Download Participant Guide - the Bible Ministries Website

Light on the Lessons
Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14 – 27:66
Sunday of the Passion/Palm Sunday; Cycle A; April 13, 2014
Participant Guide
I Getting Started
1. How would you express the significance of Holy Week in your life?
2. What do you think about “humility”? Do you consider it an absolute virtue? Or do you think of it as something
to exercise in moderation?
II Check the Texts
1. Isaiah 50:4-9a
This passage is the third of four Servant Songs in Isaiah (42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-11, 52:13–53:12). The “Servant” speaks as an
individual. Some scholars identify the Servant with the nation of Israel, thought of as a collective entity. Others view the Servant as
the prophet himself. Since the Servant is portrayed as suffering, Christians have applied this imagery to Christ.
A. Read Isaiah 50:1-3, that sets the stage for this lesson. What is God saying to the people in exile? What is the
literary style of these verses? What is the tone of God’s language? What does verse 2ab mean? If God is defending
himself, against what charge from the people does he mount a defense? To what event might “dry up the sea” in verse
2 allude?
B. In verses 4-6 the Servant speaks. Could the prophet be speaking of himself? (Check Jeremiah 11:18-20.) Why
might he be persecuted by his people? (Clue: Read Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6, remembering that nations=Gentiles.)
C. What verbal images in verses 4-6 suggest Christ’s humiliation during Holy Week? What words suggest that
the Servant was always faithful to God?
D. The Servant continues to speak in verses 7-9. What feelings is the Servant expressing? What kind of language
is used here: legal, pastoral, martial, or amorous? How does this statement by the Servant compare with Paul’s
statement in Romans 8:31-39?
2. Philippians 2:5-11
Many scholars now view verses 6-11 as an early hymn.
A. To understand what Paul means in verse 5, read verses 1-4. What sort of issue in the Philippi congregation
might he be addressing? What general advice does he give them? In your view, does he offer moral advice, or does he
tap some deeper resource?
B. In verse 5, we have an interpretive problem. The Greek lacks a verb between “you that…” and “…in Christ
Jesus.” The NRSV supplies “was,” with a footnote “that you have.” The “was” suggests we imitate the mind of Christ.
The “that you have” version suggests that the Philippians are to behave toward each other in the spirit of the Christ
whom they experience in their community; thus, Moffatt’s translation, “Treat one another with the same spirit as you
experience in Christ Jesus.” What difference do you see between these two interpretations? What insight do verses 12 suggest? Which understanding rings truest for you? How does this distinction relate to the popular slogan, “What
would Jesus do?”
C. What images in this passage suggest the Suffering Servant of Isaiah? (Check Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12)
D. Two interpretations are possible for verses 6: (1) that it speaks of the pre-existent Christ coming to earth, or
(2) that it presents a contrast between Adam and Christ, whom Paul views as the “second Adam” (see Romans 5:1214). If Adam is meant, what is the contrast?
E. The NJB and REB translate “exalted” in verse 9 as “raised him” to the heights. To what does “raised” refer?
How does that “exalt” Christ?
F. Compare verses 10-11 with Isaiah 45:22-23. Who is the subject of the Isaiah passage? As quoted by this hymn,
what does that suggest about Jesus’ relationship with God?
3. Matthew 26:14–27:66
Because the reading is so long, we will focus on the shorter alternative, Matthew 27:11-54.
A. We often understand Jesus’ suffering and death in light of the Suffering Servant theme in Isaiah 52:13–53:12.
Read that passage from Isaiah and find the elements in Jesus’ last days that seem related to the experience of the
Servant.
B. The actual allusions to Scripture refer to the Psalms rather than Isaiah. Connect the following references in
Matthew to the appropriate Psalm: Matthew 27:35, 27:39, 27:46, and 27:48; Psalm 22:1, 22:7-8, 22:18, 69:21.
C. What symbolic meaning do you find in verses 51-53?
III What Does It All Mean?
1. How have you experienced God’s activity in your life this week?
2. Reflect on Isaiah 50:4a. How can you “sustain the weary with a word”? We have all heard the claim that “Talk
is cheap.” Still, when are words very important to us?
3. Reflect on Isaiah 50:4b, “Morning by morning he wakens–wakens my ear to listen…” How does that image
apply to your spiritual life? How can we deal with God morning by morning, day by day? How does our concept of
“daily baptism” fit in here? How can we get God to waken our ear so that we truly listen to him?
4. Many people experience deep feelings of guilt that debilitate them. How can they come to claim the confident
affirmation of Isaiah 50:9a?
5. What aspects of human nature reveal that we still, in one way or another, strive for equality with God?
6. How would you complete this sentence? “If I truly, completely, and absolutely submitted to the lordship of
Jesus as described in Philippians 2:9-11, I would….”
7. Some Christians focus on the Cross as the symbol of atonement for sin. Others concentrate their piety on the
Resurrection, as the point of God’s victory over the powers of sin, death, and the devil. Which way do you lean in
your personal spirituality? Does either focus make a significant difference in how one understands what it means to be
a Christian?
IV Into the Week
1. You go home and someone asks, “What did you learn today?” What do you reply?
2. Each day this Holy Week set aside ten minutes for prayer. Read part of Matthew 26:14–27:66, striving to finish it during
the week. Spend minutes repeating the prayer, “Thank you, Jesus, for the forgiveness and grace you have brought to my life.” Then
conclude with prayers for special needs, especially areas where you sense a need to grow spiritually.
Copyright © 2014, Lutheran Bible Ministries. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to make photocopies for use in church-related study groups.