Sample Lesson from New Testament Workbook (Lesson 5 of 49)

Lesson Five: Matthew 8v18-9v35; 12vv46-50; 13vv1-53, Mark 4vv1-34 and Luke 7v1 – 8v18

· Our previous lesson looked at some of the last events in the early part of Jesus’ life and ministry. We looked at the material in what Luke calls a sermon Jesus did on the plains and noted the similarity of the material to what we call the “Sermon on the Mount.” (Luke 6:20-49) Jesus then went on a healing spree, healing a Roman centurion’s slave (Matthew 8: 1,5-13, Luke 7:1-10) and raising a girl from the dead. (Luke 7:11-17) John the Baptist told the messengers to go back and tell John all the prophesies of healing were coming true. Jesus also mentioned that the religious rulers were not baptized by John and criticized Jesus for eating and drinking so little and yet calling Jesus a glutton. (Matthew 11:2-30) (Luke 7:18-26) To point out that He had authority to forgive sins regardless of how big they were, Jesus deliberately associated with folks the religious leaders found questionable and forgave them of their sins, explaining in a brief parable how those who have been forgiven a lot value their salvation more. (Luke 7:27-50). Jesus had cast demons out of women and received financial support from the ones who were presumably upper class. (Luke 8:1-3)

· This lesson looks at the events of early part of the period of Jesus’ middle ministry. These events are all recorded in the Synoptic (same or similar) Gospel accounts. Remember that there is only one gospel, that is the Gospel of Jesus, and all the books of the Bible we call Gospels are really Gospel accounts. Recall that Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels, where the account of John is not. The events we will cover in this lesson range from Jesus speaking in some parables (short earthly story with a heavenly meaning), how He confronts his own family, how He demonstrates His power over nature, and some of His very visible healings.

· Jesus tells the disciples He is talking to his followers in parables, so they can better understand His message, He even quotes the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9) who noted that people would see and hear but not really understand (Matthew 13:10-17, Mark 4:9-12, Luke 8:10) Later He will quote David (Psalm 78:2) who uses the term parable also.

· Jesus tells a parable about a sower of seeds whose seeds fall in four places: 1) on the path where people walk which is immediately consumed by the birds; 2) rocky ground which causes plants to grow but get withered quickly by the sun 3) thorny ground where plants grow but get choked out, and 4) good ground which gives forth a very healthy crop and a large return – making all the seed growing work. (Matthew 13:1-9, Mark 4:1-9, Luke 8:1-10)

· This is one of the few parables where Jesus explains the meaning. He says sower of seeds is like someone sharing the gospel and the various types of the ground are like 1) people who hear and do not understand, and Satan takes the word away right away 2) people who hear and understand but do not maintain their faith 3) people who hear and understand but cares of the world choke it out and 4) people who hear and understand let it take root. Notice that the person sowing the seed is not a soil tester, he is spreading the seed and what happens, happens. (Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-25, Luke 8:11-15)

· Next, Jesus tells a parable about a wheat farmer whose enemy sneaked in and sowed tares (weeds) in the wheat field. He told the servants to let them all grow so they would not risk pulling up the wheat while they were pulling the weeds out. He said after the harvest they will sort things out. This was Jesus’s way of saying God will wait until a day of final judgement to sort out the bad people who will suffer eternal punishment from the good people who get into heaven. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Mark 4:26-29) Jesus also uses a parable of a fishing net (called a dragnet in those days) to illustrate this point – the net will catch both desirable and inedible fish and the fishermen will sort it out after the catch. (Matthew 13:47-52).

· David makes much the same point. He refers to the way in which people use to separate wheat from weeds after a harvest. They would put everything on an elevated platform they called a threshing floor. The weeds that were not wheat instead of tares they called “chaff.” David says the ungodly are like the chaff. (Psalm 1:4-6)

· Jesus illustrates this point by saying one would not light a lamp (their way of lighting a room in the days before electricity) and then hide that lamp away. Then He says everything will ultimately be revealed and that those who have been faithful will be rewarded with more, and those that haven’t will lose everything. (Mark 4:21-25, Luke 8:16-18)

· Jesus tells a Parable of the Mustard Seed (a mustard seed is very small but grows into a big tree) and the Parable of the Leaven (when baking bread, one mixes in a very small amount of yeast which causes the whole loaf of bread to rise) to make the point that the Kingdom of Heaven will ultimately be founded from a very small beginning. (Matthew 13:31-33, Mark 4:30-32).

· It is important to remember that the same principle holds true today. The Jews had a common expression that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, (Galatians 5:9) that can work both ways, a little bit of sin can spread throughout a group too. (Matthew 16:11, I Corinthians 5:1-6). The point of the expression is that we are examples for each other, so we can be a good influence or a bad influence.

· Jesus also teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven is so valuable its worth everything. He uses the Parable of the Hidden Treasure (a man finds treasure in a field he doesn’t own so he sells everything to buy the field) and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price – a merchant seeking pearls finds one that is better than all the others, so he liquidates his entire inventory to get that one pearl. (Matthew 13:44-46)

· Jesus is told that is mother and brother are there waiting for Him but can’t get to Him because of the crowd. He makes the point that they are his mother and brother not because of blood but because everyone who does the will of God is like family. (Matthew 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35, Luke 8:19-21) 

·   One day Jesus in a boat with his disciples when a storm comes up that is so severe it is threatening to sink them. But Jesus is very tired (presumably from all his work) and he has gone to sleep. The disciples wake him up and ask him if he doesn’t care that they are about to die. He wakes up long enough to tell the storm to stop and it does. The disciples are amazed at how even nature obeys Him – they realize then that his miraculous power is not limited to healing and raising humans. (Matthew 8:18-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25) 

· Jesus comes upon two men who emerge from a cemetery. We read that they had demons in them which made them so violent no one could come that way. The demons recognize Jesus and make the men say, “What do you have to do with us, Son of God” and they plead with him to throw them into some nearby pigs. So, Jesus does, and the pigs then run and commit suicide by jumping off a cliff into the sea. The people who were watching the pigs were obviously unhappy about this and they told the townspeople who then in turn tell Jesus that he needs to leave their area. (Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-21, Luke 8:26-40) (CSB, Matthew’s account)

· Jesus is on his way to visit the home of a Jewish leader named Jairus whose daughter is very sick. On the way, a woman who needed healing touched his robe and was healed. Jesus knew this happened because He felt the healing power leaving Him and acknowledges her faith. Then He goes and finds Jairus’ daughter had already lost consciousness, so he raises her. His fame spreads. (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:22-43, Luke 8:41-56)

· Jesus cures a blind man and casts out a demon from another. The Jewish leaders are unhappy and think that someone who can cast out demons must be able to summon the leader of demons himself. They are right in that God is the leader of demons, but that is probably not what they were thinking. (Matthew 9:27-34)

Questions:

1. What does the term “Synoptic Gospels” mean?

2. Why is the term “Gospels” semantically inaccurate?

3. What is a parable?

4. Why does Jesus say He speaks in parables? What OT persons does he reference?

5. What are the four kinds of ground Jesus describes in the parable of the sower?

6. What happens to seeds that fall on each type of ground?

7. What does Jesus say the different types of ground are?

8. Are we supposed to be “soil testers”?

9. What is the parable of the wheat and the tares? What does it mean?

10. What other parable does Jesus use to illustrate this point?

11. What Psalm in the Old Testament makes a similar point?

12. What does Jesus use to make the point that everything will eventually be revealed?

13. What is mean by the parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven?

14. What does the expression “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” mean? How does it apply to use today?

15. What are the lessons of the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price?

16. Who does Jesus say family is?

17. What even makes the disciples realize that Jesus’s power isn’t just over people?

18. What happens when Jesus meets two demon possessed men?

19. Describe the events that occurred when Jesus hears about Jairus’ daughter.

20. What makes the Jewish leaders unhappy?