Bible Study – Matthew 6.25-34 Do not be anxious…
This passage is from the Sermon on the Mount which is the most sustained block of Jesus’s teaching in the synoptic gospels and still as radical and challenging today as it was in New Testament times. In these verses Jesus speaks about ANXIETY, specifically anxiety about whether we will have enough material things like food and clothing.
Q1 What kind of issues are you sometimes anxious about?
Q2 Do you think we live in an age of more anxiety or less anxiety compared to times past? Why is this? Do we actually have more to be anxious about?
Let’s read through Matthew 6.25-33 now and reflect on these words of Jesus for a few minutes before tackling the following questions.
Q3 What can we learn from the example of the birds (v26)?
Q4 What do you think about the example of fruitless worrying which Jesus gives in v27? What happens when people worry about things which are outside their control?
Q5 What about the example of the lilies of the field (v28-30)? How should our faith protect us from anxiety?
Q6 Looking at verses 31 and 32, the ‘pagan’ attitude to our needs is contrasted to the believers’ attitude. How reassuring is it that our heavenly Father knows what we need? Compare the warning in v24.
We all know the theory, but it is not always easy to put into practice. To borrow a phrase from ANN MORISY (who will be leading our church weekend next May), the Church’s role is about enacting hope in troubled times.
Q7 How helpful do you find v33? What does it mean in practice to ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness?’ Can you give an example of a time when you or someone else did this instead of looking after your/their own interests? Compare vv19 to 21.
Q8 What advice about avoiding anxiety does St Paul add in Philippians 4.6-7? How does this fit with what you know about the life of Jesus?
Q9 How easy is it to just take one day at a time (v34)? Does v11 help?
Q10 How as a Church can we help each other and our neighbours avoid anxiety about material needs?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
(Paddy sighed in as Ashley!)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great resource, we've recently been studying the Sermon on the Mount from an academic point of view (very interesting but very dry) so its great to see a devotional take on the same text.
For Q's 3 & 5 I think we see a key challenge to the kind of modern, culture-based "Prosperity 'Gospel'" that is so prevalent.
and for Q's 4, 6, 7 & 8 it is fantastic to link that to St Paul's passionate, active Peace that Jesus explicitly mentions in John 14:27
Q'9 and 10 are a real challenge something both not to shy away from, or conversely take too lightly. Here I think St Luke has put a little challenge in for us when he places Luke 12:33ff immediately afterward...
Thanks again Andrew - as I say a fantastic resource!