Old Jerry

What was Jesus' motivation for teaching and healing on this day, even though he and his disciples were tired? How can we find a balance of attitude and ministry? When do we stop when the needs continue? A. He wanted to teach the disciples that even though they are tired there is more to do. We must depend on God to help us to do the things that He has called us to do. Why did Jesus decide to feed the people rather than dismiss them earlier? A. Jesus decided to teach the disciples that if they turn to God when things seem impossible then they can achieve the goal set before them. Why didn't he create bread and fish from nothing? Why did he ask the disciples to find what they could? What is the significance of the command, "You give them something to eat"? A. He wanted them to figure out what they had and wanted them to share it. If Jesus had created the bread and fish from nothing, this lesson would have been wasted. Jesus wanted them to share the things that they have. What struggles have you had in surrendering yourself to be part of this ministry process of assessing the need, bringing your resources to Jesus, placing them in his hands, and receiving back the power to meet needs beyond yourself? A. The struggles that I had in surrendering myself to missions was feeling inadequate because I didn’t know their language. Placing myself in God’s hand He always made sure that there was somebody there that could interpret for me. As a result the mission trips seem to me to be a success.

What's the difference between power and authority? A. Power is the ability to do something and authority is the using the power to accomplish a mission. What purposes did Jesus seem to have in sending the Twelve on this mission? A. Jesus was putting them out on their own with nothing so that they would trust God for everything they needed. It was also to train them to think on their own to accomplish the mission. Why did he instruct them to travel light? Why did he tell them not to bring a staff, a bag, or food, or money, or an extra shirt? What was the point in that? A. The point to traveling light is to teach them that they should rely on God as their provider. Why were they told to stay in just one house in each village, and not try to find better lodgings? A. They were told to be satisfied with what they have and not try to find better lodging. Their mission was to teach not find the best accommodations. How did the disciples' obedience to Jesus' instructions bless people? A. They were able to learn that the Kingdom of God was near. Of what value were their reports and Jesus' debriefing? A. Jesus was able to correct them in areas that they were difficult and to encourage them in things that they did right.

What do Jairus' actions in this story tell us about the state of his faith? A. Jairus’ action tells us he had faith enough to come to Jesus to heal his daughter but not enough for the resurrection. Have you ever had a time spiritually when you felt God "carried you" in spite of your weak faith? If so, when? Has he set you back on your own feet again yet? A. I have had a time when I was spiritually “carried” in spite of my weak faith. It was I was going through a divorce. And yes He has set me back on my feet. Why didn't Jesus let Jairus give up? A. Because Jesus knew that if Jairus just had faith the things would turn out right. Why did Jesus exclude everyone but the parents and his closest disciples from the girl's room? A. Jesus excluded everyone out of the room because he didn’t want the unbelievers to interfere with what he was going to do. What lessons does this passage teach you as a disciple? What do you think we disciples are intended to learn from this? A. If we believe that even what we think is impossible it could come to past.

What things did the lady in our story have going against her? A. One she was a woman and women didn’t have any standing in Jesus’ day. Two she was unclean because of her bleeding. Three she was in a crowd and she had to push her way to Jesus. Do you think she was superstitious about touching Jesus clothes? How would you assess the quality of her faith? A. I do not think that she was superstitious but she knew that Jesus could heal because she had probably heard about his healing he had been doing during his ministry. Therefore she had the faith that Jesus could heal her. Why did Jesus stop? Do you think there was an actual transfer or flow of power? A. Jesus stopped because he could feel the transfer of power. I do think that there was a transfer of power because the woman was healed immediately. Why do you think Jesus caused her the embarrassment of having to tell her story openly? A. He wanted her to tell her story because he wanted the people to know that he was from God and that if you faith in Jesus that you can also be healed. Few people have had the gumption and nerve to push their way to Jesus the way this woman did. Why is this so? Why do many fail to receive answers to their prayers? A. It might be that they don’t believe in Jesus the way that this woman did. The reason that many fail to receive answers to their prayers is because of their belief. They probably did receive an answer but they didn’t like the answer.

If we take this account seriously, what does it seem to teach us about demons? (Realize that our view of demons may be more influenced by sermons we have heard or movies we have seen than by the text of Scripture. Let's stick to the text here in Luke 8.) A. It teaches that demons can control our lives. They are very bad for us and it takes a miracle from Jesus to drive them out. Why do we feel we need to apologize helping just one person like Jesus did on this occasion? A. Because we believe so much in Jesus that we can’t seem to understand why others can’t see the healing Jesus. So when it is only one person we don’t understand why the others don’t want this freedom. What do we learn from the account about the pigs that we wouldn't have known if they hadn't been mentioned? A. Maybe we learned that the pigs went crazy when the demons entered them. Why did the healed man want to go with Jesus? Why didn't Jesus let him? A. He knew that Jesus was his savior. Jesus wanted the man to tell the people about the Good News. Where did they find clothes to clothe the healed man, do you think? Why does the story mention the man's nakedness? A. I think that Jesus probably shared what he had with the man. It mentions the man’s nakedness because we are to see Jesus as giving man. How does Jesus react to the rejection of the townspeople of the Garasenes? A. He honors their wishes and leaves them but a left a man behind to tell his story.

What was the most important lesson that you think Jesus intended his disciples to learn from this? A. He wants us to have faith in all situations because He is always with us. What is the second most important lesson that they were to learn? A. That with faith they can do anything. What does it take to banish the fear that we sometimes feel? A. When I have some fear I can turn to God and say a prayer and the feeling usually goes away. How much of the substance of our faith is self-talk and convincing ourselves that something is true? How do we gain the kind of solid faith that doesn't consist in self-convincing?

What or whom does the lighted lamp represent in 8:16? A disciple? Jesus? The Message? Tell why you identify it in the way you do. A. I think that it was the Message because of the context of where it was introduced. Why must the lamp be placed on a lampstand rather than hidden? What does this mean in the twenty-first century? A. The lamp must be placed on a lampstand rather than hidden so that it will be useful for all in that place. In view of 8:18, is there any hope for people who think they are Christians, but don't really "get it"? A. There is always hope for those who think they are Christian, but don’t get it. I think it is saying that if you don’t put into practice what you have heard you are deceiving yourself. Why would Jesus speak so disrespectfully of his family as he seems to in 8:21? A. I think that Jesus was making a point and He wanted it to stick with them that they must put into practice what they had heard. If you must state a single theme of Luke 8:1-21, what would it be? A. You must try to convince the people around you that Christ is the only way.

How is the devil active when seed is sown, according to Jesus? What is the devil trying to prevent, according to verse 12? A. The devil is taking away the seed so that it can’t grow. He is trying to prevent people from seeing the great God that we have. Why, according to verse 13, do some people demonstrate "flash-in-the-pan Christianity"? What is the problem with them? A. The problem with them is that they see what a great God we have but they think that they are being restricted from some of the things that they think are good things in this life. Which of the thorns that Jesus mentions in verse 14 do you think is the most dangerous? Worries, riches, or pleasure? Why do you think so? A. I think that riches is the most dangerous of the thorns that Jesus mentions. Some people will do anything to gain riches and suppress those that don’t have much. Here's a controversial, but important question: Can verse 14 describe true believers? A. It could, but the problem is that they get distracted by the worldly things. Even good soil can have factors that hinder growth in various parts of the field, or make some areas grow taller and fuller wheat. What factors make a disciple especially good soil for the growth of the word? A. One who reads and understands the word of God is able to go out and make disciples. Why do you think Jesus told the Parable of the Soils? A. He wanted the listeners to know that not everybody they witness to will accept the word of God.

Why do you think Jesus called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear?" What was he getting at? A. Jesus was trying to get the people to pay attention to what he was saying. He knew that they could hear but were they paying attention. How could people listen to Jesus, but not really understand what he was saying? A. Again they were not paying attention to what he was saying. Their minds were drifting off to some other thing. In what way does Jesus' teaching harden people's hearts? A. The way that Jesus’ teaching was hardening people’s hearts is that they were hearing things that they didn’t want to hear and therefore rejected what he was saying. Is there any way that we can assist those with hardened hearts? If so, what can we do? A. I don’t think that there is a way to assist those with hardened hearts. They have heard the truth and rejected it. Maybe we can keep repeating the truth and maybe have a break through. But it is only God that will be able to have a true break through.

According to Luke 8:1, what was the content of Jesus' message? A. Jesus was proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. Why didn't he skip the smallest villages? A. The people in the small villages needed to hear what Jesus had to say. What do you think Jesus' critics said about the women who traveled with Jesus' band continually? Why do you think Jesus allowed it? Do you think he encouraged it? Why? A. The critics probably though that they were loose women. Jesus probably wanted these women to connect to the women that he was trying to teach about the kingdom of God. I think that he did encourage it because he knew it would be more effective to hear from the women. Why did the women respond as they did to healing? A. They knew that they were with the messiah and wanted to be with him and to help support him. What was the women's chief motivation for contributing financially to support Jesus' mission? A. Not only was he preaching the kingdom of God but he was also healing people and the women wanted to be a part of that. How can we be responsible to save for retirement and still give generously to Jesus' work? I have found that if you give generously to Jesus’ work, for some reason it will all work out. You end up having more then you actually gave even it is more friends or some other non-materialistic treasure.

How would you describe the expression on Simon the Pharisee's face when he saw the woman touching Jesus' feet? It would be one of great disapproval and surprise. What was the sinful woman's motive for coming to see Jesus? The motive had to have been that she had heard of Jesus and the miracles that he had performed and wanted to be forgiven for her sins. Why did Jesus let her continue, since by all appearances what she was doing was scandalous? Jesus understood what was troubling the woman and wanted her to show her gracious acceptance of Lord. Is your love for the Lord more like the sinful woman's or Simon's? Why? I would like to think that my love for the Lord is like the sinful woman’s. I study his word every day and praise Him what thing are going smooth. He is always on my mind.

In what ways is your position in the Kingdom greater than John the Baptist's? (A hard question, but at the root of today's lesson.) Maybe the reason that my position in the Kingdom if greater than John the Baptist’s is that I have all kinds of resources to study Jesus and we might know more about him then John did because all he had was the old testament. Why were people so critical of John and Jesus -- and for opposite reasons? What are we learn from this? The people were so critical of John and Jesus because they didn’t understand them. We can learn that we need to study the bible to get to know them. Do you know anyone who has "rejected God's purpose for himself"? What can you do to influence him or her for Christ before it's too late. What is doing too little? What is doing too much? Where is the right balance, do you think? We can bring the Word to them but we have got to remember that we are the planters or the waters and Jesus is the one that makes them grow.

Why do you think John the Baptist had doubts about who Jesus was? I think that John the Baptist had doubts because Jesus wasn’t doing everything that John thought He should be doing. Why didn't Jesus answer John's question directly? Why did he let his deeds speak instead? Jesus didn’t answer John’s question directly because He knows the actions speak louder than words. So Jesus wanted John to see the actions that He had taken. How was John intended to take Jesus' mild exhortation: "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me"? John probably took Jesus’ mild exhortation to probe him to continue to believe in him even though He hadn’t done everything that John had expected him to do. How has God lifted your confusion and brokenness in a time of difficulty? How can you encourage those who are now under such a burden? As a rule I have turned it over to God and I have seen that it has all worked out in time. Maybe not in the way that I though it should have, but it did work out.

Did Jesus heal all the sick people he saw? Did Jesus raise all the dead people he encountered? A. No Jesus did not heal all the sick people nor did he raise all the dead people. How do you explain him raising the widow's son at Nain while passing many graveyards his route? A. I can’t explain why Jesus decided to raise the widow’s son. It might have been to show the people that He was in fact the Son of God. Does acting out of compassion mean responding to a whim? Why or why not? A. No, acting out of compassion does not mean responding to a whim. It is something that is built into us. Compassion is a dangerous virtue to cultivate. Why is that? What is the cost of compassion? What is the reward of compassion? A. I have never considered compassion as a dangerous virtue but does have its problems. You will hurt when someone else is hurting and will not be able to do anything about it but we can ask God for help. Can you be a true disciple and be dispassionate toward people in need? Why or why not? A. I don’t see how you can be a true disciple and not have compassion toward other peoples need. That is one of the reasons that we have intercessory so that we can pray for those that are hurting. How can a sense of compassion help you to pray effectively? A. Compassion can help us to pray effectively because we can feel the hurt of the person that we are praying for.

In your own words, state the insight that the centurion had of Jesus' power. How did this insight differ from that of Jesus' disciples at the time? A. Evidently the centurion had been following Jesus’ exploits and knew that Jesus had the power to heal people. He also knew, because he was following Jesus, that he could just say the word and it would happen. What portion of Jesus' mission do you believe he has delegated to you? A. I think the portion of Jesus’ mission that he has delegated to me is to go into the world and make disciples. How is the power Jesus can delegate to you limited by the size of your faith. A. It is all limited by my faith. The more faith that I have the more I can accomplish.

Con men continue to trick people and take advantage of them. How can you tell them, according to Jesus' teaching? A. You can tell a con man by what he is saying. He is trying to sell you his idea and talk you out of your money. How does what you say when you're angry indicate what is in your heart? A. It seems like when you are angry you are letting everything that has been bugging you get out into the atmosphere. What areas of your life where you AREN'T following closely has the Holy Spirit been convicting you about? A. I have found that I have been wanting to know more about God and only the Holy Spirit can convict me about that. How can you tell if you are a true follower of Jesus? Is being "born again" a good indicator? What does "born again" mean if it doesn't affect a person's lifestyle? A. Being “born again” means that you have thrown off the old and put on Jesus. So you being “born again” is a good indicator. Being “born again” does affect a person’s lifestyle because they have thrown the old lifestyle away and began a new one.

Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage? A. I think the judging that Jesus forbids is the moral judgment of others. We don’t know that they are going through and therefore we aren’t to judge them. What do giving and forgiving have in common? A. If you are forgiving then you are giving. You are giving the other person a break. How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous? A. Jesus is telling them that if they give generously then they will reap generously. What is Jesus' point about the parable of the speck and the plank? A. He is just telling them that you need to remove the sin in your life in order to help the other person remove the sin in their life.

Why is the real test of agape love being able to love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really have agape love? A. I think the real test of agape love is watching out for your enemies’ welfare. If we can’t do that then we don’t have the love that Jesus wanted us to have. Do you see "turning the other cheek" and giving your enemy your tunic as literal, figurative, hyperbole, or what? What is the point Jesus is making here? A. “turning the other cheek” and giving my enemy my tunic is a hyperbole. Jesus is saying that we should not be fighting with that person. Why is loving your enemy so much like divine love? What is the implication of this for our salvation? For our lifestyle? A. God has put us all on this earth and he loves us all. So if we can love our enemy we are showing God love. We are trying to do the most impossible thing and is trying to get along with everybody. What is the difference in effect of stating the Golden Rule as a negative ("Don't do to others, as ..."), as did Rabbi Hillel, rather than a positive ("Do to others, as ..."), as did Jesus? The negative seem like it always confrontational. The positive is always looking at the glass half full.

What does Jesus mean by his use of the words "poor" and "rich" in this passage? Does he intend these words to be taken literally or figuratively? A. I think that Jesus means by the words “poor” and “rich” in this passage to mean spiritually poor and rich. So I guess that it should be taken as literally. Choose one of these four alternatives and then support your choice: (1) Christianity can be accurately characterized by delayed gratification. (2) Christianity can be accurately characterized as seeking a present blessing and experience. (3) Christianity can be characterized by both a present blessing and experience, and by delayed gratification. (4) Christianity can be accurately characterized by none of the above. Why did you make the choice you did? A. 3 because we are blessed daily by our Father from above and if we continue to glorify Him then we will receive our delayed gratification. What is wrong with being rich? With desiring to be rich? Why is this such a stumbling block for Christians? How are you getting this in balance in your life? A. The problem with desiring to be rich or being rich is that it becomes our God. We will do anything to achieve money. Why do we seek to please people? Why is pleasing people such a trap for Christians? Is there anything good about trying to please people? Why is it necessary to get this in balance in our lives? We try to please people because we want to be accepted. The problem of pleasing people is that we might fall in their trap and start moving away from God. But if we want to evangelize, we need to be friendly to them.

What kinds of situations face us today where all night prayer is appropriate? (6:12) A. When we are making a major decision like who to marry or whether to have children and even what church we should be associated with. If there are full-fledged apostles today (and let's assume this for the sake of this question), who would be some of your nominees? Why would you nominate them? A. I think that my pastor would be one of them. We can count on him to preach the bible at every service. The pastor of the Baptist church in Dallas, TX who seem to always be on the front line trying to lead people to Jesus. Why do you think most of the apostles were martyred? Can you think of any Christians in the twentieth century who were martyred? (Incidentally, they say that there were more Christian martyrs in the twentieth century than in all the other centuries combined.) When is martyrdom glorious? When is it inglorious? I think that apostles were martyred because they were spreading the truth and the world can’t stand to hear the truth. I think that those Christians that were martyred by having their heads cut off because they wouldn’t reject Christ. Why do we tend to assume that miracles won't happen today? I don’t assure that miracles don’t happen today. I see miracles happening all the time. We may not want to call them miracles but they still are like people being healed to the death bed. What would happen in your own local church if people began to get physically healed on a regular basis? Who would it upset? What would result? How could we get our faith ready for such a happy event? I think that if people in my church began to get physical healed on a regular bases the church would grow so fast that we wouldn’t keep up with it.

List some of the traditions that are taken for granted in your church, but are not directly mentioned in the Bible. Which seem to aid Christian mission? Which seem to impede the work of Christ? A. I have been in a church since I was a baby. I can’t think of traditions in the church that I attend now that are taken for granted. I know that there are probably some I just can’t see them. Maybe one is the pot-luck suppers that we have, but that is just to get to know others and to love them. Teaching that God's rules can sometimes be set aside for the sake of human need, can be dangerous. How can we observe this truth without abusing it? A. The Sabbath is a great example of setting aside God’s rule for the sake of human need. We do this when we need to but then we turns into something that we do all the time and we don’t even observe any day of rest. Are there any people who you are "looking for a reason to accuse"? (6:7) Why is this attitude dangerous? How can it blind you? A. When I belong to a really legalistic church we would accuse others of not doing the things that we though was making us holy. We would not look at the other side of those things.

Does Jesus speak against fasting in this passage? What does he teach about fasting, if anything, in this passage? A. Jesus is teaching that we should fast but that there is a time to fast. What are the structures in our lives and society that are incompatible with the Life of the Spirit in our lives? A. I think that almost all structures in my life and in society are incompatible with the Life of the Spirit in our lives. It seem like every day there is something new that is against the Life of the Spirit that is why I stay close to Church so I have someone I can trust to bounce off the new information that I have received.

Who in our society would correspond to the rich outcasts like tax collectors were in Jesus' day? A. I think in our day the people that correspond to the rich outcasts like tax collectors would be the lawyers and politicians’. Why do we Christians feel so uncomfortable around blatant sinners? Why did Jesus succeed in making himself so at home in their presence? A. Maybe one of the reasons that we feel so uncomfortable around blatant sinners is that we are concerned that it might rub off on us. We don’t want others to see us talking to such sinners. In light of the lessons of this passage, what kinds of people around us should we be reaching out to? A. We should be reaching out to all the people.

Why do you think Jesus spoke the extremely controversial words, "Your sins are forgiven?" He could have been less offensive to the visiting guests. Why did he choose not to be? A. I think that Jesus needed to show that he is the Son of Man so that the average man can understand what he is all about. What is the connection between sin and sickness in this passage? A. This is an interesting saying because in a lot of cases sin in not associated with sickness. So I don’t understand why he did it this time. It had to be to upset the Pharisees or to show the Pharisees that had the authority to forgive man his sins. Which of the two phrases IS easier to say? "Your sins are forgiven!" OR "Get up, take your mat, and go home!"? What point did Jesus want us to draw from this incident? A. I think for Jesus, both sayings were easy for Him to say. He just wanted the people that were around him to know that he has to power to forgive sins and to heal the sick. Why did Jesus use the term "Son of Man" rather than "Son of God" or "Messiah"? A. I don’t know why he used the term “Son of Man” rather than “Son of God” or “Messiah”. He might have done it to establish that he is the Son of Man. Whom do you feel most like at present? The paralyzed man or one of the four friends? Why? A. I think that the paralyzed man probably felt most like the present because he was the center of attention.

Who in our society are treated like lepers were treated in Jesus' day? Who sometimes feels like a leper in the presence of Jesus? A. I think that the homeless are treated like lepers in our day. As a rule we don’t want anything to do with them let alone to touch them. Describe the kind of faith it takes to act and speak as this leper did. What level of belief was required of him? A. It takes a lot of faith to act and speak as the leper did. He had to have a complete belief that Jesus could heal him. If Jesus didn’t heal him then the crowd would have done some bad things to the leper like throw rocks or dirt at him. What is the difference between believing God can do something for us and believing that he wants to do something for us? Would you call the difference faith? or knowledge? or both? A. The difference between believing God can do something for us and believing that he wants to is faith. "I will. Be clean!" is pretty strong. Can you think of any place where Jesus indicates that he isn't willing to heal those who are sick? A. I can’t think of any place where Jesus wasn’t will to heal those who are sick. A few weeks ago we studied Luke 4:42 about Jesus going to a solitary place. Since then have you made progress toward establishing a Quiet Time of your own? If not, what steps are you making to establish this Jesus-trait in your life? A. I had already established a solitary place because of the time of day I get up to be with the Father.