Why did He do so on this very occasion? What can we learn about the heart of Jesus?
(7) Jesus expresses His desire that “My house will be called a house of prayer”.
a. In what way(s) may the church be truly called such?
b. And how may you, yourself, participate in making the church a house of prayer?
(8) What is meant by "the people were hanging on to every word He said" and how did it demonstrate the power of His preaching and His word?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Vv. 1-8
(1) The chief priests obviously were the ones who allowed the selling of doves etc. to take place in the temple court. How did they feel by the accusation of Jesus and the driving out of the sellers in 19:45-46?
(2) Now they, together with the teachers of the law, confronted Jesus about His authority:
a. What did “these things” refer to — The driving out of the sellers or the miracles that He performed?
b. Or both?
c. Did one need authority to drive out the sellers in the temple court?
(3) Jesus has made it clear to them what the basis of His authority was by always calling God His Father. What then was their problem with Jesus?
(4) Why did Jesus not address their question directly, but instead direct the issue to John’s baptism? What was their problem with John the Baptist then?
(5) So, how did Jesus reveal to them what really was their problem with this question?
(6) Most of the time, Jesus would choose the opportunity to answer directly His opposition, but here He chose not to. What might be the reason?
(7) What lesson can we learn when we complain that God does not answer our questions?
Vv. 9-19
(8) “Because they knew He had spoken the parable against them”, they should understand that the vineyard obviously refers to the nation of Israel. What then is the relationship between Israel and God as depicted by this parable?
(9) Who are the servants being depicted? What is being highlighted in the successive sending of the servants?
(10) Can you think of one prophet that was mistreated by the people and how?
(11) What is the reasoning behind the sending of the son? Is this expectation reasonable? Why or why not?
(12) What is the penalty imposed by the owner? Is it fair and just?
(13) How is the quote from Psalm 118:22-23 related with the parable? Reflect on these emphases: “the builders”, “the capstone”, “broken to pieces” and “crushed”.
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?