Old Jerry

According to John, Jesus has always been on the scene. He created everything. The theological term describing Jesus becoming a human is incarnate. He brings us grace and favor from God by forgiving us our sins. He demands that we acknowledge his truth because he made us.

Jesus humbled himself to become a human being so that he could die for our sins. He needed to experience what we experience. He knew what to expect because he is divine. He knew all the pain that he was going to have to suffer. But yet he did it anyway. I don’t know what it meant for him to “emptied himself” because my imagination can’t conceive the powers he had with his Father. I can learn that with the little power I have I need to be humble also.

Jesus has gone to God the Father and is interceding for us. As long as we ask for forgiveness Jesus will intercede for us. Jesus has taken our iniquity upon himself. Jesus sacrificed his life for sins.

What was the strategy of the scribes and chief priests that involved trick questions? What did they seek to accomplish? A. It was to trick Jesus into saying something that would make his followers turn against him or to claim that he is against the government. In what way did the "spies" act as hypocrites, that is, pretending they were something that they were not? A. They pretended to be followers of Jesus. Can flattery ever be used to accomplish righteous purposes? Why or why not? A. Sometimes flattery can be used to accomplish righteous purposes because it can sometimes get the persons attention so that you can talk to him about Jesus. Why did Jesus ask his opponents for the coin? Why would they have in their possession a coin that carried blasphemous inscriptions? A. Jesus asked his opponents for coin so he could make a point. They probably had a coin in their passion because that is what was used to pay for goods and in order to pay their taxes. How does Jesus' answer affect our attitude in paying taxes? Are we ever to resist civil government? A. Jesus is saying you should pay to the government what they require. We shouldn’t resist civil government except when it goes against God. What does Jesus mean when he says to render to God what is God's? How do we do that? How do we live that out? A. Jesus is saying that we should turn ourselves over to God. He make us and we are in His image. We can do that my living and staying close to him.

I think that Luke felt it was important to tell a story from Jesus’ boyhood because he wanted us to see that Jesus was a man and had to learn like we have to. We learned that Jesus needed to be in the Lord’s house. Jesus needed to learn from the scholars so he could pass on the word. We need to grow and prepare so that we can be confidant is what we are saying. The more that we learn the more we will be able to pass over to others. We are tempted to short-circuit it because we want to get out there and tell others what we have learned.

How did tenant farming work in Jesus' day? In our day? What did the owner of the vineyard expect of his tenants? A. tenant farming would be like renting the land but in Jesus’ day they would pay with a part of the crop. In our day they pay with money. The owner of the land expected the tenants to pay the rent. What does the vineyard itself represent? The owner? The tenants? The servants who are sent to collect the owner's portion? Who is the son? Historically, how did God destroy the "tenants"? (20:9-16) A. The vineyard itself represented the people, the owner is God and the tenants were the Pharisees. The servants that were sent to collect the goods were the prophets. The Son is Jesus Christ. God destroyed the “tenants” by destroying Jerusalem. In 20:17 who is the stone? Who are the builders? In your opinion, why did they ultimately reject Jesus after studying him carefully? A. The stone is Jesus, the builders are the Pharisees, and in my opinion they ultimately rejected Jesus because they were afraid He would take the power away from them. In what ways did the Pharisees and Chief Priests stumble on the stone and were broken to pieces? In what ways are they crushed by the "falling stone"? A. The Pharisees and Chief Priests stumbled on the stone and were broken to pieces when they didn’t believe Him. They were crushed when crucifying Him. How can we detect when our hearts are rebellious against God? What should we do when we are angry at God? How can we prevent "a root of bitterness" against God to grow in our heart? Is this only hypothetical or is there any danger of the Stone crushing us to powder? A. When we start blaming God for the misfortunes we have in life. When we are angry with God we should go to him and ask for forgiveness. There is always a danger of the Stone crushing our hearts into power.

The Ancient of Days grants the Son of Man to be the King of the universe. I think that he used the title of “Son of Man’ to tie him back to Daniel’s prophecy. Jesus’ authority means that I have a perfect master that I can obey and follow.

Why does Jesus weep at the sight of Jerusalem? Because of their blindness or because of their fate? A. I think that Jesus weep at the sight of Jerusalem because of their blindness and because of their fate. He knew what was going to happen to them but they wouldn’t turn to God which was their blindness. In what way is the Triumphal Entry a royal "visitation" or inspection tour? Why are the leaders unwilling or unable to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the King? A. It was both a royal “visitation” and inspection tour. He saw that his temple was being abused and it was the leaders of the temple that were abusing it. Why does Jesus drive the money-changers and sacrifice-sellers out of the temple? What reason does he give? A. He drove the money-changers and sacrifice-sellers out of the temple because they using it as a den of thief’s. That is exactly what it was being used as.

Why do you think Jesus gave such cryptic instructions to the two disciples about where to find the donkey and what to say if they were challenged? A. Jesus is fulfilling a prophecy that says that he will ride on a donkey that had never been ridden. What is the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? Why a donkey that no one had previously ridden? A. The riding on a donkey is a symbol of a King and the King needed one that had never been ridden. What elements of the Triumphal Entry point to Jesus' claim to be the King of the Jews, the rightful Anointed One, the Messiah? A. The riding on a donkey that had not been ridden before and the people celebrating it. Why do you think Jesus is now open about being the Messiah, whereas previously this was something he didn't want his disciples to discuss openly? A. His task here on earth has been completed and now he could let everybody know that he is the Messiah. What was the reaction of the pilgrims to Jesus' glorious entry? What was the reaction of the Pharisees? Why the difference in reactions? A. The pilgrims were excited about Jesus’ glorious entry. The reaction of the Pharisees was to reject those that were crying out for Jesus. The difference between the reactions was the Pilgrims knew that Jesus was the King that was promised and the Pharisees didn’t believe it.

We can learn that we should also obey the Lord and not delay when He speaks to us. We don’t need to outcome before we say yes to God. We do know that God has our best interest in us and would not lead us into temptation. God has given us all the right to do what we think is best good or evil. So it wasn’t God who slaughtered the babies it was a man. I do believe that God honors them as martyrs for the Messiah.

I think that the gift-giving on this occasion was a mere custom because the Magi was just following a star and had not seen the Christ Child. It probably turned into love after they met him but in the beginning was just a mere custom. The gifts were fitting for the Christ Child because it was a prophecy of the life that He would live and be put into the grave. The gifts that I can offer Jesus is my life and obedience. My devotion to the person.

The way that Jesus is threat to my self-determination is that I don’t do some of the things that I think I want to do because I know that my King would not approve of it. Our choices in light of his Kingdom is to either follow Jesus or follow our own destruction.

It is hard to value our time in meditation and prayer because we have so much more on our minds and we start thinking about other things. I think that the Lord values the whole day and not just certain times of the day. Anna listening to the Lord propelled her because she was able to tell other people what the Lord is doing.

This parable has some allegorical elements. Who is represented by the hated nobleman who becomes king? A. Jesus is the hated nobleman who will become king. In the Parable of the Talents each of the servants had huge sums to work with. In the Parable of the Pounds each has only $7800 or so. Why is Jesus emphasizing this test of faithfulness as a "small matter"? (19:17b) What is large by comparison? A. It was a small amount as compared to the cities that he will give those who are faithful. Why was the master so delighted with the servants who earned 10-fold and 5-fold on his tiny investment? Was it the money or something else? (19:15-19) A. The master was so delighted with the servant who eared 10-fold and 5-fold on his tiny investment because he would be able to trust them when he gives them their cities. It wasn’t the money he was concerned about it was their willingness to work and put their talents to use. What do the unproductive servant's words tell us about his character? (19:20-21) Why was the master so disgusted with the unproductive servant who never traded with his portion? (19:22-23) A. The unproductive servant’s character is that of lazy or afraid of what the master would do if he lost the money. The master was disgusted because he knew he could not trust the unproductive servant. In what way does this Parable promise us more if we need it to develop the Lord's work? What are the conditions? (19:26) A. If we are willing to work for the Lord he will be with us to help us conquer the challenge that he has provided. The condition is that we have to trust in the Lord. When you talk about the fruit of your service for God, do you sound more like a victor or a victim? Why? How will that change? A. When I talk about the fruit of my service for God I hope that I sound more like a victor than a victim. I have been working in programs that helps bring people to Jesus. I don’t know if they have been saved, I just have to believe that what I did or told them took hold but Lord has to finish the process.

God had promised Simeon that he would see the Christ child. It was recorded so that we know that God is with us at all times. God promised Simeon that he would see this child and he kept his promise. Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified on the cross.

What do we learn about Zacchaeus in verses 1-4? Limiting yourself to these verses, what do you know about Zacchaeus? About his life, his hopes, his desires? A. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and was hated by the people. He was a short man and he knew the route that Jesus was going to take. He must have known about Jesus and wanted to see him. Why do the townspeople despise Zacchaeus so much? A. Because he was a tax collector. How do you think Jesus knew Zacchaeus' name? By divine knowledge? From the bystanders? A. I think that Jesus knew Zacchaeus’ name by divine knowledge. Why do you think Jesus said that he MUST stay at Zacchaeus' house that very day? What risk did Jesus take in doing this? What were the implications of this action to the bystanders? To Zacchaeus? A. That was the day that Jesus was appointed to stay with him. The risk that Jesus was taking was his reputation. The bystanders didn’t like it but Zacchaeus was delighted. Which aspects of Jesus' ministry to Zacchaeus seem to motivate him the most? (1) Jesus' love and acceptance? (2) Jesus' reputation? (3) Zacchaeus' consciousness of his sinfulness? Others? A. I think that Jesus’ love and acceptance and Zacchaeus’ consciousness of his sinful nature. How does our cynicism about people keep us from presenting Christ to them? Can we be open and loving without being vulnerable and overly trusting? What's the balance? How do we achieve this? A. We don’t like talking to them therefore we don’t present Christ to them. We can be open and loving without being vulnerable and overly trusting. We just have to pray and ask for guidance. Which shepherd role does Jesus comment on in this passage? (19:10) In what ways can his disciples be involved in this role? A. He loved him and we can to the same if we lose self-importance.

The suddenness of Christ’s coming is so fearful because we don’t always walk the straight and narrow path. These passages were fulfilled in Jesus’ day with John the Baptist cleared the way for Jesus.

What motivates Blind Bartimaeus to call out to Jesus? What motivates the bystanders to try to stop him? A. Bartimaeus wanted to be healed and he knew that Jesus could do that. The thing that motivated the bystanders to try to stop him was he was causing a scene. What can we learn about Bartimaeus' faith by the evidence of his actions and his words? A. Bartimaes had faith that Jesus could heal him. He didn’t care what others though. He was persistently yelling to get Jesus attention. What were the political and spiritual implications of the phrase "Son of David"? A. The political and spiritual implications of the phrase “Son of David” was that he knew that this man was the ruler of the world. Why did Jesus ask the blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?" What was Jesus' purpose in asking the question? A. Jesus wanted to be sure that the man was willing to give up the lively hood that he had at that time to become healed. He could no longer be a beggar. In what ways is the question, "What do you want Jesus to do for you?" a good question for disciples today to ask? A. Sometimes we really don’t know what that person wants because all we see is what is in front of us. We may not know what the person really wants. In what sense did the blind man's own faith heal him? If he had faith, why hadn't he been healed before? A. It was the faith that he had in God by knowing that Jesus could heal him. What was the blind man's response after being healed? In what ways is this a good model for us? A. He was delighted in being healed and now he could go out and tell others what God had done for him. What area in your life needs a dose of Bartimaeus' unstoppable faith? What's stopping you from asking God for that quality of faith right now? A. There is nothing stopping me from asking God for that quality of faith.

I think that the preeminence and greatest that is especially meaningful to me is he died on the cross and was raised again. Now we have a living God. Jesus humbled himself when we became a Man-God. The incarnation is such a miracle because he born a baby to a virgin.

Why is impossible for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God? Is it really impossible? Is Jesus speaking in hyperbole in order to make a point? Why or why not? (18:24-27) A. The reason that it is impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God is because they are focused on the things of this world. No, it isn’t really impossible because with God all things are possible. Jesus was probably speaking in hyperbole in order to make a point. How is Peter's question in 18:28 similar to Jesus' direction in 18:22? In what sense must disciple give up everything to follow Jesus? How literally should we take this? A. Peter is saying that they have already given up everything and that is what Jesus was saying. We are to give up our own desires and follow Jesus. Are the rewards Jesus promises in 18:29-30 literal or figurative? A. I think that they are literal because of all the rewards I have already received here on earth. How do Jesus' sacrifices to follow the Father's will parallel our own sacrifices to follow Jesus? What are the points of comparison? What are the points of contrast? (18:31-34) A. I don’t think that my sacrifices even compare to Jesus’ sacrifices.

Maybe the angels told them the place that they were at and they went there. Maybe they had to look around to find it. They went around and told others about what they had seen. Mary took it all in at the amazement of what was being done.

The shepherds were shocked when the angels flashed their radiant glory because it was night and they weren’t expecting anything. So to have all that light would have been a fighting sight. I suppose that the angels didn’t do something more low-key because that wanted to get the shepherds attention. The good news consist of the savior being born. The shepherds were able to authenticate by finding a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

To know who governed the area during the time of Jesus’ birth is to know the charter of the people who were in charge. It tells us of the difficult times that Jesus was born into. The difficulties that Mary and Joseph faced was Mary was about to have a baby and the town that they went to was crowed and there was no place to rest. Yes, God did allow such difficulties to teach us that following Him would not be without some kind of difficulties. God allows difficult time in our lives to help us mature as a Christian.

The world was just right for some change and that time was the time to do it. To be “redeemed” means that God has decided to give us a different system of worship and has given us his son to redeem us from our sins. To be “adopted” means I have the same advantage as those that were born into the family. My inheritance is the Kingdom of God.

Love is most at home in times of peace. It tells us we don’t have to always win as our ultimate value but to getting along with others should be our goal. I can bring peace from Jesus to my world by living and getting along with others. That type of peace will bless me and those around me.