Bible Study May 29 at 6:30

Hi everyone,

In Mark's gospel for this upcoming Sunday (Mark 2:23-3:6), Jesus takes authority to make the sabbath a day for providing food for the hungry and healing for the broken.  It establishes our ancient Christian attitudes toward religious law: what is sacred must always include care for those in need.

TO JOIN ONLINE

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88689075784?pwd=K3lRMnVmL2Z6MGFoQ3AzRjJsRFplZz09

Meeting ID: 886 8907 5784
Passcode: church

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 June 2, 2024

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.

Mark 2:23-3:6 When have you “made up your mind” and could not change your perspective? 

When it comes to the Sabbath, an idea has gotten around that the Sabbath is greater than God. Jesus made things plain: people were not made to be servants of the Sabbath; the Sabbath was made to be a servant of people. For Christians to hold out the Sabbath as a criterion of the truly faithful believers is to misunderstand the new covenant written on the hearts of all God’s people, Jew and gentile alike. 

In Mark 3:1-6, we have an account of Jesus healing a man with a withered hand in the synagogue. Several things are noteworthy in this record. We are told the motives of the Pharisees so that we can see into their hearts just as clearly as our Lord could as He stood before them. They were waiting for Him to act "in order that they might accuse him."  Jesus is "grieved," He is "angry," and it was their stubborn hearts that made him that way. Their hard hearts would not even allow them to say that healing this man's hand was a good thing. When our "positions" force us to not even be able to say a good thing is good, we had better be re-thinking the issue. They had made their choice to watch Jesus and accuse. Their voices were only going to be used for destructive purposes. And sure enough, verse 6 says that is exactly what they did. This is the mating of human nature and opportunity that is so often seen. When opportunities for honor and praise and encouragement and commendation come along, we are silent, while the accusers, and grumblers, and fault finders always await their opportunity to speak. 

2 Corinthians 4:5-12 When have you forgiven and comfort someone who  has been rebuked?

Here we see Paul’s “pastoral work” as he practices, describes, defends, and commends to his audience his pastoral ministry. Something quite rare presents itself in this letter: an extended argument for the ministry of the gospel offered by a practitioner in the heat of the moment. 

Paul portrays himself as the church’s slave, a theme which he will develop in 4:10- 12. Furthermore, according to 4:6, God (not Paul!) creates and illumines souls. 4:7 underscores Paul’s love for the church: “we have this treasure in clay jars.” On the one hand, a fragile container holds his soul so that the power might be God’s and not his own, as his endurance of hardships in 4:8-9 illustrates. If we keep in mind the church’s need for reconciliation with certain members who conflicted with Paul, the direction Paul is taking his self-presentation becomes intelligible. Just as Paul is free by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet enslaves himself to all for their salvation, so also should the church not stand on its rights, but forgive and comfort the one whom it had rebuked.