{"id":15507,"date":"2011-05-10T00:35:25","date_gmt":"2011-05-10T05:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=15507"},"modified":"2011-05-10T00:35:25","modified_gmt":"2011-05-10T05:35:25","slug":"nt-sunday-school-lesson-19-jf-luke-181-8-35-43-191-10-john-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2011\/05\/nt-sunday-school-lesson-19-jf-luke-181-8-35-43-191-10-john-11\/","title":{"rendered":"NT Sunday School Lesson 19 (JF): Luke 18:1-8, 35-43; 19:1-10; John 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ms\"Luke 18<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Verses 1-8<\/a>: The chapter division here (an artificial division not in the original text) makes us not see the connection between the end of Luke 17<\/a> and the beginning of 18<\/a>. Might Luke have any particular prayers in mind in verse 1<\/a>? How about the desire mentioned in Luke 17:22<\/a>?<\/p>\n

In verse 1<\/a>, Luke tells us the teaching of the parable before he gives the parable. Why? After reading the parable ask yourself whether there are other ways to read it, perhaps ways that Luke wants to forestall.<\/p>\n

We will later see that Paul particularly likes the language that Luke uses here, \u201cpray always\u201d (see, for example, 1 Thessalonians 5:17<\/a>, Romans 12:12<\/a>, and Ephesians 6:18<\/a>) and \u201cdo not faint\u201d (the word translated \u201cfaint\u201d means \u201cto become weary or exhausted\u201d and can mean \u201close heart\u201d\u2014for places where Paul uses the term, see for example 2 Thessalonians 3:13<\/a>, 2 Corinthians 4:1<\/a> and 16<\/a>, and Galatians 6:9<\/a>). What kind of fainting or exhaustion do you think Luke has in mind?<\/p>\n

What does constant prayer have to do with being a Christian? Does it have anything to do with seeing the world with Christ as the light that makes sight possible (John 9<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

What does not getting exhausted have to do with being a Christian?<\/p>\n

In verse 2<\/a>, we find that the judge neither fears God nor regards man. What does the second mean? Are the two phrases parallel, and if they are, does understanding the first help us understand the second?<\/p>\n

The King James translation (verse 3<\/a>) says that the woman \u201ccame unto\u201d the judge, but a more accurate translation might be \u201cshe kept coming to him.\u201d A better translation than \u201cavenge\u201d is \u201cdefend,\u201d \u201cplead my case.\u201d What is the woman asking and why do you think she has to keep coming to the judge?<\/p>\n

In verse 6<\/a> why does Jesus tell his listeners to pay attention to what the judge said?<\/p>\n

The last part of verse 8<\/a> is poorly translated in the King James version. It says \u201cthough he bear long with them,\u201d but most agree that something like \u201cWill he be slow to answer them?\u201d is more accurate.<\/p>\n

What is the import of verse 7<\/a> and the first half of verse 8<\/a>? How does the parable explain God\u2019s defense of his elect? Why compare the Father to an unjust judge? Isn\u2019t that blasphemous? How is the question in the second half of verse 8<\/a> related to the parable and its explanation?<\/p>\n

This is the only parable that ends with an explicit question. Why? What is the answer to the question? How is that answer relevant to the context in which Jesus has told this parable?<\/p>\n

Verses 35-43<\/a>: When Mark recounted this story, he placed it immediately after James and John\u2019s request to sit at the Lord\u2019s right and left hand and his discussion with the apostles about what it means to be great in the Kingdom. Luke puts the event after Jesus\u2019 encounter with the rich young man who could not give up his riches, the discussion with Peter about what things those who follow him are blessed with, and Jesus\u2019 prophecy that he would soon be killed in Jerusalem. Do the different contexts into which Mark and Luke place this story give it different meanings?<\/p>\n

How do Jesus\u2019 \u201chandlers\u201d deal with the blind man? To whom might we compare those handlers in our own experience?<\/p>\n

Are we ever among those who tell people crying for the mercy of God to hold their peace? If so, how do we do so?<\/p>\n

To whom might we compare the blind man with his cry for mercy? Are we blind? Do we need mercy? What can heal our blindness?<\/p>\n

The blind man calls Jesus \u201cSon of David\u201d (verse 39<\/a>). What did he mean by that title? How is it relevant to the coming events, such as Jesus\u2019 entry into Jerusalem?<\/p>\n

Luke 19<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Verses 1-10<\/a>: The name \u201cZacchaeus\u201d (\u201cZaccai\u201d in Hebrew) means \u201cpure\u201d or \u201cinnocent.\u201d Is that relevant to the story? Why does Luke tell us that Zacchaeus was the chief publican and that he was rich? Does that suggest anything about his character? When we hear his occupation, \u201crich tax collector,\u201d how does Luke expect us to think of Zacchaeus? Which suggestion, that of his name or that of his occupation, turns out to be more accurate?<\/p>\n

Compare this parable to that of the blind man. How are Zacchaeus and the blind man in the same position relative to their culture?<\/p>\n

Do you think that Luke places this story near the story of the rich young man so that we can contrast the two? If so, in how many ways to you see a contrast?<\/p>\n

Of what significance is it that Jesus calls someone to him whom it would seem impossible for him to know about (verse 5<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

Why was Zacchaeus joyful (verse 6<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

Who do you think murmured (verse 7<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

What does verse 8<\/a> tell us about Zacchaeus? Is he describing what he has<\/em> done all along or what he will<\/em> do from now on? How do you decide?<\/p>\n

Compare Numbers 5:5-7<\/a>, which gives the law of restitution. What does that tell us about Zacchaeus\u2019s offer?<\/p>\n

What does Jesus mean (verse 9<\/a>) when he says \u201cthis day is salvation come to this house\u201d? Is he referring to himself or to what has happened to Zacchaeus? If the latter, why does Jesus say \u201cto this house (or household)\u201d rather than \u201cto Zacchaeus\u201d?<\/p>\n

Explain Jesus\u2019 explanation of what has happened: \u201cforsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.\u201d<\/p>\n

The language of verse 10<\/a> suggests that this event is related to the parables of the sheep, the coin, and the two sons (Luke 15<\/a>). What specific connections can you see? (Notice, for example, the parallel between Luke 18:7<\/a> and Luke 15:2<\/a>.) How does remembering that parable help us understand this event? How does understanding this event help us read that story?<\/p>\n

John 11<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Recall from the study questions for lesson 12<\/a> that many see the first part of the gospel of John as organized around seven miracles (or signs\u2014the Greek word is the same; see John 2:11) and accompanying sermons:<\/p>\n

(1) Turning water into wine at the wedding feast and the discourse on being born again (John 2:1-12<\/a>; 3:1-21<\/a>)<\/p>\n

(2) Raising the nobleman\u2019s son to life and a discourse on Jesus as the living water (John 4:43-51<\/a>; 4:1-42<\/a>)<\/p>\n

(3) Healing the man by the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath and explaining that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (John 5:1-14<\/a>; 5:19-47<\/a>)<\/p>\n

(4) Feeding the five thousand and teaching that Jesus is the bread of life (John 6:1-15<\/a>; 6:22-66<\/a>)<\/p>\n

(5) Walking on the sea of Galilee, Jesus comes to Capernaum mysteriously and the discourse on the inability of the Pharisees to understand him (John 6:16-21<\/a>; 7:14-39<\/a>)<\/p>\n

(6) Healing the man born blind and the teaching that Christ is the light of the world (John 9<\/a>; 8:12-59<\/a>)<\/p>\n

(7) The material for this lesson, raising Lazarus from the dead and the teaching of the resurrection (John 11<\/a>; 10:1-18<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Why do you think John uses miracles as the signs of Jesus\u2019 ministry and of his teaching? Four of the seven miracles are healings. Why is healing such an important sign of Jesus\u2019 ministry? The second part of John\u2019s gospel focuses on Jesus\u2019 entry into Jerusalem, trial, death, and resurrection. How do these seven signs and sermons prepare us for that story? As you read the story of the raising of Lazarus, ask yourself how Lazarus is a type for every person: in what various ways can we be said to be dead? brought back to life?<\/p>\n

Verses 1-2<\/a>: The name Lazarus (an abbreviation of Eleazar\u2014\u201cGod has helped\u201d) was a common name at the time. Its meaning seems irrelevant to the story; John doesn\u2019t mention that meaning.<\/p>\n

Why is it important that we know that Jesus has gone to the town of Mary and Martha? Why is it important that we know which Mary it is? (See John 12:3<\/a>; it does not seem to be the woman in Luke 7:37-38<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Verses 3-6<\/a>: Verses 3<\/a> and 11<\/a> use the Greek word philein<\/em> for \u201cto love,\u201d and verse 5<\/a> uses the word agapan<\/em>. Some have seen an important distinction between philos<\/em> (the noun form of philein<\/em>) and agape<\/em> (the noun form of agapan<\/em>), assuming that they describe two different kinds of love. However, the use of the verbs that we see of the verbs here is evidence that the distinction is something we are reading into the text rather than a distinction important to the New Testament writers. As we see here, John uses the two verb more or less interchangeably.<\/p>\n

What do the gospels mean when they describe a person as someone whom Jesus loved? Didn\u2019t he love everyone? Does Jesus love the true Christian differently than he does the unrepentant person? If not, why not? If so, how?<\/p>\n

Mary and Martha send Jesus a message, but they don\u2019t send him a request (verse 3<\/a>). Why do you think they make their request in this roundabout way? (Compare how Mary, the mother of Jesus, made her request at Cana, John 2:3<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

In verse 4<\/a> Jesus says \u201cthis sickness does not lead to death.\u201d Since Lazarus does, in fact, die, what can Jesus have meant by that? To what does this sickness lead?<\/p>\n

What would you normally think of someone who delayed coming to the bedside of an ill person whom he could heal? What would you think if that person said, \u201cWaiting and letting him get worse before I heal him will show what a good doctor I am\u201d? Is that what Jesus was doing?<\/p>\n

How do you think a non-Christian might respond on hearing this much of the story? Why would John tell the story this way? (Notice that he is the only gospel writer who tells the story at all, though the other gospels tell of other persons restored to life.)<\/p>\n

Why don\u2019t we think the same things of Jesus that we might think of another person who acted in a similar way? Why is it important for Jesus to bring someone to life at this particular point in his ministry?<\/p>\n

Verses 7-10<\/a>: To what incident are the disciples referring in verse 8<\/a>? How is what Jesus says in verses 9-10<\/a> an answer to the disciples\u2019 worry in verse 8<\/a>? How would you explain what Jesus is saying in verse 9<\/a>? (Note that there were twelve hours in the day during Jesus\u2019 time, regardless of the season. During the winter, hours daytime hours were shorter than they were during the summer.)<\/p>\n

What does Jesus mean by \u201cThere is no light in him\u201d (verse 10<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

Do you think that the disciples understood Jesus\u2019 answer? Why or why not?<\/p>\n

Verses 11-15<\/a>: How do the disciples misunderstand Jesus? How is their misunderstanding nevertheless a kind of prophecy? Does that misunderstanding teach us anything about our relation to the Father and the Son?<\/p>\n

According to Raymond Brown (The Gospel According to John (I-XII)<\/em> 423), the metaphor of sleep for death was not used in secular Greek though it was used in Hebrew (and, presumably, Aramaic, Jesus\u2019 native language). John may be using that metaphor here to help explain the disciples\u2019 misunderstanding.<\/p>\n

Verse 16<\/a>: When Thomas says, \u201cLet us also go, that we may die with him,\u201d is he speaking of dying with Christ or with Lazarus? (See the footnote in the LDS edition.) Why does John put Thomas\u2019s exhortation at this point in the story, where it seems out of place, rather than earlier?<\/p>\n

Verses 17-19<\/a>: There appears to have been a common belief at the time that the spirit of a person hung around its body for three days after death. The idea was that a person might die but revive during the first two or three days afterward. If that was a common belief, would that help us understand why Jesus waited as long as he did?<\/p>\n

It seems that Jesus came to Bethany on the seventh day after learning of Lazarus\u2019s illness? Are those seven days significant? If so, how?<\/p>\n

Why is it important that we know how far it was from Jerusalem to Bethany? How far was it from the Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, to Bethany? (See the map in the LDS edition of the Bible.)<\/p>\n

Who are \u201cthe Jews\u201d who came to comfort Martha and Mary? To whom does John often refer with that name? (See passages such as John 2:6<\/a>, 3:25<\/a>, 5:10-18<\/a>, 6:41<\/a> and 52<\/a>, 7:1<\/a> and 11-13<\/a>, 8:48<\/a> and 52<\/a> and 57<\/a>, and 9:18-22<\/a>; also compare John 9:18<\/a> to John 9:13<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

It is important to recognize that in John\u2019s gospel the term \u201cthe Jews\u201d does not refer to all who were from the tribe of Judah. Rather, it refers to a specific group of people in Jerusalem at that time, a particular social caste or political power. (Failure to see that has caused countless death and horror: Christians killing and otherwise tormenting those whom they took to be among \u201cthe Jews.\u201d)<\/p>\n

What does the fact that many of the Jews came to comfort Martha and Mary suggest about the sisters\u2019 social standing? How is that relevant? Why is their presence in the story important?<\/p>\n

Verses 20-22<\/a>: Compare Martha\u2019s and Mary\u2019s behavior in Luke 10:38-42<\/a> to their behavior here. Do Luke and John portray them the same or do you see differences? Why does Martha go to meet Jesus? Why do you think Mary stays in the house? Does Martha accuse Jesus in verse 21<\/a> or is she just stating her belief?<\/p>\n

Verses 23-27<\/a>: Why doesn\u2019t Jesus tell her straightforwardly that he will bring Lazarus back to life?<\/p>\n

Is Jesus giving this event a double meaning, showing two ways that the miracle will glorify the Father and, therefore, the Son (cf. verse 4<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

What are some of the purposes that this miracle serves? Do we see one of those purposes in these verses?<\/p>\n

In verse 24<\/a> Martha confesses her belief in the resurrection and Jesus responds, \u201cI<\/em> am the resurrection.\u201d How has she understood what Jesus said in verse 23<\/a>? How would she have most likely understood his response in verse 25<\/a>? What is Jesus telling her when he says what he does?<\/p>\n

Why does verse 26<\/a> say \u201cEveryone who is alive and believes in me shall never die\u201d? Why do we need already to be alive? In verse 26<\/a>, what does Jesus mean by \u201cliveth\u201d? How is the life referred to in verse 25<\/a> related to the life referred to in verse 26<\/a>? Why is it important that Martha believe this? How is her belief related to the story as a whole?<\/p>\n

Verses 28-32<\/a>: Did Jesus call for Mary or was this Martha\u2019s idea? What would the former suggest? What would the latter suggest? Why does Martha go to Mary secretly?<\/p>\n

Can we see Mary as a type for the Christian in verse 28<\/a>? If so, for whom is Martha a type?<\/p>\n

Is Jesus waiting outside of the town? If so, why?<\/p>\n

Is Mary accusing Jesus in verse 32<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Verses 33-37<\/a>? What troubled (and a better translation is probably \u201cangry in spirit and agitated\u201d) Jesus about this event (verse 33<\/a>)? If weeping for the dead is appropriate (D&C 42:45<\/a>), what was wrong with the weeping of this group, if anything? After all, Jesus himself wept. Is 1 Thessalonians 4:13<\/a> relevant? Why did Jesus weep (verse 35<\/a>)? Presumably he knew that he was going to raise Lazarus shortly, so what was there to weep about? Is his weeping a response to the lack of faith of those who weep, or is it a response to something else?<\/p>\n

Do some of the Jews accuse Jesus in verse 37<\/a>? Is what they say different from what Martha and Mary have said (verses 21<\/a> and 32<\/a>)? If so, how?<\/p>\n

Verses 38-44<\/a>: Why does John again tell us that Jesus was \u201cgroaning in himself\u201d or angry (verse 38<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

Why does Martha think that Jesus wants the tomb opened? Is John saying something about her faith in this verse?<\/p>\n

When did Jesus tell Martha that if she would believe she would see the glory of God (verse 40<\/a>)? If he is referring to what he said in verse 26<\/a>, then \u201cshall never die\u201d and \u201cshouldest see the glory of God\u201d are parallel. Does that tell us anything about what he was saying in verse 26<\/a>?<\/p>\n

What kind of life was he promising those who believe? What does it mean to believe?<\/p>\n

In verse 41<\/a>, we see them take away the stone from the tomb, then we hear Jesus speak to the Father as if he has already<\/em> said a prayer asking that Lazarus be returned to life. (Compare Psalm 118:21<\/a>.) Is that what has happened? If so, why doesn\u2019t John explicitly tell us about that previous prayer?<\/p>\n

The word \u201cpeople\u201d in verse 42<\/a> could perhaps better be translated \u201ccrowd\u201d or \u201cmultitude.\u201d Is Jesus putting on a show for them? How do you explain verse 42<\/a>? Compare 1 Kings 18:37<\/a>.<\/p>\n

John shows us Lazarus coming out of the tomb (verse 44<\/a>), but nothing of his reunion with his sisters and friends. Why does John end the story so abruptly and move on to a related topic?<\/p>\n

Verses 45-46<\/a>: We\u2019ve seen this division among \u201cthe Jews\u201d before (e.g., John 9:16<\/a>). What does it tell us about these events and about Christ\u2019s effect on those who experienced his earthly ministry?<\/p>\n

Verses 47-48<\/a>: The Pharisees as such had no official position in Jewish leadership, so they had no authority to convene the Sanhedrin (the literal translation of what the King James version translates as \u201ca council\u201d). They were something like a political party rather than a designated group of leaders, so the phrase \u201cchief priests and the Pharisees\u201d is roughly comparable to a phrase like \u201cthe governor\u2019s office and the Republicans.\u201d According to George R. Beasley-Murray, there were Pharisees within the Sanhedrin, probably exclusively scribes (Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 36, 2nd<\/sup> ed.<\/em> 196). What is John telling us by referring to group as \u201cthe chief priests and Pharisees\u201d (verse 47<\/a>)? At this time, what was the relationship like between the temple priests and the Pharisees (whether scribes or not)? What does knowing that tell us about the Sanhedrin\u2019s actions with regard to Jesus?<\/p>\n

Do the priests and the Pharisees believe that Jesus performs miracles (verse 47<\/a>)? If so, why are they opposed to him?<\/p>\n

What two things are the priests and Pharisees worried about losing (verse 48<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

Why would they believe that if people follow Jesus the Romans are likely to take over the rule of Judea? The Romans already oversaw the Judean government and had troops in Jerusalem and other cities to enforce their power. So what would it mean for them to \u201ctake away both our place and nation\u201d? When did the priests and Pharisees lose their place and nation? What brought that about?<\/p>\n

Verses 49-52<\/a>: In verse 50<\/a> Caiaphas uses the same reasoning\u2014and perhaps exactly the same wording\u2014that the Lord used with Nephi when he told Nephi to kill Laban (1 Nephi 4:13<\/a>). How do you explain that? What do you make of it? Would Caiaphas have seen the two circumstances as different?<\/p>\n

Verses 51-52<\/a>: The first clause of verse 51<\/a> suggests that we could understand Caiaphas to have been referring to himself in verse 49<\/a>. How so? What irony is John exploiting?<\/p>\n

When did the high priest ever die to save Israel? To think about that, consider that Hebrews speaks of Jesus as \u201cthe great high priest\u201d (Hebrews 4:14<\/a>). What Jewish ritual made that parallel explicit?<\/p>\n

In verse 52<\/a>, to whom would early Christians have thought \u201cthat nation\u201d referred? the phrase \u201cthe children of God that were scattered abroad\u201d?<\/p>\n

How is Jesus\u2019s death related to the gathering? Given the importance of the resurrection, why does John speak here only of Jesus\u2019 death?<\/p>\n

Verses 53-57<\/a>: How is the raising of Lazarus related to the decision to kill Jesus? Luke doesn\u2019t tell us explicitly what miracles brought out the leaders\u2019 wrath (Luke 19:37<\/a>), but John does. How does John exploit the raising of Lazarus in his story of Jesus\u2019 last days?<\/p>\n

Why does Jesus go to Ephraim to wait for Passover (verse 54<\/a>)?<\/p>\n

How was Passover a purifying festival? For what reason or reasons might Jesus\u2019 passion and resurrection have taken place at Passover rather than at the fast commemorating the atonement, Yom Kippur?<\/p>\n

Please comment on this post at Feast upon the Word<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Luke 18 Verses 1-8: The chapter division here (an artificial division not in the original text) makes us not see the connection between the end of Luke 17 and the beginning of 18. Might Luke have any particular prayers in mind in verse 1? How about the desire mentioned in Luke 17:22? In verse 1, Luke tells us the teaching of the parable before he gives the parable. Why? After reading the parable ask yourself whether there are other ways to read it, perhaps ways that Luke wants to forestall. We will later see that Paul particularly likes the language that Luke uses here, \u201cpray always\u201d (see, for example, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Romans 12:12, and Ephesians 6:18) and \u201cdo not faint\u201d (the word translated \u201cfaint\u201d means \u201cto become weary or exhausted\u201d and can mean \u201close heart\u201d\u2014for places where Paul uses the term, see for example 2 Thessalonians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 4:1 and 16, and Galatians 6:9). What kind of fainting or exhaustion do you think Luke has in mind? What does constant prayer have to do with being a Christian? Does it have anything to do with seeing the world with Christ as the light that makes sight possible (John […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":15509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1671],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sunday-school-lesson-new-testament"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/Ms.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15507"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15513,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15507\/revisions\/15513"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}