Life Group Discussion Guide for February 5, 2023
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Resolute: A Focused Study of Luke
2.5.23
The Truth Is Messy
Luke 12:49-53
Dinner Table Questions
If you have made up your mind to resolutely follow Jesus, what has that decision cost you? Is there a tangible price to being resolute about Jesus, even when living in what has been called the “Buckle of the Bible Belt”?
Open Bible Questions
Read Luke 12:49-53
– Does 12:51 shock you, especially given that Jesus has often been called the Prince of Peace? What do you think Jesus meant by this?
– What is the “fire” that Jesus came to bring?
– What is the “baptism” that Jesus was pointing toward in that moment?
– What do you make of 12:52-53? Have you experienced this personally?
Read Luke 12:22-31
– Notice in Luke 12:13 the question that someone in the crowd asked of Jesus.
– Notice also in Luke 12:57-59 Jesus seems to finally offer a direct answer to that question.
– Those two verses create a bracket around this entire block of teaching. It seems all that comes in between is spoken in response to 12:13.
– This means that 12:22-31 and 12:49-53 are in essence part of the same thought for Jesus. So how do those two sections relate? How does worrying about clothing and food and the admonition to “seek his kingdom and all these things will be added to you as well” relate to what Jesus says about peace and division a few verses later?
Read Luke 20:20-26
– How does this potentially add to the conversation from chapter 12? Is there a similar thought embedded in this unrelated response by Jesus to those who wanted to test him once he had finally arrived in Jerusalem?
– What do each of these blocks of Jesus’ teaching have to say about our commitment to follow Jesus and the affect that has on the realities of everyday life on planet earth?
Every person must make up their mind whether they believe Jesus to be telling the truth. But you should know something…if you choose to believe Him, that decision doesn’t stay neatly confined to religious spaces. It messes with every aspect of your life. Money, clothing, taxes, relationships, career…none of it is off limits, none of it unaffected. Followers of Jesus stand with a foot in two worlds, and this creates all sorts of difficult and beautiful messes.
Monday Morning Questions
What difficult and beautiful messes do you anticipate in the coming week?