Are you expecting the unexpected?

It's so easy to convince ourselves that if just this one thing is fixed, everything will fall into place. The broken world will be mended. Authorities will rule correctly. All will be well. Back around the year 30AD, lots of people were convinced that if only the Messiah would come... But perhaps they, and we, should have spent more time expecting the unexpected.

(68) Expect the Unexpected

The Messiah was expected to unify the state of Israel, kick out the Romans, and institute a perfect world, where everyone was ruled by God and the good guys always won. While we may not expect a perfect world in our lifetime, where do we look for improvements? What leaders do we expect/look for today? Which leaders do we put our trust in?

In reality, Christ brought division, trouble and anxiety – Read Luke 12:49-53.

1.       Do we expect God to destroy the earth or to save it? What does the world think we expect? What impression do we give the world?

2.       Do we expect God to save us from trouble, or to lead us through it? What impression do we give the world?

3.       Do we expect God to unite our families or divide them? What impression do we give the world?

4.       How do we react to trouble—Pray? Wish? Complain? Wonder why…?

5.       How can we be better witnesses to the world?

Read Luke 12:54-56

1.       Is Jesus anti-science or anti-hypocrisy? Is the modern church anti-science or anti-hypocrisy, and how do we tell the difference?

2.       What were the people not discerning? (What was going to happen soon?)

3.       What might we not be discerning today?

4.       Read Luke 12:57-59 What’s the difference between discerning what’s happening and judging what’s right?

5.       Who usually judged what was right in their society? What about in ours?

6.       Read Luke 12:13 This whole discussion began with someone who was trying to avoid going to the magistrate by coming first to Jesus. So… when Jesus says “make every effort” (or “try hard”) what types of effort might he be talking about? (Read Luke 12:15,21,35,40…)

7.       Who was not making every effort to judge what was right about Jesus’ ministry?

8.       If God is the judge, how could the religious authorities “settle” (or “be reconciled”) on their way to court?

9.       What disagreements might we, or our churches, be being called to settle?

Jesus used current events, in Jerusalem and in Galilee, to illustrate his point. Read Luke 13:1-5

1.       What’s the connection between the two stories?

2.       How might the crowd have felt about the Galileans? How easily do we assume someone deserves what they get, without knowing anything about them?

3.       How might the crowd have felt about the Judeans that the tower fell on? How easily do we care more for our own sort of people than for people who are “not like us”?

4.       Read Luke 13:6-9 What’s the connection between the fig tree and the dead Galileans and Judeans? Who’s to blame?

5.       What’s the connection between the fig tree and the spiritually dead?

6.       What’s the lesson for those who are not spiritually dead?

7.       Are we on our own in trying to repent, or do we get help?

8.       Where does our help come from? In which case, what help/helper should we be looking for today?