June 8-14, The Birth of Hope Bible Study
Before we get started: Some things to keep in mind
Both Luke and Matthew
have infancy narratives but they selected different parts to emphasize for a
reason. Remember from last week, Luke is
reporting on only what he found out from primary sources for the purpose of a
clear presentation to Roman seekers of the truth. Matthew was writing for Jewish ears and thus
his story would include the part that would most interest his readers. Luke’s Roman readers were curious about this
miracle working Jewish messiah that was turning the world upside down. Part of that curiosity had to do with the
significance of his birth; where did he come from was the question? Luke starts by educating his readers to the
connection with the Hebrew scriptures with his many allusions to messianic
texts: Exodus 30:7, Dan 10:7 & 12,
Num 6:3, Mal 3:1, 4-5, 2 Sam 7:12-16, and Judges 5:24. Main message:
- John and Jesus’ continuity with Judaism - Messianic Promise to David
- God’s choice is to use the poor, oppressed, and weak to workout God’s plans
- The importance of Jerusalem – Jesus starts his ministry as a baby and ends it in Jerusalem
Scriptural Encounter and Discussion – Week Two Luke 1:5-2:52
The Birth of Hope
Let’s Get
Started: Read
our selection of the Week -- Luke 1:5-2:52 – The birth stories of John and
Jesus.
Observation Level
(First step in Bible study is to start
by observing what is actually there before you start trying to interpret or
apply)
Major sections of the Narrative:
- Birth of John and Jesus foretold by the Angel Gabriel – 1:5-25 & 1:26-38
- Mary’s Magnifcat (Song of Praise – most likely used in worship of the early church) 1:39-56
- Birth of John the Baptist & Zechariah’s Song 1:57-80
- Birth of Jesus 2:1-7
- Shepherds and Angels at the Birth 2:8-20
- Jesus’ circumcision at the Temple 2:21-40
- Twelve Year Old Jesus at the Temple again 2:41-52
You may want to start our observation
of the Birth of Hope by making a comparison chart of these two unique
birth narratives: Zachariah &
Elizabeth with Joseph and Mary.
Every
baby born into a family is a seed of hope.
But these two babies were unique; they had a unique call and
purpose. What was John’s task and what
was Jesus’ task?
Imaginative Level
(Use your imagination and memory to dialogue with the text)
Make notes on your chart of the
contrast between Zachariah’s response and Mary’s response.
Imagine you are Zachariah in this mysterious and holy place and an
Angel starts this conversation with you.
He asks you to recall the promise God gave in the last verses of the
book of the Prophets: “I will send you
the Prophet Elijah” before “the Lord Messiah comes” (Mal4:5) and then tell you
that your son is going to be this person.
What would be going through your mind?
Why would Zachariah doubt at such a time in the face of an Angel?
Imagine you are Mary going about your ordinary chores in a small
obscure town. You have an ordinary life
planned out for you; your family has chosen a craftsman for you to marry and
now you are 16 years old and it’s time to move from your father’s home into
your husband’s to be family. But life is
taking a surprising and unexpected turn; you, an ordinary young woman, are
being addressed by an Angel with an extraordinary message and task for
you. Mary’s questions were not questions
of doubt as Zachariah’s but curiosity. Would
you surrender with such joyful abandonment if God suddenly changed all the
plans you had for your life?
Would you be more like Zachariah or Mary –
why?
Interpretive Level
Both sets of parents had been chosen and called by God to fulfill God’s
purpose for the salvation of not just Israel but the whole world. The weight of the task must have taken their
breath away and weighed heavy on their heart as they contemplated the
implications. Zachariah knew the history
of the suffering of any great prophet of God.
Mary knew the social stigma and danger that she would face. The path that God has placed them on would
not be an easy one, but with the end in sight they both responded with a hymn
of praise and thanksgiving.
Re-Read: Luke 2:28-35 -- What does Simeon’s word reveal about the life and gospel of Jesus
Christ?
Risk and faith are words that go together. The philosopher Soren
Kierkegaard asserts there is no real authentic faith without a leap into faith.
Can you have true faith without any element
of risk? What does this imply about the
relationship of faith and doubt?
You may want to watch
and listen to this to help have a greater understanding of what verse 35 may
have meant to Mary.
What
do we learn from Zachariah and Mary’s sung response of joy in the face of the
risk which helps them embrace the risk?
Maieutic Level
(Maieutic means making meaning or connections
with reality. It’s about discerning
wisdom)
Christian
dogma, according to Kierkegaard, embodies paradoxes which are offensive to
reason. That is to say, when it comes to
God’s ways and planning, reason can only take us so far. Kierkegaard claims that the central paradox
is the assertion that the eternal, infinite, transcendent God simultaneously
became incarnated as a temporal, finite, human being (Jesus). There are two
possible attitudes we can adopt to this assertion: 1) we can have faith, or 2) we can take
offense. If we choose faith we must suspend our reason in order to believe in
something higher or that which transcends human reasoning. Mary’s song show this in two movements –
first she surrenders to God who was beyond her understanding and then receives
with joy her special calling.
Kierkegaard would call this embracing the absurd.
Share your
life: Think of a time when you took a
risk for God. Did it pay off? What did the results look like? What crosses did you encounter? Could you
anticipate the joy of stepping out for God at the beginning?
Week Two Summary of
possible questions for discussion or reply:
- Every baby born into a family is a seed of hope. But these two babies were unique; they had a unique call and purpose. What was John’s task and what was Jesus’ task? Would you be more like Zachariah or Mary – why?
- Risk and faith are words that go together. Can you have true faith without any element of risk? What does this imply about the relationship of faith and doubt? What do we learn from Zachariah’s and Mary’s sung response of joy in the face of the risk which helps them embrace the risk?
- Share your life: Think of a time when you took a risk for God. Did it pay off? What did the results look like? What crosses did you encounter? Could you anticipate the joy of stepping out for God at the beginning?
- What helped lead you to take your “leap into faith”?
Wow! Well, I have seldom thought about how Mary felt let alone how I might have felt had I been her.
ReplyDelete1. John's task was to prepare the way whereas Jesus' task was to redeem humanity. I think my reaction would depend on which baby I was expecting granted that an angel appeared to inform me I was going to be the parent of someone like either one of them.
2. Any faith acknowledges the risk behind the following action. However, I think it is one thing to doubt and another thing entirely to remain cautious and inquisitive. Perhaps that is why Zachariah and Mary, notwithstanding their own resistance, had to sing those songs. It seems like an act of surrender in spite of the obvious risk of walking with a mysterious God.
3. I feel I am currently in that state of living in risk. As Andy Stanley puts it in his book "Next Generation Leader" uncertainty does not indicate bad leadership--it only indicates that good leadership is necessary as that will be the agent to bring clarity before that uncertainty.
God has brought me spurts of joy, little glimmers of light in the dim spiritual tunnel I walk through during this season of my life.
4. Many things helped. Zachariah and Mary were both surrounded with people who were excited and encouraging as they prepared. I, too, had to keep myself in that company and that is what helped me take my "leap of faith".