Thanks for Serving the Lord as a Bible Study Leader!

I can't believe we are already talking about 2023!  As usual, the next two weeks teaching helps will not be available. They will be available again beginning with the Sunday, January 8, 2023 session.

If your group will continue during the next two weeks consider using Lifeway's Explore the Bible helps at the following links:

• Explore the Bible Extra 
• Explore the Bible Blog 

I pray that you have a blessed Christmas and New Year and that it will be full of quality time with the Lord, your family, church family, and friends!

John McClendon

What are some of your favorite memories of Christmas? Why are these memories important to you? In what ways does recalling those memories help you today? The Explore the Bible Study: Remembering Christ, will focus on John 2 and some things the disciples remembered about Jesus that affirmed and strengthened their faith. 

Let’s look at what the disciples remembered and consider how remembering Christ—who He is and how He works—strengthens our faith.

Remembering Christ reminds us of His authority and the importance of pure motives – John 2:13-17

Jerusalem

The phrase "went up" has both a literal and spiritual meaning. Jerusalem sits approximately 2,600 feet above sea level, meaning an approach from any direction is an uphill climb. When one went up to Jerusalem, one went up to meet God! 

• It was the holiest place on earth. It was on this mountain—known at first as Mount Moriah, then later as Mount Zion—that Abraham had sacrificed a ram as a substitute for his son (Genesis 22:2-14). 
• On this mountain, the Lord God had stopped a plague in the days of King David and revealed His glory during the reign of King Solomon (2 Samuel 24:15-25; 1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chronicles 3:1).

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Court of the Gentiles in the temple area. 

Herods Temple

The temple had multiple sections: (1) There was the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place. It was surrounded by porches, the treasury, and other sections. (2) The western court was used solely by male Jews. (3) The Court of Women was the place designated for female Jews to worship. (4) The Court of the Gentiles was on the outer edge of the temple, and it was designated for non-Jewish people to come and pray and worship.

But, by this time in Jewish history, the motives for temple worship had shifted:

1. It had become a place of exclusivity – Even though the Lord proclaimed in Isaiah 56:7 that “my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” the Jews had become exclusive in their worship. Gentiles had ceased being allowed into the temple area (Acts 21:29). The place where the entire world could encounter the God of Israel had ceased. The people had turned inward. They forgot that they were to be a light of the Lord to all nations. No one who desired to make a commitment to following God was to be excluded from worship - No foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord should say, “The Lord will exclude me from his people.” (Isaiah 56:3). For those who desired to worship God at the temple, the only requirement then was to fully surrender their lives to the God of Israel and believe in Him – see Isaiah 56. Today, the only exclusion is reserved for those who refuse to turn from sin and surrender their lives to Christ. 
2. It had become a place for personal gain. We see in this passage that the Jewish leadership began allowing merchants to do their business in the Gentile court. It was busy with activity as merchants sold animals for sacrifice and exchanged money into idol-free currency the temple authorities would accept. It had become a very profitable enterprise instead of a house of worship.
3. It had become a place of deception. Sadly, the merchants were taking advantage of worshippers by overcharging, using a poor rate of exchange, and inaccurate measurements. Their intent was to deceive people so they could take advantage of them.

Consider the motives for worship on display in these passages. How can remembering who Christ is and what He has done, prevent you from adapting these and other ungodly motives into your life?

Notice how Jesus responded. It was not a burst of human anger but was a calculated reaction based on righteous indignation.

How difficult is it for you to respond to wickedness with an anger that is controlled and calculated? How can remembering how Jesus responded in the temple, help you to use caution when you are growing angry about sin?

There is one more thing we must observe in this passage about remembering Christ. The disciples specifically remembered a Scripture passage—Psalm 69:9. It reminded them that who they observed clearing the temple was God incarnate. God’s Son was cleansing His temple of the sin that permeated the very purpose for which it was designed. 

The entire Word of God points us to Jesus Christ as John had mentioned in chapter 1. Remembering Christ isn’t just about remembering His birth but remembering who He has always been, who He was, who He is, and who He will always be—Christ, the Son of the Living God. These memories are only possible if we are learning more about Christ through His Word. These memories can prompt us to check our motives as we strive to live for Him.

There was a second memory that became a light bulb moment for these disciples.

Remembering Christ brings clarity to our questions—John 2:18-22

The disciples were most likely as perplexed about Jesus’ response to the question as were the Jews who asked Him to give a sign. But God would use this moment and Jesus’ words to bring clarity for the disciples later, after Jesus was raised from the dead.

Jesus’ response is so much more than a prediction of his death and resurrection on the third day. He was identifying Himself as the Son of God who had authority over all things. His authority was much greater than any of the other events these disciples had observed—the healing of the sick or changing water into wine. His authority was over the house of God because He was and is God!

How do you suppose remembering this (as described in verse 22) changed their lives? Who could share a time when you examined a passage repeatedly and then, finally, you had that light bulb moment when God brought clarity? Who can share a time when you were faced with a circumstance that produced questions about God’s authority and work and God brought clarity to your situation?

Remembering Christ at Christmas

Christmas is not only a time to remember Christ’s birth but to remember all Jesus Christ has done to bring salvation to a lost world. It’s a time for you to consider if you are worshipping and living for Christ with the right motives. It’s a time for you to remember the times when Christ has brought clarity to you about His word or your circumstances. It’s a time to see Him for clarity. And, if you don’t know Christ, it’s a time to come, receive, and worship Him with a surrendered and committed heart.

The downloadable teaching helps provide more details for this study, along with some tools you can use in guiding a group Bible study. 

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LifeWay Explore The Bible Resources

These teaching helps are intended to be used as a supplement to your study of Lifeway's Explore the Bible curriculum resources. Portions of this material are taken directly from content copyrighted to Lifeway Christian Resources Explore the Bible and is used with permission.  This material has not been reviewed by Lifeway Christian Resources. 

“It’s amazing. 

We’re taking guests to see something that hasn’t happened for 40 years and who knows if it will ever happen again in our lifetime. . . To have people from all around the world come to see history in the making is truly a chance of a lifetime.”

This is how Quentin Koch, CEO and President of Blue Hawaiian, described the recent Mauna Loa volcano eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii in a recent Big Island Now blog post. Imagine this same enthusiasm being shared by the earliest followers of Jesus after their first encounter with Him. The Explore the Bible Study: Come and See will focus on how they responded as we continue to examine John 1.

These early disciples were so amazed when they encountered Christ that they invited others to “come and see history in the making because it was the chance of a lifetime.” John 1:35-39 helps us understand why these men were so motivated to tells others to “come and see.” It begins with John the Baptist pointing out who they needed to see and why:

The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. 

Notice Jesus’ question in verse 38: “What are you looking for?” People today are looking for anything or anyone who can help them make sense of this life.  The first two disciples we will examine in this passage, Andrew, and Peter, accepted Jesus’ invitation to “come and see,” and it changed their lives forever. Let’s begin by examining how God spoke to them and how the relationship they encountered with Christ motivated them to invite others to “come and see.” 

Seeing Jesus gives you a new purpose – John 1:40-42

Previously, Andrew had heard and observed John the Baptist pointing out that Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:36). This immediately prompted Andrew to follow Jesus. Something to note is that, even though Andrew was the first disciple to follow Jesus, he is never mentioned first in any list of the disciples in the New Testament.  But Andrew’s life-changing encounter with Christ set in motion a chain of events that would change the world. Andrew’s life was changed so much by his encounter with Christ that he went to tell his brother Simon Peter. Notice what happened next in verses 41-42.

Do our invitations to “come and see” focus more on our church, the preacher, the music, the group we are in, experiences we have had, or do we tell them that we have found Christ? 

How would you explain to someone today that you have found Christ the Messiah?

How difficult would it be for you to go to family members and talk with them about your relationship with Christ?

Consider you own life. If you have personal relationship with Christ, you are a new person with a new purpose and life. While the relationship is immediate, the change is still taking place. In what ways can you see God working to transform you into His likeness? 

Andrew’s life was changed, and he brought his brother, Simon to Jesus. Through Jesus’ interactions with Simon Peter, we see how Christ transforms the lives of those who follow Him. Peter was once described in this way, 

“He [Peter] was hardly a rock when Jesus called him, but he became that after Pentecost.” (source: unknown)

But he and Andrew were not the only ones whose lives were changed by the invitation to “come and see.” Philip was another individual who “came and saw,” and the result was a life so passionate about Christ he invited Nathaniel to “come and see.”

Seeing Jesus should prompt us to invite others to come and see – John 1:43-46

This encounter is taking place the third day after John the Baptist pointed Andrew to Jesus. Notice the difference in this situation. Andrew sought Jesus and he brought Simon to Jesus. In this instance, Jesus Himself stayed behind to find Philip. He took the initiative to reach out to Philip.

Philip’s life changing encounter prompted him to seek out Nathanael. There is not much known about Nathanael beyond this one incident. What we do see in this incident is how people respond when we invite them to “come and see” Jesus.

Nathanael didn’t respond with any amount of enthusiasm to Philip’s invitation to meet the Messiah. He was more skeptical and somewhat prejudice because of Jesus’ hometown being Nazareth. When Nathanael asked if anything good could come out of Nazareth, he was referring to moral character.

Notice that Philip intentionally searched and found Nathanael. Apparently, they had a close friendship. Philip tells him about Jesus. When Nathanael presented his bias and doubts, Philip didn’t argue with him. He simply said, “Come and see.”

We can learn from Philip’s response. He shared what he discovered in Christ, but he didn’t argue or try to engage in theological debates with Nathanael. He simply and gently invited his friend to “come and see” for himself.

This leads us to Nathanael’s response. He did come and he did see for himself, and his life was forever changed.

Seeing Jesus will change your life forever! – John 1:47-51

Notice Jesus’ response to Nathanael. He knew that Nathanael had doubted and disparaged, Him but Jesus didn’t defend Himself. Instead, He revealed to Nathanael that He knew what was in his heart and character. He was “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

This encounter with Christ who knew him before Nathanael had even sought Him out was enough to convict and convince Nathanael that Jesus was the Messiah. This prompted a three part confession by Nathanael:

1. Rabbi – Nathanael placed himself completely under Jesus’ authority as a master teacher.
2. Son of God – Nathanael declared Jesus to be the “Son of God.” Philip had described Jesus as the son of Joseph, but Nathanael came to understand something more about Jesus. Being the Son of God meant Jesus was equal with God. This confession would have been considered blasphemy, yet Nathanael boldly confessed his belief.
3. King of Israel – This declaration by Nathanael could have been considered treasonous, yet he declared it boldly with conviction.

Notice how Jesus responded to Nathanael’s confession. What does this communicate to you about Nathanael’s relationship with Christ? What does this communicate about God’s plans for those who confess Him before men?

Think about all the things Nathanael saw and experienced as he walked with Christ. He was most likely an eyewitness to Jesus’ life, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and His ascension. He most likely witnessed the great acts of God during and after Pentecost and as the young church grew. He truly did see great things!

As a follower of Christ, what are some of the great things you have witnessed God doing in your life, others’ lives, and the life of the church?

Invitation to Come and See

The invitation to “come and see” is not an invitation to come and see a church, hear a pastor, experience a worship service, or to be in community with others, or to embrace a specific philosophy of life. While these are important, this invitation is the most important one of all. It’s an invitation to a relationship. A relationship with Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus invites everyone to “come and see.” If we respond and we experience a new relationship with Christ, the Son of the Living God, then we will walk away forever changed and will desire to invite others to “come and see.”

With which of these disciples can you identify the most? What can you learn from that individual’s response to Christ? 

Which of these disciples do you desire to be like as you live for Christ? 

Is your professed relationship with Christ demonstrated in your passion to invite others to “come and see” Christ?