MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM JOHN: 7 Words + 7 Signs - 18/10/09
This week we looked at the next 'word' that Jesus gave about himself in John 11 - "I am the resurrection and the life" - and we looked at how Jesus encountered death with truth, tears and anger
The context of Jesus’ saying was the funeral of one of his closest friends Lazarus (vs1-4 +17). Jesus has 3 encounters and deals with each person differently
(1) Martha (vs20-27) - Truth. Jesus gives her hope by speaking of the future and final resurrection of God’s people “on the last day” but reorientates it around himself and what we do with him. HE IS the agent of resurrection life and what you do with him now will determine what will happen on that last day to you. Jesus gives Martha the truth that gives her hope for the future.
(2) Mary (29-26) - Tears. In complete contrast to Martha, when Mary meets Jesus (and expresses exactly the same complaint - vs21 &32) there is no theological discussion and no talk about the final resurrection…there are just tears. He stops and weeps because of all the brokenness he sees around him. Jesus gives Mary the tears that will comfort her in the present.
(3) Lazarus/Death (33-40) - Anger. In verse 33 & 38 John says “Jesus, deeply moved in spirit and troubled” which literally means “to quake with anger” (to roar and snort like an animal). And the questions is…..why the such fury? Did he not know how the story was going to end - that the tears would turn to dancing as the death became a resurrection? It seems clear that Jesus knew how the story was going to end (vs4 + 11) - he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. So why such emotion? Why the weeping and why the quaking with rage? Well Bruce Milne* captures the reason well when he says
“In Mary’s grief he sees and feels the misery of the whole human races and burns with rage again the oppressor of men. It is death that is the object of his wrath, and behind death him who has the power of death, he who had come into the world to destroy.”
Jesus weeps and quakes with rage not just because Lazarus has died, but because of what Lazarus symbolises - that death is an evil intruder into God’s world and brings such suffering and pain with it. Although Jesus would reverse this situation around and comfort these 2 sisters, there would be more friends dying young, more sisters weeping and more suffering which Jesus would not be able to turn around. Jesus quakes with rage at death and the powers of darkness that have defaced God’s originally beautiful creation.
What did we learn from this story
(1) The greater the love, the greater the rage. Jesus is weeps and quakes with rage because he loves Lazarus and he is dead, he loves the sisters and they are mourning and he loves God’s creation and it has been marred and scared by death. Wrath and Love are not opposites and they are not competing, they are 2 sides of the same coin. If God is not full of Wrath, he is not loving! The opposite of Love is indifference, to be unaffected by the suffering and pain of loved ones.
(2) Jesus gets involved in our suffering. We do not worship a distant and disinterested God. We worship a God who came down to earth, got his hands dirty, wept with those that wept and quaked with rage at death. Unlike Allah, the idea of Karma and the philosophy that underlies atheistic evolution, Jesus does feel and does weep and does sympathise with our pain.
(3) We all make one of two mistakes when it comes to thinking about God/Jesus. Either he is “all loving” and accepts everyone. But there is no truth, there is no anger. Or else he is “all about truth” and there is no welcome and tenderness and “eating with sinners” that Jesus was so famous for. But John tells us (1.14) that “the word became flesh…we have seen his glory….full of GRACE AND TRUTH.” Jesus is full of Grace and Truth and neither is compromises and neither is put over or above the other. Why is the balance important? Well if it is one and not other…
- The Grace doesn’t have the Truth to transform us
- The Truth doesn’t have the Grace so it crushes us
(4) We all make one of two mistakes when it comes to dealing with suffering. When we meet people who are suffering and grieving we either “give them the truth” but we fail them because they do not feel loved or comforted. If that is you, you need to learn the “the ministry of tears.” Stop, listen, be silent and cry to comfort people. However, other people “just weep” with those who are suffering which shows them comfort but if you never speak truth to them (that Jesus suffered and weeps with you, that Jesus quakes with rage at suffering and evil, that Jesus has opened a way to the new creation without suffering and that Jesus uses suffering for good) then they will lose hope. And not just lose hope. they will become hardened (because there is no hope for the future) - hardened towards life, other people, circumstances and God. If that is you, you need to learn “the ministry of truth.”
(5) When we deal with suffering we have to be sensitive to different people at different times and whether we need to give them “the ministry of tears” or the “ministry of truth” - there is no “5 step plan.” How do we grow in this? We come to know The Wonderful Counsellor more intimately and walk more closely with his Spirit.
(6) We must never succumb to the lie and the pressure that says “mature people hold their emotions in.” Jesus shows us that ‘the most mature people weep the most’ so if you want to laugh, cry, quake with rage (righteously) and weep then we are ‘to let the emotions out’ - it shows we are in touch with reality, we are involved in peoples lives and that we are engaging with suffering.
(7) The greatest moment of glory, the greatest moment of grace and truth is the hour of the cross (John 12.27-28). That was where the perfect just and loving God out of love for his people but hatred for sin quaked with rage on his own son. It was at the cross that the powers of darkness were overcome and the devil disarmed (Colossians 2.15). To the extent that the cross captivates our hearts and becomes the framework from which we view all of lifes tragedies will be the extent to which we will be able to full of grace and truth.
Reflection and Application
(1) Use Isaiah 53 to meditate on the death and sufferings of Christ. Thank God that the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
(2) Which of the 7 points challenges or comforts you the most and why?
(3) Which do you veer towards…just a Holy God or just a Loving God? Why? How can you keep the balance? Why is it important to keep the balance?
(4) Which do you veer towards…a ministry of truth or a ministry of tears? Why? How can you grow in the other ministry?
(5) When and why do you keep your emotions in? How does Jesus’ example help you?
(6) How can you become a group of “wonderful counsellors” to each other and to the people you are reaching out to? Pray for opportunity to exercise grace and truth this week to those you are around.
(7) Pray for people you know who need to know the ministry of tears to comfort them in the present and for those that need to know the ministry of truth to give them hope for the future.
* John: Bible Speaks Today Commentary, pg165
MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM JOHN: 7 Words + 7 Signs - 12/10/09
Matt continued our series in the gospel of John looking at Jesus' second 'word' - I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD - from John 9.1-7
REM famously wrote “Everybody hurts…sometimes….so hold on” and it is a sentiment that is every person can relate to because we live in a world of sin, suffering and evil…there is lots of darkness.
However there are 2 common assumptions that we make when it comes to suffering that this passage highlights (vs1-3)
(1) Did the man sin (inward guilt). However if this was true (that God paid us back for every sin) then we’d all be doomed.
(2) Was it his parents sin (outward guilt). We all look for a scapegoat - family, background, church, politics….and God. However in doing this we are assuming that God oews us a comfortable life, that God is in our debt - when in fact, we are all in his debt.
In fact, the relationship between sin and suffering is more complex than “if I sin I get punished.” Yes there is general suffering that comes from our sin (Genesis 3) but we are not to link specific suffering to specific sins (as the people in this story want to do).
Jesus avoids the two assumptions and gives a provocative, challenging and comforting answer to the question (vs3) - He says that although God hates suffering he uses it to draw people to himself.
C.S Lewis famously said “God whispers in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences but shouts in our pain. Suffering is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world”
But more than just that, Jesus tells us not only can God use suffering for good “to get our attention” but that he is “the light of the world.” In this dark world, we are not to look inward, not to look outward but look to him, the light of the world.
But the setting for this second word is worth noting. Jesus is at the Jewish feast of the tabernacles which celebrated God’s provision to his people in the wilderness - water from rock, manna from heaven & a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night guide (the shekinah glory of God). Water would have been poured on the alter (to represent water from rock), some people would have built huts outside the city (to represent that wilderness wanderings) and most importantly, the oil drums on the 4 huge pillars in the outer courts of the temple were lit up (to represent God’s provision of light in the desert) and in the midst of all that Jesus says “I am the light of the world.”
In suffering, in pain, in darkness….we don’t look inward, we don’t look outward - we look to him, the light of the world to provide comfort and hope. He is the one we hold onto in the darkness because he is the light of the world
Reflection and Application
(1) How do you respond to suffering and pain? Do you look inward and blame yourself or do you look outward and blame someone else (maybe God)?
(2) How does the knowledge that God uses suffering for our good help us (a) prepare for suffering, (b) to cope when suffering comes and (c) reflect once the suffering is past? Other passages that may help are Romans 5.1-5, James 1.1-5, 1 Peter 1.3-8 & Hebrews 12.1-12
(3) How does Jesus being the light of the world help you in your suffering? How does that give you hope?
(4) How does it affect your suffering knowing that Jesus experienced physical, emotional and spiritual suffering as well?
(5) How can you help each other “hold on” to Jesus when the darkness comes?
(6) How would you start to answer a friend who said “why does God allow suffering?”
(7) Appropriate songs = light of the world & blessed be your name
MISSION GROUP QUESTIONS FROM JOHN: 7 Words + 7 Signs - 5/10/09
This week we started our series in the Gospel of John by looking at the first 'word' that Jesus gives about himself - I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE (John 6.35)
Jesus feeds the 5000, walks on water and then gives his famous discourse about being THE bread of life (with lots of allusions to him being the “new and better Moses”).
This is how the discussion goes
vs 25-27: The crowds say “fill our bellies again….give us your blessing” - Jesus replies “I have something eternal to offer you”
vs28-29: The crowds say “what must we do…so you’ll give us what we want” - Jesus replies “your work is to believe”
vs30-36: The crowds say “give us another sign like Moses did…..give us bread” - Jesus replies “I am THE bread come down from my father”
The crowds reveal that they don’t want Jesus they want his blessings, they don’t want the giver they want the gift, they don’t look to where the sign points to, they just want more signs! And yet since Jesus taught this in the synagogue (vs69), he is actually addressing God’s people - we all do this everyday.
And here is the fruit of someone that doesn’t go to God to ‘get God’ but goes to God for his blessings
(1) Dry Prayer life
(2) Inability to handles suffering resulting in
—- anger towards God
—- jealousy of other
—- self-pity
To move from a bargaining relationship to a love relationship we have to see that “the bread was broken for you” - that has to melt your heart and captivate you. You need to see he could not have given us a greater or more costly gift - he gave us himself.
Reflecting on similar themes John Piper has said “The fight of faith is the fight to keep your heart contented in Christ – to really believe and keep on believing that he really will meet every need and satisfy every longing”.
Reflection and Questions for Application
(1) Sing some songs that talk about just wanting God because he is our greatest treasure - e.g “As the deer pants for the water.”
(2) Meditate on Psalm 84 and Psalm 27.1-4 - use these Psalms to praise God and seek more of him.
(3) Share communion together and thank Jesus that he was broken so you could have life.
(4) When and why do you go to God to get things from God rather than just to get God?
(5) How do you balance going to God as a child who asks their father for good things (as Jesus taught us to pray) without entering into a bargaining relationship with him?
(6) Where do you see the fruit of a bargaining relationship in your life? - reflect on the 4 negative fruits above
(7) How do you react when God doesn’t answer prayers the way you had hoped? Why? How does Jesus giving himself for you help you trust him when life is tough?
(8) How can you (corporately and individually) help each other cultivate a love relationship with God? What helps you keep him at the centre for you?
(9) What does the “fight of faith” look like for you week to week and how can you win it?
photo credit: tschörda
