We were blessed with Jenny’s
testimony this week! We’re looking
forward to Phyllis’ testimony the next time we meet!
*A reminder- we don’t meet
next week, but will resume our normal schedule on February 20th.
This week we discussed the
first part of Chapter 12, verses 1-32.
An overview of the reading:
a.
The Pharisees
intentionally attack Jesus while he and his disciples are eating grain; ““Look! Your disciples are
doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
b.
Jesus refutes
their claims with Scripture; ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’
c.
The Pharisees
attack Jesus regarding Healing; Looking for a reason to bring charges against
Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
d.
Jesus counters
with logic and compassion; “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath,
will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more
valuable is a person than a sheep!”
e.
The Pharisees see
Jesus’ miracles as reasons for revenge; “But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they
might kill Jesus.”
f.
The Pharisees
attack Jesus’ character by alleging that he is demon-posessed; “It is only by Beelzebul,
the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
g.
Jesus refutes the
assertions of the Pharisees through logic, once again; “Every kingdom divided
against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against
itself will not stand.”
h.
Jesus draws a
line in the sand; “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather
with me scatters.” The message says it
this way; "This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not
on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things
worse.”
i.
Jesus warns against the hardening of the heart; “And so I tell you,
every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit
will not be forgiven.”
Great points for reflection…
a.
Jesus’ arrival
and the belief system he brought with him were more than just challenging, at
the time. It was a life-altering,
society-defying Truth. It took great
courage to become a Christian during that time.
b.
Jan pointed out
that it is interesting that the Pharisees never challenged Jesus’ ability to
perform miracles. There was an implicit acceptance
and knowledge of his power found in their attacks and accusations; “Is it lawful to heal on
the Sabbath?” & “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
c.
Jesus’
presentation to the world was unexpected and wholeheartedly reviled by the
majority of the Jewish community. The
Jews were expecting a strong and militant King who would change their physical
lives and conditions, rather than a suffering servant who would change their
spiritual lives and in the condition of their hearts.
d.
Jesus used
Scripture, logic, and the actions of the Pharisees themselves to turn their own
arguments against them. How can we use
this example today, to effectively minister to the logic-driven society that we
live in today? How does our own belief
system affect our ability to minister to others? Does the authenticity of our faith have an
effect?
e.
The definition of
blasphemy came up, so I looked it up in and found this;
· Biblestudytools.com has a dictionary, which defines it
this way: Overt, verbal, and conscious repudiation of the fact that God is
at work in Jesus.
· There is also
an article on Biblestudytools.com: http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/blasphemy-against-the-holy-spirit.html
· Another interesting article from carm.org: http://carm.org/what-blasphemy-holy-spirit-can-christian-commit-it
f.
Lynette Leonard
read the Message translation for perspective on blasphemy: “There's
nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. But if you deliberately persist in
your slanders against God's Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who
forgives. If you reject the Son of Man
out of some misunderstanding, the Holy Spirit can forgive you, but when you
reject the Holy Spirit, you're sawing off the branch on which you're sitting,
severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives.”
Stephoni
finished up the night with a thought for reflection: “What do I believe? How can I
shape, define, and understand my own thoughts and beliefs in such a way that
allows me to communicate them with others and love them more effectively? What does it mean when I say, “There is a God. He has a Son.
His Son is my savior.”
*Homework*
11. Identity where
Jesus claims to be the Messiah in Chapter 12.
2. Explain the
parable in verses 43-45.
Prayer requests…
Sandy: Chris’ grandmother is
in the hospital. Please pray for her.
Barbara Jones: Son has
decided to take in foster children.
Daughter-in-law is anxious about it.
Please pray for a good experience.
Phyllis: Daughter-in-law had
a hysterectomy.
Melanie: Health in pregnancy.
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