Lesson 10 (Dec. 6, 7) Breaking Bread at Emmaus

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 24:36-53

1. What was meaningful out of last week’s lesson on Breaking Bread at Emmaus? What do you think of the women’s understanding and witness to the news of Jesus’ resurrection? What did you find most meaningful in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus?
2. Who seems to be present in this scene beginning in v.36? What is Jesus demonstrating to them in v. 36-43? Why is that important? What does Jesus intend for those present to do with that information?
3. What does Jesus teach at the table in this passage? How does it relate to some of the themes we’ve been studying?
4. What has being at the table meant in the ten passages we’ve studied? What have they had in common? What has impacted you most over the course of our study?

Lesson 9 (Nov. 15, 30): Breaking Bread at Emmaus

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 24:1-35

1. What struck you about last week’s lesson on the Passover Supper? It what ways was in “The Last Supper” and in what ways was it “The Lord’s Supper? Which of the themes that were repeated from previous lessons were most meaningful to you? What insights did you have about our celebration of the Lord’s Supper?
   
2. In today’s passage, how do the two resurrection appearances connect? What do they have in common? What might an ancient reader want to know to believe in Jesus’ resurrection? What about a contemporary reader?
   
3. Why do you think the apostles did not believe the women? How might Peter have been feeling when he got up and ran to the tomb? When he went away from the tomb?
   
4. Why did Jesus rebuke the two disciples in verse 25? Did they deserve a rebuke? Why or why not?

Additional Scriptures: Is. 53 in Acts 8:26-39; Joel 2:28-32, Ps 16:8-11, & Ps. 110:1 in Acts 2; Is. 49:6 in Acts 13:47; “the sign of Jonah” in Luke 11:29-32; Hos 6:2 in 1 Cor 15:4; Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7

Lesson 8 (Nov. 8, 16): The Last Supper, The Lord's Supper

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 22:7-38

1. What struck you about last week’s lesson in which Jesus was at the house of Zacchaeus? What parallels were in the stories of the Blind Man and Zacchaeus? How would you explain the Parable of the Minas?
2. Compare the preparations for the Passover in Luke 22:7-13 to the preparations for the Entry into Jerusalem in Luke 19:29-34. What similarities can you find? What might these similarities be telling us?
   
3. Why do you think Jesus says he has eagerly desired to eat this Passover with his apostles in Luke 22:14-16? What is the fulfillment Jesus refers to?
   
4. What parts of this passage connect back to the stories we have covered in our previous lessons? What repeated themes can you identify?

Lesson 7 (Nov. 1, 2): Hospitality at the Home of Zacchaeus 

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 18:31 - 19:27

1. What stood out to you about last lesson’s table story? What did we learn about the Narrow Door and the Banquet? What main ideas stood out to you from these several parallel parables?
2. What does the blind man in Luke 18:35-43 call Jesus? What does he mean by that phrase? 
3. When Jesus heads off to stay with Zacchaeus, people start grumbling that Jesus is going to be the guest of a sinner. In many translations, Zacchaeus’ response looks like something he’ll do in the future. However, in the original Zacchaeus speaks in present tense. It literally reads: "Zaccheus stopped and said
   to the Lord, 'Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I give to the poor,
   and if I defraud anyone of anything, I pay back four times as much.'”
   (Luke 19:8, my translation. Also see ASV, RSB and text notes in NASB)
   How does this change the meaning of what Zacchaeus is saying? How does it change the story?
4. The Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27) is familiar to us, but perhaps more so from the version in Matthew 25:14-30. What is the main subject of the parable? What element is new/different in the version in Luke? What does Luke tell us Jesus’ purpose is in telling the parable?
   

Lesson 6 (Oct. 18, 19): Sabbath at a Pharisee's House

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 13:22 - 14:35

1. What stood out to you about last week’s table story? Why was Jesus so adamant about proclaiming Woes to the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law? How do you see this story applying to your life?
2. Look back at Luke 13:10-18. What elements can you find in this passage that connect to today’s reading?
3. What do you think of the Pharisees’ motivation(s) in 13:31? What different motivations could be represented? What (several things) does Jesus say in his response in verses 32-35?
   
4. Consider the teaching stories that Jesus tells in the Table passage in Luke 14:1-24. How would you sum up each one? What themes can you identify?

Lesson 5 (Oct. 11, 12): Hand Washing at the Home of a Pharisee

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 11:1 - 13:21 (we will cover Chapter 11 in class)

1. What stood out to you about the Table story at the home of Martha and Mary? How was Jesus’ call to Martha a blessing? How did it relate to the prior stories we discussed last week?
2. What are the three parables in 11:5-13 about? How do they relate to 11:1-4? How does Jesus teaching here relate to his message to Martha (and Mary) in 10:38-42?
   
3. What is the “sign of Jonah” in 11:29-32? What section in Chapter 10 does this passage echo? Who is “one greater than Jonah?”
   
4. Why is Jesus so vehement with these Woes in 11:39-52? What behavior is he speaking against? Where can we find similar behavior today?

Lesson 4 (Oct. 3, 4): Hospitality at Martha & Mary’s

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 9:51 - 10:42 (we're covering all of it in class!)

1. What stood out to you about last week’s lesson? How did the stories before and after the table story of Jesus Breaking Bread at Bethsaida relate to the table story? How does the text help us answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”
   
2. How does the theme of hospitality show up in these stories? What connects them?
   
3. Have you studied the story of the dinner at Martha and Mary’s house in the past? What stands out to you this time?
   
4. What common elements can you find between the dinner at the home of Martha and the other Table stories we have studied so far in Luke?

Lesson 3 (Sept. 20, 28*): Breaking Bread at Bethsaida

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson:Luke 9:1-50 (we'll cover 9:1-36 in class)

1. What stood out to you about last week’s lesson? How did the three stage-setting stories we examined relate to the table story? What is most meaningful to you about Jesus in the story at the home of Simon the Pharisee?
2. What does Herod ask? How does Herod’s question and it’s answer show up again repeatedly in the next stories?
   
3. We talked about how Jesus teaches and challenges in each of the table stories. Who does Jesus challenge in the story of Breaking Bread at Bethsaida (the Feeding of the 5,000)? What is the challenge?
   
4. What elements of Old Testament symbolism or connections to Old Testament stories can you identify in the Transfiguration story? What is important about those connections?

Other Scriptures: 2 Kings 4:42-44

Next Week: Luke 9:51-10:42

Lesson 2 (Sept. 13, 21*): Dinner at Simon the Pharisee's

*Wednesday Night Class will not meet 9/14 and will resume with Lesson 2 the following week, 9/21.

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 6:12-8:56 (we'll cover 6:17-7:50 in class)

1. What stood out to you about the theme of Table in the Bible? What was most relevant to you about the story of Levi’s banquet?
2. Look back to Jesus’ “mission statement” in Luke 4:14-22. Compare it with Jesus’ answer to John’s followers and his subsequent teaching in Luke 7:18-35. What is most important to Jesus about Jesus’ ministry? What same elements come up in this passage that we talked about in the story of Levi’s banquet? How does this story lead into the teaching at Simon’s banquet?
3. Who invites Jesus to dinner in Luke 7:36-50? What do we know about him from the story? Why do you think he invited Jesus? What are the signs that Simon “loved little?”
   
4. What are the themes or messages of the story of the dinner with Simon the Pharisee?

Lesson 1 (Sept. 6, 7): Introduction & the Banquet at Levi's House

Reading Assignment and Study Questions for this lesson: Luke 5:1-6:16

1. What is significant about the table, or being at the table? What does being at the table mean to you? Where does it appear in the Old Testament? What does it mean in Scripture?
2. How does this section (Luke 5:1-6:16) begin and end? What does that indicate this section is about (among other things)?
3. In Luke 5:3, is this the first time Jesus and Peter have met? What former encounter can you find?
4. How are the Pharisees involved? What is their concern? What is Jesus’ response? Why do you think Jesus and the Pharisees view this situation so differently?