Light on the Lessons

Light on the Lessons

1 Samuel 16:1-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41

Fourth Sunday in Lent; Cycle A; March 30, 2014

Participant Guide

I Getting Started

1. What, in your mind, are the qualities of a good leader?

2. Do you think we should keep secrets from those closest to us? What kind of secrets are best to keep and what kinds can we reveal? What qualities in another person invite us to open our secrets to him or her?

3. A lot of pain and suffering around us simply escapes our attention. How can we become more sensitive, more able to notice when people are hurting?

II Check the Texts

1. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Samuel, a prophet at the end of the judges (11th-century BC), anointed Israel’s first two kings: Saul and David. Here he selects David, who would become Israel’s ideal king, to succeed Saul. This lesson begins a long narrative about the rise of David, from 1 Samuel 16:1 – 2 Samuel 5:10.

. A. Why was the Lord looking for another king? (Clue: Read 1 Samuel 15:24-31, 34-35.)

B. Why was Samuel hesitant to follow the Lord’s command in verse 1-2a?

C. How was the Lord to judge which of Jesse’s sons would be worthy? How does that criterion relate to Samuel’s prophecy against Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23?

D. In verse 7, what criteria does the LORD caution Samuel to avoid? Why would these criteria appeal to Samuel and others? What indicates that David also filled these kinds of qualifications?

E. Why was Bethlehem later known as “the city of David”? Why were the Magi directed there (read Matthew 2:3-6)?

F. What do you think was the significance of this anointing ceremony?

2. Ephesians 5:8-14

This lesson is part of a longer section dealing with Christian conduct, 4:31 – 5:20.

A. With what does Paul associate darkness? With what does he associate light?

B. How might verse 9 include behaviors and attitudes that come from the secular world as well as from Scripture and revelation? In light of this, what do you think is the difference between ethics and Christian ethics?

C. What do you think Paul means by “expose” works of darkness, verse 11?

D. How do we “try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord” (verse 10)?

E. Verse 14 is very probably a fragment of an early Christian hymn. On what occasions might it have been sung, based on the text? (Possibly this hymn fragment comes from the same hymn quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16. If you put the two fragments together, what message do you get from the resultant hymn?)

3. John 9:1-41

This long lesson is, like the Gospel of last week, a careful literary composition that develops dramatically through several scenes. The healing is the sixth of seven “signs” that Jesus does in the first part of John’s Gospel. John’s readers likely saw reflections of baptism in this story.

A. We can think of this episode as being told in seven scenes. For each of these scenes, identify the action and purpose, or give it a title: verses 1-7a, 7b-12, 13-17, 18-23, 24-34, 35-38, and 39-41.

B. In what way does verse 5 set the theme for this chapter?

C. Verse 2 reflects the then-common idea that sickness stemmed from sin, and birth defects indicated that the parents had sinned. How does Jesus give it a positive twist?

D. Compare the healing in 9:1-7 with Mark 8:22-26. What similarities do you find?

E. What was the issue about the Sabbath in verses 13-17?

F. How does John convey the man’s tired impatience in the second interrogation, verses 24-34? How would you characterize his comment in verse 27b?

G. What happened to the formerly blind man’s commitment during the course of his interrogations? (Clue: Check verses 11, 17, 33, and 38.)

H. When the Pharisees say, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” how are they speaking to our own attitudes about our spirituality?

III What Does It All Mean?

1. Like Israel of old, we often choose our leaders on the basis of their looks and charm. What would it mean today to “look on the heart”?

2. “Investigative journalists and their crusades to expose wrong are important pillars of a democratic society.” “I’m sick and tired of muckrakers who are always tearing down and never building up.” With which do you most agree, and why? Where do you think Paul would stand on this issue, if he lived today?

3. What role does confession play in your spiritual life? How does confession relate to the Second Lesson?

4. In what ways does Jesus give light to your life?

5. What do you think causes people to be blind to Jesus? How can we help them to see?

IV Into the Week

1. You go home and someone asks, “What did you learn today?” What do you reply?

2. As a Lenten discipline, spend at least three minutes toward the end of the day in a quiet place to reflect upon your day. Where did you see God’s grace? What do you regret doing? What do you regret not doing? What do you want to tell God about your day?