November 16th

Introduction question: Where did you grow up, and what was it like?

Read Luke 4:14-22 together as a group, and then silently by yourselves.

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. News about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. On the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as he usually did. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled it and found the right place. There it is written, 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has anointed me to tell the good news to poor people. He has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners. He has sent me so that the blind will see again. He wants me to free those who are beaten down. 19 And he has sent me to announce the year when he will set his people free." 20 Then Jesus rolled up the scroll. He gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were staring at him. 21 He began by saying to them, "Today this passage of Scripture is coming true as you listen." 22 Everyone said good things about him. They were amazed at the gracious words they heard from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

Go over the following words:

Galilee - the region in northern Israel where Jesus was raised.
Holy Spirit - the third person of the Trinity, God.
synagogue - The place where the Jews met for worship and fellowship.
Nazareth - the city where Jesus grew up.
Sabbath - the last day of the week, Saturday, when Jews were supposed to rest from their work.
scroll - rolled up paper that served as a book.
prophet Isaiah - a Jewish messenger who received messages from God and shared them with the people of Israel.
anointed - given a special blessing from God.
attendant - a servant.
Scripture - the part of the Bible that was written before Jesus, also called the Old Testament.
gracious - good, positive, inspirational.
Joseph - Jesus’ step-father (being born of a virgin, Jesus had no human father!)

Discuss the following questions:

1. Isaiah lived about 700 years before Jesus. He described the coming of Jesus. When Jesus came, he matched Isaiah’s description perfectly. How did Isaiah describe Jesus?
2. Do you think verses 18 and 19 are describing what Jesus would do spiritually or physically? Explain.
3. Which of Jesus’ jobs do you think is most important today, and why?
4. What do you think the people meant by their question “Isn’t this Joseph’s son”?
5. What is the good news that Jesus came to tell? Can you explain it?