Stories Jesus Told: Lesson 6: A Reversal of Fortune

November 11, 2019

Luke 16:19-31: The Rich Man and Lazarus

Opening Prayer:  Lord, speak to us again today through your word.  We open our lives to your gaze and guidance.  Challenge us where we need challenging and bolster us where we need bolstering.  Teach us today to see the meaning behind your Holy Gospel, we pray.  Amen

Context	Notes	Reaction
Biblical Context: Luke as the Gospel of reversal.	*Luke is often called the social reform Gospel or the poverty Gospel.  He spends a lot of time lifting up the common man and questioning wealth, status, and power. He also lifts up the subject of untimely death and gives us the idea that you can’t take it with you.	* Luke was writing from the perspective of a doctor.  A doctor would cross social economic lines to take care of people.  He was exposed to both wealth and poverty.
Parable: WHAT??? Moments Places in the story that make you feel uncomfortable or question what is happening.	* Implication that the poor go to heaven and the rich go to hell. * We have no idea of the personal characters of the Lazarus or the Rich Man. * Are we saved by Grace or are we saved by Works? * Abraham doesn’t send anyone to help the Rich Man or his brothers.	* In Jesus’ time more people would have identified with Lazarus – the poor man.  Today most of us are comfortable and we would identify with the rich man.  * At what point do we start to pay attention?
Characters: Lazarus The Rich Man Abraham	* Lazarus is poor, outcast, forgotten, homeless, lives outside the gate of the Rich Man.  When he dies it is implied that he is still on the street and unburied.  He goes directly to heaven and has a place of honor by Abraham ******************* * The Rich Man is unnamed.   *He has a proper burial but ends up in hell.   * We find out that he noticed Lazarus in life, and in death is still treating him like a servant when he requests him to bring him some water. * Also asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers that this fate awaits him. ******************* * Is the voice of authority and in the context of the parable the voice of God. * He says that even if someone was raised from the dead they still wouldn’t believe them.	* The ancient civilizations had superstitions about burial.  Many cultures believed that you could only go to heaven if you had a proper burial.  But Jesus turns this assumption on its head with Lazarus and the Rich Man’s deaths. * This is a continuation of Luke’s idea that being rich is no guarantee that you are right with God. * The indifference to Lazarus in life is perhaps why he is in hell.   * We find out that the Rich Man, who was probably educated had access to Moses and the Prophets.  The Rich Man can’t use the argument that he didn’t know that his lack of charity would send him here.    * This is foreshadowing Jesus’ own resurrection and Jesus as our proof-positive that he is the son of God so we should listen to his teaching.
Proclamation- Good News- Message; Who are today’s outcasts?	Mentally/emotionally challenged Mentally ill Homeless Immigrant LGBTQ Illiterate Uneducated Addicts	* How do we notice the people in our communities who need help?  * What can we do to help them?   The church used to be one of the first places that people turned to for help – but now most town have social workers, so the minister/church is now a sideline.  This means that a Christian community, especially in a more prosperous area must be more vigilant about finding the needs in the community.
Conflict/ Resolution in the story: Grace Vs. Good Works	We believe that we are saved by grace.  But we also need to act on our faith and we do that through our good works.  It is not our works that save us but they strengthen our faith and give us further connections to God.

Stories Jesus Told: Lesson 5: Losing, Finding, Partying

October 28, 2019

Luke 15:1-32: Parable of the Prodigal Son

Opening Prayer:  Lord, the stories we read in the Gospels are like the stories of our lives. We encounter ordinary things and common relationships, but you always take us deeper, to the core of who we are and who you are.  Keep teaching us as we come before your work today.  Amen

Context	Notes	Reaction
Two Pre-Parables: Lost Coin Lost Sheep	The prodigal son comes at the end of a longer discussion on forgiveness which is interwoven with the ideas of finding things that are lost and redemption.   * A woman hunts for a lost coin.  When she finds it she celebrates with friends. * The shepherd leaves his flock to find the stray sheep, and rejoices when it is found.	*In this case the woman is looking for something precious, but it is just an object. * In this case the precious item is something alive, an animal This leads us into a story about a precious person being lost and found.  A buildup of importance.
Parable: WHAT??? Moments Places in the story that make you feel uncomfortable or question what is happening.	* The arrogance or stupidity of the youngest son leaving the family.   * The father’s forgiveness.  Should the father forgive or not? * The father giving a party and the reaction of the eldest as angry, this doesn’t seem to be very kind	This story is about family dynamics that probably happened all the time in Jesus’ time.  Some children were stay at home, others wanted adventure.
Characters: Younger Son Father Older Son	*Asks for his inheritance and leaves. * Losses everything.  Money, means of work, and identity.   *  Remembers himself.  Decides to return home and admit to his father that he was wrong ******************* * Father is joyous at his son’s return.  Dresses him nicely and throws a party for him *************** The son is angry at the father.  He assumes the worst about the younger son and comments on it.  But also complains that he has never received any recognition from his father even though he has worked so hard.  Is he underneath worried about his own inheritance?	* The son is not asking for more than his legal share.  Probably a lot of children asked for their inheritance to start businesses * He became a pig-herder which is something that Jewish people did not do.  Essentially he has forgotten that the is Jewish. * He feels shame at who he has become and he embraces his wrong doing. The fact that he will ask to become a servant shows that he is willing to accept the consequences of his actions. *************** Relief at knowing that your son is alive. Discussed how parents who have their children listed as MIA would feel.  Never knowing if their children are alive or dead.  So it is understandable that the father would go overboard a little. *************** The father assures him that his inheritance is still what it is and tries to get him to understand his joy at knowing that his son/brother is alive.   But this also shows a problem with the father who has possibly not shown the elder son that he is appreciated.  The warning might be that we need to show those who are with us and working for us how much we do appreciate them.  We need to celebrate what we have, not wait for a special occasion.
Proclamation- Good News- Message	* Noting that the father is a figure for God: We receive welcome and forgiveness if we come back after we are lost. * Children do things and we forgive them. *  Celebrate what you have lost and found.  But also celebrate the good that is there.	* It is important to note that forgiveness is a give and take process.  The son had to feel what he had done wrong and then repented of his actions.  He had learned humility.  He actually didn’t expect to be forgiven – it wasn’t a privilege or an entitlement. This story is not about cheap grace but about working on our grace.

Stories Jesus Told: Lesson 4: Lawyers and Samaritans

October 21, 2019

Luke 10: 25-37: Parable of the Good Samaritan

1. Opening Prayer:  Lord, fill our hearts today as we study the scriptures and may we allow ourselves to be surprised by new insights.  Challenge our assumption about things we know, so that we may have a new vision. And through your word teach us the way to love others as we love ourselves.  Amen

2. Definition of God and Bad Neighbors:  A good neighbor is someone who is friendly, observant, helpful, concerned, and respectful.  A bad neighbor is inconsiderate, loud intrusive, is a gossip, and mean.

Context	Notes	Reaction
Parable: WHAT??? Moments Characters: Are all related to our WHAT??? moments Places in the story that make you feel uncomfortable or question what is happening.	*The people who were from the same religion the Priest & Levite, people who are supposed to set and example don’t do anything. * The Samaritan who is the outsider and considered to be lower class is the one who acts in kindness. * The Innkeeper also shows a trust that the Samaritan is going to come back and check on the traveler.	* The initial expectation for when we hear the story is that maybe the Samaritan would rob him some more, because maybe that is what Jesus’ audience would expect, BUT he is the one who helps. * You need to have some trust with charity.  Also accountability comes into play.  It is possible to that the Innkeeper knew the Samaritan and that trust was already there.  If you have good accountability you can help more people. * We choose to give charity or not.
Scripture: Where does it appear in the Gospel	Answer to a question given to Jesus about following the second commandment; Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
Conflict/ Resolution in the story	In the story the conflict is: Should I or should I not help someone?  Jesus challenges us to simply let go of the question and do the action.	Often we don’t step in because we think that we might not have the resources or that it might take up too much time. But the Samaritan actually worked the help of the traveler into his own life and his journey was not that much interrupted.
Witness: In our Society As one of the people	Charity is all around us.  We can choose to partake of it or not.	This story shows us that it is often a personal encounter that leads us to acts of charity.   Random acts of kindness can also be charity – even little things like putting money in a parking meter. We can look for the chance to do personal encounters of charity.
Proclamation- Good News- Message	God loves us: we are connected to God’s love by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.  But God wants us to love the neighbor who you encounter, not just the person who lives next door.	This idea is an expansion outward of who our neighbor is – it is a challenge to not limit ourselves to the people we are familiar with.

Stories Jesus Told: Lesson 3: Weddings Gone Awry

October 14, 2019
Matthew 22: 1-14:  The Wedding Banquet

Matthew 25:1-13: The Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids

1. Opening Prayer:  Lord we are ready to hear from you today and learn from you.  Inspire us, challenge us, teach us, grow us, as we encounter these surprising stories in your Holy Word.

2.  Context background of the stories:

The Wedding Banquet:  One way to insure that people didn’t crash weddings was to give invited people simple but same robes as they walked in the door.  This was probably only done for the weddings of people who had means – and it is probable that the “wedding robe” wasn’t a gift but a loan for the day out of a supply that the family would use when someone got married.   When the King comes down he is able to recognize the wedding crasher because he isn’t wearing the same robe that everyone else is wearing or that he doesn't have a special robe on to begin with.   

The Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids:  We think of bridesmaids as belonging to the bride’s family, but in this case these are from the groom’s side of the family.  Weddings traditionally started at the bride’s house, then after some feasting and a chance for her to say goodbye to her family and friends from her hometown, she would walk with her groom and his family to her new residence, the groom’s house.  The young women of the groom’s family would greet the wedding party.  If the bride came at night they would light lamps to line the way to the house.  

Context	The Wedding Banquet	The Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids
What is Jesus talking about or addressing?	The Kingdom of God; Since both of these parables are talking about the Kingdom it is important to remember that although the story is based on actual events that might happen at a wedding the events in these weddings are used to illustrate how the Kingdom of God works.	The Kingdom of God
Scripture: Where does it appear in the Gospel?	During a discussion where people are asking Jesus to describe God’s Kingdom.	Same
Parable: WHAT??? Moment: Places in the story that make you feel uncomfortable or question what is happening.	* The fact that the first invited guests don’t come. * The king throwing the person out of the wedding – this doesn’t seem to be kind or fair, and even a bit extreme.	* Why didn’t the bridesmaid’s who had oil share their oil with the other girls?  This seems to be mean. *Once they got the oil why didn’t the groom open the door to them.  Again this seems mean.
Characters	King: God Guest w/out a Robe:  This person is an imposter who snuck into the wedding.  He represents those people who pretend to be pious but who don’t actually work on living in holiness by following God’s commandments of love.	Wise Bridesmaids: The wise bridesmaids who bring the oil are the ones who take their responsibilites/spirituality seriously.  They are looking ahead to what might be needed farther down the road.  They are willing to put the extra work in. Foolish Bridesmaids:  They are willing to bring the oil for the lamps but are not willing to do anymore work than that.  They also rely on others to be prepared and do their work for them. Groom: Christ
Conflict/ Resolution in the story	God knows when we are faking our commitment to God/Christianity.  Jesus was addressing those people who pretended to be pious.  Just because you go to church and say the prayers doesn’t mean that you are being one of God’s children if you are hurting or exploiting people the rest of the week.	Christ/God knows who is just going through the motions and who is really trying to understand him and work on what needs to be done.   Unlike giving someone some extra oil, the wise bridesmaids can’t give their more developed spirituality to the foolish maids.  We all need to develop our own spirituality, and think ahead to what might happen.  This is a warning for people who think that they can just get by with the basics.
Images/ Symbols of the story	* A Wedding was/is considered to be a reflection of the covenant that God has with his people.  Two people have to work at the covenant to maintain it.  God gives us many good things but we need to work at being good people as well.  * The outer darkness seems to be an extreme place to send the imposter, especially if we believe that God loves and redeems everyone.  But there is an aspect of Judgment build into keeping a covenant.  You can’t have a free ride.  Also, just because someone is thrown into the outer darkness doesn’t mean they have to stay there.  Sometimes people need to go through bad times before they become sincere or find meaning in their religious beliefs.  One example we talked about is an alcoholic who needs to hit rock bottom before finding a way to redemption.  Some people need to lose everything before they start to take life seriously.	* The oil represents the development of the spirit.  Some people just try to get by – once they are confirmed or saved they think that they don’t need to do anymore.  But personally we always need to be thinking ahead about developing our spirituality. The questions for both Jesus’ audience and for us is: Are you going to keep preparing yourself for the coming of God?  Are you sure you are ready?  Have you done enough? Are your improving?   The foolish maids are not only unprepared but they think that they can borrow the preparedness of the others.  They do try to get more oil, but it is too late by that time.  The groom/the Kingdom has already come and they have missed their chance. The groom might seem to be mean for not letting them in, but by their unpreparedness they have insulted his new bride, by not being there to greet her.  This is another warning that we need to work on our connection with God now – not put it off.

The questions for us that we need to ask:

1. Are we faking our religion, belief in God, or how we follow God in anyway?

2.  Are we getting by with our spirituality?  

3. How can we improve our public and personal practice?

Stories Jesus Told: Lesson Two: Funny Business

September 30, 2019                                                                         

Matthew 20: 1-16; Laborers and Wages

1.  Opening Prayer:  Lord Teach us today through your Scriptures.  Help us to see with new eyes.  Give us the courage to think new thoughts, and fill our hearts and minds with your holy energy.

Context	Notes	Reaction
Scripture: Where does it appear in the Gospel	After the story of the rich young man who doesn’t follow Jesus. Rich Young Man didn’t let go of his possessions but the Landowner in the Laborers story freely gives his money away.	There is an unhappiness related to money in both stories.
Characters	Landowner: Very generous.  Pays a fair wage of what a person needs to everyone. Laborers:  Everyone ends up working for the same amount no matter what the amount of time	Perceived unfairness – the laborers feel the difference between amount of time worked and wages. Also first ones who are hired are last to be paid – they see everyone get the same amount.
Conflict/ Resolution in the story	The equal payment sets up a WHAT? moment in the story.
Images/Symbols of the story	* Kingdom of God as opposed to real life * Denerius: how much you need to live for one day. * Landowner: God * Laborers: Us humans	Kingdom of God is not the same as real life.

2. Basic arguments of the Parable

God’s Grace	God’s Justice
*  Rules of the Kingdom of Heaven vs. Rules of Earth. * All people can be saved and accepted at any time. * God keeps going back and offering the workers a chance to work for him. * Equality for everyone.	* All people are paid the same and  are viewed equally by God. * There is no hierarchy in heaven Remember that in Israel it was a Monarchy/Dictatorship.   Fairness was not the norm.

3. This parable reflects 3 relationships to the Lord’s Prayer:

*Forgive us our debts and we forgive our debtors:  
The idea that God is going to forgive and receive us into his kingdom at any time of our lives.

*Give us this day our daily bread:  
God provides the means for us to have our daily bread.

*On earth as it is in heaven: 
We should try to create an earth that is more equal and just like God does with His generosity.