Lent Event 2008 Bible Study
Lent for Life
The Lenten Studies are part of the new Lent Event package which our congregations will be using this year. You can download a copy free from
or they can be purchased as print books at
Rev Graeme Gardiner deepens our spiritual walk through Lent with a four part, lectionary-based, Bible Study Series. This challenging and contemporary study looks at significant stories from John’s Gospel and personal stories of Lent Event participants. It encourages us to reflect on what we might be wise to give up not just for Lent, but for life. And it reminds us to focus not on what we are giving up, but on what we are acquiring – a life lived in partnership with God.
Lent for Life
Studies in the Gospel of John
Lent 2008
Rev Graeme Gardiner
Introduction:
The traditional practice for theseason of Lent, and the core activityof Lent Event, is to ‘give somethingup’. It might be counter-intuitive,but this discipline of ‘giving up’ or‘letting go’ can actually result in usgaining or receiving gifts that are fargreater. It might not lead to culturallyacceptable acquisitions such assuccess, fame or fortune, but it is apathway to acquiring ‘life’ as Jesusmight define it.
This study series takes significantstories from the gospel of John,along with some personalexperiences of Lent Eventparticipants, as a starting point forreflecting on what it might be wisefor us to ‘give up’ not merely forLent, but for life.
As we journey through the fourstories from the Gospel of Johnthat are set down in the lectionaryreadings for the season of Lent, wewill bear in mind this key interpretiveverse from John 12:24:
Key Interpretive Verse:
“ I tell you the truth, unless an ear of
wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains only a single seed. But if
it dies, it produces many seeds. The
one who loves their life will lose it,
while the one who hates their life in
this world will keep it for eternal life.”
John 12:24
How to use this study:
Dates: The study uses the setGospel reading for weeks 2 throughto 5
in the season ofLent – that is,
Study 1: Sunday 17th February,
Study 2: Sunday 24th February,
Study 3: Sunday 2nd March and
Study 4: Sunday 9th March.
You may choose to use the studymaterial either in the week preceding
the Sunday as a form of preparationfor worship, or in the week following
the Sunday as a way of building
upon worship.
Individual and group use:
The studies are designed for smallgroup discussion. However, if you
are unable to meet with others youwill still find benefit from individual
use of the Study. If using thematerial in a small group the bestuse of
limited time will be made byeach member working through thematerial
in advance and noting downresponses in the spaces provided.
It will also be valuable to note anyquestions or surprises that arise. In
this way you can prepare the mindand heart so that the discussionwill
be deepened by the sharing ofconsidered responses instead ofmere
‘first thoughts’.
Study 1:
“The self-made person”
John 3:1-17
Read:this reflection from a
participant in Lent Event
“Event – incident – accident– situation – circumstance –happening … Generally, these wordsmean a temporary occurrence, andwe’re glad that some of them arenot permanent; at other times wewish a pleasant experience could goon forever. When we have a choicewe’re happier than when we do nothave control. God’s beloved human
creation prefers to know What, How,Why, Where, When (don’t we?).
The annual Lent Event is a temporarychoice in our lives. However, it bringspermanent benefit for the manypeople assisted through Lent Event’spartnership with UnitingChurchOverseas Aid.
An important part of being God’speople, disciples of Christ, studentsof the Holy Spirit, is Stewardship – aright understanding of the blessingsin our lives. Those gifts are lent to
us to give life to others becausewe’re trusted to be God’s hands,the physical presence, the repeatedIncarnation of a holy and lovingGod. By understanding and living
the Stewardship way, the Event canbecome a way of Life.
We are the temporary holders of allthe good things God has put into ourhands: Life itself, Time, Gifts (eachof us has a spiritual gift), Talents andskills (inborn and learned), Money(wage, Centrelink assistance, salary,stipend, pension, dividend, pocketmoney) … whether we are city,suburban, rural, or outback people.From these visible and invisibleblessings we are to resource amoderate lifestyle, and return tothe Giver what others need for animproved lifestyle. We’re blessedwith this privilege and responsibility - the luxury of choice.Lent Event for a few weeks eachyear can create the habit of Lent forLife: gifting what is not, in the firstplace, ours to keep.Lent Event can nurture a new
understanding that what we have isnot ours alone – it is lent, for life. “
Gwen (61)
(Lent Event is grateful to Gwen forcoining the phrase “Lent for Life”)A theme within this reflection is thatof “the luxury of choice”. It is a luxurythat only belongs to the privileged
of this world. Does your ability tochoose and ‘build a life’ have animpact upon the capacity for othersaround the world to choose afuture? In what ways?
Read: John 3:1-17 together, takingone verse each as you go round the
group.
Nicodemus is a wealthy andsignificant member of the rulingcouncil of the Jewish people – theSanhedrin. He has money, prestigeand influence. He is the classic ‘selfmademan’.
He comes to see Jesusalone, and, we are told explicitly inverse 2, at night.
In John’s gospel ‘night’ is more thanthe literal ‘night-time’. It is ‘code’for ignorance
(see, for instance,John 1:5). Nicodemus’ motivationfor coming at night to see Jesus
Isoften considered to be stealth orcowardice – a reluctance to be seenby others. However, an alternativereading casts Nicodemus in a morepositive light.
The rabbis taught that the Torahwas best studied at night when thedistractions of the day had subsided.In this view, Nicodemus uses hisprecious study time to expand his
search beyond the standard textsand Jesus himself becomes thebook into which Nicodemus delves,mining every word for wisdom andunderstanding. In this view, althoughclearly not understanding, Nicodemushas come as a genuine seeker.
Note:
For the context of Nicodemus’conversation with Jesus, we can
look back to Chapter 2, verses 23to 25. In the original Greek there is
a word play between episteusan,translated as “believe in” and
episteuen, translated as “entrust”.Many people were “believing in
Jesus”, but Jesus was not “believingin/trusting them”.
Both words are derived from theGreek word pisteuo that is often
translated as “faith”. In 3:2 wediscover that Nicodemus holds
an episteusan kind of “faith” – abelieving in Jesus based on his
miraculous signs. Jesus’ immediatereply to Nicodemus in verse 3 can
then be seen as an outworking of2:25 – Jesus knows what is within
Nicodemus, that is, he knows thekind of faith he holds.
How do you see Nicodemus andhis motivations? Do you regard him
as a kind of ‘patron saint of spiritualseekers’ or do you consider him to
have devious motives?
Jesus declares in verse 3, “I tellyou the truth, unless a person isborn again, that person cannot seethe kingdom of God.” The wordtranslated ‘born again’ can meaneither ‘born for a second time’ (itsmore literal meaning) or ‘born fromabove’ (that is, from a divine source).Nicodemus chooses to understandthe word in its more literal meaning.
What does this suggest about
Nicodemus? What does this suggest
about Nicodemus’ understanding or
experience of religious life?
Nicodemus has much to losein coming to see Jesus. He isputting his hard-earned status andachievements on the line. Somethinghas drawn him and perhaps Jesus
has identified what it is - a longingfor a more authentic life. This wouldexplain the direction of Jesus’conversation and in particular hisstatements about ‘eternal life’ in
verses 15 and 16.
Note:
(Eternal) life in John’s gospel:While the religious sect of John’sday known as the ‘Gnostics’ tookthe concept of ‘eternal life’ to be analmost inaccessible world beyond
space and time, John brings it rightinto the present. So, for instance in5:24 John can say that the one whobelieves has already passed fromdeath to life and has eternal life.
In John, the word ‘life,’ with orwithout the qualifier ‘eternal,’ refersto a definite quality and quantity ofexistence. In terms of quality, thislife is different from the old existence
that was typified by hate, lack oflove, sin, pain and death. It does notbegin in the future, it already belongsto those who have entered into arelationship of faith with Jesus. Interms of quantity, because this lifebelongs to Christ it has no end. (“Iam the way, the truth and the life”, “Iam the resurrection and the life”) Itwill not cease even at death
(see 11:25).
If it is true that the ‘material’ cannotgive birth to the ‘spiritual’ (verse 6)and that our life does not dependso much on what we make of it, butupon what God makes of it (verse 8),what does this suggest to you about
the risk we take if we live according
to our society’s priorities?
While hard work, achievement andexcellence are not bad things, dothey in your experience or view,necessarily result in a complete,lasting and fulfilled life? If not,
what might?
Note: Belief in John’s gospel:
John departs from the more usualexpression of his time ‘believe that…’
and makes striking use throughoutthe gospel of the expression ‘believe
in(to)’. He uses the word mostly asa verb, and only rarely as a noun. In
this way, instead of presenting belief/faith as a set of propositions to which
we can intellectually assent (althoughthis is still of some importance to
John), he presents a more relationaland missional notion of what it
means to believe or have faith. Belief/faith for John is as much about
following and aligning oneself withJesus as it is about believing that he
is the eternal Son of God who laysdown his life for the world.
According to Jesus, Nicodemus’
hard-won accomplishment of
becoming ‘Israel’s Teacher’ (vs
10) has not served him well
in discovering authentic life in
relationship with God. What do you
think Nicodemus needs to ‘give up’
in order to discover the life Jesus
speaks of in verse 16?
Gathering up:
Key Interpretive Verse:
“I tell you the truth, unless an ear of
wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains only a single seed. But if
it dies, it produces many seeds. The
one who loves their life will lose it,
while the one who hates their life in
this world will keep it for eternal life.”
John 12:24
Keeping in mind this story about
Nicodemus, the issues raised
regarding being a ‘self-made person’,
and this verse from John 12, what
might be wise for you to ‘give up’,
not merely for Lent, but for life?
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