Lent Day 17

BOOK II - The Words of Private Instruction 

16 Private exegesis on the parable of the sower
17 Similes of the Kingdom
18 Exegesis on the parable of the tares
19 Continuation of similes for comprehending the Kingdom
20 The offense, for His disciples, of the teachings about the Kingdom

Reflect: If you had to use three words to describe God's Kingdom using only what Jesus says in today's readings, what words would you choose? Are you surprised by what words you end up with?

Lent Day 16

BOOK II - The Words of Private Instruction

11 The cost of membership in His Kingdom
12 The rewards of honoring His Kingdom and its citizens
13 The direct bestowal of personal salvation
14 Mercy as the mediator of all religious law
15 On how understanding increases with understanding

Reflect: What do these teachings seem to say about acts of hospitality and how we treat and welcome one another? Where do you see us doing well with these words of Jesus? Where do you see us not living by these words?

Lent Day 15

BOOK II - The Words of Private Instruction

6 His assertion of the radical nature of His work

7 The first commissioning, of the twelve
8 The second commissioning, of the larger company of the seventy
9 The first graphic and detailed discussion of the interplay between good and evil
10 The prophecies of persecutions to come and of their proper endurance

Reflect: What do you think about the sort of power Jesus gave to the disciples he commissioned? Why do you think he sent out the disciples to do his work even while he was still on earth? What sort of work does Jesus commission us to do today?

Lent Day 14

BOOK II - The Words of Private Instruction

1 Heaven and earth, spirit and flesh
2 The assertion of His messiahship and of a new way of worship
3 An admonition about greed
4 The utter primacy of devotion over any other necessities
5 His description of those for whom He came

Reflect: Though Phyllis Tickle begins her study of the words of Jesus with his words of public proclamation, she make an important point in the introduction to the book: "It is not [Jesus'] public persona that carries us closest to His center. Rather, He is most self-revelatory and open to us in His words of private instruction, or so it seems to me. Talking there with those whom He has chosen and who are to carry forth His Good News after His Ascension, He has great need to reveal who and what and why He is in human form. As a result, beginning the study of His Sayings with Book Two instead of Book One makes psychological, if not logical, sense, and I would suggest the Private Instructions as the best place to begin." Though we began reading the the Public words, pay special attention to this new section of sayings from Jesus. How does the tone change? Does he seem to present himself any differently, or focus on different things? Keep asking these questions through the next several days of readings.

Lent Day 13

Wednesday, March 4: Words of Public Proclamation 61-66

61 A reprimand to the established clergy

62 Exposing the weakness of arguing from doctrine 

63 Condemnation of the socially righteous 

64 His role as “the stone rejected by the builders” 

65 The eternal life of the worthy 

66 The great paradox

Reflect: You have now read all of Jesus' recorded words of public proclamation. What themes did he seem to come back to over and over again? What (if any) things seem conspicuously absent from these words?

Lent Day 12

Tuesday, March 3: Words of Public Proclamation 56-60

56 The assertion of Now 

57 The definition of prayer that is heard and received 

58 On marriage, divorce, and celibacy 

59 The cleansing of the Temple 

60 The prophecy of the Resurrection

Reflect: What do you think of the title of saying number 56, "The assertion of Now"? What strikes you overall about this set of sayings? Pick one to carry with you through the day. Write it somewhere you will see it.

Lent Day 11

Monday, March 2: Words of Public Proclamation 51-55

51 Prophecy of the Triumphal Entry 

52 The place of government in the believer’s life 

53 The cost of choosing to join the Kingdom 

54 The parable of the prodigal son 

55 The story of the rich man in Hell

Reflect: As Jesus neared the end of his life, he seemed to speak more and more using images and metaphors and stories (parables). Why do you think this might be?