Breaking Ground
What story has the best twist in your opinion? Why?
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series Jesus the Christ by exploring the Parable of the Rich Man & Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke.
Before reading the text, recall the following rules concerning the nature of Jesus’ parables.
- The parables use short, fictional stories to draw parallels between something we understand & the inbreaking, upside-down Kingdom of God.
- The parables seek to make us wrestle, not give us clear answers. They are stories that never have one interpretation.
- The parables are universal & timeless in their truths & themes, but highly contextual to Jesus’ 1st century world in their content.
- The parables are always meant to be provocative. They demand a response from the audience.
With this in mind, read Luke 16:19-31. In this parable, Jesus tells a story about two people who lived in diametrically different ways & opposing circumstances before God ultimately flipped everything upside-down.
What differences exist between the two characters in this parable? What insights do these details provide about their character?
How does each character respond to the reversal of their fortunes? What does this reveal about their hearts & worldview?
What lessons do you think Jesus wants us to take away from this parable? What does it reveal about the nature of his upside-down Kingdom & what it means to truly follow him?
Close by reflecting on how this parable might speak to you in this present season.
Where do you identify with the Rich Man? Where have you embraced a worldview or heart posture that justifies a way of life that benefits you at the expense of others?
Who is the “Lazarus” in your life & world? Who do you tend to conveniently ignore or deny that you negatively impact in your personal life or our society at large?
Based upon your answers to the previous questions, how might this parable challenge you to be transformed in this next season? What internal & external changes would you need to undergo to better reflect Jesus in the areas you’ve identified?
Getting Out of the Hole
In this series, take time each week to reflect upon the story from the story & how you can find yourself within it during this season of your life.
- Read Luke 16:19-31. First, break this story or teaching down into pieces. What is Jesus doing or saying? How are people responding to him? What changes by the end of the story?
- Next, close your eyes & reflect upon the story. Imagine yourself in it. Put yourself into the space of the various characters & imagine what it would be like to encounter Jesus in the story.
- What images, teachings, or ideas speak to you the most in this story? What intrigues or confuses you? What feelings arose as you thought about being in the story? How can this story impact your life & your relationship with Jesus in this next season?
Additional Resources*
TheBibleProject.com
Simply Jesus by NT Wright
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, March 2nd: Join us next Sunday as we continue our series Jesus the Christ!
* Please see mye3.org for details.