What necessities are lawful on the Sabbath? vv. 1–5
What Lord can restore and purify Sabbath laws? v.5
What mercies are lawful on the Sabbath? vv. 6–10
What will we do with this Lord of the Sabbath? v. 11
Reflection questions
Isn’t it a good thing that we aren’t like the Pharisees? See what God says about that idea in Luke 18:9–14 and 1 Cor. 10:12.
Read Luke 14:1–6. Why does Jesus mention the son and the ox? Read Matthew 12:11–12, as well. Is Jesus upset at what the Pharisees regularly did on the Sabbath (saving an ox, a sheep, a son)? Or is He encouraging them to let others do the same? See Matthew 12:7; what did Jesus want them to do more of?
Read Isaiah 58:1–8, 13–14 (esp. v.3). What does Jesus want to teach us about fasting and the Sabbath in this passage? Also see Romans 13:8–10.
The old is gone, the new has come, and it’s time to party, vv. 33–35
The old is incompatible with the new, vv. 36–38
If you like the old, you may never even consider the new, v. 39
Reflection questions
If you fast, how should you fast? How should you pray? See Matthew 6:1–8, 16–18.
Read Philippians 3:2–10. How would Paul have described the old way and the new way? Which one did he prefer (cf. Luke 5:39)? Name some good things you do which you might mistakenly think make you less needy of God’s grace.
Why should we be grateful that Christ is our Bridegroom? Is that image only supposed to bring positive and happy memories to our minds? What kind of Bride are the people of God? (Consider Hosea 1:2 and Revelation 19:6–9a.)
The Ones Who Need a Physician Like Jesus, vv. 31–32
Reflection questions
Compare vv.30–32 to Luke 18:9–14. What attitude does Jesus condemn in both stories? Should we be on the lookout for this attitude in our own hearts? (See 1 Cor. 10:12) Should we only have a negative view of ourselves; is this glorifying to God? Consider I Cor. 15:9–10a.
Read vv. 28–29. What attitude did Levi have towards his wealth? What else does the Bible say about our relationship to our money in this life? See 1 Tim. 6:17–19.
How would you react if your son had wasted your money, lived a wild life and then came home, penniless, and asked for your help? Would you grumble (Lk 5:30) or throw a party? Read Luke 15:1–2, 11–32 and ask how you think Jesus would want us to react?
A great compassion and a crowd avoidance, vv. 12–16
A great crowd and a great controversy, vv. 17–21
A convincing proof and a consuming awe, vv. 22–27
Reflection questions:
Would your instinct have been the same as Jesus in vv. 14–16? Would you have withdrawn from the crowds who wanted more of what you had to offer (in Jesus’s case it was the ability to heal) in order to restore yourself through prayer and meditation? Do our actions sometimes indicate that we think we don’t need regular prayer?
Compare the determination of the friends (and the paralytic) to see Jesus (see vv. 18–20) with the story of Matthew 13:44–46? What does the determination of these friends (as well as the men who sell all that they have) tell us about what we should seek in this life? (Also see Matthew 6:32–33)
What is this passage trying to show us when Jesus chose to touch the leper? Some other passages to consider: Ps 22:24; Isaiah 52:13–53:12 (especially 52:14; 53:2–3, 5, 7, 10); Leviticus 13:45–46; Hebrews 13:11–13.
Whether you can’t remember when you weren’t a Christian or whether you have a dramatic conversion story, how is God’s gift of salvation an act of rescuing you from your sin? Consider the following passages: 2 Tim 2:24–26; Gal 6:1–2; Eph 2:1- 5; Col. 1:13–14.
Read Isaiah 6:1–8; what parallels do you see to Peter’s experience in Luke 5:1–11?
Read 2 Tim. 4:1–5; focus especially on v.2. Compare this passage to Jesus’s actions in Luke 4:42–5:3. Now ask yourself: Are you ready “in season and out of season”? Are you “always prepared” (1 Peter 3:15–16) to testify about what God has done in your life? If not, think of at least one way to share with others about how God has given you hope.
Read vv.38–39; also read Revelation 21:4–5. Now consider – How should we consider Jesus’s miracles in light of our future resurrection and eternal home? And what do you think of the following statement? “They [the miracles] are all intended to fasten in our minds the great truth that Christ is the appointed Healer of every evil which sin has brought into the world.” (J.C. Ryle, Expository Thought on the Gospels: Luke, 1:97)
Why did Jesus not want the demons to tell others about His identity? Compare John 6:15.
What was Jesus’s mission? What is our mission? (Consider Matthew 28:18–20) How can did Jesus stay focused on His mission (v.42; compare Mark 1:35ff)? How did He avoid distractions? Was Jesus afraid to say, “No,” to the expectations and requests of others that interfered with His mission? What lessons can we learn from His practices?
When is the last time you read something in God’s Word that astonished you? When is the last time you prayed the words of Psalm 139:23-24? Should there be any connection between those two questions?
Have you ever experienced a time in life where your knowledge of God was increasing but your love for God and others did not? Read 1 Cor. 13:1-7 (esp. v.2). In which aspect of love (from I Cor. 13) do you need to grow the most right now?
We often focus on evangelism as an act of obedience (as it should be), but do we also make it a regular item of prayer? Consider Paul’s prayer requests in Ephesians 6:18-20 and Colossians 4:3-4.
Jesus’s ministry was both widely acclaimed and angrily rejected. What kind of lesson should that be to us about how our words will be received? (See John 15:18–25)
Does it surprise you that Jesus tells the people he realizes that they don’t believe in Him? Can you think of another time He does this? See John 6:26–29, esp. v.26; notice what story occurs in 6:1–15, as well.
Read Dt. 8:7–8 and Psalm 67:1–5. Why did God bless His people? Was it because of something inherent in them? What was God trying to the world through His chosen people? What was God’s purpose for His chosen people? And what remains the same about that purpose for His people (see Mt. 28:18–20)?
