As with any week, try and guide your group into discovering how Jesus' words will play out in the days, weeks and months to come. Be specific with your group and reference prayer concerns and hunches that have been shared to help individuals see what God might be asking them to step into. And be sure and share with the rest of us any stories about surrender so that we can all celebrate together the stuff Jesus made up becoming lives Jesus transformed.
Thaw
- How have you caught yourself playing the chair game in the last week?
- What did you do about it?
- What was most impacting from the message this Sunday?
- If you were to act on whatever sense you had after Sunday, what do you suppose would happen?
- What has been the "main thing" that you have learned or that has shifted in your life during this series?
Read
- Luke 13:6-8
- Thoughts?
Leader note: The context Jesus tells this parable in is a tricky one. He spends the beginning of the chapter talking about some strange ideas and then cuts right into this teaching on the fig tree. There was apparently a time when Pontius Pilate killed Jewish men during worship, "mixing their blood with their sacrifices" and another episode when a tower fell on some people. In both cases, Jesus doesn't lament, but says they AND his present listeners have it coming. It's helpful to note that the men killed during their worship, as well as those whom the tower fell on, appear to be embroiled in fighting. Often times the Jewish men would try to beat the Roman soldiers at their own game, suffering at the hands of very powerful, skilled killing machines. The purity of the temple, the concept of God as King rather than the Emperor, national and social injustice, loss of sovereignty; these were all issues that were fought for in all the wrong ways. And the fighting always ended in brutal defeat at the hands of Rome. The tower, we can safely assume, is a military barracks as well. So, rather than Jesus telling them numbly that the Galileans had it coming, and so do his listeners if they don't clean up their act, he is likely teaching that those who have died trying to use guerilla warfare in God's name didn't fail because of their sin, but because of foolishness. They are trying to use war to bring about peace- which gets even righteous people killed. The "repent" in Christ's warning, then, is about turning from the madness of war and trying to beat Rome by behaving like they do. Fight Jesus' way is an invitation to go to war differently. If they were to truly "defend" the ways of God, then they need to live in the creative and cunning ways of peace (Matthew 5:38-48, Romans 12:21). This may or may not come up, or need to, in the course of your discussion.
- What do the components of the parable mean?
Leader note: There have been many that put the owner of the vineyard as God the Father, while the vinedresser as God the Son. In doing so, you get different minds seemingly at odds with each other, as though Jesus is trying to talk the Father into doing something he didn't want to do. A better theology is simply the two personalities represent the tension in God's own mind between justice (what should be based on what has or hasn't happened) and God's mercy (his infatuation with what he created and his desire for good things for his children). Additionally, you may want to read Isaiah 5:1-7 to get a Jewish sense of the visualization Jesus uses.
Discuss
- What do we learn about God in this parable?
- What do we unlearn about God in this parable?
- Why do you think Jesus used the word "afiamee" ("forgive") for the words translated "leave it alone..."?
- Why do you think that the worker's reaction to the tree's unfruitfulness is more blessing (aerating and fertilizer) rather than threat and consequence?
- Do you know of a time when God used more blessing to get you to step into something important that you had previously refused? Share.
- Would you say that your life is more about existing and absorbing from the soil, or about trying to produce fruit?
- How do you answer the question "If I was removed from the garden, what would no longer happen?"
Read
- Matthew 21:28-31
- Thoughts?
Discuss
- How can this group help you come out of dormancy and into whatever you think it is God wants you to do or be?
Leader note: This could be everything from addiction, surrender to Christ, forgiveness issues to looking for a new job. Ask follow-up questions pertinent to your group to help them be as specific as they need to be.
- Do you think you have to be more informed and less doubtful to be able to surrender yourself and your decisions to Christ? Why do you believe you do or you do not?
Leader note: You may find it helpful here to reference John 8:31-32, where jesus puts obedience ahead of truth and freedom. In other words, if we submit, we get the clarity we long for on the journey, but not before, despite we would rather it went that way so we could be certain it was going to work out for us.
- Is there anyone in the group that needs to invite the group to help them take a step forward into the way of Jesus? Take a moment to make that known.
Prayer
- Pray that Christ's parables would continue to carry weight because of the impact they have on our real life, as well as our discussions. Pray for His Spirit to come along side ours so that we can enact the Kingdom that we hear wrapped in all Jesus' teachings. Pray that the group will "go there" with each other and make these stories a reality with each other.
Additional reading
- Isaiah 6:1-8
- Leviticus 19:23-35
- Hebrews 5:11-14
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