Barton's Bible Study Notes

Life of Christ: Unit 9 - Sections 45-48

Read Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45 and Luke 5:12-16. Leprosy in this day was similar to what AIDS was not too long ago, not in the specific disease, but in the results. It was fatal, often taking years before death came. It was a social disease; a person with leprosy was a social outcast, quarantined from everyday life and relationships.

1. Why was it unusual for Jesus to touch this man in healing him?

2. Why, in your opinion, did Jesus not want the leper to tell anyone about his healing except those he was required to tell by the Law?

Read Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26. Jesus was teaching in a home, possibly His own. Many religious leaders from throughout all Judea and Galilee, having heard of Him, had come to listen to Him and check Him out. During the lesson, four men who were unable to get inside due to the crowds knocked a hole in the flat roof and lowered their paralyzed friend to be healed. Had this been our own house, our reaction probably would have been far different than our Lord’s. We would immediately think of all the damage done and the cost of repairing the roof. We probably would have said something far different than what our Lord said to the man as he lay before Him.

3. Why was what Jesus said to this paralyzed man unusual?

4. Whose faith was important in the healing of this man?

5. What problem did the religious leaders have with what our Lord said to the man?

6. How did Jesus prove that He, as Messiah, had authority on earth to forgive sin?

7. What does the title “The Son of Man” signify?

Read Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-32 Jesus had been proclaiming His message in Galilee. John the Baptizer had preached the same message earlier in Judea. Many, who were coming to hear Him and John and who believed, were among the lowest of the Jewish social classes, including tax collectors and prostitutes. One of these very likely was Matthew or Levi as he is also called.

8. What kind of man was Matthew or Levi?

9. What complaint did the religious leaders have concerning our Lord and Matthew?

10. How did Jesus answer their complaint?

The Applications:

What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.