Matthew 5 – Does what Jesus say tell us who he is?

NIV | NLT | Message

Intro Questions:

  • Do you form an opinion of someone by what they say?
  • Give an example of a recent event where someone said something that told you about who they were?  What did it tell you about them?
  • So does it matter who we think a person is – or just what they say?

Watch Matthew 5

Video Debrief

  • What are you thinking after seeing the video?  What did you notice for the first time about this passage?
  • Did it feel different than just reading the text? If so, how?
  • Do you think it was accurate showing him moving around – or do you think he sat/stood to teach?
  • Did you picture the setting this way – or something totally different?

Dig  into the Text

  1. Look at verses 1-12 – what kind of view on life would Jesus have had to say these things?
  2. Look at verses 13-16 – How was Jesus salt and light to this world?
  3. In verse 17 Jesus says – “I have come” – what do you think he came to earth for? Who is it that came?
  4. What kind of person could equate anger with murder?  Who was he that he could think that way?
  5. For the rest of passage – what kind of values does Jesus present – be specific?  How do they relate to who he was?
  6. Does this challenge any teachings you’ve had on this text – if so what and why?

Deeper Questions

  1. Is it easy to get lost in this passage?  Is it simple or full of depth?
  2. What would a life look like if this was lived out?  How would it be like Jesus’s life?
  3. Read this viewpoint and compare it back to the text:http://www.philosophy-religion.org/handouts/pdfs/Wink.pdf
  4. Where have you formed your opinions on adultery, divorce, resisting evil, etc. – do you think they came from the Bible or from elsewhere?
  5. Does this passage talk more about behavior, about right and wrong, or about valuing people?  And why?

Application Questions

  1. How hard is it to follow the advice that Jesus gives us?
  2. What specifically do you need him to help you with – anger, lust, etc.?
  3. Do you want to be closer to him now – or is he still distant to you?  What keeps you far from him?
  4. Is your view of Jesus being challenged?  Is God staying static or is he becoming more to you as you watch the videos?

Bonus/Deeper Study

  1. Watch the video again.
  2. Re-read the text with I statements – “I am blessed when I’m poor in Spirit”
  3. Do more research on what these statements mean – like the link about resisting evil presented above.
  4. Read the same account in different translations – meditate on the god behind the text – not on the text itself.

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