Tag: bsf lesson 12

woman praying www.atozmomm.com bsf john

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 3: John 8:12-30

by atozmom, posted in BSF John's Gospel: The Truth 2023/2024

SUMMARY OF JOHN 8:12-30

Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus says his testimony counts because he is one witness and the other witness is His Father.

The teachers of the law did not know him.

Jesus said again he is going away, and where he goes, no one can follow. Everyone was confused and wondered if he would kill himself.

Jesus said he is from heaven, and those who do not believe in him will die in their sins.

Jesus explains that God is with him and that he only does what pleases God. Once he dies, you will know he is the Savior of the world. Many believed in him.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 3: John 8:12-30

6) It means Jesus is the Savior of the world. He brings light into the darkness (evil). He forgives our sins (darkness) and brings us into the light of forgiveness.

7) Himself and God. That he is God.

8 ) “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

9) That Jesus was sent from God to do His bidding. That Jesus and God are one here for our good.

10) His crucifixion on the cross. It was from this moment that we were saved and given the Holy Spirit that guides us each and every day. This act is our saving grace.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 3: John 8:12-30

I’ve always loved the light analogy because it’s so concrete and so true. Most of us enjoy the daylight more. We can see better and feel safer. With Jesus, there is always light, and we are always safe.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 3: John 8:12-30

Jesus is teaching again. Light was significant to the ancient Jews because it represented the pillar of fire that provided light to the Israelites while in the desert. Jews lighted candles as a remembrance.

God’s Word is light (Psalm 119:105). Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). Jesus is light.

Jesus is himself the first witness to himself. He was supported by God.

No one understood Jesus because they were blinded to the truth.

The second witness is God the Father, who the Pharisees do not know.

No one could follow Jesus who did not believe in him (aka the Pharisees).

Suicide was a sin, so the Pharisees were trying to twist Jesus’ words.

Unless you believe in Jesus Christ, you will die in your sins as Jesus states here.

The Pharisees only desire is to trick Jesus, not learn from him.

Many believed because they could see that God was with Jesus from the way he lived. The Pharisees lived lives of lies.

Jesus’ resurrection stands as God’s greatest witness of his Son.

Contact me today!

Christmas Gifts

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

woman praying www.atozmomm.com bsf john

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 2: John 8:1-11

by atozmom, posted in BSF John's Gospel: The Truth 2023/2024

SUMMARY OF JOHN 8:1-11

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. The teachers of the law asked Jesus if this woman should be stoned as commanded in the Law of Moses.

Jesus wrote in the ground and said “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Everyone went away and Jesus said he did not condemn her and told her to leave her life of sin.

BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 2: John 8:1-11

3a) The religious leaders were desperate. They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him, so they could kill him.

b) Jesus is omniscient, wise, full of compassion, and forgiving. He loves everyone.

4a) Because we all like to think we are good people and do the right thing, when we are all sinners and fall, too. It somehow makes us feel better to accuse others and think we are better than others.

b) Do what Jesus commands: Don’t throw a stone when I’m a sinner, too. Be less quick to judge and quicker to love.

5) Jesus just wants the best for us. When we confess our sins, he forgives us and wishes us well and to follow in his footsteps.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 2: John 8:1-11

Great reminder of how we are all full of sin and should be less judging of others.

End Notes BSF Study Questions John’s Gospel: The Truth Lesson 12, Day 2: John 8:1-11

This story has been debated by Bible scholars for centuries on if it really occurred or not or if it is part of the Gospel of John. This is because it it omitted in many early manuscripts of the Bible.

Yet, the story seems to reflect what Jesus would actually do, so many Bible studies believe it is true.

This scene is placed here after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:37), and Jesus is still teaching in the temple.

Bringing the woman out in public was to embarrass her and Jesus.

Note the man whom the woman was with is missing here.

While a woman could be stoned for adultery, in all practicality, no one was. The rules were extremely strict in order to establish guilt.

If Jesus said the woman should go free, he would break the Law of Moses. If he condemned her, he’d seem cruel and break Roman law since they were the only ones allowed to execute.

The woman was being used as a pawn; Jesus would have none of it.

Jesus’ stooping is him identifying with the woman. No one knows what he wrote.

Witnesses to the crime would have to throw the first stone. All were convicted by their conscience and left with the oldest first (Bible scholars are unsure why).

In sum, Jesus took her sin and bid her to sin no more.

Contact me today!

Christmas Gifts

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

jonah and the whale people of the promise kingdom divided lesson 12 www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

SUMMARY OF JONAH 4

Jonah expresses his anger that God saved Nineveh. He asks to die. Jonah leaves the city and waits. The Lord provides a plant for shade for him. It grows and then dies. God asks him if he has a right to be angry about the plant. He still wishes for death. Jonah’s concern for the plant is the same as God’s concern for the people of Nineveh who also needed tending to grow in faith.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

13a) That Jonah is playing God, deciding who should be saved and who should not.

b) Pride that he was better than the people of Nineveh. Anger that they were horrible sinners and God saved them when he was a prophet who was also saved. Anger that the Assyrians were his enemies (the enemy of God’s people). They should be judged, not granted mercy.

14a) Tenderly. By trying to explain to Jonah in a way he would understand about God’s infinite mercy for Nineveh.

b) “should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh” “you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity”

15) It really hasn’t. I’ve always understoon that God can forgive whoever he wants to forgive like he has forgiven me. It’s not on me to judge who he saves and who he doesn’t.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

I find it interesting how Jonah is playing God here and decides for God that Nineveh should not be saved. How many of us do this to our loved ones?

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 5: Jonah 4

Most prophets are pleased with converts. Thus, Jonah’s reaction here is very different.

Without God’s mercy, Jonah would be dead. Yet, this same mercy granted to Nineveh overwhelms him with anger.

God questions us because we are in the wrong and He wants us to see it from a different (often His) perspective. Sure, we can be angry with God, but we are never right over God, and we must repent of that anger, which is often due to misunderstanding.

Jonah seemed to hope that God would still destroy Nineveh when he left. He did not understand God’s love for all of humanity.

Yet, if Jonah cared so much for a plant that he did nothing for, how much more is God’s caring and love for a people that He did everything for from the moment of their creation?

Fun Fact: This is the first time Jonah is recorded as being happy. And it’s all because of a plant.

Fun Fact: Jonah’s last words recorded in the Bible show him clinging to his ways and not God’s ways. Luckily, God always has the last word.

All of this prepared Jonah for God’s work. How is He preparing you today?

Contact me today!

Great Black Friday Deals (And Fun Winter Reads, Too!)

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

jonah and the whale people of the promise kingdom divided lesson 12 www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF JONAH 2:

Jonah prayed to God from inside the fish. He called out to God who brought him up from the pit. Jonah will proclaim God’s name and say that salvation comes from the Lord. The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12:39-41:

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh repented when Jonah preached, but Jesus is here who is greater than Jonah.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

7a) God listens even in our darkest (literally) hours.

b) “I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.” Even though God has given us consequences for our sins, we can still praise him in his infinite mercy. He always lifts us up.

8a) Mankind is stubborn. Sometimes, we have to hit rock bottom to come to Him.

b) Patience. I’m trying to be patient as I yearn to move some place else.

9a) I hopefully learn not to disobey God and suffer the consequences. But when I do, all I have to do is cry out to Him for forgiveness and redemption.

b) Jonah saved many people in Nineveh. That matters to God.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

I can just picture the fish vomiting up Jonah. I’m unsure who was more relieved: Jonah or the fish?

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 3: Jonah 2 and Matthew 12:39-41

Jonah prayed many of the Psalms (Psalm 18:6), (Psalm 42:7), (Psalm 31:22). He was a man of God

Jonah is distressed to be separated from God. Yet, he praises God and realizes his mistake at resisting Him. He repents and promises to do what God tells him to do. He realizes salvation is the Lord.

Note Jonah was delivered after he truly repented of his wrongs. This is what we must do, too.

Jonah most likely was vomited onto the shore and then made his way to Nineveh.

Jonah’s journey foreshadowed Christ’s:

  • Both offered their life for others
  • Both spent 3 days and 3 nights “dead”
  • Both were resurrected per se

Contact me today!

Great Black Friday Deals (And Fun Winter Reads, Too!)

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

jonah and the whale people of the promise kingdom divided lesson 12 www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

by atozmom, posted in BSF People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided 2022/2023

SUMMARY OF JONAH 1:

God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. But Jonah ran from the Lord and headed for Tarshish on a ship. God sent a great wind and storm against Jonah’s ship. They threw their cargo overboard to lighten it. Jonah was sleeping, and the crew cast lots, which told them he was responsible for the storm.

Jonah confessed that he was running from God, so he told them to throw him overboard because the storm is his fault. At first, the men did not do this, but the sea grew wilder. The men prayed for God to not fault them for throwing Jonah over. A fish swallowed Jonah, and he was in its belly three days and three nights.

BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

3a) 2 Kings 14:25 says, “He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Dead Sea, in accordance with the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath Hepher.”

b) Jonah ran away from the Lord.

c) He was afraid to do what God told him to do. He may have been afraid of the people of Nineveh. He was outside of his comfort zone. It was a hard job and Jonah simply did not want to do it. Many Bible scholars believe that Jonah did not believe that the evil Assyrians deserved repentance and mercy from God.

d) They run in every way possible. They ignore his voice and his calling. They don’t do what he tells them to do. They don’t pray or go to church. They hide from Him like Jonah did.

4) When you disobey God, there are consequences. He pursues you and does what he has to to get you to listen to him.

5) I usually don’t struggle with this. None of us are worthy of God’s love and grace, no matter how “good” we are or how “evil.”

6) All the time. He asks me to be nice to people I don’t want to be nice to. He puts me in places I hate. He challenges me to bloom where planted. Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I fail. Still, I try.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

I love the story of Jonah. Such a colorful story of God doing whatever it takes to get your attention.

End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promise: Kingdom Divided Lesson 12, Day 2: Jonah 1

map of nineveh and tarshish www.atozmomm.com It’s important to understand that Nineveh was the capital of Assyria at the time. It was a pagan city. God chose Jonah to go and speak to the people of Nineveh and rebuke them for their sins.

Nineveh was to the east of Israel. Tarshish was to the west in what is now Spain. Jonah wanted to get as far away from God’s calling as possible.

God sent a storm. God’s timing is now when He calls. You don’t put off His call for when it’s convenient for you.

Jonah slept as many Christians sleep through God’s calling. We must be awake for Christ.

Jonah asks to be thrown into the sea, and gives us a picture of Christ who threw himself into humans’s storms.

The storm ended once Jonah was thrown into the sea, proving God existed. Many Bible scholars believe the men on the ship came to faith in God after this.

What Was the Fish?

We don’t know what kind of fish this was. It could have been a whale or a special fish God created for just this moment in time. Either way, God was not finished with Jonah yet. He lived three days and nights in the belly of the fish. This was what Jonah personally needed to come to God and obey Him. God does the same with us, just in different ways.

Contact me today!

Great Black Friday Deals (And Fun Winter Reads, Too!)

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

jesus escaping the crowds of people www.atozmomm.com bsf matthew

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12:22-50

Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, and the Pharisees said it is only by Beelzebub, or the devil, that Jesus can drive out demons. Jesus pointed out that why would Satan go against himself by driving out demons he put into people? And the priests drive out demons, too. Are they working for Satan, too? A house divided against itself cannot stand, Jesus says, and whoever is not with him is against him.

God won’t forgive anyone who speaks against or blasphemies the Holy Spirit, calling God’s work evil. A good tree will bear good fruit; a bad tree bears bad fruit. By your words, you will be condemned.

The Pharisees ask Jesus for a miraculous sign, and Jesus calls them wicked for asking. Jesus will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth like Jonah was three days and nights in a fish’s belly.

Jesus’s mother and brothers came to see him. Jesus calls all of his disciples who do the will of the Father his brother, sister, and mother.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

13a) His power over evil and the devil.

b) You have to subdue the person before you rob him. Jesus overcame Satan first to heal the man. He binded Satan’s power. He is stronger than Satan.

14a) They are not genuine. They are looking to trap Jesus and try to get him to prove himself. Jesus does not have to do that.

b) Jesus will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth like Jonah was three days and nights in a fish’s belly. There will be a sign (Jesus’s death) and a call to repentance.

15) Treat everyone as family.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

Long passages of Jesus fighting against the Pharisees. The fact of the matter is that the Pharisees want to see Jesus go away, which is why they are plotting to kill him. He is ruffling too many feather and changing the way things have always been done. They want to maintain power here. why Jesus essentially only humors them.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 5: Matthew 12:22-50

Why would Satan cast out Satan? Jesus says the Pharisees are making no sense right now.

Jesus uses the Spirit of God to heal.

He tells the Pharisees since they are not for him, they are by default against him. If the leaders reject Jesus, they are rejecting the Holy Spirit. God will not forgive them, and they will face eternal consequences.

Jesus points out to the Pharisees that they are bearing bad fruit (or are evil) as they condemn him.

“Brood of vipers” is like calling them the “sons of Satan.”

Careless or idle words do nothing for Christ. Our words reflect our hearts, and you can often tell where a person’s heart lies by their heart. That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

The Sign of Jonah

Jesus had already given countless signs; the fact they asked for a sign shows their unbelief.

Jonah was effectively dead in the fish’s belly and then he was given new life. This reflects Jesus’s resurrection. The three days and nights could mean a portion of those days and nights and not the full effect. The Ninevites recognized Jonah; the Queen of Sheba recognized God in Solomon. The Pharisees have failed to recognize Jesus.

Jesus says he is greater than Solomon, a king who is very highly regarded in Jesus’s day.

Jesus will judge the Pharisees moreso than the people of Ninevah as his light is greater.

Evil spirits look for those who are empty of the spirit of Jesus. If you are filled with Jesus, you can never be empty.

True Believers in Christ

Bible scholars believe that Mary and his brothers have arrived to maybe bring Jesus back home and somehow end or curtail his ministry. They are probably worried about him. They do not hold any special privileges. Instead, it’s those who do the will of God who are special.

Jesus sees every believer like his mother, brother, and sister. How cool!

Contact me today!

jacob travels to paddan aram for a wife www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 12:1-21

Jesus and his disciples were walking through fields of grain. His disciples were hungry, so they began to eat the grain heads. The Pharisees claimed this was unlawful. Jesus responded that David ate consecrated bread when he was hungry and the priests desecrate the day by doing temple work. He says one greater than the temple is here, since he, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath.

The Pharisees ask Jesus if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath. He uses the example of if a sheep had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, would they not rescue it? It’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand, and the Pharisees plotted how to kill Jesus.

Jesus withdrew and healed all the sick, telling them to tell no one who he was. This fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

9a) No. The law was to do no work on the Sabbath. Picking heads of grain was not only allowed according to Deuteronomy 23:25, but it most definitely is not work. The law did not say, “starve on the Sabbath.”

b) Jesus responded that David ate consecrated bread when he was hungry and the priests desecrate the day. He says one greater than the temple is here, since he, the Son of Man, is Lord of the Sabbath. Mark 2:23:27 says the Sabbath is made for man and his rest. In 1 Samuel 21:4-6, we read that the priests gave David and his men consecrated bread to eat as long as they had kept themselves from women. Jesus meant that as Lord of the Sabbath, he can do what he pleases.

10) He cared more about people than laws.

11) The Pharisees are beginning to plot against him. Jesus knows he still has work to do before he is called home to God, so he withdraws to protect himself. He’s trying to keep a low profile and not draw attention to himself, so he tells those to not tell others, so he can continue his ministry here on earth.

12) I love how in his name, there is hope. Jesus’s name is so powerful that all we need to do is hope in him.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

Human nature is to bring those down around you who are more successful than you, more popular, and who are helping others. Here, we see Jesus begin to suffer for his goodness.

If you love Bible maps like I do, check out this Bible resource!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 4: Matthew 12:1-21

This passage shows us how the Bible can be misinterpreted and the consequences thereof. The Pharisees would have Jesus and his disciples starve because in their minds they were doing work on the Sabbath. This is not what the Bible says at all.

Jesus, of course, never broke a law; he did break man’s interpretation of that law, and sometimes on purpose, to make a point.

Here, human need is more important than the rules of the Sabbath. Besides, Jesus says, the priests break the laws of the Sabbath constantly by performing their rituals, which is work. Mercy is more important than sacrificing for principles (Hosea 6:6)

Jesus once again proclaims his deity with his declaration that he is Lord of the Sabbath and greater than the temple, which was everything to the Jewish people at that time. He  himself is worthy of love, admiration, honor, sacrifice, service, and worship.

Jesus Healing on the Sabbath

Jesus sets the example of us going to church on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees try to set Jesus up with a man who needs healing, knowing Jesus will have compassion on the man and heal him.

Here, the Pharisees turn from just rejecting Jesus to plotting to murder him.

Jesus withdrew to preserve God’s plan for him. He healed all who came to him in faith, and this probably took a long time.

Jesus is the chosen Servant of God.  Matthew 20:25-28, Matthew 23:11, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:43-45. He still serves us by being our guiding light, our Savior, and loving us despite our sins every day.

Jesus doesn’t need to draw attention to himself; his deeds speak for themselves.

Jesus is gentle with those who are bruised and nourishes us who are like smoldering flames.

“The nations” refers to Jesus’s ministry to the Gentiles.

Contact me today!

 

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 11:16-30

This generation is like children, Jesus says.

Jesus denouced cities (Korazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida) he has performed miracles in because they did not repent. Tyre, Sodom, and Sidon will be better off on the day of judgment than them.

Jesus praises God for revealing himself to the little children. No one knows God except the Son and those whom the Son chooses to reveal to him.

Jesus calls those who are weary and burdened to come to him and he will give them rest. Learn from him who has an easy yoke and a light burden.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

6a) Those who witnessed his miracles but did not repent.

b) If you don’t repent and accept Jesus, you will not receive eternal life.

7) “Because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” for God’s pleasure.

8a) Jesus calls those who are weary and burdened to come to him and he will give them rest. Learn from him who has an easy yoke and a light burden.

b) He carries them for us, forgives our sins, and allows us freedom to live.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

One of Jesus’s most famous quotes as he offers rest to those who are weary and burdened, as most of us are at some point in our lives. Learn from Jesus to be less weary and less burdened.

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 3: Matthew 11:16-30

map of korazin, bethsaida, and capernaum www.atozmomm.com bsf matthewMany people will criticize just to criticize, as they did Jesus and John for nothing at all they did. Wisdom is proved by actions.

It is worse to know about Jesus and still reject him than to not know about Jesus and reject him. There is a greater responsibility with knowledge.

Here we learn that there are different degrees of accountability based on what you know and what you choose to do with that knowledge.  (Matthew 12:41; 23:13;  Luke 12:47-48), (Romans 1:20-2:16)

The cities Jesus mentions (Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum John 21:25🙂 all faced judgment. We are not told what happened here as we do not have all the details of Jesus’s life (what we could learn if we could!).

Note that the Father can only be known through the Son.

Jesus invites us to come to him, not go. We are to come as disciples, ready to learn how to live and now just receive grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

In ancient times, the yoke was what tied oxen together to do work. It was a symbol of a burden or obligation. The ancient Jews used this as a symbol of a yoke of the law, command, faith, repentance, and more. Jesus’s yoke is nothing in comparision.

Jesus is gentle and lowly and offers us rest. Jesus walks with us and bears burdens with us. He is our leader and mentor. Life is still hard, but with Jesus, he carries the hardships with us and for us.

Contact me today!

map of region of Gergesenes or Gadarenes bsf matthew matthew 8 www.atozmomm.com

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

by atozmom, posted in BSF Matthew 2021/2022

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 11:1-15

Jesus is continuing his ministry in the towns of Galilee. John the Baptist was in prison, and when he heard Jesus had come, he sent his disciples to ask if he was the One. Jesus told them to tell John that he has come to help the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, and raise the dead. He has come to preach the Good News to the poor. All who hear and believe will be blessed.

Jesus then spoke about John the Baptist, saying he is the Elijah who was to come, a prophet who none have been risen greater than he. The kingdom has been advancing thanks to John.

BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

3a) John is in prison, so he is probably hoping to get out when the One comes. He wants to know if Jesus will rescue him.

b) Jesus quoted Isaiah who prophesied about the Savior, saying when he (Jesus) comes, the deaf will hear, the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the humble will rejoice. He preaches Good News to the poor and binds up the broken hearted (Isaiah 14:3-5).

c) Many times: in our moves, our past bankruptcy, and even now as we try to navigate another move possibly and career changes. All changes test your faith in some way, and you learn to lean on God more and more.

4a) John the Baptist was probably confused if Jesus was a political Messiah, sent to overthrow Rome, or the one he is — the one to save our souls instead. So, he asked Jesus himself, as we all should.

b) By asking Jesus. By bringing their questions to him and asking and waiting for him to respond.

5) He said no one born of women has been greater than he.

Conclusions BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

Great example of how it’s okay to doubt who Jesus is and ask him to reveal himself. Many people come to Christ this way. Doubting is human, so give yourself some grace when you arrive at these moments in your life and continue to bring your doubts to Jesus.

Great historical fiction on the life of John the Baptist!

End Notes BSF Study Questions Matthew Lesson 12, Day 2: Matthew 11:1-15

Some Bible scholars say that John sent his disciples to ask who Jesus was for the disciples’ sake and not his own.

John the Baptist was in jail for calling out Herod Antipas, the ruler of Judea at this time. Herod had seduced his brother’s wife and ended up marrying her. John rebuked him for it and ended up in prison Matthew 14:3-12.

John is confused here, no doubt. He may be expecting a political Messiah — one who will rescue him. Perhaps, he didn’t want Jesus to forget about his troubles, too. Being in prision is hard, no doubt.

Jesus uses the prophecies of Isaiah to say he has come — but not in the political way many crave.

Jesus commends John the Baptist as the greatest prophet and man for being Jesus’s herald.  Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. Note that Jesus bears witness to John as he had done for him.

The kingdom of heaven is forceful in pushing back the darkness and in converting people to Jesus.

John the Baptist was in the spirit of Elijah  (Luke 1:17). John was the last of the Old Testament prophets. We see Elijah at the Transfiguration  (Matthew 17:3), and we’ll see him as one of two prophets to come in Revelation 11:3-12.

Fun Fact: “He who has ears, let him hear” was a saying of Jesus after he said something important he wanted his followers to remember.

Contact me today!

 

*As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

bsf lesson 12 www.atozmomm.com

Friday Digest: BSF’s Study of Genesis Lesson 12

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2020/2021

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IN GENESIS 18:16-19:38:

  • God is infinitely just.
  • God cannot tolerate sin.
  • God’s judgement is certain and fair.
  • God always does what is right, even when we don’t understand.
  • We are righteous by God’s grace alone.
  • Eternity is but a heartbeat away; are you living so?

Take Away: Sin infects everything and everyone. Be wary of who you surround yourself with and the influence of your culture.