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Verses 1-6 Lord of the Sabbath Continued

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1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.

2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.

3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

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Concerning Jesus being Lord of the Sabbath,

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1)       Where did Jesus go?

o   Jesus went into a synagogue.

 

2)       Who was in the synagogue?

o   There was a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue.

 

3)       Who were the people referred to as ‘some of them’ in verse 2?

o   In the context of what was said in the previous chapter it was the Pharisees being referred to.

 

4)       What were the Pharisees trying to do to Jesus?

o   They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus.

 

5)       What kind of accusation might the Pharisees be trying to lodge against Jesus?

o   The Pharisees were waiting to see if Jesus would break the Sabbath by healing the man with a shriveled hand.

 

6)       Why did the Pharisees think that Jesus might break the Sabbath by healing the man with a shriveled hand?

o   They thought so because in the previous chapter Jesus did not regard observance of the Sabbath as a strict rule to follow that could not be broken under any circumstance.

 

7)       Didn’t Jesus break the Sabbath in the previous chapter?

o   No, only Jesus’ disciples did.

 

8)       Did the man with a shriveled hand hope that Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath and why?

o   Yes, because otherwise he might not have another healing opportunity with Jesus.

 

9)       What did the Pharisees believe about Jesus’ ability to heal the man with a shriveled hand?

o   They believed that the man with a shriveled hand would be healed if Jesus chose to heal him.

 

10)   Did the Pharisees have their sins forgiven since they believed in Jesus’ ability to heal and why?

o   No, because they did not have any action done in obedience to Jesus that would qualify their belief as faith.

 

11)   Did members of the Judaic community wait to see if Jesus would violate the law of Moses in order to make accusation against him in the previous chapter?

o   No.

 

12)   What were members of the Judaic community trying to do in the previous chapter when they engaged Jesus?

o   They were on the defensive by questioning and pressuring Jesus for him to stop his assault on Judaism.

 

13)   Did the Pharisees adopt a change in strategy in dealing with Jesus in the current chapter and why?

o   Yes, because they were on the offensive in the current chapter actively looking for a reason to accuse Jesus and to discredit him.

 

14)   What was Jesus’ conclusion from the previous chapter about the relationship between man and the Sabbath?

o   Jesus concluded from the previous chapter that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, not man made for observance of the Sabbath.

 

15)   Judging from the attitude of the Pharisees in the current chapter, were they convinced of Jesus’ conclusion about the relationship between man and the Sabbath?

o   No.

 

16)   Why did the Pharisees watch Jesus closely to see if he would heal the man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath?

o   They did so lest they missed the healing that might not be done in an obvious manner since Jesus could heal people with words.

 

17)   What did Jesus say to the man with a shriveled hand?

o   Jesus told him to stand up in front of everyone.

 

18)   What was Jesus’ intent in telling the man with a shriveled hand to stand up in front of everyone?

o   Jesus told the man not just to stand up but to stand up in front of everyone so that when he healed the man, everyone would be able to see it.

o   Jesus would not cover up healing on a Sabbath as the Pharisees thought he might do.

 

19)   What did Jesus then say to the Pharisees?

o   Jesus asked them if it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill.

 

20)   What was the only acceptable answer for Jesus’ question the way he formulated it?

o   It was lawful on the Sabbath to do good and to save life.

 

21)   In what manner did Jesus guide the Pharisees to a proper understanding of the Sabbath in the way he formulated the question for them as though he were helping little children?

o   Jesus was handholding and guiding them to a proper understanding of the Sabbath.

 

22)   What did the Pharisees say in response to Jesus’ question?

o   They remained silent.

 

23)   How did the Pharisees regard Jesus’ question?

o   From the perspective of the Pharisees no work whatsoever was to be done on the Sabbath.

o   Jesus’ question condoned work on the Sabbath.

o   Therefore Jesus’ question was not legitimate.

 

24)   Why did the Pharisees reject doing good and saving life as acceptable on the Sabbath?

o   Keeping the Sabbath by the letter of the law had become such an overriding concern for the Pharisees that it trumped everything else including doing good and saving life.

 

25)   How did Jesus fare in terms of handholding and guiding the Pharisees to a proper understanding of the Sabbath by way of an easy question?

o   Jesus failed.

 

26)   How did Jesus feel when the Pharisees remained silent?

o   Jesus was angry and deeply distressed at their stubborn heart refusing to be corrected.

 

27)   Why was Jesus angry and deeply distressed?

o   It was because Jesus had made it easy for them to correct their misunderstanding of the Sabbath but they refused to.

 

28)   What did Jesus say to the man with a shriveled hand?

o   Jesus told him to stretch out his hand.

 

29)   How did the man with a shriveled hand respond?

o   He stretched out his hand.

 

30)   How was the man with a shriveled hand able to stretch out his hand?

o   As the man tried to stretch out his hand in obedience to Jesus’ order for him to do so, he was healed and thus enabled to stretch out his hand.

 

31)   How did Jesus prioritize between doing good and keeping the Sabbath?

o   Jesus prioritized doing good over keeping the Sabbath.

 

32)   Did Jesus break the Sabbath or keep the Sabbath by the spirit of the law when he did good on the Sabbath?

o   Jesus kept the Sabbath by the spirit of the law.

 

33)   Why did Jesus choose to keep the Sabbath by the spirit of the law over keeping the Sabbath by the letter of the law?

o   Jesus so chose because the Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, not man made for observance of the Sabbath.

 

34)   What was the crux of the conflict over the Sabbath between Jesus and the Pharisees?

o   Jesus kept the Sabbath by the spirit of the law for the benefit of man.

o   The Pharisees kept the Sabbath by the letter of the law for the sake of self-righteousness.

 

35)   What claim did Jesus confirm of himself that he made in the previous chapter through the current miracle of healing on the Sabbath?

o   Jesus confirmed that he is Lord of the Sabbath.

 

36)   Was the man with a shriveled hand forgiven of his sins and why?

o   Yes, because he had faith in Jesus as seen in stretching out his hand in obedience to Jesus’ order for him.

 

37)   How did Jesus’ keeping the Sabbath by the spirit of the law enable the man with a shriveled hand to experience the true meaning of the Sabbath?

o   The man rested from the burden of his sins and of his disability on the Sabbath as genuine fulfillment of the Sabbath.

 

38)   What was the Pharisees’ response to Jesus’ healing the man on the Sabbath?

o   They began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

 

39)   Who were taking the lead to plot Jesus’ death?

o   The Pharisees were.

 

40)   Why did the Pharisees want to kill Jesus?

o   They wanted to kill Jesus because Jesus was an existential threat to Judaism that could not be mitigated otherwise.

 

41)   In what place did Jesus heal the man with a shriveled hand?

o   In a synagogue.

 

42)   Whose territory was the synagogue?

o   The synagogue was the territory of the Pharisees as the religious leader.

 

43)   What might have directly contributed to the Pharisees’ determination to kill Jesus and why?

o   Jesus healed the man with a shriveled hand in a synagogue that was the territory of the Pharisees as the religious leader.

 

44)   Who were the Herodians?

o   The Herodians were another Jewish sect like the Pharisees. 

o   The Pharisees and the Herodians were politically opposed to each other but formed an expedient alliance for the sake of eliminating Jesus who was threatening their interests.

 

45)   What was the reason the Pharisees did not seem to concern themselves with the possibility that God might be behind the healing miracle Jesus did?

o   It was because their interests were so vested with their observance of the Sabbath that they would not cede any ground to anyone, not even to God.

 

46)   What did the Pharisees wanting to kill Jesus say about their attitude toward protecting their interests?

o   If God wanted to take away the way they observed the Sabbath, God needed to be eliminated.

 

47)   What was the contrast between the man with a shriveled hand and the Pharisees in terms of accepting Jesus’ help?

o   The man with a shriveled hand obeyed Jesus’ command for him to stretch out his hand.

o   The Pharisees rejected Jesus’ handholding and guidance.

 

48)   What accounted for the difference in attitude toward Jesus between the man with a shriveled hand and the Pharisees?

o   The man with a shriveled hand was fully in touch with his helplessness and thus accepted Jesus’ help.

o   The Pharisees were self-righteous about their piety and thus had no need for Jesus’ handholding and guidance.

 

49)   Did the man’s shriveled hand turn out to be a curse or a blessing for him?

o   It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as a curse.

 

50)   How did the Pharisees reject Jesus’ correction of their observance of the Sabbath?

o   They rejected Jesus’

§  Sound interpretation of the bible for proper observance of the Sabbath;

§  Declaration of himself as Lord of the Sabbath;

§  Handholding and guiding them to a proper understanding of the Sabbath;

§  Miraculous healing of the man with a shriveled hand as genuine fulfillment of the Sabbath;

§  Keeping the Sabbath by the spirit of the law.

 

51)   How did the Judaic community as exemplified by the Pharisees regard the religion of their God and the God of their religion?

o   The Judaic community loved the religion of their God but rejected the God of their religion.

 

52)   What is the greatest commandment of the law God gave Israel through Moses for fulfilling the first covenant?

o   The greatest commandment of the law is recorded in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

 

·  Ask a volunteer to read out loud Deuteronomy 6:4-5 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

53)   How did the Judaic community as exemplified by the Pharisees do in terms of obeying the greatest commandment, judging from the way they observed the Sabbath?

o   They failed to obey the greatest commandment.

 

54)   What was the consequence of the failure of the Judaic community to obey the greatest commandment?

o   They failed to fulfill first covenant.

 

55)   What was the consequence of the failure of the Judaic community to fulfill the first covenant?

o   The first covenant was becoming old and being replaced by the new covenant Jesus was putting in place.

 

56)   Did members of the Judaic community continually question Jesus and his disciples about their motive for doing what they did?

o   Yes.

 

57)   Did members of the Judaic community ever question themselves whether they were truly loving God with their legalistic compliance with traditions, rituals and laws?

o   No.

 

58)   How should Jesus’ disciples evaluate their motive of obeying God’s commands for them?

o   They should question whether they obey God’s commands for the sake of loving God or for the sake of self-righteousness through legalistic compliance.

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·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

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Verses 1-6 Lord of the Sabbath Continued

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Verses 7-12 Crowds Follow Jesus

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7Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.

8When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.

9Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him.

10For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.

11Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

12But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.

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Concerning crowds following Jesus,

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59)   Where did Jesus go after healing the man with a shriveled hand?

o   Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the Sea of Galilee.

 

60)   Why did Jesus withdraw with his disciples to the Sea?

o   Jesus did so apparently trying to get away from the Pharisees who were plotting to kill him.

 

61)   What did the large crowd from Galilee do?

o   They followed Jesus as he withdrew with his disciples to the sea.

 

62)   Why did many people from various places come to Jesus?

o   They came to Jesus when they heard all he was doing.

 

63)   Where did the people come from?

o   Many people came to Jesus from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 

o   These places can be found on the map shown on the following page: http://justasimplesheep.blogspot.com/2014/06/bruised-and-broken.html

 

64)   Did Jesus heal many of these people?

o   Yes.

 

65)   What happened as a result of Jesus healing many?

o   People with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.

 

66)   Why were people with diseases in a frenzy trying to touch Jesus?

o   They

§  Were desperate for the healing of their diseases on the one hand.

§  Had difficulties getting to Jesus because of the large crowd on the other.

 

67)   What was special about the crowd that was surrounding Jesus?

o   It was the first time a large crowd had been depicted to be

§  Coming from surrounding regions to Jesus in Galilee.

§  In a frenzy trying to touch Jesus.

 

68)   What did Jesus tell his disciples to do in order to keep people from crowding him?

o   Jesus told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him.

 

69)   What kind of a crowd did the need for a boat for the sake of keeping people from crowding Jesus indicate?

o   It indicated a large and unruly crowd.

 

70)   What could be said about the size of the current crowd that was following Jesus compared to previous ones?

o   The current crowd was larger than previous crowds.

 

71)   What was becoming of Jesus’ influence with what had been said about the crowd that was following him?

o   Jesus’ influence was becoming

§  Greater.

§  More widespread.

 

72)   What went through the mind of the Pharisees who saw for the first time the frenzy of the unruly large crowd that came to Jesus from all over the place?

o   It strengthened their resolve all the more to kill Jesus who was becoming an increasingly uncontrollable existential threat to Judaism.

 

73)   What did unclean spirits do when they saw Jesus?

o   Unclean spirits would fall down before Jesus and cry out, “You are the Son of God.”

 

74)   How do unclean spirits fall down and cry out if they are spirit?

o   Unclean spirits speak and act through the persons they are possessing.

 

75)   What was the identity that an unclean spirit in chapter 1 divulged of Jesus?

o   In chapter 1 an unclean spirit divulged the identity of Jesus as the Holy One of God.

 

76)   What kind of identity is the Holy One of God in terms of clarity?

o   It is a vague identity.

 

77)   To what extent did unclean spirits divulge the identity of Jesus this time?

o   Unclean spirits fully divulged the identity of Jesus as the Son of God this time.

 

78)   Why were unclean spirits able to point out the divine identity of Jesus?

o   Unclean spirits see clearly what is going on in the spiritual realm.

 

79)   Who else had fully revealed the identity of Jesus as the Son of God?

o   God the Father had in chapter 1 when Jesus was coming up out of the water while being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan.

 

80)   Had human being come to the realization of the divine identity of Jesus at this point?

o   No.

 

81)   Did Jesus ever hint at his divine identity so far and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus confirmed through miracles of healing his claims that he

§  Had authority on earth to forgive sins and was therefore God in the previous chapter.

§  Was Lord of the Sabbath and was therefore God in the current chapter.

 

82)   What might be a reason people had difficulties coming to the realization of the divine identity of Jesus?

o   When they acknowledged the divine identity of Jesus, people would have to submit to the authority of Jesus, which they were not ready to do.

 

83)   Why did unclean spirits divulge the identity of Jesus as the Son of God?

o   Unclean spirits were trying to expose Jesus’ identity as the Son of God ahead of his planned schedule.

 

84)   How did Jesus handle the unclean spirits’ exposure of his identity as the Son of God?

o   Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.

 

85)   Why did Jesus give unclean spirits strict orders not to tell who he was?

o   Jesus was controlling the revelation of his identity as the Son of God to his disciples according to his own schedule.

 

86)   Did unclean spirits obey Jesus’ order for them not to tell who he was and why?

o   Yes, because unclean spirits had to submit to the absolute authority of the Son of God.

 

87)   As Jesus’ influence was becoming greater and more widespread, what forces were at work to derail him?

o   The Pharisees were plotting to kill Jesus.

o   Unclean spirits were exposing his identity as the Son of God ahead of his planned schedule.

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·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

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Verses 7-12 Crowds Follow Jesus

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Verses 13-19 Jesus Appoints the Twelve

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13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.

14He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach

15and to have authority to drive out demons.

16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),

17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”),

18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

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Concerning the appointing of the twelve apostles,

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88)   Where did Jesus go next?

o   Jesus went up on a mountainside.

 

89)   Who was Jesus with on the mountainside?

o   Jesus called to him those he wanted.

 

90)   What did Jesus do with those who came to him?

o   Jesus designated them apostles.

 

91)   What does the word ‘apostle’ mean?

o   It means one who is sent off.

 

92)   What did Jesus do with the apostles?

o   Jesus would

§  Be with them.

§  Send them out to preach.

§  Give them authority to drive out demons.

 

93)   What did it mean that Jesus would be with the apostles?

o   Jesus would be spending time privately with them for the purpose of training them up for service.

 

94)   What would the authority to drive out demons do for the apostles’ preaching?

o   It would confirm the message they preached.

 

95)   Who were the twelve apostles?

o   Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

 

96)   Didn’t Jesus call Levi in the previous chapter?

o   Yes, Levi went by the name Matthew in the list of apostles.

 

97)   Did Jesus know from the beginning that Judas would betray him and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus is God and is all-knowing.

 

98)   Why did Jesus choose Judas if he knew from the beginning that Judas would betray him?

o   Jesus chose Judas because Jesus was going to fulfill his mission of dying for the sins of the whole world.

 

99)   Who of the disciples called earlier did the twelve apostles include?

o   The twelve apostles included Simon, i.e., Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Levi, i.e., Matthew, whom Jesus had called earlier.

 

100)     Did Jesus have an ongoing relationship with the twelve apostles before appointing them?

o   Yes.

 

101)     Why did Jesus appoint the twelve apostles?

o   Because

§  Jesus needed to hasten the training of the twelve apostles to be his replacement now that the Pharisees were plotting to kill him.

§  Jesus needed the twelve apostles to assist him in ministering to the increasingly large crowds.

§  Jesus’ approach to ministry was to send workers out among the people rather than for people to come to him.

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·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

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Verses 13-19 Jesus Appoints the Twelve

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Verses 20-35 Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law

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20Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.

21When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

22And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

23So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.

27In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.

28Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter,

29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.

32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

33“Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

35Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

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Concerning Jesus and Beelzebul,

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102)     What did Jesus do after appointing the twelve apostles?

o   Jesus entered a house.

 

103)     What happened after Jesus entered the house?

o   A crowd gathered.

 

104)     How busy were Jesus and his disciples with the crowd?

o   They were so busy that they were not even able to eat.

 

105)     What happened when Jesus’ family heard about what was going on with Jesus?

o   Jesus’ family came to take charge of him, saying that he was out of his mind.

 

106)     Was being kept so busy as not to be able to eat an indication of someone who was out of his mind?

o   No.

 

107)     What motivated Jesus’ family to say that he was out of his mind?

o   They said that in order to tone down the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders, knowing that the Pharisees were plotting with the Herodians to kill him.

o   They wanted to turn Jesus around before it was too late.

 

108)     How did teachers of the laws follow up on that lead in condemning Jesus and how?

o   Teachers of the laws who came down from Jerusalem said that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul and that it was by the prince of demons that he was driving out demons.

 

109)     Who were the teachers of the law?

o   The teachers of the law were teachers of Jewish traditions and the law of Moses.

 

110)     Whose power base was Jerusalem?

o   Jerusalem was the power base of the Jewish religious leaders.

 

111)     What social status did teachers of the laws who came down from Jerusalem enjoy?

o   They were authoritative figures pertaining to the law of Moses in the Judaic community.

 

112)     Why did teachers of the laws come down from Jerusalem to Galilee?

o   They did so to monitor Jesus’ teachings and activities.

 

113)     Why did teachers of the laws come down from Jerusalem to Galilee to monitor Jesus’ teachings and activities?

o   They did so because Jesus was

§  Drawing crowds from all over the place including Jerusalem.

§  Reported to them to be an existential threat to Judaism.

 

114)     Who did those teachers of the laws think Beelzebul was?

o   They thought that Beelzebul was the prince of demons.

 

115)     Who was the equivalent of Beelzebul in Jesus’ terminology?

o   Satan was the equivalent.

 

116)     What was the equivalent of Beelzebul driving out demons in Jesus’ terminology?

o   Satan driving out Satan was the equivalent.

 

117)     What did Jesus use to answer the accusation of the teachers of the laws from Jerusalem?

o   Jesus used a parable to illustrate the fallacy of their argument of Satan driving out Satan.

 

118)     What did Jesus point out in the parable that division would cause?

o   If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

o   If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

o   And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.

 

119)     Since they thought that Beelzebul, i.e., Satan, was the prince of demons, did those teachers of the law think that his kingdom still stood and why?

o   Yes, because if he is no longer the prince of demons, his kingdom no longer stands.

o   Since he is still the prince of demons, his kingdom still stands.

 

120)     What can we conclude from Jesus’ parable about whether Satan is divided or not since Satan’s kingdom still stands?

o   Since Satan’s kingdom still stands, it is impossible for Satan to be divided.

 

121)     What can we conclude about Satan driving out Satan since it is impossible for Satan to be divided?

o   Since it is impossible for Satan to be divided, Satan does not drive out Satan.

 

122)     What can we conclude about Beelzebul driving out demons since Satan does not drive out Satan?

o   Since Satan does not drive out Satan, Beelzebul does not drive out demons either.

 

123)     Could Jesus be Beelzebul that those teachers of the law accused him of being and why?

o   No, because

§  Beelzebul does not drive out demons.

§  But Jesus drove out demons.

§  Therefore Jesus could not be Beelzebul.

 

124)     Under what circumstance did Jesus show in the parable that a person can plunder a strong man’s house?

o   A person has to first tie up the strong man and then he can plunder the strong man’s house.

 

125)     Who does the strong man represent in Jesus’ parable?

o   The strong man represents Satan.

 

126)     Who does the person represent in Jesus’ parable?

o   The person represents Jesus.

 

127)     What do the strong man’s possessions represent in Jesus’ parable?

o   The strong man’s possessions represent people possessed by demons.

 

128)     How had Jesus plundered Satan?

o   Jesus had tied up and driven out Satan from demon-possessed people.

 

129)     What can we conclude about Jesus and Satan in regard to power according to Jesus’ parable?

o   Jesus is stronger than Satan.

 

130)     By whom did Jesus drive out demons?

o   Jesus drove out demons by the Holy Spirit.

 

131)     When did Jesus receive the Holy Spirit?

o   Jesus received the Holy Spirit when he was baptized by John in chapter 1.

 

132)     Whom did Jesus condemn as having blasphemed against the Holy Spirit?

o   Jesus condemned the teachers of the law from Jerusalem as having blasphemed against the Holy Spirit.

 

133)     Why did Jesus condemn the teachers of the law from Jerusalem as having blasphemed against the Holy Spirit?

o   Because they said that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul and was driving out demons by Beelzebul.

o   In reality Jesus drove out demons by the Holy Spirit.

 

134)     Of all the sins and blasphemies of men what did Jesus say will never be forgiven?

o   Blasphemies against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.

 

135)     What consequence does a person bear who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit?

o   The person is guilty of an eternal sin.

 

136)     What about all the other sins and blasphemies of men?

o   They can be forgiven.

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Concerning Jesus’ mother and brothers,

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137)     What did Jesus’ mother and brothers do when they arrived at the house where Jesus was?

o   They stood outside and sent someone in to call Jesus.

 

138)     How did Jesus learn that his mother and brothers were looking for him?

o   A crowd was sitting around Jesus and they told him that his mother and brothers were outside looking for him.

 

139)     How did Jesus respond to the message that his mother and brothers were outside looking for him?

o   Jesus asked the rhetorical question: Who are my mother and my brothers?

 

140)     How did Jesus answer the question he raised?

o   Looking at people around him, Jesus said that whoever did God’s will was his brother and sister and mother.

 

141)     Was Jesus speaking in terms of earthly relationship when he referred to brother and sister and mother and why?

o   No, because Jesus centered the relationship around doing God’s will and was therefore speaking of spiritual relationship.

 

142)     Were the people seated in a circle around Jesus doing God’s will and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus called them his mother and brothers.

 

143)     Whom was Jesus in the company of?

o   Jesus was in the company of those who were doing God’s will.

 

144)     Why was Jesus unable to eat?

o   It was because he was occupied with people who were doing God’s will.

 

145)     Did Jesus’ family know God’s will for Jesus?

o   No.

 

146)     Was Jesus’ family doing God’s will when they went to take charge of him?

o   No.

 

147)     Did Jesus comply with his family’s wish for him and why?

o   No, because Jesus continued to head toward the cross to his death in accordance with the will of his Father in heaven.

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·  Ask for a volunteer to summarize.

·  Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the summary.

 

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Verses 20-35 Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law

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