kreilly

According to Jesus' teaching here, how is the destruction of Jerusalem related to the time of his return? (21:20-24a) This event precedes Jesus' return. What are the Times of the Gentiles (21:24b). What significance does it have for the return of Christ? This also appears to precede the return of Christ. What words are used in verses 25 and 26 to describe what will take place at the very end? What effects will these have upon people? Upheaval in the heavens and in the seas will occur. These will likely cause all manner of death and destruction, especially to people and cities along the coasts. The people will be terrified, but I wonder if they will recognize these signs or find some other excuse to blame it on so that they can continue to deny the existence of the One True God. What will be the direct sign of Jesus' return? (21:27) What Old Testament Scripture passage is Jesus referring to when he describes his coming? He will come on the clouds with great power and glory, as prophesied by Daniel 7:13-14. Everyone will recognize what is happening at that time, believer and unbeliever alike. If fear will characterize unbelievers at these terrible signs, what emotion should characterize believers? (21:28) He tells us to lift up our heads because our redemption is near. We will have joy because victory is at hand and our suffering is finally coming to an end.

What kinds of signs will be seen that do NOT portend the immediate return of Jesus? (21:7-19) Why are people tempted to see them as signs of the end? Wars, and rumors of wars, earthquakes, plagues and famines. I think people are tempted to see them as signs because they want to know what the future holds. This has been going on since the beginning of time-people seeking to know what the future holds through omens, oracles, divination. People want to know for sure what is going to happen even though Jesus makes it clear that there is no way to know "it will come like a thief in the night" and our purpose is to be ready at all times. These things have been happening always so I don't think they mean that Jesus won't come back today or tomorrow just because they are going on. He will come back at at time that will unexpected to us. His teachings for us were always to be ready and expectant of His return at all times. I think one of the most important things He said here was not to be afraid. This is so important. I know many people who are very afraid and preparing for a tribulation by stocking up food and other supplies rather than preparing spiritually for His return. What good results from a disciple's persecution and death, according to verse 13? It is a testimony. If someone is ready to die for their belief in Jesus, it is a true demonstration of faith. Unbelievers take notice of that and some will come to faith because of this witness. Why will people hate Christians? (21:17) People hate Christians, because people hated Jesus. Those who align themselves with the enemy can't help but hate us. We are the "aroma of death" to them. What does the phrase mean, "By standing firm you will gain life." (21:19) Is this "faith by works" or something else? I agree with Irmela's answer to this question. Faith is action. We see a person's faith by the things they do and decisions they make.

In what way are church leaders, both clergy and laity, susceptible to the sins of the "teachers of the law" that Jesus criticizes in 20:45-47? How can a leader walk in humility? What are the keys you've discovered? I think the ways people are susceptible to these sins has been discussed already without me adding anything more. I think Katy made a valuable point in saying we need to walk closely with God. Also, I think staying in the Word and taking it at face value so that we remember our place as servants and the Lord's place as the Exalted One. How does the widow demonstrate the principle of sacrificial giving? What did that mean for her? What would sacrificial giving mean for you? I find it interesting that Joseph Hallam popped into this Bible study just for this topic only and went on a rant. I never have seen him participate with any of the other topics. I would agree 100% with Pastor Ralph that Jesus is praising the widow for her sacrificial giving, not just condemning the leaders for their corruption. That would be supported by the fact that Jesus, Himself, told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and follow Him. It sounds like there is a false teaching being used to support the idea that Christians don't need to give sacrificially or give at all because this is just something the church is using to manipulate them. This is in direct conflict to the verses we are studying just now, including 1 Cor 16:2 stating we should give a portion in accordance with our income on the first day of the week. Not only that but it is a great temptation easily fallen into to keep our money for ourselves, which then turns it into an idol, as well as keeping the church from being able to help the needy. Imagine all the good that could be done if Christians tithed and leaders used the money faithfully...many would be helped and saved. I believe it is easier to give sacrificially when you have less. When I had less and I gave, it often put us on the brink of not having enough for ourselves. Now that I have some money saved up, I can pull from my savings. How does the widow demonstrate the principle of faith-filled giving? Is this the same kind of faith you and I exhibit in our giving? Why or why not? I have never given everything I had. I truly admire the widow's faith.

What can be the result in a person's heart if he feels there will be no reckoning in the life to come for the things he or she has done during this life? A person will live a sinful, selfish life-living to fulfill his/her own desire's, not caring who they hurt, thinking their will be no consequences to their actions beyond the here and now. In what way does Jesus' reply destroy the Sadducees' carefully constructed objection? He stated that their will be no need for marriage in heaven. Jesus is our bridegroom. He will be the primary object of our affection. What effect does Jesus' question about the son of David being David's Lord have? Of whom did he ask the question? Why? I loved reading everyone's answers to this and thought all of the answers were so insightful. They were things I never thought about. I agree with all the different perspectives. I think Hanks made a great point that Jesus being David's son and also being David's Lord is a beautiful illustration of His humanity and deity. I also never thought about how He may be pointing out to the Pharisee's that their knowledge is just as incomplete as the Sadducees. Additionally, He is pointing out that He is Lord, the Messiah. What things should we be doing to be able to live both in the present age and be ready for the age to come? What should we cease doing? We should be living for Jesus and sharing the gospel as though every day is our last. We should cease sinning and bringing embarrassment to our Lord or wasting our time distracting ourselves with unimportant things.

What was the strategy of the scribes and chief priests that involved trick questions? What did they seek to accomplish? First, they sought to flatter Him and make Him believe they agreed with Him. Then they produced the trick question, in hopes they could produce some evidence to provide to Pilate of sedition against the Roman government. In what way did the "spies" act as hypocrites, that is, pretending they were something that they were not? They were pretending that they agreed with His teachings and just wanted to know more. Can flattery ever be used to accomplish righteous purposes? Why or why not? Flattery is a sin so I don't know how it could be used to accomplish righteous purposes. Why did Jesus ask his opponents for the coin? Why would they have in their possession a coin that carried blasphemous inscriptions? So He could point out that Caesar's picture is on there, bringing home His point. They paid tribute to the Roman government. How does Jesus' answer affect our attitude in paying taxes? Are we ever to resist civil government? When they asked Him the question about taxes, they clearly weren't familiar with His teachings, which were all about not valuing money, but instead valuing God. Their question reflects their own selfish desires, and they assumed He would feel the same way about money. We should be fine with paying taxes because we are not to hold onto money tightly anyway. When governments are repeatedly involved in unjust, evil, unrighteous, ungodly acts and we have the power to come together to resist, we should come together to do so, always remembering to maintain justice, righteousness, and integrity in the ways that we resist. 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? Our whole life belongs to God, including our money. We live that out by making every decision in light of His Word and will for us.

How did tenant farming work in Jesus' day? In our day? What did the owner of the vineyard expect of his tenants? I have some land that I rent to a farmer and it pretty much works the same way it did back then. He gets 2/3 since he does all the work and I get 1/3 since I own the land. I have to pay 1/3 for fertilizer. When he harvests the crops, my 1/3 gets put into storage at the co-op and I can sell it when I think the price is right. 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"? I was always confused by this verse before. I always thought the part about being broken to pieces meant that when we come to Christ we are broken and He puts us back together when we submit to Him and receive salvation, but at least we are not crushed by the weight of our sins. But after doing this study, I would agree with Hanks and Irmela that it relates to the fate of unbelievers in the present and coming age, due to the word stumble being used. Those who believe and accept Him don't stumble over Him. I'm so grateful for this verse-by-verse study that clarifies confusion I have had and delves into questions that many commentaries do not address. 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? When I start feeling that distance and like I don't want to spend time with my Lord, I know my heart is rebellious. When I am angry at God, the first thing I need to do is admit it. I often like to pretend it's not true because I know it's wrong, but He knows my heart. If I don't admit it and talk to Him about it that will allow a root of bitterness to grow against God. It is important to examine my true feelings and where they are coming from, then repent and ask God to change my heart. I can't change my feelings, but I can try to figure out where my unrighteous anger at God comes from. God is sinless, so any anger I feel toward Him is unrighteous. Examining my own selfish desires that lead me to feel that I have somehow been wronged by God will lead me to a place of repentance, before bitterness can take hold. This is not hypothetical. If I allow bitterness to take hold it can destroy my faith and ultimately cause me to walk away from the Lord. Better to repent early and easily, than let sin and bitterness take root and destroy your faith.

Why does Jesus weep at the sight of Jerusalem? Because of their blindness or because of their fate? I agree that it was both. He is saddened that the leaders are blinded by their own selfishness and reject Him, but He also sees into the future what will happen and is saddened by that, also. What I find fascinating and never really thought about before is His statement that if they had only come to Him they would have been spared this fate. I wonder how that could have turned out differently, as He ultimately had to atone for our sins through the cross in order for us to be saved? 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? Satan has blinded them through their own selfish desires for money and power, cloaked as zeal for the law. Why does Jesus drive the money-changers and sacrifice-sellers out of the temple? What reason does he give? He is truly disturbed that the temple is not a God-honoring/glorifying house of prayer. How does Jesus' action to cleanse the temple make his crucifixion more inevitable? (Hint: At whose home was his mock trial held?) Prior to entering Jerusalem, much of Jesus teaching and miracles have taken place in surrounding areas. Once He enters Jerusalem and begins to assert His authority as the Messiah, the religious leaders cannot ignore Him, confrontation is inevitable, resulting in the crucifixion. The chief priests are prejudiced toward Jesus because they have corrupted themselves with proceeds from temple sales and Jesus threatens their revenue. How can tithing serve to challenge the shallowness of our Christianity? How can we Christians be corrupted by money? I'm not really sure about the direction of this question--if it is directed at only bringing a tithe and thinking you are "all done" and can let yourself off the hook and spend the rest as you please, or if it's about not bringing the full tithe in to begin with. Either way, the desire for material wealth can be a huge temptation. It takes a lot of prayer and self-discipline to begin to view the income you have as God's money and not your own and to ask Him where He wants it to go. A better question may be how can we not be corrupted by money. How can we protect ourselves from falling into that temptation--only through the Spirit's power.

What was the reaction of the pilgrims to Jesus' glorious entry? What was the reaction of the Pharisees? Why the difference in reactions? The pilgrims were excited and recognized Jesus as the long awaited Messiah who fulfilled the prophecies. He had proved himself by his many miracles and authoritative teachings. The Pharisees were angry that Jesus was accepting the praise and title of Messiah. They considered it blasphemy because they did not believe He was the Messiah. He did not fit the mold they had imagined because He did not come up through their ranks, nor was He born into some kind of powerful position, which in their eyes would have made Him more worthy.

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) I always thought the unproductive servant was fearful and that was the reason he laid his treasure away. However, a good point was brought up that if it was out of fear, how could he speak that way to the master, if he was truly afraid of the master? Hanks made a good point that the unproductive servant actually blames the master for his poor performance. It seems strange because the whole kingdom seems to treat the master the same way, like they feed off each other in disrespecting him. The delegation that went to protest his being made king encourages general discontent. It reminds me of the way people treat Jesus today--refusing to follow Him and yet blaming Him when things go wrong in their lives. The master is disgusted because the unproductive servant could have at least safely deposited the money in the bank to earn interest but didn't even do that, and then turned around and blamed the master for his not doing so. I also notice that the people who refused him as king were killed. I think this is allegorical as to what will happen to unbelievers at the second coming. 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? I think back to the last study when I confessed I often feel discouraged at people's lack of response when I try to share Christ with them, so clearly I feel more like a victim. If I trust Christ and stay in the word, He will change my attitude, regardless of others' responses. We are in this for the long game, just because we don't see short term immediate responses doesn't mean God is not at work.

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? This is hypothetical, but I wonder if Zacchaeus was a little person. He obviously had no hope of seeing Jesus through the crowd even if he got there first or edged his way to the front, so he must have been really short. He must have been intelligent and ambitious because he had climbed the tax collector ladder to be chief tax collector, which I would imagine would be even more difficult back then as an extremely short person. Also, he was very persistent, he planned ahead and made sure he had a way to see Jesus when He came through town. How do you think Jesus knew Zacchaeus' name? By divine knowledge? From the bystanders? I think the Holy Spirit revealed this knowledge to Jesus. 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? Haar gave a great answer that I would agree with. 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? I am so guilty of this. Many people I encounter seem to have their guard up when it comes to hearing about Jesus. In turn, that has discouraged me and made me feel like witnessing about Jesus is a lost cause because nobody wants to hear about Him. I know this is from the devil, but it is hard to break out of this thinking. Some wonderful mentors explained it to me like this, we are just there to scatter the seed, God provides the harvest. Sometimes I think we get caught up in perfectionism, thinking if we share Jesus, we are a failure if people don't accept the message. That is not true, regardless of their reaction, be it hostile, apathetic, avoidant, or possibly gladly accepting the truth; we can rest assured that we did our part. God gave us the job to share the gospel, not insist that others see the truth. He will send others to till the soil and water the seed for those who don't accept the truth right away. Plus, He never forces Himself on anyone, so there will always be those who choose to reject Him and be their own god. I think we always make ourselves vulnerable when we share the gospel, but that's okay because we trust God, not man.

What motivates Blind Bartimaeus to call out to Jesus? What motivates the bystanders to try to stop him? He wants to be healed and he won't let anyone stop him from getting Jesus' attention. They try to stop him because he is being loud and embarrassing. Why did Jesus ask the blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?" What was Jesus' purpose in asking the question? I think He asked that because He wants people to evaluate their commitment to their desire for healing. They need to think about whether or not they are really ready for the accompanying changes this will bring. Kind of like when He talked about putting one's hand to the plow and not looking back. People need to know what they are committing to when they choose to follow Him. In what ways is the question, "What do you want Jesus to do for you?" a good question for disciples today to ask? See answer above. What was the blind man's response after being healed? In what ways is this a good model for us? He followed Jesus. We should follow Jesus. 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? Probably the way I use my time. I need to serve Jesus with my time. I spend too much of my spare time relaxing or taking care of my possessions when I should be serving God and serving others.

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) It is impossible for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God, as well as poor people or anybody else. It is only made possible by God through Jesus' death on the cross and placing one's faith in Him. 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? Jesus repeatedly teaches on this topic, so it appears we should take it pretty seriously. It also mirrors the first four of the ten commandments. We can't love anything more than we love God, otherwise, we become idolaters. We should pray and strive to root out anything in our heart that competes with or pulls us away from our love for God. Are the rewards Jesus promises in 18:29-30 literal or figurative? I think they are literal. They are eternal salvation and the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Some worldly people might view these as figurative as they are desiring more earthly blessings. 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) Irmela and Katy gave great answers to this question.

Why does Jesus challenge the man's seemingly innocent form of address: "Good teacher"? What is Jesus' point? Why does Jesus interrupt answering the man's question to make a big thing about something so small? I like Hank's answer that only God is described as good in the Bible. I never really thought about that. It's so true. When people are commended, it is for their faithfulness, not their goodness. None of us is good, we are all sinners; hence, the need for Jesus' sacrifice. Even though the man had worked really hard to obey the commandments, he still wasn't good. Why does Jesus tell him to sell all his possessions? Is this something Jesus requires of everyone? If not, why single out this man? How are we to generalize about "selling all our possessions"? What application does this have to us? It isn't necessarily something Jesus requires of everyone. However, I have not yet met the person who seemed to think it applied to them. It seems we automatically fall back on the easy answer that Jesus didn't mean this for me. But he clearly meant it for this man, so maybe we ought to examine ourselves a little more thoroughly before assuming it doesn't apply to us. I live in a very rich country, and I have yet to hear anyone in a Bible study or sermon make the suggestion that possibly Jesus could mean for a person to take this seriously. I once moved across the country and didn't take anything with me except clothes, shoes, and a bicycle. I slept on an air mattress and hung cards up on the wall for decoration. It was very freeing. No time spent cleaning the house or taking care of possessions. I didn't buy anything because I was moving back at the end of the year. Jesus knows what he is talking about. I struggle with materialism. Sometimes, abstaining is what one needs to do, because possessions gradually begin to take hold of your life again. It is like any other addiction. Why did Jesus designate the poor to be the recipients of the man's wealth, do you think? Probably because they would benefit from it and God cares about the poor. Also, he couldn't go back and reclaim it, as he might be tempted to do if giving to family members or friends. Finally, we get a good feeling when being generous to the needy which changes us from the inside out. Could the man have followed Jesus without divesting himself of what he held dear? Can you? Can anyone? No, I don't think he could. We all have to give up whatever stands in between us and Jesus (that which we hold dear) whether it be possessions or something else. We may not give it up physically but we must give up our emotional attachment to it. Jesus must come first in our life. He made that very clear. We may continue to struggle, but we must fight the good fight.

Children have lots of endearing (and not so endearing) characteristics. Which characteristics of children is Jesus pointing to in this context that he wants would-be disciples to emulate? I think one of the characteristics Jesus is pointing out in children is their lack of corruption. As children, we often see more clearly right from wrong. As we age, we often rationalize and make excuses for our bad behavior based on cultural norms or comparisons to others. We become corrupted by the culture and messages surrounding us. The more we sin or are exposed to others sin, the more we become numb to it. It doesn't even shock us anymore. We aren't bothered by it as much and sometimes don't even notice it. We are reluctant to point out sin because we aren't living an upright lifestyle. It's like "The Emperor's New Clothes". Only the little child was willing and able to recognize and state the truth because he was not yet influenced by the sin (lies) surrounding him.

In what ways do twenty-first century Christians look down on others? Who are the people we look down on? How does this grieve Jesus' heart? How does it injure the cause of Jesus' church? I think most of us look down on others who are different from ourselves. Anyone who is not like us, we look down on for being different from us. It is the universal sin of pride. Even the poor look down on those who are rich for being materialistic, greedy, and selfish. As a middle class person, I find myself looking down on people who commit sins I do not struggle with such as drug addiction, rape, murder. I also find myself looking down on the rich and famous for their materialistic, ungodly lifestyles. This grieves Jesus' heart because he never told us to look down on people but rather to reach out to them with the hope of the gospel. Looking down on them only drives them away from Jesus, therefore, injuring the cause of the church, which is to expand His Kingdom. Extra Credit. In what way can the forgiveness of gross sin feel like a threat to the righteous person? How can the righteous person avoid feeling threatened? Should Christians consider themselves righteous persons? Is this consistent with humility? This reminds me of the elder brother in the prodigal son. He was angry when his brother came back and was received joyfully. We should be reminded of the advice given him-Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. We are blessed beyond measure, not threatened because someone else receives salvation. We are blessed all the more because one more has entered the Kingdom of God. It is not for us to shut the gates. As mentioned earlier in the discussion, we are imputed with Christ's righteousness so I guess we can consider ourselves righteous once we have trusted in Him for salvation. This is consistent with humility because it is Christ's righteousness and not our own. Our own righteousness is filthy rags. In what way (if any) does looking down on a sinner constitute a sin? Does forgiveness from this sin require humbling? What kind of humbling is appropriate? If Jesus were in the confessional speaking to you about this, what penance should he prescribe for your sin? Looking down on others is sinful because it is prideful. Since it is prideful, it does require humbling. As I mentioned earlier, I think people look down on others they find different. I think Jesus would say go and love those different people. Take care of them and share the gospel with them so that they may receive salvation. He did say these things.

What kinds of things can happen that cause us to lose hope, and lose any heart to pray consistent and believing prayers? How can we get out of these "pits"? It is difficult to keep praying when we don't see our prayers answered the way we think they should be, especially when we are praying for others' salvation. Sometimes we pray for many years and don't see things changing. It is hard not to lose hope. Though I may continue to pray, I must confess my hope is not at the same level as when I initially started praying. I think it is helpful to remember that God is sovereign and He understands things we don't. Focusing on the word helps us remember how faithful He is and that He keeps His promises. However, He does not force Himself upon us, if people choose to reject Him, that is their choice. How can we believe in swift justice from God when he hasn't brought it yet? I thought Old Jerry gave a great answer to this question. Do YOU think Jesus will find faith on the earth when he returns? Why or why not? Jesus said when He established the church that the gates of Hades would not overcome it, so yes, I think He will find faith.

What two things do the "days of Noah" have in common with the "days of Lot"? What point is Jesus making by comparing his coming to those events? (17:26-30). People were not expecting either of these events to happen. They were going about their lives as usual. Jesus has said it will be the same way at His coming. The day of redemption is now, when we need to repent and place our faith in Him. The day of destruction is coming, when that will no longer be an option. There were no second chances for those in Lot's and Noah's time. Jesus does not indicate there will be any second chances given at HIs return. Jesus warns those on the roof or in the field not to go back to get their possessions. Why? What does this have to do with Lot's wife? (17:31-32)What does "trying to keep one's life" have to do with turning to get one's possessions? What is the paradox here that trying to save one's life results in losing it? Explain. (17:31-33) Jesus said we cannot serve two masters, either we will love the one and hate the other or vice versa. If we cling to our possessions/earthly life in that day, it shows who our true master is (not Jesus). Therefore, we will be lost, if we do not put Jesus first in our lives.

How could the Kingdom be in or in the midst of the Pharisees? (17:20-21) I thank Pastor Ralph for his teaching on this point, because I had always thought Jesus was referring to the Kingdom being of the Spirit, dwelling in our hearts in Jesus' comment to the Pharisees here. Pastor Ralph makes a valid point that Jesus would be stating that the Kingdom had come because He was dwelling among them now. Also, the Spirit was sent later, after Jesus' resurrection. There's been a lot of speculation in our own day about the coming of Christ. Witness the huge mainstream popularity of Tim LeHay's "Left Behind" series. What are the problems this creates for disciples? What are the strengths this offers disciples? I have never read the Left Behind series, but know the gist of it. I recently read a book about the end times which followed a similar story line. It appears that there is a commonly taught, very specific outline of how many people think things will go down in the years preceding Christ's second coming. I think a problem with this is that when He came the first time, people were of the mindset things were going to look a certain way when the Messiah came and it didn't look like that at all. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways. Who can fathom the mind of God? So I think people might be setting themselves up for disappointment if things don't unfold exactly as they were planning. If you look at history, Jesus was not what the Pharisees expected and they rejected HIm out of hand. Even His followers kept waiting for Him to set up an earthly kingdom and vying for positions within that kingdom. They were shocked when He went to the cross. I think the strengths this offers disciples is to urge them to be watchful and ready, waiting eagerly for His coming, just as Jesus' disciples eagerly awaited the Messiah.

What do you think the lepers expected when they called out to Jesus for mercy? (17:13) Food, shelter, clothing, or actual healing? I never really thought about this before. I had always assumed they meant actual healing, but after reading the study, it makes sense that they probably often asked for help from people as they traveled outside the city limits. Possibly when they saw rabbis, they would ask for healing in hopes of receiving alms or other assistance (food, clothing). In the phrase "Your faith has saved you" (17:19b) is Jesus speaking of the leper's physical healing, or his spiritual salvation, or both? Were the nine lepers saved or healed spiritually? Why or why not? I agree with Katy, I think Jesus is referring to spiritual salvation. All ten were healed, but He is speaks specifically to this one and tells him, his faith has saved him. It reminds me of other times Jesus told people He healed that their sins were forgiven. He differentiates between the physical and spiritual healing with statements like these. Although the other nine also demonstrated their faith in following Jesus' command to go show themselves to the priests, He is disappointed that they didn't return to thank HIm. He doesn't give any indication that they were healed spiritually, as he does for the thankful Samaritan.

In Jesus' parable, should a slave expect his master to prepare dinner for him, or should the slave expect to prepare dinner for his master after doing his other chores? I don't think under any circumstance a slave would expect the master to come in and prepare dinner for him. He would probably wonder what was up if that happened. That would be like my principal coming in and telling me to take the day off while she taught my class for me, it just doesn't happen and I wouldn't expect it too. In the parable, the slave should not expect thanks for fixing the family dinner. Why? Thanks are in order when one does something unexpected or undeserved. When I am just doing my expected jobs/duties, I don't expect someone to thank me for that and I don't usually get any thanks. I don't get upset about it. It would be odd to be constantly getting thanks for just doing everyday, expected work/chores for my job and family, although a thanks is appreciated, it's not expected. What does this parable say to the Pharisees, who expected God's special favor towards them because of their strict observance of the law? The Pharisees were measuring themselves against other people, and thinking they followed the letter of the law more strictly than others, thereby earning God's favor. They didn't understand that God was looking at their hearts and found them unclean and prideful. They didn't understand that no matter how well you follow the law, you can't follow it well enough to earn God's grace, you need to trust Jesus for that. In what ways do we citizens of the twenty-first century take God for granted, expect him to do our bidding, and become petulant when he doesn't grant our wishes? I find a lot of people turn away from God when they don't get their prayers answered. They blame God for bad things that happened in their lives. They don't really understand the role that Satan and sin through death, play in bad things happening in their lives and that God is actually redeeming all of that through the hope of heaven through Jesus. They just don't understand the awesomeness and power of God and our role in relationship to him--servants. Until you get that right, it's impossible to have a true understanding of God. Why is "duty" such a bad word in our culture? I think people have turned away from duty because we've turned away from God as a culture. Christianity is based on sacrifice and duty is based on sacrificing your desires in order to fulfill your duty. In our culture, we have a pagan/hedonistic attitude of fulfilling our selfish desires and pleasures at all costs, which is the opposite of duty.

Why are we tempted to keep silent in the face of the sins of our Christian brothers and sisters against us? Why do we disrupt God's redemptive process when we fail to rebuke them when they sin against us? Extra Credit. Why is it important for every Christian to be regular part of a congregation? If churches are filled with such sinners, why bother? Just reading Lev. 19:17-18 today--Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. Truly, God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He has always said that we should rebuke one another when we sin, so that we will keep one another accountable and also keep our own hearts from becoming angry, resentful, and hardhearted towards our brothers and sisters. This is one way we love our neighbors as ourselves. If we are not involved in a congregation we can't be loving each other and even rebuking each other when we need it in order to keep each other sharp and pure.

Why are we tempted to keep silent in the face of the sins of our Christian brothers and sisters against us? Why do we disrupt God's redemptive process when we fail to rebuke them when they sin against us? I think we don't want to truly have a spirit of truth in the church. If we point out others sins, that opens up the opportunity for them to point out our sins and maybe we don't really want to hear about all that. Also, I think we worry about turning people away from the church and that if we point out their sins they will get angry and quit coming to church or it will stir up division in the church. Sometimes we are more worried about church attendance numbers than we are about following God's plan for building the Kingdom. We get caught up in what the world says a successful church looks like and start to follow that way. God's plan is that we would all be humble and willing to receive rebuking and that it would lead us to true repentance. Anything less than that disrupts God's plan for His Church. Isn't there a danger in forgiving a person who isn't "truly" repentant? How repentant is repentant enough for us? Enough for God? I'm not sure whether I would know if someone was truly repentant or exactly how deep their repentance goes. It is not up to me to measure another person's level of repentance. Only God knows what is going on in their heart. He was pretty clear when he said to forgive others repeatedly. If someone keeps sinning against you and you have some authority over them to provide consequences, instead of enabling the behavior, you can forgive them and still do that in order to help them realize they need to change. Ultimately, true change will not come for them, however, without the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Why do the disciples balk at this by asking for more faith? What does Jesus' answer about the mustard seed and the mulberry tree mean? What is his point? Haar had a great answer. You only need a tiny amount of faith (mustard seed) because the Holy Spirit does all the rest. I think they balk at the teaching because they had grown up with the Jewish teaching of an "eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" hence the desire to have a set number of times they had to forgive before they could be done. When Jesus says there is no number, they have to always forgive, they know they are going to need help! Thank the Lord, He sent His Holy Spirit, because they were right, we need some help to obey this teaching!

What word brush strokes tell us that the rich man was rich? Which tell us of Lazarus' poverty? The rich man wore purple cloth. Purple cloth was extremely expensive and was generally reserved for royalty and possibly the ultra rich. Lazarus had his open sores licked by dogs. Even the dogs felt sorry for him. Here was a man who was worse off than a dog. At least, the dogs were able to roam around and find scraps to fill their bellies. Lazarus could not even do that, he was dependent on the rich man's mercy, which was not shown to him. Why do some people have struggles being around poor people? What are the difficulties we face in giving to the poor? I think sometimes people struggle being around poor people because they feel uncomfortable with the level of need. It is much more comfortable to spend time with people at your same socioeconomic level. You don't have to feel guilty for not sharing your wealth. You don't have to try to connect with people who may think differently than you or have different values (less focused on money). I agree that here in the United States at least, it can be difficult giving to the poor directly because most who are on the streets are there due to addiction or other mental illnesses. Helping them to stay in their state of addiction by giving them money for drugs is enabling and not really helpful at all if you know anything about how addiction works. It is better to give to a reputable charity. What ministries and agencies in your community could you give to that directly aid the poor? I give to Helping-Up Mission in my community. They are a Christian based homeless shelter that run a year-long recovery program that assists people with breaking the cycle of addiction, mental illness, and poverty. The program actually helps people get off the streets rather than continue to stay on the streets for longer because they got another meal, a few more dollars, etc. Is Jesus teaching justification by works in this parable? If not, what IS he teaching? Jesus makes statements several times about how when we receive good things here on earth that is where we get our reward--praise from men, inviting others to banquets who will invite us back. He states the inverse as well, when we keep our good works to ourselves, we will receive praise from God, storing up future treasure in heaven, when we invite the poor and lame to a banquet who cannot repay us by inviting us back we are building up treasure in heaven. This is another example of this type of teaching. It seems that if we really believe in Jesus and want to be true followers, he is saying we will show that by denying ourselves now and focusing on doing good to others instead, storing up real, everlasting treasure in heaven. This is rarely preached in church, although Jesus taught it on more than one occasion. I imagine self-denial is not a very popular message these days, although it is one we probably need to hear. It is much more popular just to say believe in Jesus and go on your merry way, He doesn't ask you to do anything for Him, hence the decline of the church in modern day America. But He does expect us to get busy doing the work of building His Kingdom. Doing the work doesn't save us, it just shows who we belong to and brings others into the Kingdom.

Extra Credit: How did John the Baptist's message (3:3, 16) differ from the prophets who came before him? The prophets of old generally spoke messages of the need for Israel's need to repent and return to the Lord in order to escape God's wrath, which he would enact through the military action of other nations, and eventually the exile to Babylon. They also predicted the eventual coming of a Messiah. John's message was different because he preached repentance because the coming of the Messiah was at hand, meaning now, not in the future. Repentance was based on the Messiah coming, not escaping God's wrath. God's Kingdom was being ushered in currently, not in the distant future. No other prophet had a message like his. Why do you think Jesus was accused of doing away with the Law? Did he? Jesus didn't do away with the Law, he fulfilled it. Much of the Law was ritual, made up of very specific rules about how to properly offer sacrifices to atone for sins. Once Jesus atoned for our sins on the cross permanently, the ritual laws had been fulfilled. We no longer offer ritual sacrifices. However, the moral law still stands. Although we are forgiven our transgressions through His sacrifice on the cross, we should still strive to uphold the moral law to bring honor and glory to our Lord and Savior. Why do we need to "force" our way into the Kingdom of God? Why should it be so difficult? Shouldn't salvation be easy? I really appreciated Godswriter's answer here. Dying to ourselves is hard. Salvation is easy and hard. Jesus did the hard work for us, so it is easy on the one hand. His burden is easy and His yoke is light. But on the other hand, it is always hard for us to surrender and give ourselves to Him. It is our nature to want to be our own god.

Why was the steward in Jesus' parable (16:1-8) being fired? What in the passage displays his character? In what way did the steward use money to secure his future? I really appreciate Godswriter's input to this question. It really opened my eyes to how the steward regarded his employer. He was lazy about collecting the master's debts which got him into trouble in the first place, then he dishonestly solved his situation by giving a break to his master's debtors. In every way, he showed more regard to everyone other than the master. Sometimes I think I treat God like that. If I'm honest, I take Him and all of the gifts he gives me for granted. I may be more concerned about what others think of me or trying to acquire things in this world than I am about doing His work and glorifying Him. God forgive me! What about the steward's actions does the master commend? What is the point that Jesus draws from this parable? The steward was commended for being shrewd. Hanks gave a very insightful answer to this question. We need to be as concerned and single-minded about building God's kingdom as the people of this world are about building their nest eggs and pursuing their personal dreams and goals. How often do I get distracted by the things of this world and get lazy about building the Kingdom? In what kinds of experiences does Jesus test and seek to mould our trustworthiness with money? Is it possible for a money-obsessed person to become a committed disciple of Jesus? If not, how might this occur? I think money is very addictive. I do think it is possible for a money-obsessed person to become a committed disciple of Jesus. Just like any other addiction can be broken (drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc.), addiction to money can be broken, as well. But it can only be truly broken if one surrender's one's life to Jesus and asks for his help to overcome minute by minute, day by day. Why are giving alms and tithing (or sacrificial, generous giving to God's work) so difficult for money-obsessed people? (Let's not debate tithing, but look to the heart issues instead that are the focus of Jesus' teaching here.) Why is it so difficult to try to serve both God and Money? It is not just difficult, it is impossible, Jesus makes that quite clear. We cannot serve both. It is one or the other.