========================
Verses 30-37 Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
========================
30They left that place and
passed through
31because he was teaching his
disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the
hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”
32But they did not understand
what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33They came to
34But they kept quiet because
on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35Sitting down, Jesus called
the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and
the servant of all.”
36He took a little child whom
he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever
welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever
welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
----------------------------------------
Concerning Jesus repeating
the prediction that he would be killed,
----------------------------------------
1)
Where did Jesus
and his disciples go afterwards?
o
They left that
place and passed through
2)
Why did Jesus not
want the crowd to know where he and his disciples were?
o
Jesus made that
arrangement because he was teaching his disciples.
3)
What did Jesus
say to his disciples?
o
Jesus said to
them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will
kill him, and after three days he will rise.”
4)
Why was the word ‘teach’ again used when Jesus conveyed to his
disciples what was going to happen to him?
o
They needed to
soak the fact in as Jesus’ disciples because dying for the sins of world and
then after three days rising again was central in Jesus’ redemption of
humanity.
5)
Was Jesus’
prediction of his death and rising from the dead on this occasion a repetition
and why?
o
Yes, because
Jesus made a similar prediction in the previous chapter.
6)
What is the
difference between the current prediction and the previous one of Jesus’ death
(chapter 8 verse 31)?
o
The previous
prediction referred to Jesus’ adversaries as the elders, the chief priests and
the teachers of the law.
o
The current
prediction referred to Jesus’ being delivered into the hands of men, i.e.,
betrayed.
7)
Why were the
disciples afraid to ask Jesus about his prediction?
o
They were afraid
to ask because they cringed at the idea that one of, or some from, their own
number would betray Jesus.
8)
Was this current
prediction more difficult for the disciples to process than the previous one?
o
Yes.
9)
How did Jesus’
current prediction poke in yet another way the disciples’ bubble of fulfillment
of national hope by the Christ?
o
Instead of
delivering the Jews from the rule of the Romans, the Christ was himself going
to be delivered into the hands of men.
10)
Let’s categorize
facts from Jesus’ two predictions of what was going to happen to him:
o
Who were Jesus’
adversaries?
§
The betrayor/betrayors.
§
The elders, the
chief priests and the teachers of the law.
o
What was going to
happen to Jesus?
§
Jesus must suffer
many things and be rejected.
§
He must be
killed.
§
He must rise
again after three days.
----------------------------------------
Concerning who is the greatest,
----------------------------------------
11)
Where did Jesus
and his disciples go?
o
They came to
12)
What did Jesus
ask his disciples when he was in the house?
o
Jesus asked them,
“What were you arguing about on the road?”
13)
How did the
disciples answer Jesus?
o
They kept quiet.
14)
Why did the
disciples keep quiet?
o
They kept quiet
because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
15)
What was the
context of the disciples’ argument about who was the greatest?
o
They argued about
who among them was the greatest in the kingdom that
the Christ was going to restore to
16)
What might have
prompted the disciples who were common people to view themselves in the context
of greatness?
o
They had gone out
to sow the word, healing the sick and driving out unclean spirits, with crowds
of people seeking them out for help.
o
Their ego had
thus been buoyed and a sense of pride had begun to well up within them.
17)
What were the
disciples trying to prove when they argued about who was the greatest?
o
Each was trying to
prove that he was the leader among them.
18)
What might have
prompted the disciples to think that the restoration of the kingdom to
o
Jesus had
consistently fed large crowds, which would galvanize them to hang around him
for days, as had been observed in the previous chapter.
19)
How did Jesus’
prediction of his death a second time just prior to their argument affect their
motivation for jockeying for position?
o
It had no damping
effect on their motivation for jockeying for position whatsoever.
20)
What can we
conclude about how the disciples had received Jesus’ prediction of his death
and rising from the dead a second time?
o
Jesus’ prediction
of his death and rising from the dead a second time still did not register with
the disciples.
21)
What do those who
want to be first in verse 35 desire to be?
o
They desire to be
leaders.
22)
Who are those
referred to as all in verse 35?
o
They are those
being led.
23)
What is the
relationship between those who want to be first and those referred to as all in
verse 35?
o
It is the
relationship between the leader and those being led.
24)
What must those
who desire to be leaders do?
o
They must be the
very last, and the servant of all.
25)
What does it mean
for leaders to be the very last?
o
It means that
they must put the interests of those they aspire to lead ahead of their own.
26)
What does it mean
for leaders to be the servant of all?
o
It means that
they must serve those they aspire to lead the way.
27)
Is there an
alternative manner in which leaders can conduct themselves toward those they
aspire to lead and why?
o
No, because
according to Jesus leaders must
§
Put the interests
of those they aspire to lead ahead of their own.
§
Serve them.
28)
How should
leaders be judged as to whether they had conducted themselves in accordance
with Jesus’ stipulation?
o
They should be
judged based on whether they
§
Put the interests
of those they aspire to lead ahead of their own.
§
Serve those they
aspire to lead.
29)
How does God view
those who humbly serve others in taking on the lowest priority for themselves?
o
They are first in
God’s sight.
30)
Where does the
priority order come from that Jesus advocated for governing the relationship
between the leader and those being led?
o
It came from the
31)
Where did the
priority order come from that the disciples used when they argued about who was
the greatest?
o
It came from the
kingdom of men.
32)
What priority
order should the disciples be using instead?
o
They should be
using the priority order of the
33)
What can we call
this priority order of the
o
We can call it
the principle of servanthood
in leadership governance.
34)
How did Jesus
illustrate the practice of this priority order of the
o
Jesus illustrated
the practice with the welcoming of a child.
35)
How did Jesus use
a little child to illustrate the significance of serving the least?
o
Jesus said to the
disciples, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes
me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
36)
Whom do we
actually welcome when we welcome a little child in Jesus’ name?
o
We actually
welcome Jesus.
37)
What makes
welcoming a little child as welcoming Jesus?
o
Welcoming a
little child in Jesus’ name makes welcoming a little child as welcoming Jesus.
38)
Whom do we
actually welcome when we welcome Jesus?
o
We actually
welcome the one who sent Jesus.
39)
Who was the one
that sent Jesus?
o
God the Father
was the one that sent Jesus.
40)
Whom do we
actually welcome when we welcome Jesus?
o
We actually
welcome God the Father who sent Jesus.
41)
So whom do we
actually welcome when we welcome a little child in Jesus’ name?
o
We actually
welcome God the Father.
42)
How significant
is serving the least in Jesus’ name?
o
It is as
significant as serving God the Father.
43)
What is it that
makes serving even the least so significant?
o
It is
conscientiously serving in Jesus’ name that makes the serving so significant.
44)
Who then needs to
practice the principle of servanthood in leadership
governance?
o
Every disciple
who is not a child because everyone is capable of serving the least such as a
child.
45)
What about a
disciple who is crippled?
o
That disciple
could pray for others too.
o
You see, even a
child could pray for others.
46)
What were the
hard issues of discipleship the disciples needed to deal with for the milestone
being reached in the discipleship continuum, in addition to making the
declaration that Jesus is the Christ?
o
They needed to
deal with hard issues of discipleship that include:
§
Denying the flesh.
§
Practicing the
principle of servanthood
in leadership governance.
47)
What progress had
the disciples made in denying the flesh?
o
They had made no
progress because they were not willing to put aside their national hope and
personal aspiration.
48)
What progress had
the disciples made in the practice of the principle
of servanthood in leadership governance?
o
They had shown
their propensity to jockey for position in their pursuit of leadership.
o
They were going
to keep jockeying for position in the next chapter as we shall see.
o
In other words servanthood was not yet on their mind when it came to
leadership.
49)
Does a disciple
miss out on personal gains by practicing the principle of servanthood in leadership
governance and why?
o
Not at all
because practicing the principle of servanthood in leadership governance
§
Is serving God
the Father.
§
Will be richly
rewarded in the life to come.
50)
What kind of a
leadership motive drove the disciples to argue about who was the greatest?
o
It was the
self-serving motive of leadership that drove them to jockeying for position.
51)
In the context of
what Jesus said, what kind of a leadership motive would drive the disciples to
welcoming a child?
o
It was the
selfless motive of leadership to serve a child in Jesus’ name who could not
repay them that would drive the disciples to welcoming a child.
52)
Is it the
selfless motive of leadership or the self-serving motive of leadership that is
compatible with the principle of servanthood in
leadership governance?
o
It is the
selfless motive of leadership that is compatible with the principle of servanthood in leadership governance.
53)
How did Jesus
expect the disciples to start practicing the principle of servanthood in leadership
governance?
o
Jesus expected
them to start practicing the principle of
servanthood in leadership governance by replacing
their self-serving motive of leadership with the selfless motive of leadership.
54)
What kind of
motive was behind the disciples’ leveraging the Christ for fulfilling their
national hope and personal aspiration?
o
It was a
self-serving motive.
55)
What kind of
motive was behind Jesus’ dying and rising from the dead for the redemption of
humanity?
o
It was a selfless
motive.
56)
What should the
disciples’ self-serving motive of leveraging the Christ for fulfilling their
national hope and personal aspiration be replaced with?
o
It should be
replaced with the selfless motive behind Jesus’ dying for the redemption of
humanity, for they were disciples after all.
57)
What were the
disciples really struggling with in terms of discipleship under Jesus when they
refused to ask him what rising from the dead meant?
o
The disciples
knew by this time that Jesus was not the self-serving Christ they would rather
be following but the self-giving Christ that they had been fiercely fighting
off.
o
There was a raging
battle within them as to whether they wanted to follow the self-serving Christ
or the self-giving Christ.
o
Jesus had been
relentlessly prodding the disciples, especially the inner circle of disciples,
to engage him in discussing what he meant by rising from the dead to help them
see the bright side of following the self-giving Christ, but they backed away.
o
Jesus would
continue to do the prodding in the next chapter.
58)
What was the
consequence of losing this raging battle as to whether the disciples wanted to
follow the self-serving Christ or the self-giving Christ?
o
The consequence
of losing this raging battle could be seen in varying severities among the
disciples:
§
Delivering Jesus
into the hands of men, i.e., betraying Jesus, by Judas.
§
Disowning Jesus three
times during Jesus’ trial in a Jewish court by Peter.
§
Abandoning Jesus
upon his arrest by the rest of the disciples.
59)
How is this
battle regarded in the discipleship continuum of getting to know Jesus?
o
It is the most
important battle in the discipleship continuum of getting to know Jesus because
it is the most potent determinant of the outcome of discipleship.
o
All the disciples
who followed Jesus around lost this battle and stumbled as a result without
exception.
60)
Why are we
oblivious to this battle for the most part?
o
It is probably
because
§
We are not
disciples though we think we are, or
§
We are stuck at
the starting gate of the discipleship continuum of getting to know Jesus. Please note that the disciples entered into
the battle only after they had gone out to sow the word, with power to heal the
sick and drive out unclean spirits, and after they had made the declaration
that Jesus is the Christ.
----------------------------------------
· Ask for a volunteer to summarize.
· Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the
summary.
========================
Verses 30-37 Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
========================
========================
Verses 38-41 Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
========================
38“Teacher,” said John, “we
saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he
was not one of us.”
39“Do not stop him,” Jesus
said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say
anything bad about me,
40for whoever is not against
us is for us.
41Truly I tell you, anyone
who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Christ will
certainly not lose their reward.
----------------------------------------
Concerning whoever is not
against us is for us,
----------------------------------------
61)
What did John say
about a man driving out demons in Jesus’ name?
o
“Teacher,” said
John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop,
because he was not one of us.”
62)
What did John
address Jesus as?
o
John addressed
Jesus as teacher.
63)
How did the man
drive out demons?
o
He drove demons
in Jesus’ name.
64)
What is a better
translation for ‘he was not one of us’?
o
A better
translation is ‘he was not following us’.
65)
What does it mean
that the man was not following them but at the same time driving out demons in
Jesus’ name?
o
It means that the
man
§
Was not among the
disciples who physically followed Jesus around.
§
Was likely in the
crowd listening to Jesus’ teachings and watching Jesus healing the sick and driving
out demons.
§
Decided that he
would practice driving out demons in Jesus’ name.
66)
Could John have
simply said, “We saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to
stop” and that would already convey the idea that the man was not following them?
o
Yes.
67)
What did John
mean with what he had said?
o
He meant that
§
He and the other
disciples had invited the man to follow them but he declined.
§
So they told him
to stop driving out demons in Jesus’ name.
68)
Why did the
disciples tell the man to stop?
o
They thought that
§
The earthly
kingdom that the Christ was going to restore was based on allegiance and
cohesion by way of social affiliation of its members.
§
As members of the
kingdom by virtue of their following Jesus, they had the exclusive right of
driving out demons in Jesus’ name.
§
Those who did not
have the social affiliation as members did not have that right.
69)
What motivated
John to tell Jesus what they told the man?
o
John
§
Noticed that
Jesus pointed out that the significance of welcoming a child rested with doing
so in his name.
§
Wanted to know if
it was legitimate for them to tell the man to stop driving out demons since he
was not following them, regardless of the fact that he did so in Jesus’ name.
70)
Was the man
successful in driving out demons in Jesus’ name and why?
o
Yes, because
otherwise he would have stopped trying to do so and the disciples would not
have needed to tell him to stop.
71)
What did Jesus
say in reply?
o
“Do not stop
him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment
say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.”
72)
What purpose does
a miracle serve?
o
A miracle serves
to authenticate the message of the miracle worker.
73)
Did the man have
a message in favor of Jesus to convey, had he only driven out demons in Jesus’
name without saying anything else?
o
Yes.
74)
Who authorizes
the performance of a miracle in Jesus’ name?
o
Jesus does.
75)
What can’t a
person who works a miracle in Jesus’ name say about Jesus?
o
The person can’t
say anything bad about Jesus.
76)
Why can no one
who does a miracle in Jesus’ name in the next moment say anything bad about
Jesus?
o
Jesus does not
authorize the performance of a miracle by a person only to have the person
utter and authenticate a message that is against him.
77)
How does Jesus
regard those who work miracles in his name without following him around
physically?
o
They are not
against Jesus and therefore for Jesus.
78)
What is Jesus’
view on who is allowed to drive out demons in Jesus’ name advantageous for?
o
Jesus’ view is
advantageous for advancing the
79)
Why did Jesus
tell the disciples not to stop the man who drove out demons in his name?
o
It was because
the man
§
Was not against
them.
§
Was advancing the
80)
What is the
implication of Jesus’ statement that whoever is not against us is for us?
o
The whole world
comprises those who are either against Jesus or those who are for Jesus.
o
Those who are
neither against Jesus nor for Jesus do not exist.
o
Therefore in the
context of discipleship a person is
§
Either a disciple
or not a disciple.
§
For Jesus if the
person is a disciple.
§
Against Jesus if
the person is not a disciple.
81)
Was the man who
drove out demons in Jesus’ name without following Jesus around physically a
disciple?
o
Yes.
82)
What is the
disciples’ view on who is allowed to drive out demons in Jesus’ name
advantageous for?
o
Their view is
advantageous for protecting their personal turf.
83)
What is the
disciples’ counterpart idea of Jesus’ idea that whoever is not against us is
for us?
o
Whoever is not
following us is against us.
84)
How did adopting
Jesus’ idea and the disciples’ idea respectively impact the advance of the
o
Adopting Jesus’
idea facilitates the advance of the
o
Adopting the
disciples’ idea hinders the advance of the
85)
What did Jesus
say next?
o
Jesus said,
"I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name
because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward."
86)
What did Jesus
say would happen to disciples who gave a cup of water in his name to those who
belonged to the Christ?
o
They will, with
the certainty of truth, not lose their reward.
87)
What makes giving
a cup of water significant?
o
The significance
of giving a cup of water is due to a disciple conscientiously doing it
§
In Jesus’ name.
§
To those who
belong to the Christ.
88)
What was the
message that Jesus was trying to convey?
o
Jesus was
encouraging the disciples to
§
Conscientiously
do good in Jesus’ name to those who belonged to the
Christ.
§
Not pass up any
opportunity for doing good in Jesus’ name to those who
belonged to the Christ, no matter how insignificant the favor might be, because
they would be rewarded.
89)
Why did Jesus
prod the disciples to do good with an eye toward doing
it in Jesus’ name and for those who belonged to the Christ?
o
Jesus wanted the
disciples to replace their self-serving motive of leadership with the selfless
motive of leadership.
90)
What kind of a
motive was behind the disciples’ telling the man to stop driving out demons in
Jesus’ name?
o
It was the
disciples’ self-serving motive of leadership that if the man did not follow
them, he was not allowed to drive out demons in Jesus’ name.
91)
Who would approve
of the disciples’ self-serving motive of leadership for driving out demons?
o
You guessed it,
it is the demons.
----------------------------------------
· Ask for a volunteer to summarize.
· Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the
summary.
========================
Verses 38-41 Whoever Is Not Against Us Is for Us
========================
========================
Verses 42-50 Causing to Stumble
========================
42“If anyone causes one of
these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for
them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into
the sea.
43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life
maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
[44]
45And if your foot causes you
to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter
life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
[46]
47And if your eye causes you
to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the
48where
“‘the
worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is
not quenched.’
49Everyone will be salted
with fire.
50“Salt is good, but if it
loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among
yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
----------------------------------------
Concerning causing to
stumble,
----------------------------------------
92)
What did Jesus
mean by the little ones?
o
By the little
ones Jesus meant children.
93)
How should we
treat children who believe in Jesus?
o
We need to treat
them with great care lest we cause them to stumble.
94)
How bad did Jesus
say it is for someone to cause a child who believes in him to stumble?
o
It would be
better for the person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied
around the person’s neck than to cause a child who believes in Jesus to
stumble.
95)
How bad is it for
someone to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck?
o
It is a symbolic
way of saying that it is totally disastrous for the person.
96)
What was the
message that Jesus was trying to convey to disciples who cause a child who
believes in him to stumble?
o
Jesus
§
Was pointing out
the significance of a child who believes in him, no matter how unimportant a
child might appear to be.
§
Thus warned the
disciples of the dire consequence of causing a child who believes in him to
stumble.
97)
Had the disciples
caused the man who drove out demons in Jesus’ name to stumble by telling him to
stop?
o
They
§
Might or might
not have.
§
Should have
worried about it for their own sake and for the man’s
sake.
98)
How resolute did
Jesus say the disciples should be in combating sin?
o
If your hand
causes you to sin, cut it off.
o
And if your foot
causes you to sin, cut it off.
o
And if your eye
causes you to sin, pluck it out.
99)
What attitude was
Jesus instilling in the disciples for combating sin in using the three
metaphors?
o
The disciples
must be resolute in combating sin even when it costs them greatly.
100)
What did Jesus
hint might happen to a disciple who is not resolute in combating sin?
o
He/she might end
up in hell.
101)
What did Jesus
say about hell?
o
In hell the worms
that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire.
102)
How long did
Jesus suggest punishment in hell will last?
o
It will last for
eternity to come since worm does not die and fire is not quenched in hell.
103)
In summary to
what extent did Jesus prefer for a disciple to choose eternal life in the
o
It is better to
root out sin at all costs and enter eternal life in the
104)
What did Jesus
imply is the reason for his preference?
o
The reason is
that the punishment of hell is eternal.
105)
What did Jesus
mean when he said that everyone will be salted with fire?
o
This is
considered one of the hardest verses to interpret in the bible.
o
It is suspected
that it is a Hebrew idiom literally translated into Greek.
o
To be salted with
fire might mean being burned with fire. i.e., the fire of hell, for everyone
who ends up there.
106)
What did Jesus
say about the saltiness of salt?
o
Salt is good, but
if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again?
107)
What makes salt
good?
o
Salt is good
because its saltiness makes it an agent of preservation and purification.
108)
What type of a
question did Jesus ask about making salt that has lost its saltines salty
again?
o
Jesus asked a
rhetorical question.
109)
What was Jesus’
intended answer for his rhetorical question?
o
The intended
answer is ‘No’.
o
Salt that has
lost its saltiness cannot be made salty again.
110)
What does a
disciple lose who does not combat sin with resoluteness?
o
The disciple will
lose his purity.
111)
How can a
disciple who does not combat sin with resoluteness be made pure again in the
context of salt that has lost its saltiness?
o
A disciple who
does not combat sin with resoluteness cannot be made pure again just as salt
that has lost its saltiness cannot be made salty again.
112)
What happens to a
disciple who has lost his/her purity as a result of not combating sin with
resoluteness in the context of salt that has lost its saltiness?
o
When a disciple
loses his purity, he/she will lose his/her usefulness like salt that has lost
its saltiness.
113)
How did Jesus say
the disciples having salt among them would impact their relationship?
o
When they have
salt among them, disciples will be at peace with each other.
114)
What would keep
the disciples from arguing about who was the greatest and from telling others
to stop driving out demons in Jesus’ name?
o
The disciples
having salt among them would.
115)
What had been
discussed in the current chapter that had to do with children?
o
The healing of a
boy possessed by a deaf and mute spirit.
o
The welcoming of
a child in Jesus’ name.
o
The dire
consequence of causing a child who believes in Jesus to stumble.
116)
What is the
reason for the focus on children?
o
We are going to
see the continuation of the focus on children and its relevance to the
discussion of entering the
----------------------------------------
· Ask for a volunteer to summarize.
· Ask for the rest of the participants to supplement the
summary.
========================
Verses 42-50 Causing to Stumble
========================