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Luke 9:18-26

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

19They 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.”

21Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

22And 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.”

23Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

25What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

26Whoever 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.

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1)       According to verse 18 what was the question Jesus posed to his disciples when he was praying in private and his disciples were with him?

o   Who do the crowds say I am?

 

2)       According to verse 19 what was the disciples’ answer?

o   Some say John the Baptist.

o   Others say Elijah.

o   And still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.

 

3)       According to verse 20 what was the follow-up question Jesus posed to his disciples?

o   But what about you?  Who do you say I am?

 

4)       According to verse 20 who did Peter say Jesus is?

o   God’s Messiah or God’s Christ.

 

5)       What is the significance for humanity of Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ?

o   Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Christ is the first such declaration of all humanity.

 

6)       Did the Jews in Jesus’ time think that the Christ was a human figure?

o   Yes.

 

7)       What did the Jews in Jesus’ time think that the Christ was going to do?

o   The Jews in Jesus’ time thought that the Christ was going to

§  Deliver the Jews from the rule of the Romans.

§  And restore the kingdom to Israel.

 

8)       Based on Peter’s declaration of Jesus being the Christ, what were the disciples’ primary concerns in following Jesus that were aligned with what the Jews thought that the Christ was going to do?

o   Their primary concerns in following Jesus were:

§  Their national hope of deliverance from the rule of the Romans.

§  And their personal aspiration of playing significant roles in the kingdom the Christ was going to restore to Israel.

 

9)       According to verse 22 what did Jesus say must happen to him?

o   The Son of Man must

§  Suffer many things.

§  Be rejected by

Ø  The elders. 

Ø  The chief priests. 

Ø  And the teachers of the law.

§  Be killed.

§  And be raised to life on the third day.

 

10)   Why did Jesus strictly warn the disciples in verse 21 not to tell anyone that he is the Christ, given that he did not want to escalate his conflict with the religious leaders?

o   It is because the time for him to die had not come yet.

 

11)   Why was Jesus’ prediction of his death deeply disappointing to the disciples, given that they had given up everything to follow him, to chase after their dream with him?

o   They had given up everything to follow Jesus only to have their dream dashed to pieces.

o   When

o   He died.

 

12)   Is there good news in what Jesus told the disciples in verse 22 regardless of the fact that he would be killed and why?

o   Yes, because Jesus would be raised to life on the third day.

o   After

o   He was killed.

 

13)   What does it mean for one to deny oneself in order to be Jesus' disciple, given that one has human concerns that hinder one’s following Jesus?

o   To deny oneself in order to be Jesus' disciple is to put aside one’s human concerns that hinder one’s following Jesus.

 

14)   How should the disciples deny themselves in order to be Jesus' disciple?

o   The disciples needed to put aside their human concerns that hindered their following Jesus, i.e.,

§  Their national hope of deliverance from the rule of the Romans.

§  And their personal aspiration of playing significant roles in the kingdom.

§  That

§  The Christ was going to restore to Israel.

 

15)   What does it mean that one must take up one’s cross daily and follow Jesus in order to be his disciple, given that the cross is a symbol of suffering and death?

o   It means that throughout life one must be willing

§  To suffer.

§  Even to the point of death if necessary.

§  In order to be Jesus' disciple.

 

16)   Given that denying oneself and taking up one’s cross is the cost one must bear in order to be Jesus' disciple, what is the term we use for depicting that cost?

o   The cost of discipleship.

 

17)   According to what Jesus said in verse 24 what would happen to those who want to save their life?

o   They will end up losing it.

 

18)   According to what Jesus said in verse 24 what would happen to those who lose their life for him?

o   They will end up saving it.

 

19)   Did Jesus say that one must lose their life for him in order to save it and why?

o   No, because Jesus did not make losing one’s life for him a necessary condition for saving it.

 

20)   What is the expected answer to the rhetorical question Jesus raised in verse 25?

o   It is no good to

§  Gain the whole world.

§  And yet

Ø  Lose. 

Ø  Or forfeit.

§  One’s very self.

 

21)   When will Jesus come in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels?

o   Jesus will come at the end of the age

§  In his glory.

§  And in the glory of the Father.

§  And of the holy angels.

 

22)   What does it mean for a person to be ashamed of Jesus and his words and for Jesus to be ashamed of the person?

o   A person who is ashamed of Jesus and his words

§  Refuses to follow Jesus.

§  And does not obey his words.

o   Jesus

§  Will be ashamed of the person.

§  And will condemn the person to hell.

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Luke 9:18-26

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