Bible Study – What God Has Given Us To Do
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
In this season after Pentecost, we hear stories of Jesus’ ministry in the world and our call to engage in that mission. This season is also known as Ordinary Time coming from the word “ordinal” which means counted time. This time is not ordinary as in common or regular, but it is the time of counted weeks between Pentecost and Advent. The color for this season is green and it is often referred to as the green growing time as we hear stories of what God is calling us to do in the world, we join in that call, and we grow in our faith
Jesus is seen by others as having the authority to heal and teach, but in today’s lesson the chief priests and elders question this authority. By answering their question with a question about John the Baptist, Jesus is not stalling them, but rather evoking the prophets that have come before him and identifying himself and John the Baptist with the prophets of the past. When the chief priests and elders respond, they respond not from what they know to be true, but rather from a place of political maneuvering. To save themselves, they say they do not know.
So Jesus presents them with a parable, a story that teaches us about a truth. This is a parable about doing the work God has given us to do, not just saying we are going to do it, but going and doing the work, no matter where we are on our own journey or about what we may or may not have done in the past. God wants us out in the world, doing what we are called to do. As people of God we are to witness, to name our beliefs and be a worker in the field.
Opening Prayer: Almighty God, we gather together to listen to your message so we may come to know you and discover how we are called to serve you in this world. Open our hearts and minds that we may explore what you are asking us to do. Amen.
In the Bible we hear stories of many people. These people are just like us, they eat and sleep, go to school and work. God has a plan for each of them, and in hearing the stories we learn that God’s plan is for each of us too.
Please open your Bibles to Matthew 21:23-32 and read or read the scriptures below.
Matthew 21:23-32
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Questions:
- What do you think Jesus was trying to tell us in his story about the two sons?
- How do you think the first son felt when he decided to go do the work?
- How do you think the second son felt when he didn’t go do the work even though he said he would?
- Has someone ever asked you to do a task and you have either done it or not done it?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson
Videos (Click on url)
Christ’s Authority Is Questioned (Matthew 21:23-32) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSIJPitxJZg
The Parable of the two sons - Matthew 21:28-32 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgtdD4rrFcI
Song: I Have Decided – Cave Quest VBS Music Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEL0WpeH088
Activities:
In the promises that we make at Baptisms in the Baptismal Covenant, we promise to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves.” What do you think “to seek and serve Christ” means? What do you think this means for how we treat one another?
We just heard a story about a father and two sons. In the story, the father asks one son to do the work, he says no, but then later in the day, he decides that he should do the work. The father also asks the second son to go into the field and do the work, he says yes, but then never goes into the field to help. In this story Jesus is reminding us that it is important to go and do the work God asks us to do. It does not matter if we say no first, or if we aren’t perfect, or if we mess up sometimes. What is important is that we go and do what God has asked of us.
Through our baptismal covenant and by being people of God, we are all called by God to go and do the work.
Name some ways that we can “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” For example: helping a friend at school, playing with a new student at school, doing work around the house that would help out the others in the house (feeding the dog, cleaning, vacuuming, picking up my stuff, etc.), bring someone to church, help at a soup kitchen, pray for a friend who is having troubles, etc.
Handprint Pledges: choose a piece of construction paper and trace your hand on the piece of construction paper. Then write or draw the following:
Inside of the hand: What are the things you can do in your family to do the work of God? (examples: help with chores, pray at meals, be nice to my sister/brother, do something nice for my parents, etc.)
Outside of the hand: What are some things you can do in your community and in the world to do the work of God? (serve at a soup kitchen, visit people in nursing homes, make cards for the sick, raise money for those in need, help people at school, etc.)
Faithful Banner: Take a very long and narrow piece of paper across the table. Write on the long banner “FAITHFUL TO DO WHAT JESUS CALLS US TO DO!” You can also add a border of happy faces and small words around the edges that say, I WILL, OBEY, LOVE, FOLLOW, WILLING, etc.
Parable of the Two Sons Crossword Puzzle: https://sermons4kids.com/parable_of_two_sons_crossword.htm
Parable of Two Sons Fill in the Blank: https://sermons4kids.com/parable_of_two_sons_cloze.htm
The Parable of the Two Sons Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/parable_of_two_sons_decoder.htm
The Parable of the Two Sons Spiral: https://sermons4kids.com/parable_of_two_sons_spiral.htm
Prayer: Gracious and Loving God, we thank you for our time together as we explored what it means to serve you and others. Help us to remember that doing your work in the world, seeking and serving others in your name, and being the people you have called us to be is the most important thing we can do. Be with us as we leave this place and bless our acts of service that we might serve others in your name. Amen.
