VBCC Sermons

Sermon: THE HOST & THE HEN

Sermon Discussion Questions

Take a moment to share about an area of life where you’ve experienced loss or disruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. How are you processing the disruption? Is there a silver lining?

Read Luke 13:22-30. What question precipitated this dialog with Jesus (v23)? Why do you think Jesus chooses a banquet to illustrate salvation?

Which character in the story represents Jesus? What is the character’s role? What is Jesus communicating to us about himself?

Jesus speaks about a ‘narrow door’ in v24. In what way is the door narrow? What is he telling us about the opportunity to enter into salvation?

Read Luke 13:31-35. In the previous passage, Jesus likens himself to the host of a great banquet. What image does he use in this passage to describe himself (v34)? What is the imagery meant to communicate?

We all have ‘mother hens’, or places we run to for security and comfort. What ‘hens’ in our culture have proven to be false securities during the COVID-19 pandemic? What other ‘hens’ keep people from finding refuge in Jesus? What hens are you personally tempted to turn to, rather than turning to Jesus?

Take some time to worship Jesus for who he reveals himself to be in Luke 13. Pray together for one another & for the world around you.

Explore Further
Take some time to review this chart of the meals of Jesus recorded in Luke’s gospel. Some scholars see the meal narratives as the basic narrative framework of the book. What do we learn about Jesus, his mission, and his focus from these meals?

5:27-32 Banquet at Levi’s House

7:36-50 Dinner at Simon’s House

9:10-17 Feeding the 5,000

10:38-42 Hospitality at the home of Mary and Martha

11:37-52 Dinner at a Pharisee’s House

14:1-24 Sabbath Meal at a Pharisee’s House

19:1-10 Hospitality at the home of Zacchaeus

22:14-38 The Last Supper

24:28-32 Breaking Bread at Emmaus

24:36-43 Jesus Eats Meal in Presence of Disciples

Discussion Questions

1. Share a moment when you did not believe the eventual would become the actual and you were “found out” by the future.

2. Which of the stories in this passage did you connect with most? (Rich man and barns, Good Servant, Unfaithful Servant, Fig Tree)

3. In the 4 Keys to discerning real followers, which was most convicting to you?

4. How would you answer the question, “What is the best news you could get today?” Be honest.

5. In general, do you think of God’s return as a burdensome event, or as a joyous reunion?

6. Of the truths in this passage about real followers of Jesus, which is most significant to you and why?

7. As you think about the faithful servant, what would look different about your life if you were expectantly waiting on Jesus return, but didn’t know when he was coming back?







Explore

· Read chapter 11 and especially the portion at the end concerning the Pharisees. Think about the three main groups that Jesus addresses, Pharisees, crowd, disciples. How does his address to each have a different tone?

· How do we understand that Luke 12:1-Luke 13:9 is a literary unit of Luke?

· Read John 15, who do you think each character in the parable of the fig tree (in Luke 13) represents?

· Should we be overly concerned about the more severe punishments and the less severe punishments in the second story about the servants? Is this a main point of the story? Is there ever a time when being punished by God is not a big deal?

· Think about the Pharisees declaring that Jesus works were from the devil (in Luke 11 or the parallel Mark 3) and Peter denying Christ, and Jesus saying that anyone who says a word against the Son of man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. What’s going on there?