Tuesday, 7 November 2006
1 Samuel 3:1-21
Where is Samuel when the Lord first speaks to him? What time is it? Why does Samuel not recognize who is speaking to him? Why do you think Eli doesn't initially recognize who is speaking to Samuel? How does Eli advise Samuel to answer God? Do you notice something unusual about the Lord's final call? What will God do to the house of Eli? Why is Samuel a bit reluctant to tell Eli what God has said? How does Eli react to the message? What reputation does Samuel get in Israel?
4:1-11
Who are the main military opponents of Israel at this time? How many Israelites get killed at Ebenezer? Why do the elders want to take the Ark into battle? Who takes the Ark from Shiloh? How do the Israelites react to seeing the Ark? How do the Philistines react to all the noise? Who wins the battle this time? What happens to the Ark? What happens to Hophni and Phineas?
4:12-22
Who brings news of the battle to Shiloh? Where is Eli? How old is he? How does he react to the news? What is most distressing to him? Who has a baby at this time? What does she name the child? Why? What does Ichabod mean?
5:1-12
Where do the Philistines take the Ark? Where do they put it? What happens to the idol of Dagon? What happens the next morning? What do the Philistines do next? Then what happens? What happens to the people at Ashdod? Why? What do they do with the Ark next? What happens there? What happens when they go to move it again? What do the Philistines want to do with the Ark now?
6:1-9
How long do the Philistines have the Ark? When they go to send it back, what do they send with it? Why? What lesson do the diviners say the Philistines should have learned from the Egyptians? How will the Ark be carried back to Israel? What superstitious test will they use?
Tuesday, 31 October 2006
1 Samuel 1:1-18
What tribe does Elkanah come from? Why does he have two wives? Which one has no children? Where do they go to sacrifice? Who is the priest there? How does Elkanah treat his two wives differently when they go to church? Why does Peninnah provoke her? Does this rivalry remind you of anyone else in the Bible? How does Elkanah try to comfort her? What vow does she make at Shiloh? Who sees her praying? How does he react?
1:19-28
How does the Lord remember Hannah? What does she call her son? Why doesn't she take him to the tabernacle that year? When she does go, what else does she take with Samuel to Shiloh? What does she tell Eli about the child?
2:1-11
What does this prayer or song remind you of? Who is this king she speaks of in verse 10? Who will be Samuel's mentor at Shiloh?
2:12-26
So what's wrong with Hophni and Phineas? What sins do they commit? Why would the priests take some of the sacrifice? What's so significant about the fat? What does Samuel wear when he serves at Shiloh? How does God bless Elkanah and Hannah? Do you notice what she's done to her firstborn?
12:27-36
Who comes to Eli? Why is Eli getting the blame for what his sons have been doing? What will God do to Eli's household? What will happen to those who are spared? (Jeremiah is actually a descendant of Eli.) What will be a sign that God is really speaking? Who does God say he will raise up?
Tuesday, 17 October 2006
John 20:1-10
What day of the week is it? What time of day? Who goes to the tomb? What does she see? Who does she run to? What does she assume? Who gets to the tomb first? Why does he wait outside? What more does Peter see when he goes in? What happens when the other disciple goes in? What don't they yet understand?
20:11-18
Meanwhile, what is Mary doing? What does she see when she looks into the tomb? What do they tell her? Who does she see next? How does he address her? (compare 10:3) What message does he send to the disciples? What's the first thing that she tells them?
20:19-23
Now what time is it? How have the disciples gathered? How does Jesus get in? What does he say to them? What does he do next? What does he tell them about their mission? Then what does he do? Why? What will the Spirit allow them to do?
20:24-31
What more does Thomas want? When do they see Jesus again? Does Thomas actually touch the wounds? What does he call Jesus? What does Jesus say about seeing and believing? Why were these things written?
21:1-14
Where does Jesus meet the disciples next? Who goes fishing? Why don't they realize it's Jesus? What does he tell them to do? Who is the first to realize that it's Jesus? What does Peter do? What does Jesus ask for? How many fish have been caught? What's so remarkable about this catch?
21:15-19
What does Jesus ask Peter? What do you think Jesus means by 'more than these'? What does he tell Peter to do (3 times)? What does he tell Peter about his death? Might this suggest something about when this gospel was written? What does Jesus tell Peter to do?
21:20-25
Who does Peter see behind them? What does he ask Jesus? What answer does he get? What rumour does this prompt? What else does the gospel say about that disciple? What else does it say about the things Jesus did? Once more, why were these particular things written?
Tuesday, 10 October 2006
John 19:25-27
Who is standing by the cross? (Note that in the other Gospels, they stand at a distance) This story is only in John (perhaps with an agenda) Remember that the Beloved Disciple seems to be the only good example in this gospel.
19:28-37
What does Jesus say next? (Compare to Mark 15:34-36; Matthew 27:46-49) What is the last thing that Jesus says? (Compare Mark 15:37; Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46) What's the difference? How many times has Jesus spoken from the cross?
Why don't the Jews want the bodies to remain on the crosses? What's so holy about that particular Sabbath? (The Day of Preparation is when they slaughter the Paschal Lambs!) Why do they want to break the legs? Why don't they need to break Jesus' bones? (check out Exodus 12:46) What do they do instead? What does John then say about witness? Why is this testimony given?
19:38-42
Who buries Jesus? (Note the return of Nicodemus!) What kind of person is Joseph of Arimathea? How much 'embalming fluid' do they use? How do they prepare him for burial? Where do they bury him? Why?
Tuesday, 3 October 2006
John 18:12-24
Who questions Jesus first? How does Peter get into the high priest's courtyard? Who does he deny Christ before first? What does he do next? What does the high priest ask Jesus about? How does Jesus respond? What happens to him? (A lot of things, like this, will be illegal during his trial.) What does he challenge his enemies to do? What happens next?
18:25-40
Who questions Peter next? Who questions him the third time? What happens next (after the cock crows)? (Trial by night is illegal -- see also John 3:19-20 -- note, too, that John is more interested in Annas' questioning than Caiaphas'.) Why does Pilate have to come out? What does he ask? What charges do the Jews have? Why do they refuse to try him themselves? How are Jesus' words fulfilled?
What does Pilate ask Jesus? (Where is this coming from? Has anyone mentioned kings yet?) Why does Jesus want to know whose question this is? How does he respond to the question? What does he mean? Why has he come into the world? What does Pilate tell the Jews? How does he try to have Jesus released? Who do they prefer? (Bar-Abbas means 'Son of the Father'!) What kind of man is this? (see 10:7-11)
19:1-16
What does Pilate do next? What does he tell the Jews? What happens next? What is the Jews' reaction to seeing Jesus? Why do they want him executed? How many times has Pilate said Jesus is innocent? Why is Pilate afraid? Why is he upset when Jesus is silent? Once again, who is in charge here? Who has the greater sin than Pilate? Why can't Pilate let him go? Where does he take Jesus? How do the Jews react to this talk of kings? Who is actually on trial here?
19:17-27
Who is missing on the road to Calvary? Why won't Pilate change the inscription? What is significant about Jesus' tunic?
(To be continued . . .)
Tuesday, 26 September 2006
John 16:16-24
What do the disciples keep asking? Does Jesus explain 'a little while'? (What's important is not the when, but the what -- Jesus is going away) What will the disciples do while the world rejoices? What does he compare their grief to? Is this a fair analogy? (What's at stake is that the pain and grief are means to an end -- a greater good)
16:25-33
What does Jesus promise to do in telling the disciples about the Father? How will their prayers to the Father be different now? How do the disciples react to this? What do they believe now? Are they ready to believe yet? What does Jesus tell them is coming? Why is he telling them this?
17:1-5
What does Jesus pray for the Father to do? Why? What does he say that eternal life is? Now that his work is done, what does he ask for? How is this prayer different from the other Gethsemane prayers in the other Gospels?
17:6-19
Who does he pray for now? Who is he not praying for? What three things does he ask for them? Who was lost? What does Jesus specifically not ask for them? Why is he sanctifying himself?
17:20-26
Now who else is he praying for? What does he ask for us? What will the world do because of our witness? What has Jesus given us? What else does he want for us? How does Jesus continue to make God known?
18:1-14
Now that Jesus has stopped talking, where does he go? Why does Judas lead the authorities there? (Notice that he seems to be in charge) Who does he lead to Gethsemane? What does Jesus ask them? What do they reply? How is this different from the other arrest stories? When they ask for Jesus, how does he respond? Why do they react like this? What does he tell them to do? Who gets into a fight? How does Jesus rebuke him? Where do the authorities take Jesus? Who is really in charge here?
Wednesday, 13 September 2006
John 15:1-11
Who does Jesus say he is now? (This is #7, so pay attention!) What is the source of life? What's the difference between cutting off and pruning? What does he keep telling the disciples to do? What happens to those who abide? What about those who don't? What is the Father's glory?
15:12-17
What does Jesus command the disciples to do now? Why? What does he say is the greatest example of love? How has the disciples' situation changed?
15:18-16:3
What does he warn them about now? Why will the world hate them? Why does it hate Jesus? How does this relate to sin? What does he promise in verse 26? What must the disciples do? What will 'the Jews' do to them?
16:4-15
Where does Jesus say he is going? Have the disciples questioned this? How are they reacting to this news? How should they react? Who is this Helper/Counsellor/Advocate? What is his role in the world? What will he do for believers?