According to Christianity, temptation is an obstacle we all face in life. Jesus himself had to deal with temptation from a devil, a spirit that seeks to convince someone to disobey God’s will. The devil asked Jesus to turn a stone into bread and prove his miraculous powers. He offered Jesus all the riches of the world if he would follow him. Jesus said no to these offers.
Do you think temptation is a part of everyone’s life? What kinds of temptation do you face? How do you deal with temptation?
Passover is a special date in the Jewish calendar. In Jesus’ time, people traveled great distances to spend Passover in Jerusalem. Part of the Passover ritual involved sacrificing animals and paying a tax to the temple. Since this tax needed to be paid in local currency, people from other areas had to have their money changed. Those who made long journeys could not bring their own animals for sacrifice, so they bought them in Jerusalem.
Jesus, who was a Jew, went to Jerusalem at Passover time. Here is an account of his visit from the Bible.
As the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple precincts he came upon people engaged in selling oxen, sheep and doves, and others seated changing coins. He made a whip of cord and drove sheep and oxen alike out of the temple area, and knocked over the money-changers’ tables, spilling their coins. He told those who were selling doves: “Get them out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” (John 2:13-16)
If worshippers needed to buy animals and change money, why do you think Jesus reacted in this way?
What did Jesus, whose teachings are the basis of Christianity, teach people to do? What was his lesson for the world? He told people to be loving and grateful. He told people to forgive others. He told people to serve the needy and the outcast.
Do you think these teachings are good? Do you try to do some or all of these things?
When Jesus, whose teachings form the basis of Christianity, was born, Palestine was under Roman rule. Jews were treated badly and had to pay high taxes. Different groups responded to this situation in different ways.
One group, the Sadducees, tried to make the best of things. They accepted Roman rule and tried to fit in with Roman society.
Another group, The Essenes, thought the situation in Palestine came about because the world was corrupt. They withdrew from the world into their own independent communities and devoted themselves to a life of piety.
A third group, the Pharisees, wanted to change society. They remained within society but tried to make Judaism strong again by sticking strictly to the Jewish code of holiness.
A fourth group, the Zealots, also wanted change. They tried to use force to overthrow Roman rule.
Based on what you know about the teachings of Jesus, which of these four groups do you think he had most in common with?
The Pharisees were an important Jewish group at the time of Jesus. They wanted to change society by making Judaism strong again. They focused on Mosaic law – the laws that Moses gave the Jews. The Pharisees categorized certain things as clean or unclean, such as foods and the way they were prepared. People who didn’t follow these distinctions were also categorized as unclean. This meant that people who did certain jobs or who couldn’t afford to follow all the rules of the Pharisees, were seen as less worthy.
Jesus didn’t agree with this idea. He saw all people as worthwhile. Jesus was willing to talk with anyone, even those the Pharisees considered unworthy, such as sinners, prostitutes, lepers, poor people, and the mentally ill.
This attitude toward people caused conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus and his followers. Why do you think this might have caused conflict?
One of the ways Jesus taught his disciples was through parables. Parables are vivid stories that have a hidden message. Jesus often used parables to respond to criticism.
The Gospel of Luke is in the New Testament of the Bible. It tells of an incident where Jesus was preaching to a group of tax collectors and sinners.
…at which the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then he addressed this parable to them: “Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wasteland and follow the lost one until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ I tell you, there will likewise be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.” (Luke 15:2-7)
Explain the message of this parable.
The parable of the prodigal son, or wasteful, son is found in the New Testament of the Bible. It tells of a man and his two sons. The younger son asked for his inheritance, moved to another country, and spent all his money. Once all his money was spent, the younger son was close to starvation. Finally he decided to return to his father. He felt that his father owed him nothing, since he treated his father ungratefully. He planned to ask his father for a job as a servant.
As the son approached the farm, his father saw him and ran to greet him. The father had the servants bring fine robes for his son and prepare a feast.
The older son, who had stayed on the farm, was angry about this. He pointed out that he had always obeyed his father and worked hard, but his father had never thrown a party for him. The father replied, “Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice! This brother of yours was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:31-32)
What do you think is the message of this parable?
In Jesus’ time, people who had disputes with others often asked a rabbi or Jewish spiritual leader, to solve the dispute. Because Jesus was seen as a wise teacher, people sometimes asked him to settle their disagreements. One day, a man asked Jesus to settle a dispute about money. Jesus refused, saying, “Who made me a judge or divider over you?” (Luke 12:14) Then he told them this parable, which is found in the Bible.
The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12: 16-21)
What do you think is the meaning of this parable?
In his sermons, Jesus gave his listeners advice on how to live, such as this:
Treat others the way you would have them treat you: this sums up the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
Do you think this is a good approach to dealing with people? Do you treat people in this way?
Jesus urged his followers to love other people, even those who hurt them. He said:
My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. This will prove that you are sons of your heavenly Father, for his sun rises on the bad and the good, he rains on the just and the unjust. If you love those who love you, what merit is there in that? Do not tax collectors do as much? And if you greet your brothers only, what is so praiseworthy about that? Do not pagans do as much? (Matthew 5:44-47)
What reasons does Jesus give here for trying to love everyone, not just friends and family?