Grow Guide | March 2, 2025
Text Study for Sunday, March 2, 2025
Series Theme: Unexpected
Reading: Luke 9:28-35
Connecting Question
Who are three people you would like to have over for dinner? Why them?
Prayer for Illumination
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest; let these gifts to us be blest. Amen.
CONTEXT
This week concludes our sermon series bringing us to Lent. Along the way we have learned many ways Jesus and his followers did the UNEXPECTED. They often didn’t do the lawful or typical thing. Jesus’ followers often went the wrong direction, yet they were never lost. It took them multiple tries to get it right! How can we learn from their missteps? Continue to follow even when we mess up! Even Jesus doesn’t always act as we expect, which can sometimes challenge us. No matter what, we expect the unexpected and watch for what God does among us.
From Dr Matt Skinner at EntertheBible.org:
Concerning Jesus, Luke 9:51 says, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” From that point, through the middle of Luke 19, Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem. This large section of text, which interpreters commonly refer to as the “travel narrative,” is composed mostly of stories that appear only in Luke’s Gospel. Disagreement exists over the degree to which the travel narrative might possess a sense of coherence or clear thematic purpose. Some see in the design of the narrative an attempt to make Jesus’ story resonate with memories of Moses and the Exodus journeys of the Hebrew people. Others conclude that in these chapters the Gospel author presents material about Jesus loosely grouped according to a few themes but with no comprehensive arrangement.
Look at the Book
Open to Luke 9:1-6. How does this chapter open? What does Jesus gift his disciples?
How many disciples were sent out? Is this enough? Why or why not?
What was their packing list? What item do you value the most on the list?
The main story picks up at verse 28. How many days are named? Eight days was a possible foreshadow of resurrection. There is resurrection hinted all through Luke!
Who went with Jesus? Where did they go?
What was the point of the disciples joining Jesus on the mountain?
In verse 29, something dramatic happened! What was it?
This was a display of power. Why do you think we needed to get a glimpse of Jesus’s power here?
How do we make God “small?” Or how we do we downplay God’s power in our lives? Why would we do that?
Who showed up on the mountain? How do we know them? What might they represent?
Where has Jesus showed up unexpectedly in your life?
What would you like to talk about that we have not yet?
Taking it Home
What has been a sacred moment in your life that you want to thank God for being a witness to?
God of the promise, you call your people together into your one mission in Christ’s name. Make us brave, grant us peace, challenge our expectations, and empower us to truly follow your Spirit’s lead. You are our one God who calls us together as one people, and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.