The last chapter of Luke gives a clear account of
the fantastic miracle of the resurrection. After Jesus'
crucifixion his disciples were afraid of the Jews. While they
continued to meet, they did so in secret. Suddenly, Jesus came
to them.
C.S. Lewis, a famous writer and Christian, wrote:
"The New Testament writers speak as if Christ's
achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of
its kind in the whole history of the universe. He has forced
open a door that has been locked since the death of the
first man. He has met, fought and beaten the king of death."
A. The Resurrection
- How do you think the disciples felt
after seeing Jesus crucified?
News began to reach them that Jesus was alive again. The
disciples' reaction shows that they did not expect this. They
thought the story was nonsense (v.11). The two on the road
said that they were surprised by the news (v.22) and Jesus
himself confirmed that they had doubts in their minds (v.38).
Nevertheless, various people became convinced that Jesus had
risen from the dead.
- What convinced the women?
(24:5-8)
- What convinced the two people on the
road? (24:25-32)
- What convinced the group of
disciples? (24:33-43)
- How did the disciples' attitude
toward Jesus change? (24:52,53)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the climax of his
life's work. Jesus rose from the dead as he said he would.
This challenges us to believe that the other things he said
about himself are also true. The resurrection demands a
response from us, one way or another.
B. Responding to
Jesus
Let's look at one particular woman about whom Luke wrote,
and see how she responded to Jesus.
This woman had a bad past. Her behavior toward Jesus was
very different from the stiff and starchy response of Simon
the Pharisee.
- Why do you think the woman acted as
she did? (7:37,38)
- Jesus told Simon a story to explain
the woman's actions. (7:40-43)
- Why do you think he did
that?
- How were the woman's debts cleared
before God? (7:48)
- What does "faith" mean?
(7:50)
- What did "go in peace" mean to this
woman? (7:50)
She could be sure that she was at peace with God. Jesus had
welcomed, accepted and forgiven her because of his love and
mercy. Nothing she had done could have earned his response.
But she was now free to live as a new person.
We can be sure in this same way. We can never pay God the
debt we owe Him for our sinful behavior. But, if we come to
Jesus as this woman did, we can know that he forgives and
accepts us completely. In the last session we discussed how
this happens through Jesus' death on our behalf.
C. Becoming a
Christian
The sinful woman came to Jesus and recognized her sin. She
trusted Jesus to forgive her and, by her actions, thanked him
for the new life he offered her. We must do the same if we
want to be at peace with God, both now and eternally.
You could pray something like this:
Jesus,I realize that I have been
running my own life and have rebelled against You. Thank You
for dying for my sins. I open my life to You and ask You to
be my Savior and Lord. Make me the kind of person You want
me to be. Amen.
D. Growing as a
Christian
These five studies have shown us who Jesus is and why he
came. Luke 6:46-49 teaches that we must not only hear what
Jesus said, but put it into practice.
A decision to become a Christian is just the beginning of a
lifetime of getting to know God better.
| One | Two | Three |
Four
| Five
|