More in Ch. 4

Here are some additional questions for finishing chapter 4 of Dr. Luke's gospel:

1. When Jesus brings up the widow in Sidon and Naaman the Syrian general, is it a way of rejecting the Jews from His salvation?
2. Does the set of three sentences and one exclamation from the demon, v. 34, make sense? What does that set of words signify?
3. What miraculous act did Jesus do in Capernaum other than expelling demons and curing sicknesses?
4. The folks in Nazareth, the home town of Jesus, did not expect that they would experience a miracle. But did they experience something miraculous?
5. Is Nazareth in Judea?
6. The prophet Isaiah testifies about Jesus in one way, and the demons in another way. What is the difference between these to messages?

There are a lot of reactions to Jesus in this section vv. 16-44. We can place ourselves there, in thought, and thereby gauge our own faith and the readiness of our own soul for this message.

New questions, chapter 4

After finishing up chapter 3 concepts this morning, we will begin to look into chapter 4. Here are a few questions to work with:

1. The Greek word used by Dr. Luke for being tempted has a strong meaning, to make a proof of Jesus, to make a trial of Jesus. What do we do in normal 21st century life to make a trial of something or someone?
2. Why would sending Jesus to a proving ground be helpful to God the Father's plan?
3. What is our proving ground?
4. If the demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God, v. 41, then why did the enemy try to prove it?
5. Why did the enemy apply his trial at the end of the forty day fast?
6. You look over a Corvette. Its color is red. Does checking its color prove a Corvette is fast?
7. A prosecutor interrogates a witness to a crime, up on the witness stand. He asks the witness if he likes the Minnesota Vikings. How would the defense attorney react to this kind of questioning?

We will go over more questions, and see if they can apply to our own lives and our parish.

Jan. 10, more concepts in Ch. 3 of Dr. Luke's gospel

We have several questions remaining from last week that we did not get to.

1. What do you remember of the prophet Isaiah? What was his most piercing message, in your opinion? (Everyone can have his own answer, here.) Done.
2. What is the significance of Dr. Luke quoting Isaiah's central prophecy, from chapters 40-55? Done.
3. Which sacrament helps us to avoid becoming a viper like the brood of vipers whom John the Baptist admonishes?
4. What do you make of John's admonition, "Do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father," in v. 8? Is it a somber warning or a surprising offer?
5. In vv. 10-14, there are specific challenges issued to
   1. repentant multitudes, i.e., people in general,
   2. repentant tax collectors, i.e., the IRS of the day, and
   3. repentant soldiers, i.e., the Red Army occupiers of the day.
   Which of the commandments had they broken?
6. In the Greek, Luke writes of "fruits that are worthy of repentance." If you offer a gift that is nor worthy of X, then what are you saying about X? More importantly, what does it say about your relationship to X?
7. Has God ever been known to raise up living beings from geological objects?
   
8. Name another place in Dr. Luke's writings where the multitudes ask, "What then shall we do?"
9. Does a farmer's threshing floor yield fruit?
10. In the short paragraph about the actual baptism of Jesus, why is there no mention of John?
11. Is the Trinity made apparent in the baptism of Jesus?

We continue to dig into the Scriptures and in them we gaze upon the Messiah.

Notes for today

It is interesting to note that, in Chapter 3, Dr. Luke describes John's evangelism with the word παρακαλων, from the same root as our word Paraclete, for the Holy Spirit. For this reason, it behooves us to look very carefully at John's message. That being the case, here are some reading questions for today's study:

1. What do you remember of the prophet Isaiah? What was his most piercing message, in your opinion? (Everyone can have his own answer, here.)
2. What is the significance of Dr. Luke quoting Isaiah's central prophecy, from chapters 40-55?
3. Which sacrament helps us to avoid becoming a viper like the brrod of vipers whom John the Baptist admonishes?
4. What do you make of John's admonition, "Do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father," in v. 8? Is it a somber warning or a surprising offer?
5. In vv. 10-14, there are specific challenges issued to
   1. repentant multitudes, i.e., people in general,
   2. repentant tax collectors, i.e., the IRS of the day, and
   3. repentant soldiers, i.e., the Red Army occupiers of the day.
   Which of the commandments had they broken?
6. In the Greek, Luke writes of "fruits that are worthy of repentance." If you offer a gift that is nor worthy of X, then what are you saying about X? More importantly, what does it say about your relationship to X?
7. Has God ever been known to raise up living beings from geological objects?
8. Name another place in Dr. Luke's writings where the multitudes ask, "What then shall we do?"
9. Does a farmer's threshing floor yield fruit?
10. In the short paragraph about the actual baptism of Jesus, why is there no mention of John?
11. Is the Trinity made apparent in the baptism of Jesus?

This Sunday is the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. So let's prepare for that today by diving into Dr. Luke's gospel.

Study questions for tomorrow morning

We press forward through Luke 2, starting with a handful of study questions:

1. Why did including Simeon and Anna make Dr. Luke’s gospel account stronger?
2. Why did God send these extra messages to Mary and Joseph through Simeon and Anna?
3. How have you reflected on God’s promises in your heart?
4. What kind of sword has ever pierced your heart?
5. What significance is there in the mention of Caesar Augustus?
6. What is the basic function of an angel? How do they fulfill that function in their appearance to the shepherds?
7. What is the meaning of the phrase, "first born son" to a Jew of that day?
8. When Jesus became a sign of contradiction, whom was he contradicting?

Continuing Luke's first chapter

Last week we looked into vv. 1-38 of Luke's first chapter. This week, we tackle the rest of the chapter, although with the Magnificat and the Benedictus in this part of Ch. 1, one culd easily spend a lifetime thinking about that short set of verses!

We will continue to employ study questions from the Hahn/Mitch study guide, and here are a few more study questions concerning this part of Ch. 1:

1. Mary visits her coursin, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth blesses Mary. What inspired Elizabeth to bless Mary this way?
2. Can God actually stop evil? How would Mary answer that question? What about an apostle like Peter or Paul?
3. How does Mary’s response to Gabriel's announcement differ from the actions of Eve?
4. How does pre-birth John the Baptist react to the real presence of his Lord?
5. How impossible did God’s promise seem -- His promise of mercy to Abraham -- and how long did it look ahead for its fulfillment?
6. Is it okay to worship Mary?
7. What aspect of God’s promise to Abraham has the properties of the truth?
8. How has God hallowed His own name in this chapter of Luke’s gospel?

We begin Luke's Gospel this Thursday.

This week we begin the study of Luke's Gospel, including the study guide written by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Here are some questions we can use concerning this first chapter; questions from the Hahn/Mitch study guide are in italics:

1. What is the Old Testament significance of Gabriel's prophecy that John the Baptist would "drink no wine nor strong drink"? Who are some other figures who had the same commitment as John?
2. Is it fitting that Christ should have been born of an espoused virgin?
3. What considerations help us understand the meaning of the title "full of grace" that Gabriel gives to Mary?
4. Should the accomplishment of Christ's conception should be attributed to the Holy Ghost or to God the Father?
5. Was Christ sanctified in the first instant of His conception?
6. Was it necessary to announce to the Blessed Virgin that which was to be done in her?
7. Why is the angel’s use of the term "overshadow" significant? What Old Testament passage uses the term? In that passage, what was overshadowed?
8. How does Luke... portray Mary as the Ark of the Covenant?
9. Was the Blessed Virgin was sanctified before her birth from the womb?
10. Did Christ acquire His judiciary power, the power to judge, by His merits or was it due to Him, prior to any acts of merit?

Be ready for more questions on Thursday morning, as we gaze into this opening passage of Luke's gospel, seeking the Lord Jesus.

The seven great psalms

We have finished a study of these seven of the greatest psalms:

54. Psalm 54, O God, by your name save me.
19. Psalm 19, The heavens declare the glory of God.
128. Psalm 128, Blessed are all who fear the LORD.
90. Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses the man of God.
33. Psalm 33, Rejoice, you righteous, in the LORD.
126. Psalm 126, When the Lord brought Zion's captives home, at first it seemed like a dream.
18. Psalm 18, He said: I love you, LORD, my strength.

Praise, humility, obedience and delight in God's word, all in these psalms of power. As the psalmist sings, "What marvels indeed He has done for us, and how overjoyed we were!"

Psalm 18

The psalm of intense power, 51 verses full with God's grace.

What things soever are spoken in this Psalm which cannot apply to the Lord Himself personally, that is to the Head of the Church, must be referred to the Church. For whole Christ speaks here, in whom are all His members.
- St. Augustine

Let's begin with a few questions:

1. For David the king, in time of danger, what would he consider to be a band of death, a cord of death that could encompass or encircle him?
2. What band of death tried to encompass Jesus?
3. Was David ever trapped underwater or endangered by the sea? If not, who was?
4. When did David display righteousness when he was in danger?
5. Have you ever wished for a path through a dangerous place, a perfect path, where you could step and be sure not to fall?
6. Does v. 12 seem like a description, in a way, of a tabernacle?
   
   I.e., does it have properties we would expect a normal tabernacle to have?
7. What happens to hailstones when they land on the ground? How does this compare to God's admonition, as it lands in our heart?
8. What is it that enlightens our vision? And how is it that God lights a man's lamp, enlightening his vision?

Psalm 126, the psalm of freedom

"When the Lord brought Zion's captives home, at first it seemed like a dream." What noble words to begin this psalm! Only six verses, yet they are powerful.

Here are some additional questions by which to work through this psalm:

1. How did we get into captivity? Where were we captive?
2. Are we promised a return to 31.7857°N, 35.2007°E, i.e., to Jerusalem in Israel?
3. Make a mental list: How many times did Israel become captive? How many people in the Old Testament experienced captivity?
4. Was Jesus ever a captive? How about the apostles?
5. What is the nature of Babylon? How would a prophet describe it?
6. If you follow the Messiah, are you heading home from Babylon or back to captivity?
7. How easy is it to speak if your mouth is filled?
8. What does Jesus say about the things that come out of our mouth, our words? How does he rate them?
9. Literally, the psalmist says, "like torrents in the south," What is the south of Israel like, Deacon Al?
10. What do we sow, as apostolic Christians?
11. Where were the returning captives sowing seed?
12. How many times have you planeted a garden hopefully and weeds take over the garden? Big disaster.

Now we can look into this noble song and really apply it.