Many Opposites used.

Fulfilment of prophecy.

John knows the scriptures that is why Jesus used this to help him renew his faith.

He knows what is promised by the prophets.

Doubt is natural- John's doubt reflects our own hope in our life. .

An added dimension was that John was in prison for preaching the good news of Jesus. It is hard to evangelise.

The promise fulfilled and prophecy fulfilled.

God is seen working in smaller ways and we can't anticipate his timing.

Discussed also why Jesus is offensive? - focused on more about how the church is offensive.

Song recommendations: Names, Because of who you are, Prince of Peace

Multiple links between the old and new testament passages, most notably the presence of those with sickness and conditions being healed eg. the deaf can hear + the blind gaining sight. Also Jesus quoted the old testament passage of Isaiah 35 in his answer to John's question

John the Baptist would have had a little doubt over his belief of Jesus being the Messiah due to ending up in prison for it, but Jesus's answer to his question was a powerful one that clearly demonstrated that he was the Messiah through quoting Isaiah 35

The Jews would have expected the Messiah to be strong, powerful and high in stature, wearing fancy robes for example. It would have been quite a shock to them that he turned out to be similar to the average person, with no demonstration of wealth or power whatsoever

The promise + hope of the Messiah has had a profound impact on my life. Many times I have found myself lost and confused, but Jesus has always pointed me in the right direction with his guidance and plans to bring you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11, love that verse btw!)

What are the links between the old testament and new testament passages? 

The major verse that stood out to us in the parable of the sower was Verse 12

Mention of links to Matthew 25:14-30 (the parable of the talents). Both these parables mention that those who invest in and make use of knowledge and talents respectively will be rewarded, while those who either don't listen or misuse knowledge/talents will lose them

For Q2, we mentioned Jesus used parables as a kind of filter: by making the messages less clear only those who actively put in the work to understand the teachings can understand them and thus be rewarded, while those who don't make the effort are left confused

Q3 was well addressed in Q1, those who actively seek to understand the teachings of Jesus receive his blessing and reward, while those who don't miss out

Q4 had us mention many situations where we turn to Jesus to receive his moral teachings in our everyday lives: particularly popular teachings in our group were loving your enemies and God having a plan for us

The parable can be compared to the parable of the talents.

Book recc: Dark night of the Soul (John of the Cross)- comparison to the seeds that fell among thorns which represent the worldly desires we face.

Sacrifices served as a ritual which allowed people to give thanks to God and strengthening their relationship. From Hebrews 10, sacrifices were also made in order for people to atone for their sins. There were many other examples of sacrifices in the Old Testament, including in the story of Adam and Eve as well as Abraham attempting to sacrifice his son Isaac (both in Genesis)

The “lamb of god” primarily refers to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Jesus stepped in and completed altered the concept of sacrifice. He offered himself up as a single sacrifice for all of humankind that would atone for everyone’s sins. Pretty much as part of the transition between Old Testament (Hebrews) and New Testament his sacrifice allowed the numerous sacrifices of animals to stop taking place “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4)

The sacrifice of Jesus takes pressure off in regards to atoning for sin. Many of us who sin like to make up for what has occurred by trying to fix any damage caused, however Jesus has already given himself up to atone for all of our sins. From this, Jesus is always there to support us when we feel guilty or upset about what has been done. His ultimate sacrifice doesn’t diminish our own everyday sacrifices, rather it helps give us the strength to do so

Mark 10:35-45 show us that the greatest people are the servant and the slave, therefore those who make the everyday sacrifice of menial labor which contributes to helping other people, especially the less fortunate, receive rewards and benefits as part of the favour of Jesus. The highest are the lowest while the lowest are the highest. We can embody this message in our own lives by participating in this menial labour and helping those in the community who need it

According to this passage Jesus is the Word, the word was made flesh as described in verse 14. Jesus is also the creator: all things were made through Him

My standout verses were verse 4 and 5 which refer to light amidst the darkness

Darkness can be thought of as a region without light: they are still the same entity

Personally, if I find myself in a dark place, difficult situation or disappointment, I go back to what I have and think about everything I’m grateful for (health, a roof over my head, family, friends and more)

We spoke a lot on the Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Many points raised about whether they are one or separate, it is a difficult concept we don't know much about

However there is a beauty to this: it allows us to continue to pursue this understanding through the teachings of Jesus and keeps us motivated. If we only had to meet a specific criteria we would be less motivated, either due to meeting the requirements or giving up on achieving them knowing that you couldn't do so

Also discussed about the concept of heaven: what was it like and can people who don't believe in Jesus/God still make it to heaven?

I believe they can, referencing James 2:17 "faith without works is dead". It isn’t “works without faith is dead”, thus if you don’t believe in God but still do his good works, there is no reason why a person doing these good deeds wouldn’t go to heaven, whether they know and believe God or not

Finally, knowing Jesus is God is very heartening. It helps motivate me to learn his teachings and spread this knowledge to others willing to receive it, more effectively through actions like assisting people rather than words. It also helps to know that Jesus is God as He is with me at all times to back me up and keep me on the right path. Everyday I consult Jesus whenever I'm unsure of what to do etc and I strive to do things through Him rather than through my own will

Jesus wept, which shows how much he loved and cared for Lazarus. This is an example of how Jesus treated those around him, which is reassuring since you know that He cares for you. This story is an example of trusting God’s plan and timing through Jesus. When Jesus is alerted to Lazarus’s illness he chooses not to rush to his aid, basically saying he’ll be fine. He comes to find Lazarus dead days later and then raises him from the dead. I also relate to the perspective of Mary (verse 32), where she says that Jesus could have saved Lazarus if he had come faster, we would all feel like Mary if we were in the same situation. Jesus’s miracle of reviving Lazarus from the dead then shows us that if we have faith and trust in Him and His plan, things will go OK

The entire story on the vine and the branches stood out to me but especially verses 4-8. These bring to my mind the analogy of florist flowers: when you buy them, they don’t survive for more than 4-5 days because they aren’t connected to anything. They have no connection to a tree or the soil filled with nutrients to keep them alive. This shows the importance of maintaining your faith and connection with Jesus by trusting Him and regularly showing interest in Him, He is the vine and we are the branches

I have had to prune away hobbies that haven’t served me well or groups of people who were having a bad influence on me. This certainly caused a lot of pain but overall the result of me becoming a better person through producing more fruit was definitely worth it

Abiding in Christ means to have faith in Him, trusting Him and remaining connected with Him. In our daily lives, this means spending time with Him through prayer, reading the Bible to harvest His Word, and trusting that He will get you through difficult situations. I’ve definitely struggled with this a lot. At the moment I’m a bit unsure on what my future career will be but God has told me to be patient and He will guide me, which I need to keep my faith in