Community Group Questions: October 6th-12th

October 5th, 2024
by Karissa Smith

Luke 11:27-36

True Blessedness

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

The Sign of Jonah

29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

The Light in You

33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”

Questions:

Doctrine - How we Think

How does hearing and obeying the word of God bring great blessing to a person?
- Bonus helpful commentary from R.C. Sproul on vs 27-28: Jesus gave an astonishing response to the woman’s oracle of weal. He said: “More than that—more than the blessing that was received by My mother—greater than the blessedness visited upon Mary is the blessedness given for all those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Do you hear how radical that is? Jesus was saying that as blessed as Mary was to be His mother, you are even more blessed. You have received an even greater blessing than she did by being a recipient of the Word of God. She bore the Word of God incarnate. You have the Word of God written and enunciated in sacred Scripture. There is a condition attached to the blessing that Jesus gives. This blessedness comes not simply in hearing the Word, but in obeying it. In the Greek language there is a strange twist of wording. The Greek word “to hear” is the word akouō, and the Greek word “to obey” is the word hypakouō. From that prefix hyper we get the English prefix “hyper.” It means that if someone obeys what they hear, they experience a “hyper-hearing.” That is, the hearing is not simply on the surface, going in one ear and out the other, but it is heard in an emphatic way so that the hearer does what the word commands. If you hear the Word of God and if you obey the Word of God, our Lord has pronounced a blessing on you greater than the blessing that the Father gave to His own mother.
Is it possible to hear the word of God and keep it apart from Christian community? If yes, why? If not, why not?
What was the sign of Jonah? (read Matthew 12:38-42) Why did Jesus say something greater than Jonah is here?

Worship - How we Feel

What kinds of things do you consider to be a blessing from God? Go back to verse 27-28. Are you in alignment with Jesus’ understanding of blessedness?
Reflecting on the way outsiders like the Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh responded to God's message, how does this challenge our attitudes toward others who are different from us?
In what ways does Jesus' warning to "take care that one is filled with light" impact how we feel about our relationship with God?

Application - What we Do

How can we, like Mary, not only hear but also keep and obey the Word of God in our daily lives?
What practical steps can we take to develop "good eyes" that receive and reflect the light of Jesus?

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