Katy

Q1. Zacchaeus was a wealthy man, he was a chief tax collector who had other tax collectors under him. Therefore he would have received a percentage of the money they collected as well as the profit he made from the taxes he himself collected.He wanted to see Jesus and because of his low stature he found a good vantage point by climbing a tree. Q2.Zacchaeus was hated by the people because he was a tax collector and they were notorious for taking more taxes than was required so they grew rich, while others struggled to pay. They would be reported if they didn’t pay their taxes, and Herod soldiers would threaten them. Zacchaeus was looked upon as a spy and a traitor because he worked for Rome and robbed his own people. Q3. I think Jesus knew his name because He knew He would encounter someone whom His Father was going to bring across His path that day. Someone who was sick of his sin and ready to turn away from it and follow Jesus. Maybe the Father had discussed Zacchaeus with Jesus during one of their many times of prayer and communication. Q4.Maybe Jesus wanted to see Zacchaeus make the decision to follow Him and He thought by staying with him was the best way of making sure that happen. Jesus took the risk of being rejected both by Zacchaeus and the people. The people may have rejected Jesus because they hated Zacchaeus so much. This was a huge opportunity for Zacchaeus to get to know Jesus, to listen to him and learn from Him. If he followed Jesus he could look forward to spending eternity in heaven with Jesus. Q5.I think Zacchaeus is really sorry for his sins. He knows what he must do and straight away he promises to pay back more than to stole. He also promises to give half of his possessions to the poor. I am sure Jesus love and acceptance was really precious to him. He is hated by the people and probably has no friends. We are not told if he has any family. So to find that this famous man that everyone is talking about accepts you and loves you despite all your sins , must be a wonderful feeling. Q6.Sometimes we think a particular person doesn’t want to know about Jesus so we use it as an excuse not to share Jesus with them. We rely on our own judgement instead of asking to be lead and guided by Jesus. We have been told to teach all men about Jesus, so it is not up to us to pick and choose. We need to seek out people and develop relationships with them so that in the security of a trusting relationship we can share the love of Jesus with them. We will always be open to rejection and ridicule but if we love the Lord and are confident in Him He will lead and guide us. Q7.We can be ‘God’s Gloves’ now that He is not physically in this world. We can seek out those around us who are lost and befriend them and hopefully lead them to see the beauty of Christ. We have been given this special mission.

Q1. Bartimaeus sensed there were more people around than usual, so he called out and asked what was happening. He was told that Jesus was about to pass by. Now Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was the only person who was capable of curing his blindness, so he was determined to attract his attention. He calls out as loud as he can, “ Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Bystanders were quick to try and get him to stop shouting, they were embarrassed at the noise and the persistence of his calling. Q2.We can learn a lot, even though Bartimaeus was being told to be quiet he was determined to get Jesus attention because his faith was so strong he knew Jesus would help him, and cure him. He wasn’t going to be told by anyone to be quiet! He also knew without a doubt who Jesus was , we see this by Bartimaeus calling Jesus “ Son of David”. We can learn about true solid faith in the Messiah, also about perseverance in prayer especially in the face of adversity. Q3. By using the title “Son of David” it showed Bartimaeus knew the Scriptures and the promises of the coming of a Messiah who would be a descendant of David, as promised by the prophets. The political implications are that those in leadership would object and make it difficult for Jesus to move around freely in His ministry. Q4.Jesus asked Bartimaeus “What do you want me to do for you”. Jesus asked the question to give Bartimaeus the chance to say exactly what he wanted, and to give him the chance to show his faith in Jesus and to be able to express it openly, and vocally. Q5. It is a good question to asked before we pray with someone or help them in some way. By asking the question it gives us the opportunity to really understand what the person needs and expects from us. It takes away an chance of misunderstanding. Q6.Bartimaeus faith was so strong and determined he was not going to take no for an answer. He knew beyond doubt that Jesus would heal him if he could just get His attention. I think Jesus waited until now so that this story would be written done to teach and instruct, and challenge us about the quality of our faith in God. Q7.Bartimaeus followed Jesus, he started to give to others instead of receiving from others.He also gave God the glory. All those around him did likewise. It is a very good model for us to Praise God openly for all that He gives us and does for us each and every day. Q8.That quality of faith is certainly a challenge. I will ask God for that deep unwavering faith.

Q1. It is not impossible for a rich man to get into heaven, as long as he is truly sorry for his sins and believes Jesus died on the cross in his place. Jesus is speaking in hyperbole to make the point that money and wealth can be a great distraction from the things of God. Having wealth can make a man feel in control and not dependent on God. If this is the case it will be impossible to get into heaven. We must be humble and trusting in God to get into heaven. God has given us all we need to get into heaven but we must let go of earthly things to gain Heaven and God’s presence. Q2.Peter’s question is similar to what Jesus said, because Peter and the other disciples had left all they owned and followed Jesus. The difference was that none of the disciples had a fraction of the wealth the rich man had but their way of life and their families were just as important to them as the rich man’s. Jesus expects us to clear everything out of our lives that are more important to us than He is. God must be number one in our lives, and that will mean different priorities to be changed for each one of us. Q3.I am not sure but I do know that we will be rewarded by God for everything we have denied ourselves in order to be faithful to Him. To have the promise of spending eternity in His presence, what more could be ask for? Q4.I think Jesus gave up far more than we will ever have to give up. I think the very fact of Jesus leaving the splendours of Heaven and coming into this sinful world must have been so difficult for Him. Yet we never really think of it. Because we are sinful we cannot begin to fathom how awful that must have been , living among sinners , He who had no sin. Being absent from the side of His Father must have been so painful for Him, we can identify with that to a certain extent but I don’t think we can fully understand. To live your life knowing you were here to suffer and die for humanity must have been so difficult. We don’t have anything to compare to that. In some parts of the world Christians are suffering because they love Jesus and this is as Jesus said it would be. These Christian would more fully understand what it is like to give up everything for Jesus. We in the Western world are so far very protected from persecution of any consequence, other than being mocked or scoffed at by those around us who don’t want to hear about Jesus.

Q4.Jesus told this young man to sell his possessions because He could see that they were getting in the way of the young man totally surrendering to Jesus. We are not expected to sell all our possessions if we are using them properly and not allowing them rule our lives. We are however to get rid of anything in our lives that we have put in God’s place. Only by taking it out of our lives can we dedicate ourselves fully to the Lord. Q5.We must rid our lives of anything which takes God’s place. Or at least cut it back to allow us to spend time with God. I am thinking of things like work or family. We can use these to blame for not giving God the time and place He should have in our lives. We must balance our lives with God being given first place and the rest will follow. Q6.By giving to the poor , they would benefit and the possessions would be gone. They are unlikely to be seen again. The poor would not be able to reciprocate the kind gesture! Q7. Matthew 6v24. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve both God and money. Either we serve God by surrendering all we have to Him or we will serve whatever occupies us the most.

Q1.Scripture tells us that this was an earnest young man who was very wealthy. He thought that his entry to Heaven had to be earned in some way. He was unaware that all our righteousness act are like filthy rags according to Isiah! He was aware that despite his wealth spiritually he was lacking in some way. So he took the opportunity to come to Jesus and humble himself by kneeling down in the dirt and asking Jesus what he needed to do to get into Heaven. He was a man who believed in eternal life unlike the Sadducee’s who don’t believe in life after death. He had also lived a life of doing the right things. Q2.Jesus uses this opportunity to try and teach the wealthy man that no one is good except God. Jesus also told him that despite him obeying all the commandments he still lacked one thing. Jesus told him to sell everything and give his money to the poor. Then he would have treasure in Heaven. We learn that Jesus is firm and straight. Q3.Jesus wanted to teach this young man that no one is good except God Himself. The wealthy young man needed to understand that our standards of goodness are very much different to the standards of God. Only God is absolutely good!

Q6.The children coming running straight to Jesus when they are allowed. They show trust and openness, they are innocent and transparent totally dependent onJesus and humble before Him. This attitude of humility is the same humility that we as Christian’s need to have before we can approach God and gain entry to the Kingdom of God. Q7. We are blessed to have the freedom to study the Scriptures and to get to know God, and His great love for us and how we can love and honour Him in our lives. The Scriptures show us plainly in this passage that without humility we will not be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven. This gives me hope for the future that by learning to study and understand all that is contained in them that I will know how to live my life and know that Jesus will never turn me away if I come to Him with the right attitude and repentance in my heart.

Q1. The previous parable is about the haughty proud Pharisee, telling God how good he is, and how he is not like other people who are sinners. By contrast the tax collectors stands at the back of the temple with his head bent and beating his breast because he didn’t feel worthy to approach God. Our present parable shows us that we must be humble like the tax collector, and like the innocent children that run to Jesus to gain a blessing and a prayer from Jesus. We too must run to Jesus in humility and without any pretensions. Only with the same innocent, and humble approach will be able to enter the Kingdom of God. Q2.Parents wanted their children to be blessed and prayed for by Jesus. As children approached Jesus other parents realised what was happening and wanted the same blessing and prayers for their children. Q3.The disciples thought they were doing the right thing by stopping the children approaching Jesus, because He was doing important work and children were a nuisance! Children were regarded as unimportant, inferior and immature. The disciples were trying to control people to make Jesus job easier and they certainly wanted no children getting in the way. Q4. Jesus realised that He could use the children’s humility, openness and lack of repentance as an illustration of how people must be within themselves to be able to approach God and get into His Kingdom. Q5. The children have no inhibitions and run to Jesus in innocence and humility. Jesus tells the people they must be like these children in humility and innocence, otherwise they would not be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

Q4.Forgiveness of gross sin may feel like a threat if a person feels his righteousness is his own doing and not something that God has provided us with through the suffering of His precious Son. We will not feel threatened if we fully realise that we too have been forgiven all our sins and been clothed in God’s righteousness, and this is nothing we have contributed to in any way.’All our righteousness acts are like filthy rags.’ Isaiah 64v 6b. We can feel righteous in a humble way, knowing we have been privileged to be given the righteousness of God through the suffering and death of Jesus. Q5.Looking down on others is definitely a sin! Jesus never showed favouritism and treated everyone the same. As followers of Jesus we must do the same. If we look down on others it is pride and a sin. We have nothing to be proud about, we are all sinners who have had the privilege of being saved by the precious blood of Christ. Therefore we should be humble and praise full and working to do what we can to draw others to Jesus and not be feeling superior and looking down on those less fortunate than ourselves. I think Jesus would tell me to go and work with those I look down on.

Q1. When we feel we are being Holy and upright in our own strength then we have confidence in our righteousness. Yes I know Christians who are like that and I am also guilty of being like that on more than one occasion. I think I am like that when I see someone who is haphazard about going to church and prayer meetings. I can feel superior because I was in attendance. If I see someone doing something wrong, I can think ‘how awful, I wouldn’t dream of doing that!’ But forget to remember the sin I do commit! Our pride can be a cause and a symptom, feelings of superiority, our lack of understanding of our unworthiness before God, Maybe I have taken my eyes off God? Concentrating on laws rather than my relationship with God. Thinking that I will be justified before God by my upright life. Q2.We tend to look down on those who have different beliefs because we believe “ Jesus is the way, the truth and the life”, No one comes to the Father except through Him. But looking down on them will not bring them to Christ! We tend to look down on those who are not as fortunate as we are: the poor in our society, those with addictions, the Homeless especially when they are unclean. As Christians we should look down on nobody we are supposed to be like Jesus , and as we know He sought out those on the edge of society and spent time with them and ate with them. Jesus looked down on no one He sees each one He has created as special and loved. We cause Him sorrow when we don’t act as He would have done. It injures the church by putting people off wanting to have anything to do with us as we can be seen as snobby and unloving. Q3.The Pharisee prayed about himself, his thoughts were entirely about his own righteousness. He thanks God that he isn’t like other people who are sinners. He was full of his own self righteousness. He was proud. He was also living a good life but had become more focused on the law rather than on God. The tax collection was very different to the Pharisee, he was so aware of his sinfulness that he didn’t lift his eyes up, kept his head bowed and struck his breast. He confessed that he was a sinner. He asked God to have mercy on him.

Q5.We can believe everything God tells us in His word because He is not like man, He doesn’t tell lies! But we must trust God and believe Him and not become discouraged and stop praying. We must be like the widow in this passage, persistent until she got results, not waivering at any point. We may think God is slow in coming but He does not have time like us. God’s timing and ours are very different, God is being patient with us giving people opportunity to turn to Him before it is too late. He wants everyone to come to a place of repentance because when He returns the window of opportunity will be closed forever. As true disciples we must trust and pray without ceasing for as long as it takes. Q6.Unfortunately there will be many who have wilfully turned away from God and see no relevance in having anything to do with God. Then there are Christians who are like the Pharisees who spend their time doing “things” in the name of Christianity but they don’t seem to realise that carrying out rituals is not what God desires from us. Then there will be some who love the Lord and have tried to live their lives in submission to their Lord and Saviour. Q7. I have been encouraged to keep on praying for my family to come to faith. I have been praying for over thirty years and do get discouraged. This has been a great lesson to me. I often think my prayers aren’t good enough, my attitude must be wrong etc. Now I will remember the points made by Dr Ralph in this passage. Thanks ?

Q1.The judge is so full of his own importance that he neither fears God, nor cares about men. He even thinks he is above God! He does eventually do something about the widows plight but it is purely for his own selfish reasons, in case the widow wears him out with her persistence in asking for justice to be done. He is not motivated in any way by concern or pity for the widow, he has no desire to see justice being done. Nor does he appear to have any concern that the widow may be being wronged by the perpetrator of the injustice to her, and yet he was the judge! Q2.Widows in Jesus day had no social standing and no right in law. It was the same for women in general but even worse for widows. We are not told what this widow was fighting for but she obviously knew she was in the right and therefore it was worth fighting for. Maybe her life depended on her getting justice, she could have been fighting for her home, or her children, or money owed to her. Whatever it was she needed to have it and she knew she was entitled to it. Therefore she had to fight for it by being persistent in her asking and she needed to believe she would get it in the end. Q3.Jesus used this story to teach His disciples that we must pray continually and persistently without giving way to discouragement and lack of faith. If we pray persistently it shows God that we have faith and trust His perfect timing. If the judge eventually answered the widow even though he was unjust, how much more will Our Father in Heaven answer us, His children whom He loves. His timing is not our timing but it is always perfect. Q4.Sometimes if we have been praying for a long time for something we can become weary and think negative thoughts. I am not worthy of this, God doesn’t want this to happen. Maybe deep in our minds we can feel this will never happen, I just cannot imagine it happening, all these thoughts are thoughts of disbelief and if we stop praying we compound that disbelief! Instead we must persist in prayer and know that nothing is impossible with God. Also that His timing is perfect , and really believe that and maybe God has things to teach us as we wait and pray.

Q1. In both Noah’s day and in Lot’s day people were going about their lives with no idea that God’s destruction and punishment was about to happen to them. They had no thought of God and how He wanted them to live their lives. Jesus then said than when He comes back it will be the same, as in the days of Noah and Lot. There will be no warning it will happen suddenly and unexpectedly! It will be too late for repentance. Q2.Jesus will bring both peace and punishment. Those who have faithfully followed Jesus will have peace and be in the presence of God. Those who have rejected Jesus and ignored Him will face judgement and punishment. Q3.Lots wife was so unhappy leaving her home that she hesitated, and disobeyed the angel and turned back to look at her home town and she turned into a pillar of salt. She was so near being delivered from destruction but was held fast by “things of this world “, and that caused her destruction. We are warned by Jesus that when He returns we must not spend time turning back to grab earthly possessions or we may be lost. We must be ready for the return of the Son of God. Q4.By turning to collect our possessions we are trying to hold onto our lives here on earth instead of looking forward eagerly to the return of the Son of God, and being focused on being ready for His return. So if we try to hold onto our lives here on earth, we may loose our eternal life. Q5.Jesus return will come suddenly, nobody knows when it will happen but everyone will know when it happens . Those that are taken will be with the Lord, those not taken will face judgement and punishment. Q6. When there is a dead or dying animal in a hot country it is obvious from afar because of the circling vultures. However when Jesus comes we will all know because we have been told in Scripture ‘For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ‘Matthew 24 v27.

Q1. Jesus meant that the Kingdom of Heaven was in their midst in the presence of Jesus and His ministry which they were witnessing but were to distracted to really take notice. They were too occupied with their own legalistic viewpoints to be open to anything different or anyone , even to the exclusion of Jesus the Saviour of the world. Q2.We know because Scripture tells us “ For the Son of Man in His day will be like the lightening which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.” Luke 17 v24. Nobody no matter who they are, will be in any doubt as to what is happening. Q3. Jesus coming will be very public so that everyone will know exactly what is happening. Q4. It was very hard for the disciples to understand that Jesus was going to suffer because they had understood that the Messiah was going to come and deliver them from the Roman oppression which was extremely difficult for them to bear. Jesus suffering didn’t fit in with any of their expectations. After Jesus death and resurrection they began to understand that the suffering was a part of God’s rescue plan for mankind. Only then did they begin to understand all the things that Jesus had told them. Q5. I am not familiar with the series mentioned in the question. I think it is a difficult topic to discuss with non believers because I know so little about it, other than the fact that Jesus is coming back to take believers home to be with Him. There will judgement and punishment . We will all know when it happens and although we don’t know when it will happen we need to be ready.

Q1. The lepers knew how compassionate Jesus was and so they asked Him to have pity on them. They were thinking in terms of practical help rather than being cured. At the same time they didn’t seem surprised when Jesus told them to present themselves to the priest. So maybe they were asking for practical help but hoping Jesus would do something greater for them. Q2.The significance of showing themselves to the priest was the only way they could be pronounced “ cured”. The priest had the job of inspecting them and declaring them cured and allowing them back to integrate once again into their communities. Q3.The lepers obeyed Jesus without question. They were not healed when Jesus told them to go and present themselves to the priest, but they set off in faith and obedience to Jesus and were healed on the way. Q4.Only one leper returned to Jesus to thank Him and to offer praise and worship to Him. The one leper who came back was a Samaritan . The Samaritans and the Jewish people were old enemies and did not mix together. That didn’t make a difference to Jesus, nor did it stop this leper returning to find Jesus to say “ Thank you”. He was full of humility and threw himself at Jesus feet and praised God for healing him. Q5. Jesus questions him”were not ten made clean”. It is probably more a statement of fact rather than a question! Jesus comments “ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner”? The Jewish members of the group don’t bother with saying “ Thank you”, they have just taken Jesus mercy towards them for granted. Jesus told the man to Rise and go your faith has made you whole.” Q6.Jesus was speaking about his spiritual healing. He believed in God and returned to Jesus in true humility and submission which indictates a much deeper healing of the soul rather than the body. His companions received physical healing only they showed no sign of thankfulness or submission to Jesus. They just took what they could get and went on their way. Q7.If we are not in a deep relationship with Jesus we can take His goodness and grace towards us for granted. We may be too self reliant thinking we are the masters of our own destiny, and not think that God has any input into our lives. We must be like this thankful humble leper and live in submission to God and be aware of all the blessings we receive every day from Him.

Q1. The slave should not expect to be served his dinner, it was part of his duties to prepare his masters dinner even though he had done a days work. He knew that he would be punished if he failed to carry out his duties. Q2.Slaves we’re not thanked for doing their duty. However they could be punished if they failed to do their duties. Q3.Jesus told this parable to say directly to the Pharisees that their adherence to the law did not in anyway entitle them to special treatment. God does not show favouritism. What they are doing is their duty , and they and we are still unworthy servants of God. We are sinners saved by God Grace. Q4.God is not our servant, we are His servants. When we pray we need to bear this in mind. We owe everything to God . This includes our salvation, but for Jesus we have no hope of being in heaven. When we come to pray we must acknowledge this by being thankful and grateful. We must remember who God is and all He has done for us, and all He has given us. Our prayers should be full of adoration and praise. Also of contrition , only after this should we think of asking God for anything. We must avoid selfish prayers of want rather than things we really need. We are God’s servants not the other way around. Q5.The word duty has become unacceptable in our society, people expect a more easy going , fluid approach where people can make their own decisions. However as Christians we must have a different attitude towards duty. God expects us to carry out our duty in such a way as to please Him. We work as though we are working for God rather than man. We do this because we love God and we are thankful for all that He has done in the past and all He does every day for us. We do not think of it as duty but as an honour to serve our Lord and Master our Saviour and Our King.

Q1. Jesus warns His disciples about not being a cause of temptation and sin to others because He takes sin very seriously. It is wrong for us to sin but even worse to be the cause of anyone else committing sin. We certainly must not wilfully lead anyone else into sin, we also must be conscious at all times of how we live our lives and whether any part of our lives may be bad example to others. We must be mindful of our behaviour at all times even during times of relaxation, it is not a time to relax our behaviour in any way. Jesus who is so kind, patient, and loving uses this awful suggestion that it would be better to tie a millstone around a person’s neck and they be thrown into the sea rather than they lead another into sinful behaviour. The reason we see this strong cruel suggestion is because Jesus wants us to realise just how wrong it is to be responsible for someone else to be lead into sin. He wants us to sit up and take notice of His warning. Q2.The “ little ones” Jesus is referring to May not be just children. They maybe anyone who is a young Christian or any person who is vulnerable. Q3.Confrontation is hard for most of us but we must obey God by confronting fellow believers if they sin against us. This is to be done between the two of you, so that the person in question will recognize his sin and not go around repeating the offense again possibly against others in the church. This is to be done in a humble but firm way. Hopefully this will bring about true repentance. However this can be a very hard thing to do. We maybe afraid of being rejected or not listened to, or being accused of exaggerating the situation. We must remember that this is what God has told us to do and by not obeying His command we are disrupting His redemptive process. Q4.Hebrews 10 v25. Tells us “ Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another , and all the more as you see the day approaching.” This verse tell us that it is what the Lord wants us to do, and we must obey Him. Christian Fellowship is important for each of us, because we need the friendship, encouragement and teaching of each other to thrive as Christians. We should also be contributing in some way to our Churches depending on our gifts and talents. The gathering of Christian’s is like a fire , if a coal is removed from the fire and put to one side it grow cold and eventually dies altogether. We may not be able to go to Church for some reason but we must get back as soon as we can to enjoy fellowship, teaching and contributing our little bit. Q5. We need to see deep repentance that is heart felt and true. We need to know they are convicted and repentant. When we see this we must forgive them. And we must keep on forgiving them as long as they are truly repentant. This is not always easy and we need to ask God to help us to keep on forgiving without bearing any bitterness towards this person. We find it difficult to be told by anyone that we have sinned against them because it hurts our pride and we are naturally defensive. We make excuses for why we did it, or maybe deny it was serious. Maybe we feel ashamed to have sinned especially if it was unintentional.

Q5.Jesus is teaching that if we desire to be with Him in eternity we must obey Him as is written in the Bible. We are told in the Bible what we should do with money and how we must treat those less well off than ourselves. If we love God we will do this to the best of our ability. Jesus is not teaching justification by works. ‘We are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came from Jesus Christ. Romans 3 v24. Q6.Some people are just thoughtless and are too busy with their own lives. Some find poverty hard to relate too , they may be intolerant and have no desire to try to help or don’t understand why they should help. I find I sometimes lack trust in God and worry I won’t have enough for myself. Q7.I work in a charity shop that runs a childrens refuge in India, but we also give to local charities that we know do good work with the poor. So I gather things from family and friends to stock the shop with. Their is a refugee centre a half an hour away and I have inquired there to see what they need. I am awaiting an answer.

Q1. Up to this point Jesus taught about being honest and trustworthy when we are entrusted with money or wealth. If the wealth belongs to our employer we must not use it for our own needs, neither must it be squandered or wasted. We must have integrity and use our employer’s wealth as shrewdly as possible in the ways that he would approve off. If we have wealth ourselves, we must remember it is from God and must be used wisely. We must share our wealth with the poor. We are warned we cannot serve God and Money. We must find out how God would have us spend our money. Q2. We are told simply “ There was a rich Man”. We are then told he was dressed in purple and fine linen, these garments are expensive material and could only be afforded by a rich man. He also lived in luxury every day, luxury costs money! Lazarus was a beggar which meant that he had no money. We are told he was “ laid “ at the gate, so he was probably unable to work because of his disability. Therefore he had not enough to eat and he longed for the bread which was discarded under the table by the rich man’s guests. Because he had no money he could not have his wounds attended to by a medical doctor or nurse. The wild dogs in the surrounding areas came and licked them. Q3. The rich man was punished because of the way he squandered his money on luxury every day. His feasting and luxurious living without a thought for Lazarus lying every day outside his gate were his downfall. If he didn’t think to provide anything for Lazarus who was in daily view, it is unlikely that he ever thought about all the poor and destitute people in the surrounding towns and villages. God will not tolerate this behaviour from any of us. Q4.All poor people are to be helped in whatever way we can help them. We may not have money to give away but we can share what we do have, a bed, a meal, a coat. In the Old Testament the Jews were told to leave an area around their fields not harvested so that poor people could come and glean what they could. If a Jewish person lent money or goods to someone poor they should not expect to earn interest from lending to a brother. Or if a Jew was in a situation where he had to sell or give himself as a slave he was to be allowed to go free in the year of Jubilee, seven years after he started.

Q3. Jesus was accused of doing away with the law because Jesus was teaching the law as it was meant to be. The Pharisees had added to them and reinterpreted them to suit themselves. They criticised Jesus because He did not adhere to their interpretation. Jesus teaches that His way is the correct interpretation and that will remain indefinitely. Jesus sis not do away with the law but taught it the way it was meant to be. Q4.None of us are in a position to judge anybody else because we are all sinners. I think this applies to marriage in particular. Nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors. The Scriptures tell us that God ordained marriage between one man and one woman for life. He did this because it is His ideal, unfortunately it doesn’t always work. A Christian within that marriage must do everything within their power to stay in the marriage but if it is not possible God is a God of compassion and patience and love. He will forgive us if we ask Him. If we have people within our churches who are divorced and remarried we must love them and pray for them. Q5.Every one of us must fight daily to get into the Kingdom of God. We will not get there because our family is made up of believers. We must discipline ourselves to follow Jesus closely. Everything we have we must hand over to Him. Use our time to study , pray, listen to sermons etc. Use our home for hospitality and our car for God’s purposes. We must also obey Him , when He asks us to do something. We must obey His commandments. We must learn to put Jesus and His purposes before our own. Salvation is easy in one way , in that Jesus did the hard graft for us by suffering and dying on a cross. If we love the Lord Jesus truly we will want to be sure of spending eternity with Him and will mean giving everything to Him. Q6. I think working towards perfection means spending our days drawing closer and closer to God. We do this by prayer, study, fellowship and spending time quietly serving God in all our ways. This will automatically bring peace and contentment even if we are surrounded by trouble and problems.

Q1. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. He was the prophet sent to “ prepare the way for the Lord”. Earlier prophets spoke about a Saviour coming sometime in the future but John was preaching about Him imminent arrival. He was preparing the way by making people aware of the sin and how to repent of it. Q2.The good news of the kingdom of God is that all sinners can have forgiveness for sins because Jesus the precious Son of God humbled Himself and became obedient to death on a cross. This gives us freedom and hope for the future. We must truely repent of our sins and walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

Q3.The master commends the steward for the fact that he was shrewd. He used what was available to him to make sure his future was secure. Jesus makes the point that people of this world work harder and act more shrewdly to provide for themselves in this world than Christian act in laying up treasures in heaven. If we put as much effort into working for eternity as worldly people put into getting things in this world we would have treasures in abundance in heaven. Q4.If we love God we love the things of God and Jesus loved and helped the poor while here on earth, therefore we must do likewise. We can give to Christian charities that look after the poor. We can give our time in many ways to help the poor eg work in a food bank, work in a charity shop. Serve in a facility that provides meals for the poor. We can also discreetly give to individuals who are struggling. Q5.If we are careful about the small details of responsibilities we have, we learn to be trustworthy with bigger things. Likewise with money , we must be scruples about small amounts of money and we will learn to be trustworthy with larger amounts. Example of small things I sometimes encounter: not being charged for coffee at the end of a meal out, the waitress being most surprised when you draw her attention to the fact. Returning borrowed books, some people can be very lacks about this. If one is obsessed with money it takes one’s whole attention with no time for much else. So I think it is unlikely that they would become a committed disciple. However I am sure if they somehow realised that money was not so important and decided to give over some part of it to God they could become a committed Disciple. Nothing is impossible for God. Q6.If a person is money obsessed he is not committed to God. We are told that we cannot serve two masters, we will love one and hate the other. A money obsessed person will not understand or won’t want to understand why they should practise tithing. Because they have other things in mind to spend their money on. Q7.Everything we possess comes from God therefore we are stewards of all we have. They belong to God, and we need to use them carefully and in a God honouring way. Q8.”What is highly valued among men is detestable in Gods sight”. The desires of money possessed people are totally different from the desires of God. If we really were sincere about the things and ways of God we would be spending money to accomplish the things that God desires not buying bigger cars than we need, or spending lavish amounts of money on clothes and accessories. Q9. We can ask ourselves questions about what are the things that occupy our minds, how do we spend our time? What do we do in our spare time? Are we passionate about the things that Jesus was passionate about. These questions have to answered honestly. If we still are not sure we can ask a close Godly friend or mentor.

Q1. The steward had squandered his masters wealth. He was not trustworthy and reliable. We see his true character when as a reaction to being let go from his job he immediately calls his masters debtors and instructs them to rewrite their bills and reduce the amount they own to his master. This action ensures that his masters income was reduced. Q2.By getting his masters debtors to write out reduced bills for themselves the dishonest steward was ensuring that he would be given hospitality in the debtors homes, because he would have no job and no income.

Q1. The Father is representative of Our Heavenly Father. He is full of mercy, compassion, and patience. The son is the repentant sinner, turning back to his father and he represents all sinners and the tax collectors.The older son represents the Pharisees, who could not understand why Jesus bothered with ordinary sinners. Maybe the older brother can also represent us and our intolerant attitudes towards those who are different to us, instead of welcoming them into our lives/ church to care for them and show concern for their spiritual well being, instead of being bound up in our own desires. Q2.The scribes and Pharisees could not understand why Jesus wanted to have anything to do with these sinners. They had no interest in seeing them learn about the things of God. They missed the point totally about sinners being turned away from sin to follow a God filled life. They were too taken up with being righteous and pious in their own eyes but had hearts as hard as stone. Q3.I think the elder sons anger was due to jealousy towards his younger brother because of what he had put the family through and now his Father welcomes him back with open arms. The elder brother has no compassion he just thinks about his own situation and how he has been faithful but has not had a reward and he feels bitter, and the poor Father gets the brunt of his anger! He is so full of his anger and self pity he can’t recognise that he now is causing suffering to his Father. I have never had reason to be angry with God, I believe whatever comes my way is for a reason and in time that reason will be clear. I walk in faith and trust. Q4. I sincerely hope the elder son realised the error of his ways and despite his own misgivings went in and joined the celebration, for his Fathers sake if for no other reason. I accept that he may not feel very gracious towards his brother but he should imitate his Fathers loving, forgiving and merciful attitude. Q5.My heart is lukewarm by comparison to the Father. I am praying for more opportunities to speak to people about Jesus and that I see and use every opportunity I get. Q6. Any time I have seen someone repenting and following Jesus I have been excited and so thankful to God especially the Holy Spirit. I also keep praying that they will continue in their walk and produce fruit. I don’t know how else we should celebrate this wonderful time.

Q1.The Father is kind patient and loving. He loves his son, he can see his son is restless and gives him his inheritance. I feel He trusted his son would return when he realised that home wasn’t so bad after all! I am sure there were many days as he watched to see if there was any sighting of his son, that he thought that maybe he had been too trusting. His son appears to have little sense of responsibility towards his father or his well being. He left the responsibility of supporting his father to his older brother. He deprived his father of the money which should have supported his father when he was too old to work. The fact that we are told in verse 13 that he squandered his wealth in wild living shows he had no morals and little of anything or anybody except himself. Q2.I think the son asked for his share because he was rebelling against his family’s way of life and against his father ‘s rules. He saw this as a way to escape. I think the father thought it might teach him the reality of life , he might do well or he may not. The father knowing the son since birth probably had a good idea just how well he would get on in the outside world. Maybe he hoped that when he had experienced the world he would come home and realise that home is good despite work, families etc. Q3.The father is a wise man , he knows that no amount of pleading will keep him at home. It will only make the boy more determined to go, and more resentful of his father. The father also represents Our Heavenly Father who is always patient with His children. Q4.The son humbled himself and admitted to his father that he had sinned against God and against his father. He admits and accepts that he has no rights of sonship anymore He is aware that he is dependent on his father and his brother because he has spent every penny of his inheritance. He realises that he only has the standing of a servant if his father is willing to hire him. He needs that job to be able to just feed himself. His apology is appropriate because he is humble, admits he has sinned against God and his father. He realises he has nothing and is dependent on his family’s charity. He asks his father for a job as a servant in his household, this shows he has been humbled and is learning from it. Q5.The father has been watching and waiting for his return and is so very happy to see him return. There is only joy no recriminations. We learn just how God acts when a sinner turns from their sin and seeks forgiveness. It should encourage us to tell people about the Lords wonderful forgiveness, and how Jesus rejoices when a sinner turns to Him. We must also be humble when we speak to the lost and not feel or act proudly but tell them about the grace of God. Q6. All three parables are making the point that there is rejoicing in heaven over one lost sinners return. Then it is time to celebrate. The parable of the Lost Son also has the reaction of the older son who is jealous and bitter. This represents the attitude of the Pharisees to Jesus as He tries to draw people to Himself and away from their sin.

Q1.Jesus was being criticised because He was not doing what the Pharisees thought He should do. Jesus was mixing with ordinary salt of the earth people, we are all sinners but the Pharisees believed they were above the sinners and tax collectors. Jesus was drawing people from all walks of life, He had that effect on people.The Pharisees considered non religious Jews to be unclean, and therefore to be avoided. Jesus responded by teaching them three parables, He was being interactive with them rather than passive. Jesus welcomes them wholeheartedly and even goes to share meals with them. Q2.Both of the parables are much the same in that an item is lost, a sheep and a coin, both are searched for until they are found. There is great joy and then rejoicing when the news is spread to the other shepherds and to the lady’s friends and neighbours. This is also what happens in Heaven when a sinner responds to the Spirit and turns to Jesus there is great joy and rejoicing in Heaven. Q3.Every person on earth is a sinner and needs the forgiveness of Jesus. None of us should be judgemental or prejudice towards anyone and feel that it is not our job to share Jesus with them. These parables show God as a searching God seeking out all who are lost and rejoicing when they turn to Him and are found. Q4.The lesson here for us is a challenge from God as to what each one of us are doing to bring people into a living relationship with Him. Q5.Many people around me don’t know Jesus or have an inaccurate idea about Him. My own family are among them. The Bible is irrelevant today they say. I use every opportunity to speak about God. I give “Thanks” before we eat . It sounds ridiculously small but they know the gospel. I also pray and have prayed for years but God is faithful! He will answer in His own time. My church holds outreach services but since Covid these have had to stop. In the past we have for many years done carol singing and give out Scripture calendars. This year we are giving out the calendars individually, I have had a good response from some unexpected places , hopefully it will lead to more opportunities! Q6. Our church is very active in supporting missions both here in Ireland and abroad. We support financially and by prayer. We also invited speakers to the church. That is pre COVID-19.