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eight people meet jesus
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bronwyn short/beverley biossery
Aquila Press PO Box A287, Sydney South 1235 Australia
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www.youthworks.net www.publications.youthworks.net email: sales@youthworks.net Ph: (612) 8268 3344 Fax: (612) 8268 3357
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First published 2006. This edition published May 2007 Copyright © 2006 Bronwyn Short and Beverley Boissery We are extremely grateful to Sean Love for proofreading and ‘trialling’ the manuscript. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Aquila Press. Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright ©1973, 1978, and 1984 by International Bible Society. ‘NIV’ and ‘New International Version’ are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA ISBN 978 1 921137 78 5 Cover design Joy Lankshear
contents
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The busy woman _______________________________________ 7
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The dead man ________________________________________ 12
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The extravagant woman _________________________________ 17
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The man born blind _____________________________________ 22
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The anonymous woman__________________________________ 27
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The paralytic man ______________________________________ 32
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The thirsty woman______________________________________ 37
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The man in transition ___________________________________ 42
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Summary page—8 lessons about Jesus_ _______________________ 48
How to get the most out of these studies 1
Do each study before you meet as a group to work through it.
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sk God to help you understand what you read. If you are new to A prayer, you might like to say the following: God, help me understand what I read. Help me understand what it tells about you and your son, Jesus. Help me to take the message in these words into my heart so that they result in a vital and living relationship with you. Amen
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se a modern translation. We usually quote from the New International U Version of the Bible, so that might be a good translation to use.
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Find a quiet spot with as few distractions as possible.
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Turn off your mobile phone.
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on’t worry if you can’t find an answer to a question—mark it and go D on to the next one. Remember to ask about it in your group session.
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SUMMARIES AND OUTLINES
For some of you, question 1 of each study will seem off-putting. You will think, ‘I haven’t had to do this since school.’ Others may say, ‘I’ve never been taught this. I don’t know how to do it. I’m going on to the next question’. Question 1 is emphasised for several very good reasons. Summarising makes you read the whole passage and that gives you a better understanding when you tackle the questions. It’s like reading a book through before doing detailed work on it. It helps comprehension.
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But there are far more important reasons for question 1 than these. Reading, praying and asking for God’s guidance are the keys to being open to God talking to you directly. It’s your one-on-one time with God with no one else interrupting or intervening. Reading, thinking and summarising are the keys to independent Bible study.
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So, how do you do it? Here’s two approaches which may help.
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APPROACH #1 – LOOK FOR THE CENTRAL PERSON IN THE STORY Then ask:
1. W ho is being talked about? HINT: In all of these studies, it’s Jesus. 2. What is he/she/it doing or teaching? Essential point: What is the importance of that action?
APPROACH #2 – FOR USE WHEN THE PASSAGE DEALS WITH CONCEPTS, IDEAS OR TEACHINGS 1. What is the overall topic?
2. What are the main things written about it? Essential point: What is the implication of those things?
The extraVAGaNT Woman
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LUKE 10:38–42
The busy woman
Pray, read the passage, then summarise it in 3–5 points.
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What do you think is the essential point of the passage? What does it teach about Jesus?
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2 Is there anything in this story which surprises or puzzles you? What is it?
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Which woman do you relate to more? Why?
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What is at the heart of Martha’s frustration? What does she accuse Jesus of?
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When are you most tempted to make a similar accusation?
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What does Jesus say is the ‘better’ thing? What does he mean?
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What does Jesus promise Mary (and those who follow her example) in verse 42? See, as well, Matthew 6:33–34.
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Is anything stopping you from doing the ‘best’ thing? If so, what can you do to remedy it?
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Go back to question 1. Does your essential point need revision now that you have worked with the passage? If so, do it now.
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Questions?
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Notes This is one of the most vivid and easily imaginable stories in the Gospels. Martha and Mary are at their home in the village of Bethany when suddenly a group of about 13 men arrive. Among them is the most talked about teacher and healer, Jesus. Although she’s honoured, Martha bustles around, first making sure they’re comfortable. Next, she begins to prepare a meal for them. In the middle of these preparations she notices one startling thing. Her sister has deserted her to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to him. Martha’s outraged and feels put-upon. She’s doing all the work while Mary apparently does nothing. She must have also felt left out of the group. While Mary listens to the most brilliant teacher in the country, she’s making sure everyone has enough to eat. It was so unfair! It tells us a lot about Jesus that Martha felt she could confront him about this injustice. In a way, her complaint is very similar to those the leading religious men levelled against him. They, like Martha, were concerned that traditional ways be maintained. Jesus had broken one of these—the strict divide between men and women in domestic and religious life, by allowing Mary to listen to his teaching. Maybe that fuelled Martha’s outrage (as we read in verse 40): ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’
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The complaint sounds like some of our prayers, doesn’t it? ‘God, don’t you care that such-and-such has happened? Make it right for me!’
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Jesus tells her to forget the many needs which drive her busyness and to concentrate on only one thing. Understanding what that one thing is, is the essential point of this study. He’s not saying that Mary should lead a life of contemplation or meditation. The meal in Martha’s house comes after a time of extraordinary busyness on the part of Jesus and his disciples. As seen in the first part of the chapter, 72 followers had gone throughout the countryside to teach about Jesus. To some extent their activities had paralleled Martha’s, not Mary’s. Jesus uses the incident to make a point. Contrary to church teaching at various times throughout the centuries, salvation doesn’t come as a result of us ‘working for the Lord’. We need to make listening to the words of Jesus our highest priority and we must believe that he died on the cross to rescue us. Mary’s choice of submission to Jesus is the ‘better’ one, and one which will never be taken away from her.
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