LEADER'S GUIDE



Light on the Lessons

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46

Christ the King (Last Sunday after Pentecost) [Lectionary 34, Proper 29]; Cycle A; November 22, 2020

Leader Guidance

Materials Needed

+ Bibles for everyone (variety of translations often useful)

+ Lectionary sheets (very convenient if you use them in worship)

+ Chalkboard, newsprint, overhead, or another means for displaying information and recording thoughts

+ Basic reference books for use as needed: Bible dictionary, Bible atlas, concordance, a one-volume Bible commentary

I Getting Started

Discuss experiences with “Through the Week.” Read the lessons now, or later, as you study each one. Pray for insight guided by the Holy Spirit. Briefly discuss the warm-up questions in “Getting Started.”

1. Responses will vary, but usually the image evokes a sense of comfort, protection, and well-being.

2. Responses will vary. Many have experienced this power as an aid to them in their battle against toxic habits and addictions.

3. The essence of Christianity is trust in Jesus as Lord. Such a faith leads to an ethical life, but that life flows from faith and does not substitute for faith. The old Reformation slogan applies: we are saved by faith, not works.

II Check the Texts

1. Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

A. Shepherds are the leaders, variously priests or kings. Here the reference is to kings, as the David mention indicates.

B. In Ezekiel, the “I” is God; in Psalm 23, it is an individual expressing trust in a good and gracious God. Encourage the group to look for similarities, things that are the same whether God looks after a nation or an individual. (E.g., Ps 3b/Ez. 16b; Ps. 2/Ez 13-14, Ps 4/Ez 17, and so forth.)

C. Verse 12-13 look to the return of the Diaspora Jews. The restored Zion was imagined to be something glorious that would gain the astonishment of the whole world. Isaiah 62:1-4 expresses the same hope.

D. Verse 15 has God the shepherd and verse 23 has God place David on the throne. This is the Old Testament idea of divine kingship in which a king of the Davidic line rules the people in God’s stead. Psalm 72 praises such a king and defines his role. Few kings, of course, truly lived up to this theocratic ideal.

E. Summaries will vary, but may reflect themes such as unity, healing, and justice. The summary phrase selections will vary, too. Let participants explain why they chose the phrase they did. (Our choice would be “I will feed them with justice.” What did your group choose?)

F. Some sheep are fat, and these are the strong who take advantage of the weaker sheep, who thus become lean because the fat sheep have taken their food. The strong, then, are the ones judged if they misuse their strength. One could read this as fat sheep=corrupt leaders and elites (our “fat cats”); lean sheep=victimized common folk.

2. Ephesians 1:15-23

A. Verses 15-16 speak of thanksgiving in the context of praying for another. Faith is expressed in love for others, and at the same time, love is faith active. The two are intimately connected. The “saints” are fellow Christian believers.

B. Descriptions will vary, but they should express the idea that the prayer looks for God to fill the people will all the fullness of Christ. It’s a prayer for spiritual growth. How often do we pray for each other’s growth in Christ?

C. The object is “him,” meaning the Father of glory in the first part of the sentence. This is intimate, personal knowledge, not factual knowledge; the same word is used for sexual relations as in Genesis 4:1. Isaiah 52:6 suggests that knowing God is to be aware of his living presence in one’s life. “Heart” stands for the seat of passion, sincerity, and faith. See Psalm 139:23-24. The “eyes” are that by which the heart looks on to the world. When they are enlightened, they will bring the fullness of God into ones heart, where faith is seated. Hope, inheritance, and power are listed. Discuss what these terms might mean. (Possibilities: hope=eternal life with God; inheritance=the full gifts Jesus has to share with us; power=strength of God’s Spirit. Other connections are possible; let imaginations flow.)

D. “This power” refers back to verse 19, where it is God power now given, in verse 20, to Christ. The author blends the resurrection and the ascension. (Many scholars contest the Pauline authorship of this letter. This is one argument against Paul’s hand. In his other letters, Paul speaks of Jesus’ resurrection as the ultimate thing in which we will all share. Here we combine it with the ascension, necessary to make the point that Jesus rules the cosmos from the right hand of God.) Verses 20-22 use spatial language only to make the point that Jesus is above all else as king and ruler of the universe. “Dominion” and the other words would suggest the demonic powers of darkness that inhabited the universe of people living in the Hellenistic world.

E. These verse say Christ is the head of the church, its life-giving force. The church is his body, in which the fullness of Christ dwells. This is a wonderful view of the church as the mystical body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul takes a more functional approach to the body image, where each part has its own duties but all work in harmony. The exalted view of the church in Ephesians could lead to this question, which you might want to explore a bit: Is the Church necessary for Christ to function as Lord?

3. Matthew 25:31-46

Interpretative Note: If “members of my family” in verse 40 means disciples, then the judgment is on how people, including fellow Christians, took care of each other. In Matthew’s day, wandering preachers without money or goods were common and they relied on local communities of faith to feed and clothe them. In this view, “all nations,” in verse 32 could mean how well these nations cared for disciples; persecutors would be condemned. But if that reference is larger, to embrace all people as part of God’s family, then the judgment is on how well people, including Christians, cared for the poor and needy and helpless. We probably have a double reference here, so explore the passage from both viewpoints.

A. The scene takes place in the Last Days, when the Son of Man (Jesus) returns to judge “the living and the dead,” as the Apostles’ Creed has it. The judge is called “Son of Man” and “king” who will judge “all the nations.”

B. The needs are all those of people who are helpless, the outcasts with whom Jesus spent so much time. Recall some incidents, such as Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. Actually, for every need here, we have an example of Jesus dealing with something similar in his own ministry. Ask participants to probe their memories to find matches. Broadly speaking, the program in Luke 4 embraces all these needs. The point of judgment is this: Did you live your life after Jesus’ pattern or not?

C. The righteous were unaware that they were serving Jesus. How do we understand that? Perhaps our love for the poor and helpless should be so intense that we help them almost by instinct, without making it a conscious “act of Christian charity.” Or it could mean that those who have no knowledge of Christ but who help the poor are doing Christ’s work whether they know it or not.

D. See Interpretative Note, above.

E. The condemned do not live as Jesus lived. While it looks like this parable teaches salvation by good works, faith does enter the picture by the fact that Jesus is the pattern. But one needs, really, to understand this parable within the whole New Testament, where works flow from faith.

III What Does It All Mean?

1. Responses will vary.

2. The Davidic king in the Old Testament is Jesus; he is the ruler and king of the whole cosmos; he is the king who judges at the end.

3. We live in a time when many voters want less government and lower taxes. But young people are turned off from voting. Would a more idealistic program attract them? Do we sell short what government can do? These are issues worth discussing.

4. Experiences will vary, but encourage all to share growth points in their faith life.

5. Responses will vary, but the power from God is not for our personal material benefit (wealth, success, etc.) as much as to equip us to serve and to bring healing.

6. Recall the discussion in II, 2, E. The church has many faults, but in its essence it is more than an institution to do Christ’s work, more than an organization. However, God could find other ways, we can be sure, to bring grace into the world should the church totally fail its mission or disappear. The importance of the church is such that we must be committed to its continual renewal.

7. The main thing is that they get fed and clothed. Christian humility steers us from the sense that we are the only ones who understand care for the needy. In many situations, “secular” and “church” agencies share common concerns and can cooperate fruitfully.

8. See if you can get a consensus on the primary community need. Talk about ways you can meet that need, as a congregation, as a cluster of congregations, and as individuals.

IV Into the Week

As time permits, some may wish to share initial thoughts about doing #3.

Copyright © 2020, Lutheran Bible Ministries. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to make photocopies for use in church-related study groups.

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