Breaking Ground
Who was your best friend growing up? What made you friends? Do you still have a relationship with them today?
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series Jesus the Christ by exploring the story of Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.
Read Matthew 26:14-16, 26:47-56, & 27:1-10. In these texts, we find the story of Judas’ plot to betray Jesus. First, Judas accepts a healthy (though by not massive) sum of money in exchange for his betrayal. Then, after eating the Last Supper with Jesus, Judas leads a group of soldiers to arrest Jesus, who is then beaten & condemned to die by the High Priest. After this shocking turn of events, Judas takes his own life upon realizing that Jesus would be executed instead of receiving a lesser punishment.
Why do you think Judas makes his initial decision to betray Jesus? Does his decision seem to be thought out or impulsive?
What stands out to you about Judas’ interaction with Jesus in the garden? How does Jesus respond to Judas’ betrayal & how do you think this would’ve impacted Judas?
Ultimately, Judas comes to profoundly regret his decision & attempts to reverse it. When he can’t, he kills himself instead of seeking forgiveness (despite Jesus’ ministry being about the infinite grace & love of God to even the most broken people). In doing so, Judas merely adds more death to a tragic story that was already full of it.
Why do you think Judas made this decision even though it doesn’t fix or redeem what’s happened? Do you think this is how Jesus would’ve wanted Judas to respond to his regret? Why do his feelings so profoundly overpower his ability to remember Jesus’ teaching him about forgiveness, grace, & redemption?
Why is it often so much easier to embrace self-loathing or self-destruction instead of grace, forgiveness, & redemption when we make mistakes?
Share about a time when you’ve struggled with remorse, guilt, shame, & regret (it may be right now). What happened? How did you process through & respond to those feelings? How did that impact your ability to move forward from & redeem that experience?
How would Jesus’ redemptive forgiveness & grace have transformed that experience? How can it help you find a redemptive path through the next time you make a mistake in your life?
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 Matthew 26:14-27:10. 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 23rd: Join us next Sunday as we continue our series Jesus the Christ! * Please see mye3.org for details.