Jul. 20, 2025

Last week we ended in Chapter 13 where Jesus healed the woman that was bent over on the Sabbath in the Synagogue and was confronted with indignation from the Synagogue ruler and Jesus pointed out to him how he was a hypocrite. We pick up this week in Chapter 13 verse 18 and the parable of the mustard seed.

Luke 27 Study Questions

1.    What is the kingdom of God like? The traditional and often more familiar explanation of this parable is that it describes the growth and spreading influence of the ______. Yet in light of both the parable itself and the context of the parables both before and after, this should be regarded as another description of ________ in the kingdom community.

2.    Additionally, trees are sometimes used in the Bible to describe human ___________, and evil governments at that. In fact, this tree reminds us of the one _______________ saw in his vision (Daniel 4:10-16).

3.    It is like leaven: Jesus used a surprising picture here. Many, if not most, regard this as a beautiful picture of the kingdom of God working its way through the whole ______. Yet leaven is consistently used as a picture of ____ and corruption (especially in the Passover narrative of Exodus 12:8, 12:15-20).

4.    Lord, are there few who are saved? Like these who asked Jesus, many people wonder about the salvation of ______. But in His reply (Strive to enter through the narrow gate), Jesus pointed back to the only person’s salvation we can really know, asking, “Are you _________ saved?”

5.    Strive to enter through the narrow gate: Because the way is narrow, it takes _______ and purpose to enter into it. A narrow gate also implies that we can’t bring with us ____________ things. 

6.    Strive to enter through the narrow gate isn’t a call to save yourself by good ______. Good works aren’t the right gate. One may strive to enter all life long, but if it isn’t at the right gate, it makes no difference. ______ Himself is the gate; He is the door.

7.    Will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door: The point is that there will come a time when it is too _____ to enter; that is why one must have an ________ to enter now.

8.    You begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, “Lord, Lord, open for us”: Many will _____ to enter (in the sense of wishing to enter), but they will not be able to. When the door is open, it is open; when it is ____, it is shut.

9.    There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth: In speaking of those __________ from the Kingdom of God, Jesus said that they would be in hell (the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth), and that they would see that others enter ________ of them.

10.    And you yourselves thrust out: Jesus reminded his Jewish listeners that just as the Gentile’s racial identity was no automatic ________ to the kingdom, so also their racial identity was no _________ of the kingdom.

11.    It cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem: Jesus probably spoke with a touch of _____. Of course there were times when a prophet died outside of Jerusalem, but there was special irony in the fact that the Messiah of Israel would be rejected and ________ in Jerusalem.

12.    O Jerusalem, Jerusalem: Jesus spoke with special ________, repeating the name for emphasis and depth. When God repeats a name twice, it is to display deep _________, but not necessarily anger (as in the Martha, Martha of Luke 10:41 and the Saul, Saul of Acts 9:4).