The Gospel of John is a unique and powerful account of the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Written by John, one of Jesus' closest disciples, this gospel presents a deep and thoughtful perspective on the person and work of Jesus. Unlike the other three gospels, which are known as the Synoptic Gospels and focus on Jesus' actions and teachings, John's gospel emphasizes the spiritual and theological significance of Jesus' life and ministry. For this series I will write some of the small group questions that go along with each sermon. It seemed like a waste to leave them in a file on my computer and not share them with everyone.
Small Group Questions | When Confusion Abounds | John 7:25-53
Earlier in John 7 we saw that three different groups of people were confused on who Jesus is. As we continue in John 7 we’re going to see that confusion about Jesus remains. His teaching in the first half of the chapter didn’t clear up the confusion. In our passage today we read that Jesus interacts with three groups of people. Keep your eyes open for the crowd, the guards, and the Pharisees. We’re going to see how each of these groups interact with Jesus and how their confusion actually creates more confusion. In the midst of their confusion there is hope because we find that through Jesus teaching many come to believe in Him as the Messiah.
1) “It’s all Greek to me!” is a common phrase when we don’t understand something. Share about at time in your life when you had a hard time comprehending something you needed to learn. How did this situation play out?
2) Read John 7:25-31. The crowd asks three different questions concerning Jesus. The questions show us the crowd has a desire to learn about Jesus. What one of these questions do you most resonate with?
3) In John 7:31 we read a great result of Jesus’ teaching. There are several times in Scripture when many believe (read Acts 2:41 and 9:31). What would it look like to see those you’ve been praying for come to Jesus this week?
4) The Pharisees were intent on arresting Jesus (read John 7:32-36). Jesus came to tilt our chins towards heaven and keep us focused on spiritual matters. Share a time in your life where you got fixated on the physical world and missed the spiritual.
5) Read John 7:37-39. During the Festival of Tabernacles water was an important part. For Jesus to say that He would offer rivers of living water would be massive! Where have you been drinking of the world and need to drink from the rivers of Jesus?
6) Jesus promised an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Spirit would come on people for a time, event, or occasion. But Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to us (read John 14:16, 26, 15:26-27, and 16:7). What do these passages teach us about the Holy Spirit?
7) Near the end of the chapter we see Nicodemus is a voice of reason (read John 7:50-51). Who is a voice of reason in your life? A person who constantly keeps you focused on the truth of God in a confusing world?
Close your time in prayer. Pray for strength to invite a friend to meet Jesus.
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