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    Hard Sayings of Jesus: Discussions for Curious Christians
    Hard Sayings of Jesus: Discussions for Curious Christians
    Hard Sayings of Jesus: Discussions for Curious Christians
    Ebook119 pages1 hour

    Hard Sayings of Jesus: Discussions for Curious Christians

    By John Zehring

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    About this ebook

    Hard sayings of Jesus are those he spoke which are hard to understand. Some confounded even the disciples, who did not understand or were astounded by what he said. The hard sayings often appear to contradict Jesus’ other teachings about a loving, kind, forgiving and compassionate God. How can curious Christians wrestle with their meaning to understand them?

    This book stimulates engaging conversations for a six-week group study of Jesus’ hard sayings. Each chapter contains conversation starting questions, background information, and texts needed to inform the discussion. The Appendix includes valuable tools like 1) The teaching methods of Jesus, 2) Basic questions to consider in bible study, 3) Fast Facts about the authors of the synoptic gospels, and others.

    The book is especially well-suited for small member-led discussion groups although anyone curious about Jesus’ hard sayings will find it enlightening.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJohn Zehring
    Release dateOct 28, 2017
    ISBN9781370699032
    Hard Sayings of Jesus: Discussions for Curious Christians
    Author

    John Zehring

    John Zehring has served United Church of Christ congregations as Senior Pastor in Massachusetts (Andover), Rhode Island (Kingston), and Maine (Augusta) and as an Interim Pastor in Massachusetts (Arlington, Harvard). Prior to parish ministry, he served in higher education, primarily in development and institutional advancement. He worked as a dean of students, director of career planning and placement, adjunct professor of public speaking and as a vice president at a seminary and at a college. He is the author of more than sixty books and is a regular writer for The Christian Citizen, an American Baptist social justice publication. He has taught Public Speaking, Creative Writing, Educational Psychology and Church Administration. John was the founding editor of the publication Seminary Development News, a publication for seminary presidents, vice presidents and trustees (published by the Association of Theological Schools, funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment). He graduated from Eastern University and holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary, Rider University, and the Earlham School of Religion. He is listed in Marquis' WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA and is a recipient of their Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. John and his wife Donna live in two places, in central Massachusetts and by the sea in Maine.

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      Book preview

      Hard Sayings of Jesus - John Zehring

      Hard Sayings of Jesus:

      Discussions for Curious Christians.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this eBook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

      John Zehring

      Copyright 2017 John Zehring

      Introduction

      Do you find yourself asking What does Jesus mean by that? There are sayings of Jesus that are difficult to understand. Some appear out of sync with the picture of a personal, loving, compassionate God of mercy and grace. Others appear to contradict Jesus’ other teachings. This book encourages curious Christians to tackle the most difficult of Jesus’ sayings.

      Do not be afraid of your search for truth. Never mistake curiosity for doubt. Jesus was a compassionate and skillful teacher who would welcome a curious student’s search for deeper understanding. Sometimes there are explanations for Jesus’ hard sayings. Other times it is our best guess. Do not allow a saying to shake your faith just because you do not understand or cannot explain what Jesus said. Do not become dismayed if you do not understand a piece or a part, for you are in good company – Jesus’ disciples themselves frequently did not understand.

      Jesus moved about with his disciples and taught them about what was to come. Mark (9:30-32) tells how: They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again. But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

      Did you catch that? The disciples did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. This was toward the conclusion of Jesus’ life. He and the disciples had been together three years. These twelve had traced his footprints in the sand, listened to his incomparable parables, and watched him cast out demons, restore sight to the blind, heal lepers and even raise the dead. They were his nearest and closest associates and still they did not understand.

      Every time you turn around in the gospels, you find the disciples not understanding. For example, Jesus spoke at great length about the parable of the sower. It is more than half a chapter. After the crowds left, the disciples came to him, saying: Explain to us the parables of the weeds of the field. They did not even get the title right. They waited until the crowds left (wouldn't want them to think we don’t get it), and then they asked Jesus to explain what he meant.

      In another place, (Matthew 15:15), Jesus tells a story. Peter said to him, Explain the parable to us. And Jesus said, Are you also still without understanding? You still don’t get it, Peter? So Jesus explained it again, in other words.

      This happened all the time:

      In Luke 8:9 - And his disciples asked him what this parable meant.

      In John 7:36 - What does he mean by this saying?

      In John 16:18 - They said, What does he mean... we do not know what he means.

      In Luke 18:34 - But the disciples understood none of these things… they did not grasp what he said.

      Seeing that the disciples did not understand might comfort you to know that when it is difficult for you to understand or believe, you are in saintly company. Many times the disciples did not understand and had to live with ambiguity.

      The hard sayings of Jesus draw us deeply into a study of the bible. They compel us to avoid examining them in isolation. We are required to consider their textual and cultural context. Some baffle because we do not understand the teaching technique. Or, we might wonder if a gospel writer emphasized them because of the agenda of his writing. And after our study, even if our conclusions are not completely satisfied, we are reassured by affirming the big things of our faith upon which we stand firm: love, grace, forgiveness and an understanding of God taught by the one who knew God best and loved God most. It is my hope that this book will lead you to a better understanding of Jesus’ teachings – some of the toughest to grasp – and into a deeper encounter with the Divine.

      Consider how to equip yourself to better understand Jesus’ hard sayings with a preview of some tools you can use in the Appendix:

      WHAT TO UNDERSTAND BEFORE CONSIDERING JESUS’ HARD SAYINGS

      Before launching into the hard sayings of Jesus, there are three preliminary steps to consider. This is to set the sayings in context, to interpret them with intellectual integrity and to understand Jesus as a master teacher. The hope is for this to be both an inspiration and a study. Indeed, this is as much about how to study the bible as it is to grasp the hard sayings themselves. Please turn to the Appendix to find resources on:

      FIRST: Jesus teaching techniques. Jesus was a master educator and wordsmith. He knew what he was doing with words and chose them intentionally and artfully. Words did not simply roll off the top of his head. In fact, Jesus used many Middle Eastern teaching techniques much like a modern teacher employs tested pedagogical devices to help students grasp the message and its meaning. And so, we begin with a review of some of the teaching techniques he used to help us better understand where he was going with his parables.

      SECOND: Basic questions to consider in any study of the bible. A checklist of simple questions is offered to consider in approaching the hard sayings. These questions help to keep us from simply making the teachings to say what we wish they would say or mean, and to study the meaning within its context.

      THIRD: A list of fast facts about the synoptic gospels. Of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke see things together. They have similarities and sometimes repeat the same teachings, although not with identical words. These three are known as the synoptic gospels. John is the different gospel. His agenda was to a different audience as Christianity was spreading into the Greek and Roman world. His was the last gospel written.

      CONVERSATION STARTERS FOR ADULT STUDY GROUPS.

      This book is intended to stimulate engaging conversations for a six-week adult study group as you consider Jesus’ hard sayings and their message. Each chapter begins with discussion starters to encourage the conversation. Then reflections and background information is provided, followed in some cases by related scripture texts connected to the questions. Please feel welcome to venture off the main path to explore new territory as the conversation leads. This study format recognizes that learning by discovery is the most powerful form of learning. Rather than a lecture or having a teacher, it is preferred for the group to lead itself by considering provoking questions and conversation.

      This work is designed for curious Christians who recognize that asking the tough questions does not weaken their faith. Nor is it discourteous, challenging to orthodox teaching, insulting to God or a sign of a weak faith. Rather, to probe out of curiosity is perfectly appropriate. You can see from the gospels that Jesus took people seriously. Jesus took people and their questions seriously as he did with Thomas, whom history inaccurately nicknames Doubting Thomas. He was not doubting. He was curious. Thomas had a lot of questions. Notice that even at the end, even when Thomas said he would not believe until he saw the nail marks in Jesus’ hands, Jesus still took Thomas seriously. In fact, Jesus used questions, even questions from hostile sources, as a teaching moment. This suggests that when we do not understand something, we are at least dealing with a kind teacher who has patience with us and takes our questions seriously.

      The discussions push the envelope and may cause intellectual conflict but fear not. Conflict and wrestling with challenging ideas is creative because the mind attempts to resolve conflict. A group conversation that confronts real questions has potential to reaffirm current belief, to grow one’s faith and to consider which parts of belief are most important.

      The format for chapters begins with suggested discussion questions. Use them as a guide for your own questions and do not feel compelled to tackle all of them. Reflections are then included to provide background information about the miracle. Then, suggested scriptures are added to provide a fuller context for the miracle as well as related texts.

      The Appendix contains tools to use as you examine the

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