WEEK 3 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

The Last Seven Words of Christ: The word of love

Introduction:

As He hangs on the cross Jesus tells his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and then immediately to John, His disciple, “Here is your mother.” In saying this He emphasized that His followers—the church—are family. We are not like family; we are family.

Something To Talk About:

Jesus models abiding in the 5th commandment here. He cares for His mother, who loves Him as much as a mother can love a son. So, how do we love?

By paying attention: The Bible says in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” You give people special attention because whatever you pay attention to will grow. If you pay attention to your garden, it’s going to grow. If you pay attention to your kids, they’re going to grow. If you pay attention to your marriage, it’s going to grow. If you pay attention to your work, it’s going to grow. The core of relationships is not what we do for each other or the things we give to each other. The heart of relationships is how much of ourselves we give to each other. Look for opportunities to show attention to the people in your life. That is the greatest gift of love you can provide. But don’t just wait for it to happen; you have to make opportunities to show attention.
By meeting practical needs: Jesus is the perfect example of service towards others. He came to the world, and rather than be served by others, He served others with kindness and humility. From healing those who were sick or possessed and washing the disciples’ feet to dying a gruesome death on the cross, Jesus shows us what real love and the heart of a servant indeed look like. We show love to others through our actions. Love in action is when we meet other people’s needs, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. There are people all around you who need help. Above all else, intentionality should be what drives how we treat others. Our actions and service should reflect Christ and how He loves. This is our greatest way to show people that you care about them and that God still uses people to demonstrate His love for humanity.
By giving emotional support: “…Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Paul urges us to be our best selves for everyone we encounter. The emotions of others tend to affect us, so we might prefer to be with people who have happiness and excitement to share. In truth, family and friends may be struggling with spiritual questions, relational problems, financial needs, or emotional battles. They may struggle with loneliness or be out of money with bills yet to pay. They need our support. Giving emotional support begins by allowing positive and negative emotions. It means celebrating the positive emotions and affirming the negative emotions. To use the biblical phrase, it is “rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep” (paraphrase of Romans 12:15). Paul points out that to be truly Christlike, we also need to give our time to those who are struggling and to support them emotionally.
By seeing other’s pain: When we look up Hebrews 4:15 in the NIV, however, we read, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin.” Jesus, the man of sorrows, knows what it’s like to carry an unimaginable weight that no one else can fully see, know, or carry. Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.” Jesus walked the unimaginable, lonely, painful road to the cross so He could walk with us in our sorrows, bearing the weight of our grief and giving us the strength to endure. In some small way, we should do the same thing: share the pain of others. What will we do if we see someone struggling today? Will we turn the other way? Or will we be the exception to the rule, lighting the way with empathy, generosity, and love? The choice is ours.

Discussion Questions:

What do you think Mary is feeling while she is waiting at the cross for Jesus to die?
What does this third word teach us about Jesus?
What are the implications of Jesus’ third word for our life/ personal relationships?
How can you give more attention and focus to your time with people?
What does it mean to meet practical needs?
What are the things that take time away from growing your relationships?
Who are the people around you who need emotional support? What can you do to give it to them?
Why is it important to consider how someone may suffer internally even when it looks like they have it all together on the outside?
How does it serve God to serve others?
How can we see other’s pain and develop empathy?
What was your main takeaway from this week’s message?

Take One Thing Home with You:

The cross was a horrific way to die. The pain was unbearable and enough to occupy Jesus’ full consciousness. It would have been no sin or shame to bear the agony in silence. On top of the agony, there were taunts and jeers. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! . . . .Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! …Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way” (Matthew 27:42–44).

And yet, amid such unequaled duress and rejection —He is still thinking about others. He looks down from the cross and, seeing His mother and the disciple He loved, entrusts one to the other’s care. As He dies, we hear Him say, “Dear woman, here is your son … Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27).