Master Teacher: 2nd QTR 2013

By Roberta Young-Jackson

Master Teacher is the teacher’s quarterly to be used with Adult Christian Life and College and Career. Each lesson contains extensive biblical exposition and specific instructions for the teacher. The outline of the lesson is reader-friendly, and includes suggestions for maximizing teacher/student interaction and topics for making the study informative and enriching.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Jan 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781589426375

Book preview

LESSON 1 FOR WEEK OF APRIL 7, 2013

PROMISES KEPT

UNIFYING TOPIC:

The Lord Appears

LESSON TEXT

   I. Convincing Proof for the Disciples (Luke 24:36-43)

  II. Promises and Prophecies Fulfilled (Luke 24:44-49)

 III. The Ascension (Luke 24:50-53)

THE MAIN THOUGHT

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44, KJV)

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

People find that promises are easy to make but hard to keep. Which promises can be relied on without reservation? Through the resurrection, Jesus kept His word and fulfilled the words of prophecy about Him.

LESSON AIM

To help students gain confidence in the promise that Jesus Christ will be with them always.

LIFE AIM

To remain encouraged even through disappointments, standing firm with faith in the truth of God’s Word, knowing that Jesus is alive and His promises are true.

BEFORE YOU TEACH

Consider …

Focus for College and Career—Consider that some of these students might feel isolated, misunderstood, and alone and may seek proof that Jesus Christ is always with them.

Focus for Adult Christian Life—Consider that some of these students may have lost loved ones and may need scriptural reminders that Jesus Christ will never leave them.

Supplementary Study Materials

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary, New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition, #102 (NNBH, #71), and God’s Promises Bible.

Teacher Helps

For teaching supplements in Teacher’s Helper and student SpiritLife assignments, visit http://www.rhboydpublishing.com.

First Step: Preparation. Seek God’s will and direction for instructing today’s class. Pray that each student’s heart and mind will be open and receptive to God’s Word.

Second Step: Ask the students to ponder how the Disciples might have felt after the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. What pressures and insecurities might they have felt?

Third Step: Have the students discuss situations in their lives when their expectations were not met.

Fourth Step: For College and Career: Challenge students to consider the importance of keeping commitments. For Adult Christian Life: Ask students to share what helped them become believers.

Fifth Step: Close the class session with a prayer. Pray that students hold fast to God’s promises and remain faithful to Him.

God’s Word in Life

There are not many places you can travel in the world today without proper identification. Those who drive must have a proper license to operate a motor vehicle. Those who desire to travel overseas must have proper identification to board their way of transportation. Those who purchase goods from stores using a credit card are often asked to provide proof that they are indeed the person whose name is on the card. It is even impossible to access email or other web-based accounts without a login name and password for the purpose of authentication.

Jesus spent a lifetime showing the world that God had taken on human form and dwelled among us. He spent precious time with His disciples, teaching them and showing them perfection in every sense of its meaning. Yet after His crucifixion, death, and resurrection, Jesus again had to prove His true identity to others. The infallible proofs shown to the followers of Jesus removed all doubt from their minds. Believers today continue to stand on these infallible proofs. †

— EXPOSITION —

Introduction

In our lesson today, we will study the ministry of Jesus after His resurrection, particularly the time He spent with the Disciples before His ascension. Before we start there, let us reexamine Luke 24 from the beginning. The women who came to anoint Jesus’ body were perplexed when they found the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb where Jesus had been placed. Two angels reminded them of what Jesus foretold concerning His crucifixion and resurrection. It should not have been a surprise at all to His devoted followers. His victory over death was a cause for celebration, not confusion. How quickly they forgot the words Jesus had spoken.

Upon hearing that the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb, Peter journeyed to see for himself and left the empty tomb wondering what could have happened. Those traveling on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Jesus as they walked and talked with the resurrected Savior in their company. To them, Jesus was a mighty prophet but not likely the Messiah. Only after Jesus revealed Himself during the breaking of bread did they discover the magnitude of what they had just witnessed. The rest of the Disciples received the Emmaus disciples’ news concerning Jesus yet were terrified when He appeared among them. Our lesson today explores the disciples’ fearful reaction to Jesus’ appearance.

I.  Convincing Proof for the Disciples (Luke 24:36-43)

The Gospel according to Luke provides plenty of evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Luke’s Gospel, there are abundant witnesses who encountered the risen Lord. They include the women who saw the empty tomb and reported their experience to the other disciples; Peter who also visited the empty tomb; the two disciples on the road to Emmaus; and the Eleven and those with them (v. 33, NIV). In the Gospel according to John, the author provides additional witnesses to Jesus’ resurrected body. In John’s account in 20:19-23, the reader is informed that Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to the disciples. John also includes Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus when she was alone in the garden (see 20:14).

In Luke 24, Jesus keeps the promise He made to the Disciples. On several occasions, Jesus told His followers that three days would pass before He would be resurrected from the dead (see Luke 9:21-27, 43-45; 18:31-34). Still, they are astonished when He appears before them. The Disciples and others have come together to discuss the reports of those who had seen the empty tomb and others who had seen Jesus. While this discussion is taking place, Jesus appears and stands among them.

The first message Jesus shares with the disciples (including the Eleven) is the message of peace: ‘Peace be unto you’ (v. 36, KJV). As comforting as these words are supposed to be, they terrify the disciples, and they react as if they are seeing a ghost. Perhaps they are disappointed in the lack of faith they openly displayed during His ministry, especially during the crucifixion. Perhaps the words Jesus foretold were forgotten after they witnessed His tragic death. Whatever the reason, these disciples show their lack of understanding concerning the nature of Jesus’ resurrection.

Jesus immediately knows their thoughts and asks them why they are frightened. They are afraid of the same Jesus who had lived with them for three years. In order to subdue their fears and doubts, Jesus invites the disciples to touch Him to prove He is not a ghost. A spirit or phantom would not be tangible, something that could be touched. Thus, Jesus tells them to examine His body, particularly the parts wounded during His crucifixion: His hands and feet. Seeing and feeling the body of Jesus should convince the disciples that Jesus is the same person who had called them into discipleship. As if the presence of Jesus and the touching of His body are not enough, He asks for food and eats it before them to further prove that His body has been resurrected. Jesus removes the doubt in the minds of the disciples by providing physical proof of His resurrection. For the disciples, the sight of Jesus is too good to be true.

For more information about

THE PASSING OF PEACE,

visit

www.rhboydpublishing.com.

HONEYCOMB

(Greek: melissios k rion)

Referenced only once in the entire canon, the term melissios k rion is used by Luke in verse forty-two to describe Jesus’ meal. Along with broiled fish, Jesus feasted on a honeycomb. Unbeknownst to scholars, only the KJV included this item as a part of Jesus’ post-resurrection meal.

II.    Promises and Prophecies Fulfilled (Luke 24:44-49)

Jesus reminds the disciples of the words He spoke to them before His crucifixion. But Jesus was not merely predicting His death as a foresight; He was fulfilling Scripture. He says, ‘Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms’ (v. 44, NIV). In other words, all of the Hebrew Scriptures speak of Jesus and are rightly understood in light of His death and resurrection.

In Jesus’ explanation of the connection between the Hebrew Scriptures and Himself, He unpacks the three elements significant to His ministry in verses 46-47: 1) ‘the Christ will suffer;’ 2) the Messiah will ‘rise from the dead on the third day;’ and 3) ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’ (NIV). The first two points are easily identifiable when one reads through the Old Testament in light of Jesus’ advent. Many Bible students could likely point to such scriptural texts as the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (see 52:13—53:12) or the various suffering motifs found in Psalms (see 22; 69) and the references to rising and sitting on God’s right hand in Psalms 16:8 and 110:1. The third