Discussion Questions
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What can Jesus’ sufferings teach us about the way we should view difficulties, trials and sufferings in our own lives?
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6 Replies
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The Bible says that our lives will not be without suffering. Jesus suffered for our sins, wwe suffer because of our sins.
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Jesus gave the ultimate price of suffering by dying on the cross for our sins and we are not worthy of the price he paid for us. Jesus did this so that through Him we can have a relationship with God because Jesus paid the price for our sins. When we face difficulties, we must remember that God is always in control and that whatever we are going through He has the bigger picture and knows what is best for us so we must trust and have faith.
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We live in a broken world and hence suffering is a natural part of being human. God does not want us to suffer be he loves us so much that he gave us free-will. This free-will allows for both good and evil in this world, and with increased evil we also have suffering. Jesus endured suffering here on earth and promised us that in our suffering we are not alone: Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). We have the Good News. The promise of salvation and eternal life where there is no suffering. We should view difficulties, trials and suffering as an opportunity to grow closer to God and demonstrate God’d glory through everything we do. Even in our suffering so that non-believers can see the peace that surpasses all understanding.
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They show us his humanity and the fact that although we cannot understand why, God has a purpose for everything.
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His sufferings remind us that though last during this season on earth, they help our faith to grow and see His work in us. They also allow us to see He was willing to be human and show us empathy. He gave up more than any of us will ever need to lose. He loves us so much that He chose to be not a triumphant king on earth that destroys all in His path that do not obey as the people thought He should, but to love quietly and humbly. We need to love one another and seek to follow Him in all things everyday.
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How should the purpose behind Luke’s gospel strengthen our faith?
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5 Replies
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Luke shows Jesus as the compassionate Savior and how Jesus treated everyone the same but also paid extra attention to those who were poor and less fortunate. Luke’s gospel strengthens our faith in that we are to place all our trust in God and know that He will provide for us and we should give to others without being selfish.
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We know from Theophilus in 1:4 that Luke is writing to Theophilus so “that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” Given this truth I believe that we can use this as a constant reminder and encouragement that what we know of the Gospel and of Jesus is CERTAIN and that we can always depend on Him and His word. His promises are real!
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The Gospel of Luke is unique as a letter written to a person (Theophilus). It is an “orderly account” (Luke 1:3), often giving details the other synoptic omit. Luke’s history of the life of the Great Physician emphasizes His ministry to, and compassion for, Gentiles, Samaritans, women, children, tax collectors, sinners, and others regarded as outcasts in Israel. Luke is the only Gospel writer to provide a sequel, the Book of Acts.
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Luke’s gospel strengthens our faith through putting a strong emphasis on salvation, which the word itself is only mentioned in the Gospel of John once, and is absent from Matthew and Mark, but the idea of salvation is throughout the Gospels. The book of Luke shows God’s saving will and work in the world, through Jesus Christ.
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I think the idea Luke described Jesus as compassionate and salvation was for everyone is essential. You don’t need to be “perfect” to follow God. He writes being compassionate like Jesus and willing to give to others in need shows us how to model Christ to others. In comparing the actions of the “religious” people of the day who strived to “show” their devotion to God by following laws and adhering to specific rituals, Luke shows us how easy it is to follow him.
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How might the diversity amongst the Gospels help us to appreciate the diversity of the church?
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3 Replies
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Diversity of the Gospels helps us appreciate diversity in thought and perspectives. Even each of the disciples, seeing the same acts of Jesus, writes in his own style and perspective. Each one emphasizes different parts of Jesus’ life which in turn speaks to each reader differently. They are all saying the same important root cause for recording this is because Jesus is the Son of God; just emphasizing different aspects.
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Everyone views the Gospels as a look at who Christ was and His purpose during the time He was on earth. The parables and events are certainly more understandable to the people at that time. It is sometimes difficult for us to interpret the meaning today because we speak and act differently. Society is constantly showing us new challenges. We must realize that those differences and the way we view rely on the Holy Spirit to help us with our understanding. We also must accept and discuss the information with reflection on who we are but not change who He is and who He is telling us to be.
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The idea that each author saw Jesus from a different point of view and wrote to different audiences shows that God wishes to connect with as many people as possible and not just one. Although we all strive to be like Jesus, each of us has our own perspective on Jesus and this is for the purpose of making disciples of “all nations”. If the gospels were identical then they would not reach a wide audience.
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How do the Gospels help us understand the historical narratives in the Old Testament?
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3 Replies
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The whole point of Jesus’ coming was to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament. The historical narratives of the Old Testament were widely known within Jewish communities already and an accepted historical and religious text of the time. The Gospels then tie themselves to historical and prophetic texts of the time to add credibility and context to Jesus’ life.
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They were each written for a specific audience and give us an understanding of the cultural situation at the time.
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Jesus often refers to events from history and how they lead to Him and understanding His desire to show people How He truly is the promised one. Prophecy was important to the people of that time. They did not see who He was often because they wanted to be free from Roman rule. They also did not understand how there should be a new covenant. We can reflect and bring the events to see Jesus as the summary to those narratives.