Bible Study for February 23, 2025

Hi everyone,

As Christians, we often see in the story of Joseph an image of what we know in Jesus Christ.  Thrown into a pit, sold, and imprisoned, Joseph was then raised up, both forgiving and feeding those who had wronged him. Jesus, betrayed and killed by humanity, has become for us the source of forgiveness and bread.  Forgiveness and bread from Jesus are here for us!

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Pastor Tim

"God has led you to the desert, and spoken to your Heart."

Mount of Olives Lutheran Church

3546 E. Thomas Rd

Phoenix, AZ 85018

602-956-1620 office

Bible Study for February 23, 2025

Opening Prayer:

Creator of all, we thank you for the opportunity to gather in study. Open our minds and hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, unite us in faith, hope, and love. Help us to be faithful to the gospel and to walk humbly with you. Grant us your peace as we grow in wisdom and understanding. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 6:27-38 How do we live our lives so as to “benefit the other person – to make that other person’s welfare our concern”?

It is natural to reciprocate—to help those who help you and hurt those who hurt you. Reciprocity is a natural, commonsense way to order one’s life, and is far more enlightened than the aggressive, selfish approach that many people favor today. “Do unto others as they do unto you” has morphed into “Do unto others before they do to you” and simply “Do unto others!” In such a dog-eat-dog world, reciprocity seems positively enlightened. Its goal is fairness. The bad person suffers, and the good person prospers. It is as it should be. And yet Jesus tells us that reciprocity is not kingdom behavior. Just as God goes beyond justice to mercy, we are to do the same. It is a hard lesson, one that goes against the grain. It is un natural. We can move beyond justice to mercy, but only through the grace of God. The principle is “Love your enemies.” The examples which Jesus provides to illustrate the word “love” are not directed at feelings but at actions. Jesus calls us to love (Greek: agape), but that does not mean that we must have warm and fuzzy feelings for those who mistreat us. Instead, we are to act in ways calculated to benefit the other person—to make that person’s welfare our concern. 

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 In what ways are you changing into the fullness that God intends for you to become?

Those who would oppose the idea of resurrection would ask two questions: “How are the dead raised?”, and “With what kind of body do they come?” Paul introduces a metaphor from gardening that everyone had experienced and would understand. When they have sown a seed, they know that they can’t expect to recover the original seed once a plant has grown from the seed. What is sown is quite different from that which will result from the sowing. A corn stalk looks quite different from the grain of corn that produced it. Paul now relates the seed and plant to the human body. When we die, our bodies are sown (buried) to corruption. In other words, our bodies begin to decay, even as a seed planted in the ground begins to decay as it prepares to give birth to a new plant. But that decay isn’t the end of the story, but the beginning. The body which was sown in corruption is raised in incorruption––no longer subject to decay, and now (as incorruptible bodies) fit for the Kingdom of God.