Third Sunday in Lent
March 7, 2021
Primary Text: John 2:13-22
Big Idea of the Message: Again & Again, We are Shown the Way
According to John, Jesus begins his ministry by showing more than telling. In the temple, Jesus disrupts and overturns the systems of corruption and profiteering taking place, but ultimately points us to the promise of restoration. Paul reminds the Corinthians (and us) that God’s wisdom is more expansive than we can imagine. We are shown the way, even if God’s way feels foolish, counter-cultural, disruptive, or uncomfortable.
Discussion Questions:
Primary Text: John 2:13-22
Big Idea of the Message: Again & Again, We are Shown the Way
According to John, Jesus begins his ministry by showing more than telling. In the temple, Jesus disrupts and overturns the systems of corruption and profiteering taking place, but ultimately points us to the promise of restoration. Paul reminds the Corinthians (and us) that God’s wisdom is more expansive than we can imagine. We are shown the way, even if God’s way feels foolish, counter-cultural, disruptive, or uncomfortable.
Discussion Questions:
- In John 2, what exactly is Jesus revolting against? Is he protesting the fact that commerce is taking place within the temple, trying to keep that space sacred and pure? Is he protesting the context and manner in which the commerce is taking place—during the Passover when fellow Jews should be preparing for the feast, as a means to counterfeit the poor and the foreigner, as a way to increase profits for the Temple? Where do you see modern day examples of corrupt and abusive commerce?
- Paul describes the way of the cross as “foolish.” How would you define this foolishness? God upends our value systems and norms, coming to us in unexpected ways. In what ways do you, like the Corinthians, and perhaps like the disciples (in John 2), desire wisdom and proof? Where do you allow the foolishness of the Spirit to show you the way?