Study 1 Freedom! (John 8: 31-59)
Starting
In pairs, talk about this question: What are the kinds of things everyone wants freedom from? Why is this so important to us? In what ways are many people in our culture not free? (Then share with the group.)
Praying
Someone in the group prays for our time together.
Talking
Scene One: read verses 31-47
1. What Jesus says at the beginning of the passage sounds like good news. Why don’t the crowd take it that way?
2. In verses 34-38 Jesus explains to the crowd that they need to be set free. How does he back that up? Do we think what Jesus says in verse 34 is true? Why?
3. Still in verses 34-38, what sin in particular does Jesus accuse the crowds of? How do we think they might have felt when he said that? Why do we think they wanted to do this?
4. In verse 37 Jesus obviously accepts that they are descendants of Abraham. But why should they not be calling themselves Abraham’s children?
5. Let’s look at verses 39-41. Jesus seems to be saying that we are the children of whoever we behave like. Who are the crowds behaving like?
6. In verses 42-47, what are some of the things Jesus says about the devil? Why do we think Jesus is being so blunt with the crowds?
Scene Two: read verses 48-59
7. In verse 48 the crowds accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed. How does Jesus explain that this can’t be true?
8. Why are the crowds upset by what Jesus says in verse 51? Why can’t they believe that Jesus is greater than Abraham?
9. In verse 56 Jesus is rubbing it in. What do we think he means? And what does verse 57 tell us about what the crowds think of Jesus?
10. Let’s look at what Jesus says in verse 58. What would it mean if he had said ‘Before Abraham was born, I was’? Why are the crowds so angry that Jesus says ‘Before Abraham was born, I am’ (reading Exodus 3:13-14 may help!)
11. How do we know that the crowds think Jesus is blaspheming? Do we think Jesus slips away because he is afraid of dying?
12. In pairs, share how your opinion about Jesus has changed during your life. What caused the change? Then share in the whole group.
Praying
Why not have two times of prayer together?
In the first, let’s keep our Bibles open and pray about what we’ve been reading. Let’s worship Jesus for who he is, and tell him why we need him.
In the second, let's pray for one another's needs, the church family, the wider church, and the world.
Study 2 From darkness to sight (John 9:1-41)
Starting
In pairs: Can we think of examples of people in entertainment or in politics who believe a certain thing despite the evidence rather than because of it? Why do we all do this sometimes?
Praying
Someone in the group prays for our time together.
Talking
Scene One: read verses 1-12
1. What does John tell us in verse 1, and then again in verse 2? Why is this so important?
2. Let’s look at verses 6 and 7. Why do we think Jesus healed the blind man in the way he did? Do we think it could have anything to do with the name of the pool (see also verse 4)?
3. After he has been healed, how does the man describe Jesus?
Scene Two: read verses 13-17
4. In this first part of the Pharisees’ investigation of the miracle, why are they so sure Jesus is not from God?
5. How is the man describing Jesus now? Why?
Scene Three: read verses 18-23
6. Why are the man’s parents so wary of saying too much – is it because they aren’t sure their son has been healed?
Scene Four: read verses 24-34
7. Now the Pharisees are interrogating the man again. How could we describe this healed man in these verses? Why do we think the Pharisees are so angry in verse 28?
8. How does the man describe Jesus at the end of what he says?
9. What thanks does the man get for standing up to the Pharisees?
Scene Five: read verses 35-41
10. What kind of blindness is Jesus talking about in verse 39? Are we right to say that this man has received his sight twice over? How do we know that the man now believes in Jesus?
11. As a reminder of how this man describes Jesus in this chapter, let’s read out verses 11, 17, 33 and 38. Now, in pairs, talk about how you moved through this process in your own experience. Then share in the whole group.
12. What’s the biggest miracle in this chapter? What’s the biggest miracle we have ever experienced?
Praying
In the first time of prayer, let’s keep our Bibles open. Let’s thank God for the courage of this man and pray that we will be willing to tell others what we believe about Jesus. And let’s thank Jesus for what he has done in our lives.
In the second time of prayer, pray for one another, for ABC and the wider church, and for the world.
Study 3 The life you always wanted (John 10:1-21)
Starting
In pairs: What are the main things most people are looking for from life?
Why? What difference does becoming a Christian make to this? (Then share with the whole group.)
Praying
Someone prays for our time together.
Talking
Part One: read verses 1-6
1. What are some of the pictures Jesus uses in these verses? Do we think the Pharisees understood them?
2. What do we think these pictures mean: the sheep, the shepherd and the stranger?
Part Two: read verses 7-10
3. What do we think Jesus means when he calls himself the gate for the sheep in verse 7?
4. What are some of the things Jesus promises to people who trust him?
Part Three: read verses 11-18
5. What very well-known part of the Old Testament might Jesus be thinking of when he describes himself as the good shepherd in verses 11 and 14? What do we think he is saying here about his identity?
6. What do we think Jesus is talking about in the first half of verse 16? How does Isaiah 49:6 help us to understand this?
7. Jesus says four things about his death in these verses. Where does he say his death is voluntary? and substitutionary? and victorious? and planned? In pairs: Which of those four things strikes us as being the most important?
Why? (Then share in the whole group.)
Why? (Then share in the whole group.)
Part Four: read verses 19-21
8. Why did some people reject Jesus? Are those the same reasons people reject him today?
9. Why did others begin to believe in Jesus? What was it got them thinking he might be the real thing? What is it that helps people to believe in Jesus today?
10. In pairs: Each of us chooses their favourite verse from the passage, and explains why. Then share in the larger group.
11. What do our friends need to understand about Jesus and his death in order to want to trust in him? How can we help them to grow in understanding Jesus more?
12. What does it mean to us to be able to say that Jesus is our good shepherd? How does that make us feel?
Praying
In the first time of prayer, let’s keep our Bibles open. You might like to use your favourite verse from the passage to help you thank Jesus for who he is and why he came.
In the second time of prayer, let’s pray for one another’s needs, for our church, the wider church, and for the world. Let’s pray, too, that we will all experience Jesus as our good shepherd.
Study 4 Dead man up (John 11:1-44)
Starting
In pairs: What’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever had (it might be a gift, meeting a particular person, an exam result, a pay rise...)? If it was a positive surprise, how did it make you feel? (Then share in the whole group.)
Praying
Someone prays that God will bless our evening together.
Talking
Scene One: read verses 1-16
1. According to verses 5 and 6, why does Jesus not go to Bethany immediately he gets the news Lazarus is very ill? Why are the disciples surprised he’s going at all?
2. Why, according to Jesus, is it good that he was not in Bethany to stop Lazarus dying?
Scene Two: read verses 17-27
3. What does Martha already believe about the resurrection? Why is she still so sad?
4. Let’s look at what Jesus says in verses 25 and 26. How would we explain I am the resurrection and the life to a 6-year-old? What do we think Jesus means in verse 26 when he says that people who believe in him will never die?
5. How do we think Martha felt when she heard Jesus’ words? Why? What had helped her recognize that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God?
Scene Three: read verses 28-37
6. Let’s look at verse 35. What does this tell us about Jesus? Why do we think he cried (there may be more than one reason)?
7. The phrase deeply moved in spirit at the end of verse 33 means Jesus was angry. Why do we think sin and death make Jesus angry? Should they make us angry, too? What should that make us do?
Scene Four: read verses 38-44
8. What do we think people thought Jesus was going to do when he told them to take away the stone from the tomb?
9. Why did Jesus pray aloud? What are the most important things to him, according to what he says in verses 40-42? Why is this?
10. How do we think the crowd felt when they saw Lazarus coming out of the tomb? What can we do to make sure this doesn’t leave us cold?
11. Why is this one of the most extraordinary miracles Jesus ever did? It’s a sign, so what is the sign pointing to?
12. In pairs, talk about some ways we should all react to Jesus because of what he did for Lazarus. Then share in the whole group.
Praying
Have two times of prayer together.
In the first, let’s keep our Bibles open and pray about what we’ve been reading: let’s worship Jesus for who he is, and let’s pray that we will share his priorities.
Now share church needs and personal needs.
In the second, let’s pray for one another, for ABC and the wider church, and for the world. As we do, let’s remember that we pray in the name of someone who is the resurrection and the life!
Study 5 Keep calm and believe in (any?) god? (John 14:1-14)
Starting
In pairs: When (roughly) did you first hear the saying of Jesus I am the way and the truth and the life? What do you think you thought it meant? What do you think it means now? (Then share in the whole group.)
Praying
Someone in the group prays for our time together.
Talking
Part One: read verses 1-6
1. At the beginning of our passage Jesus says the disciples might be troubled. Why might that be? What do the end of verse 1 and the beginning of verse 2 tell us about the way Jesus sees himself? Why might that help the disciples to be less worried?
2. Let’s look at verses 2 and 3. How can we be sure that there is a place reserved for us in heaven? How does that make us feel? Do we think about that a lot, or not much?
3. How could we describe what Jesus says in verse 6? Is it intolerant? Why is Jesus the only way to God?
Part Two: read verses 7-11
4. In verse 8, what is it that Philip has still not understood? How do we think he felt when Jesus said verse 9 to him?
5. In pairs: How would we explain to a 6-year-old what Jesus is claiming about himself in verses 9 and 10? Is this hard to believe or easy to believe? (Then share with the whole group.)
6. Why does Jesus say the disciples should believe that he shows us the truth about God? Does this help us to believe in him?
Part Three: read verses 12-14
7. Let’s look at verse 12. Does this mean we should all be doing extraordinary miracles? Can we think of any Christians who are doing greater things than feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish, or than raising Lazarus from death?
8. Does anyone remember what the greatest miracle was in John chapter 9? Can we think of anything bigger than helping someone to get to the point of doing what the healed man did in chapter 9:38? How could we turn this into prayer?
9. Usually we pray to God the Father. But who does Jesus say we can also pray to? What does this tell us about Jesus?
10. What do we think Jesus means when he encourages his disciples to pray in my name? As long as we don’t think of this as a magic formula, how is this going to help us to believe that our prayers will be heard?
11. In a minute of silence, everyone chooses a favourite verse from this passage. Then everyone shares their verse and explains why they chose it.
12. How should hearing Jesus say verses 1-14 make us feel about following him in the coming week? Why?
Praying
Have two times of prayer together.
In the first, let’s keep our Bibles open. Let’s worship Jesus because he’s the way, the truth and the life; let’s ask him to encourage us as we follow him.
Now share church needs and personal needs.
In the second, let’s pray for one another, for ABC and the wider church, and for the world. And let’s do it all in Jesus’ name!
Study 6 Third person present: the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-31)
Starting
In pairs: Can you think of some situation where you were having to say goodbye to someone who was very important to you (it might be they were dying, or maybe one of you was moving away)? How did you feel? What did you wish you could do?
Praying
Someone in the group prays that we will meet with God this evening.
Talking
Part One: read verses 15-24
1. How does Jesus describe the Holy Spirit in these verses? Why are these two expressions important? How might they have encouraged the disciples as they were saying goodbye to Jesus?
2. In verse 18 Jesus is not talking about his Second Coming. What do we think he is talking about? What does this tell us about the Holy Spirit?
3. Let’s look at verse 21. Does Jesus mean that, by loving God, we can earn his love? If not, what does he mean?
4. If Jesus is talking about an experience of God’s love in verse 21, how can we have that experience more than we already do (see verse 23)?
Part Two: read verses 25-26
5. What is the Holy Spirit going to do for the apostles? How do we know this promise in verse 26 is to them and not to us?
6. Why is Jesus’ promise to the apostles in verse 26 important for those who heard them proclaim the Jesus message? And why is it important for us as we read the Gospels and the letters in the New Testament?
7. So what should our attitude be whenever we start to read the Bible? Whenever we read the Bible, what should we be asking God for and expecting?
Part Three: read verses 27-31
8. In verse 27 Jesus promises his disciples peace. Why do we think they need it? What’s the difference between Jesus’ peace and the world’s version of peace?
9. Why should the disciples be glad that Jesus is going away (see verse 28)? What is the link with John 7:37-39? Which would we rather have: the physical presence of Jesus or the Holy Spirit living inside us? Why?
10. What do we think of the way Jesus has prepared his best friends for his departure? Do we think he’s done a good job?
11. In pairs: Make a list together of two things from this evening’s passage which you want to thank God for, and two things from the passage you want to ask God for. Then share in the whole group.
12. What can we do so that we will expect to experience the Holy Spirit’s presence among us?
Praying
In the first time of prayer, let’s keep our Bibles open. Let’s thank God for the things we’ve just been talking about, and let’s ask him for the things which are mentioned in the passage.
Then share church needs and personal needs.
In the second time of prayer, pray for one another, for ABC and the wider church, and for the world. And as we approach Easter let’s thank God for the death and resurrection of Jesus.