Bible Stories for Adults

Jesus Blesses the Children

Matthew 18-19

Next Week - Jesus in Samaria (John 4:1-30; 39-42)
Bible Words to Remember:
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

What significant event of Jesus' ministry preceded these stories?
Luke 9:29-31
Who was with Jesus during this event?
Luke 9:28
How did the disciples react to this special appearance by Moses and Elijah?
Luke 9:46
How did Jesus deal with their argument?
Mark 9:33-34
How did Jesus show them that He already knew?
Mark 9:35

What object lesson did Jesus add to strengthen His point?
Luke 9:47-48
Was Jesus serious in saying that welcoming a child welcomes Him?
Matthew 18:10
Does God really send out "guardian angels" to protect His children?
Psalm 34:7
Was Jesus' point that we should specifically serve children?
Matthew 25:34-40

What warning did Jesus add to His instruction to welcome God's children?
Matthew 18:6
The Greek used for millstone (mulos onikos) refers to one turned by a donkey
Typically 3-4 ft in diameter, hundreds of pounds
Depths of the sea should be far out in the open sea - Jews feared the sea & drowning
Revelation 21:1
With so many other people in the world, does God really care if one of His children turns away?
Matthew 18:12-14
Is this word of warning strong enough to keep people from leading others into sin?
Matthew 18:7

How careful should we be to not cause anyone to sin?
Matthew 18:8-9
Why does this teaching sound so familiar?
Matthew 5:27-30

Fire of hell in Greek is Gehenna
Gehenna was the valley of Hinnom, a valley below the mountain of Jerusalem
How did Gehenna get its reputation for being the fires of hell?
2 Chronicles 28:1-3
What did Josiah, the reforming king of Judah, do about the sacrifices in Gehenna?
2 Kings 23:10
What prediction did Jeremiah make that was obviously true by Jesus' time?
Jeremiah 19:6

What other body parts could Jesus be telling us to keep pure?
1 Corinthians 12:27
Would Jesus really be telling us to cut off a sinful church member and send them to hell?
1 Corinthians 5:5-7
Are we to stay away from everyone in this world who is openly sinful?
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
(See also Deut 17:7; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21, 24; 24:7)
Wouldn't it be easier and better to just let people stay members?
1 Corinthians 12:26

If Jesus was referring to His body, the church, what would He have meant by "little ones"?
1 Corinthians 3:1-2
What example did Paul give to the early Christians of a topic that could cause little ones to sin?
1 Corinthians 8:4, 7-9
How could exercising your God-given freedom be a stumbling block and lead others to sin?
1 Corinthians 8:10-13

Should we then keep baby Christians and each other from using these freedoms?
Romans 14:1-6
So we should then feel free to exercise our freedoms openly?
Romans 14:13-16
What is the important thing to remember through this confusing discussion?
Romans 14:17-19
So should we drink beer or wine around our Baptist friends, or not?
Romans 14:20-22
What should we do about freedoms we aren't so sure about?
Romans 14:23

What lesson did this story begin with that covers all of the rest of the lessons we've discussed?
Matthew 18:1-3
Is Jesus telling us to change from being so serious and become more childish?
1 Corinthians 14:20
What does Paul mean that we should be adults in our thinking?
Ephesians 4:13-15
So in what way are we to become more like children?
Matthew 18:4

Humility - When you know you have it, you've lost it.
Humility thinks of others, not of self.
True humility is not thinking meanly of oneself; it is simply not thinking of oneself at all.
How did Paul define humility?
Romans 12:3
How does Peter describe humility?
1 Peter 5:5-6 (James 4:6-10)
Where can we find an even better example of humility than a child?
Philippians 2:3-11

What was Jesus getting ready to do that further taught this lesson on humility?
Matthew 16:21
What priority did Jesus and His disciples have for this last trip to Jerusalem?
Mark 9:30-31a
How ready were the disciples to receive and understand this mature "solid food"?
Mark 9:31b-32
How much time was the group able to get to be by themselves for this training?
Mark 10:1

How did the disciples handle these interruptions to Jesus' limited important lessons?
Mark 10:13
Mothers often brought their babies to be blessed by a rabbi
(Luke 18:15 says people were bringing babies for Him to touch)
How did Jesus feel about the disciples protecting their limited and valuable time together?
Mark 10:14
What did He mean that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these?
Mark 10:15
What did Jesus then do about the babies?
Mark 10:16

How is a child-like dependence critical for receiving the kingdom of God?
1 Corinthians 12:3
How did Martin Luther state this in his explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles' Creed?
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength
believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him;
but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel,
enlightened me with His gifts;
sanctified and kept me in the true faith.
How does the Spirit call us by the Gospel?
1 Corinthians 2:10-16
Can't we receive the kingdom by being as good as we can? Do we have to be dependent?
Ephesians 2:8-9
Children greatly trust their parents to take care of them. Who are we to trust?
John 14:1