Jesus said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent…The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against Jesus and plotted how to destroy Him. Mark 3:1-6 Questions for Life...
The gospels are filled with stories in which Jesus faces off with the Pharisees. They are his most consistent foils, which is odd, considering that Jesus and the Pharisees had a lot in common. In fact, they had so much in common that some scholars have suggested that...
For our Who Dunnit? series, we’ll use The Friends and Foes of Jesus for a companion book by Dr. Peter DeHaan. In this series, we will learn about the people who wanted Jesus dead, and we will discover that God is calling us still to resist the powers that conspired to...
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were afraid of the people, and so they were trying to find a way of putting Jesus to death secretly. Luke 21:37-22:2 Questions for Life Groups Read Luke 21:37-22:2. What do you suppose Jesus was saying to the people that...
“Why did Jesus have to die?” There are a few scripted answers to this question, a plethora of theological justifications, and perhaps just as many explanations and speculations. Perhaps “why” is too heavy. Likewise, “Who dunnit?” is too simplistic without nuance. And...
During this year’s Lent observance, we, along with several other area UM Churches, are participating in a series titled Who Dunnit? The people who wanted Jesus dead (see article). The series begins after Ash Wednesday on Sunday, March 9. In Sunday school, when we...
The water I will give them will become a spring, giving them life-giving water and eternal life. John 4:3-29, 39-42 Questions for Life Groups Read John 4:3-29, 39-42. Imagine yourself in the story finding Jesus waiting for you at the well (or water cooler) and asking...
God created us to live in communities and gave us each unique potential to contribute to the common good. In a competitive culture, rejection is inevitable. Sooner or later, we won’t make the grade; we’ll slip up or reach the end of an era where we can’t do what we...
If you want to, you can make me clean! Jesus reached out and touched him. Be clean! At once, the disease left the man. Luke 5:12-16 Questions for Life Groups Read Luke 5:12-16. Imagine yourself in the crowd with Jesus. What emotions might you be feeling as the man...
Fear motivates us to respond in one of four ways. Sometimes, we freeze and are unable to move. Other times, we run away. Occasionally, we move aggressively toward the source of our fear. Last, we may try to appease the source of our fear. Psychologists refer to these...