Plymothian

The disciples were sent out two-by-two.  Not just the inner 12 but seventy-two of them.  They went in pairs.  Research has shown that this is the best combination, pair work, for people to engage in learning.  This certainly was a hands-on educational experience and these disciples/learners come back pumped.  Let’s look at this as a learning experience.  What made it successful?

• The students were in pairs.
  • They were accountable.
  • They would reinforce their experience through discussion.
  • They would develop understanding through talk.
  • They could not hide in a big discussion group.
• The students were positively encouraged.
• The students were aware of their objectives.
• The directions given to the students were clear.
• The students had goals and aims that could be assessed.
• The students could work without the teacher present (useful since he has frequently mentioned his death).

Whenever dealing with teaching it is good to see that Jesus did not just lecture.  He is the model teacher.

Luke 10:1-24

 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

   ⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

   ⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

   ¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.^[b]

   ¹⁶ “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

 ¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

 ¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

 ²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

   ²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

 ²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Questions

1. Whom did Jesus send out?
2. What farming analogy describes the work to be done?
3. What is the harvest that the seventy-two are meant to reap exactly?
4. How does Jesus talk of those who do not respond to his message?
5. Who is your ministry partner and how do you work together?

Jesus in the passage below encounters three men who say they want to follow him.  Jesus calls them out on things that they put before him.  First on their schedules is family.  When I asked people in Chicago what they valued the most, the overwhelming response was their family.  Jesus will not play second fiddle, even to family.

Luke 9:51-62

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them^[b]?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

 ⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

 ⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

 ⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”

   But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

 ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

 ⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

 ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Questions

1. How is Jesus treated in Samaria?
2. How does he respond?
3. How does he respond to potential disciples?
4. How is Jesus your #1 priority?
5. How does the modern preaching of the gospel allow people to ‘add’ Jesus to their life?

After such a high as the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus and his close disciples come back down into a world full of corruption.  Jesus’ frustration is apparent as he chides the people.  He points out that the people themselves are corrupted as they wrestle with evil influences all around them.

Have you ever come down from a mountaintop experience to face the realities of a fallen world and evil all around?  How did Jesus address the situation?

Luke 9:37-50

³⁷ The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. ³⁸ A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.”

   ⁴¹ “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.”

 ⁴² Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ And they were all amazed at the greatness of God.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

    While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵ But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

 ⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.”

 ⁴⁹ “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

   ⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Questions

1. What is the first problem Jesus encounters as he coomes down from the mountain?
2. How does Jesus respond?
3. After the people are amazed what does Jesus tell them?
4. How is your life a mixture of mountains and valleys?
5. How do you cope?

In verse 27 it said that some standing there would not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God.  Some people who don’t trust the Bible think this is something that Jesus got wrong.  They think of it as a mistaken reference to the second coming.  I think that today’s reading shows what jesus was talking about.  The Transfiguration revealed the glory of the Kingdom of God.

Luke 9:28-36

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. ³¹ They spoke about his departure,^[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

 ³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Questions

1. Who did Jesus take up onto the mountain with him?
2. How did Jesus’ clothes change?
3. What does God the Father say to affirm the Son?
4. Do you picture Jesus in his glory or in his rags?
5. How does this story of Jesus’ glory encourage you?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. How many days passed since verse 27?
2. Why did Jesus and his disciples go up the mountain?
3. Who appeared with Jesus?
4. What did Peter say?
5. Whom did the disciples tell about what they had seen?

Interpretation

1. Why is there a direct reference in verse 28 to verse 27?
2. Was Jesus’ intent really to pray?
3. Why did Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus?  Why not Daniel and Abraham?
4. What does Peter’s response show us?
5. Why did the disciples keep this quiet?

Application

1. How is the Kingdom of God glorified in the world today?
2. What amazing things have happened when you have prayed?
3. How does Jesus show his glory through individuals?
4. Who do you know who has to speak when it is best to be quiet?  How can God use this?
5. Does Jesus make personal appearances to people today?  In what form and where?

We sometimes forget when Jesus said taht his followers should take up the cross he is calling us to a life of pain.  It is painful to put Jesus before friends, family, and coworkers.  We must deny ourselves more than the last cream pie, the last rolo, or the last taste of apple cider.  We must make hard choices to deal with our issues, our families, and our work situations.  We can not deal with them and line them up with our own passions.  we must line up our lives with the passion of a holy and good God.  What good is it if you gain all of life’s toys for a time but ultimately you spend eternity alienated from your true self?

Luke 9:23-27

²³ Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

   ²⁷ “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

Question

• Prepared to die?

For a week or so, we have been reading how people in Jesus’ time tried to make sense of who he was.  Although his miracles were signs he tried to keep them quiet.  He wasn’t a ‘miracle worker’.  Although he appeared to be a prophet he made it clear that he was not just a prophet.  His claims about himself go further than Islam’s claim that he was one of the greatest prophets.  Some saw such similarity between Jesus and John that they would accept he was a resurrected hero of the people.  Those closest to him knew him as the Messiah – he Christ.  However, they really had no idea what a Messiah was really like.  Do you?  Who is Jesus?

Luke 9:18-20

¹⁸ Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

 ¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

   ²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

   Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

 ²¹ Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²² And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Question

• Who do you say Jesus is?
• Who do you say Jesus is?
• Who do you say Jesus is?
• Who do you say Jesus is?
• Who do you say Jesus is?

If we have Jesus we have all we need.  Jesus is the Bread of Life and he is all we need.  He provides enough for his followers and so much more.  It is not always what they want.  Some of us want perfect marriages, obedient children, or financial surplus.  Even if the life of a Christian is taken though, they have what they need: they have Jesus.  Remember that heaven is eternity in the presence of God.  In the worst case scenario the Christian enters into the best.  So in this life, Jesus equips us.  In the next life there is abundance.

If Jesus supplies all I need, I have no needs.  I may have wants, but that is not the same thing.  We may want acceptance, control, or safety but we do not need them.  We are fully accepted by the Father as we are.  It is true that he still transforms us, but he does not reject us.  We are to relinquish control of our lives to God and use our free will to align ourselves with his good and perfect will.  We are safe because of the belief that even if our lives are taken ‘to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.’  As you are anxious about what God would want you to do, as the disciples would have been when faced with feeding 5,000, you can let go of your anxiety.  Identify whether your anxiety is rooted in acceptance, control, or safety.  Then bring that to God.  Picture yourself holding on to that desire and then let it go and cast it on God because he cares for you.  Do it now.  Then move forward with the life of adventure that God has called you to.

Luke 9:10-17

 ¹⁰When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, ¹¹but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

 ¹²Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

 ¹³He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

   They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” ¹⁴(About five thousand men were there.)

   But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” ¹⁵The disciples did so, and everybody sat down. ¹⁶Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people. ¹⁷They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Questions

1. What did Jesus’ disciples say to him late in the afternoon?
2. What did Jesus reply?
3. How many baskets were left over?
4. Why do you think that this is the one miracle in all three gospels?
5. How does your fear or lack of faith cause you not to rely on God?  How can you ‘cast your anxiety on him’ and move forward?

Going Deeper

Read this link about FISH of McHenry.  How could your church get involved, or how could you personally help distribute food to those who need it?  http://www.fishofmchenry.org/

The gospel is so much more than a good word to save a soul from hell.  We take a person whose life is purposeless and we give them hope and a purpose.  The ‘get ’em saved’ mentality has been blamed for a lot in books like unChristian.  I think the criticism is correct.  Many in the west have reduced the gospel to a formula like ABC (Accept Believe Confess) or The Romans Road.  There is some value in using these tools to remember some of the basics.  However, when Jesus sent out his disciples they made things right in an inclusive way that included the condition of a person but dealt with their context too.  Many followers of Jesus are getting back to that.  Are you?

Luke 9:1-9

¹When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, ²and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. ⁴Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. ⁵If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” ⁶So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

 ⁷Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, ⁸others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. ⁹But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.

Questions

1. What did Jesus give to his disciples?
2. What did they do?
3. How were their message and their actions in sync?
4. Who is Jesus sending you to minister to?
5. How would you get your words and your actions aligned?

Going Deeper

Today Kelli and I recorded a segment with Evangelical Child and Family Agency which will be aired on Moody Radio in the third week of November.  It is part of Moody’sMinistryof the Month segment http://www.moodyradiochicago.fm/rdo_promoDetail.aspx?id=47095

Have a look through the ministries that Moody has partnered with and ask if there is anything like these in your neighbourhood.

I always have felt sorry for the woman touching the hem of Jesus’ garment, but this time I felt sorry for Jairus.  Imagine having Jesus stop on the way to heal your 12-year-old daughter to have a conversation.  the healing was already done, let the woman be healed already rather than delivering a lecture!  Let’s get to Jairus’ house and save a child.  However, Jesus does things in his own sweet way and in his own sweet time.  What was the point in letting Jairus suffer this way?

Luke 8:40-56

 ⁴⁰Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. ⁴¹Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house ⁴²because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.

   As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. ⁴³And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,^[a] but no one could heal her. ⁴⁴She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

 ⁴⁵“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
      When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

 ⁴⁶But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

 ⁴⁷Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. ⁴⁸Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

 ⁴⁹While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher any more.”

 ⁵⁰Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

 ⁵¹When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵²Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

 ⁵³They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” ⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Questions

1. What was Jairus’ position?
2. What had the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak endured?
3. How does Jesus test both of their faith?
4. How does jesus test your patience?
5. How does jesus make you stand up and speak?

Going Deeper

I delivered a talk about humanity at church.  Should I research something to add here as I usually do, or should I sleep?

My church is doing a study in angelology starting this coming Sunday.  I think that we do think too little about angels.  The Bible clearly indicates that there are wars in the spiritual realm that we do not see.  The first battle I am aware of was when the archangel Michael took on Lucifer and a third of the angels and they were thrown to earth.  The fallen angels are the daemons who wander looking for people or places to control.  I believe demons are very well organised but are hateful.  I think that C. S. Lewis was correct to write a story where the Satanic hierarchy is compared with a modern beaurocracy.

In today’s story a legion of daemons possess an unfortunate man and then possess pigs that charge to their deaths.  This shows the destructive and malevolent intent of Satan and his daemons.  Although they may promise power it comes at too high a price.

Luke 8:26-39

 ²⁶They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,^[b] which is across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” ²⁹For Jesus had commanded the evil^[c] spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

 ³⁰Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

   “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

 ³²A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. ³³When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

 ³⁴When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, ³⁵and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. ³⁷Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

 ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Questions

1. To what region did Jesus sail?
2. What did the man plead with Jesus upon his arrival?
3. What does the casting out of a legion of daemons show?
4. What is your view of the daemonic?
5. Is it possible for a Christian to be possessed?

Going Deeper

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSy7DldFdUI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZfg57LZ34g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X921H33E-6o

Real or fake?