NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Bible Studies For Life curriculum.
Bible Passage: Luke 6:17-23, 27-31
Discussion Questions:
- When have you seen a simple fix turn into a major project?
- What are some ways our world needs healing today?
- What are tangible ways to live out the golden rule in today’s society?
Food for Thought:
Through His miracles and teaching, Jesus pointed us to a relationship with God.
We are bombarded daily with reports of violence, anger, disease and a host of other issues. It’s important to note that as terrible as these issues are, they are really symptoms of an even greater issue at the very foundation of who we are as human beings. The ministry of Jesus helps us understand not only these surface-level issues, but it points us to the deeper issue at hand.
One of the marks of Jesus’ ministry was healing. Jesus heals because He is loving and compassionate. He encountered people in pain and desperation and, having the power to do so, affected real and lasting physical change in their lives.
In every healing, Jesus was revealing something about Himself. He was revealing His identity as the Son of God.
After healing people through His miraculous power, Jesus took the opportunity to teach crowds what it meant to be blessed. The way He described blessing sounded strange then. It still sounds strange to us today:
- Blessed are the poor.
- Blessed are the hungry.
- Blessed are the sad.
- Blessed are the hated.
That’s a very different picture of what we typically think of as being blessed. Then again, everything is different in God’s kingdom. Jesus was not teaching people how to be good citizens or to simply live moral lives. He taught the way to God. This is where true joy and favor are found, not in the things of the world, but only in a real relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Though the ministry of Jesus was marked by many things, surely one of the most evident was His love. Jesus’ love extended to those society considered out of bounds. He was around those who were cast aside; He loved the unlovable. And He calls us to do the same. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students, and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found on the Internet at Lifeway.com/biblestudiesforlife.
