Open the Word

Adult & All Age

Bible Study on Matthew 22.34-36; 1 Thessalonians 2.1-8

For Adults & Young People

Beforehand, read Matthew 22.34-46 and 1 Thessalonians 2.1-8. Read and print out a copy of the Bible Study sheet for each group member. There are additional Bible notes here. ?
In the session, read the Bible passages together, and look at the Bible notes and Make connections sections. Use this conversation spark to provoke first reactions from the group: What are the questions that bug you about God and Christianity? Are there some answers you’ve never been satisfied with, or questions you’ve never dared ask before?
For the Explore section – You will need: printouts of the passages, one per person; paper and pens; Bibles and Bible commentaries, if possible, to enable the young people to look up background information. You will be responsible for time-keeping once you have prompted the young people (in pairs or small groups) to write down all the questions they have about what the passage means. Then collect in the top five questions from each group, and read all of these out loud.
End with the Live in faith and Send out Prayer items for the week.

Young people

Encourage the group to respond to their discussion using one of the respond activities in the CYP Respond to the Word section. There is a specific activity for Young People which you may like to look at first.

Present the reading

A presentation of Matthew 22.34-46

In order to draw attention to the drama in today’s Gospel reading, ask people to shout out ‘Question!’ each time they identify one. Write these up (electronically, for projection, or on paper). The reader should pause to allow this: after verse 36 and frequently from verse 42 to the end. Then the reader pauses and asks, ‘Any more questions?’ Have someone ‘planted’ to call out, ‘No more questions!’

Explore the reading

A way for leaders to guide all ages through the reading

Invite the congregation to give an example of a simple question (e.g. What did you have for breakfast?); a cheeky question (e.g. What time did you come home last night?); a mean question (e.g. Are you putting on weight?); a complimentary question (e.g. Where did you get that cool new bag?); a test question (as in an exam, e.g. What’s the square root of nine?); a trick question (e.g. almost any joke); a searching question (e.g. What would you like to be doing in ten years’ time?). Identify together other categories of question. Invite people to try out different kinds of questions on each other, then discuss how this felt.

Look at the questions in today’s Gospel. What category do they fall into? The religious leaders’ question is a mean trick question disguised as a simple question: they want to catch Jesus out. But Jesus treats it as a simple question, gives a straight answer, and shuts them up.

What sort of questions are the ones Jesus asks? His last is also a trick question, and all are meant to make the people think. What sort of questions might we ask as we read the Bible? What really happened? (We can’t always know.)

What else do I need to know to understand this story: for example, who were the Sadducees (see Bible notes)? Does this story really make sense? What’s this story all about? What does this story mean for my life? This is a kingdom question! Are there any questions you would like to ask about today’s story? Any answers to those questions? Stress that it’s OK to ask any questions you want to: you won’t always get an answer straight away, but there is no question God can’t deal with.

Stories: Why? Why? Why?

Two discussions between a daughter and a mother

Ruth has a game she liked to play, mostly to wind her mum up. She was an expert at it. It went like this. Ruth asked a question. When she was given the answer, she would say 'Why?' When given the answer, she would say 'why?' again! She would just keep going. A typical example went something like this:

What's for tea?'
'Spaghetti bolognaise.'
'Why?'
'Because it's quick, I didn't have much time.'
'Why?'
'Because I stayed late at work.'
'Why?'
'Because one of the people I work with needed time off.'
'Why?'
'Because her Mum was taken to hospital yesterday.'
'Why?'
'Because she was ill.'
'Why?'
'Because she is old and had a fall.'
'Why?'
'Because our bodies gradually stop working so well.'
'Why?'
'Because we can't live forever.'
'Why?'
'Because every life has an end, just like it has a beginning.'

Mum played the game too, heaving a big sigh and sounding pretend-tired with each new answer. Sometimes, if Ruth chose a bad time, she might just say, 'Because. That's why. Now be quiet.' Do you see how it worked? Every answer led to a new and more important 'Why?', and every new answer tended to be bigger than the one before. Ruth had a picture in her mind, like this:

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

One day, Ruth was doodling on her rough book, and thinking of nothing, till she suddenly asked, 'Mum, did you always know you wanted children?'
'Yes,' replied Mum, 'I always knew. I'd have been devastated if I couldn't.'
'Why?'
'Because I wanted a baby, and then a child to love and protect and cuddle.'
'Why?'
'Because I think I was made to give love. Not everyone wants children, but I think we are all designed to be loving.'
'Why?'
'Because God wanted to make creatures who were able to be in relationship with each other, and with him. That's what I believe.'
'Why?'
'Because the evidence is there, for me, in Jesus.'
'Why?'
'Because Jesus reveals God to us.'
'Why?'
'Because of who Jesus is, the way he lived, and the way he died.'
'Why?'
'Because Jesus was God became a man, so it was also God who died to save us.'
'Why?'
'That's a really big question. Basically, because there was nothing God wouldn't do to show us love and invite to follow him.'
'Why?'
'Because that's what God is like. God is love. And that's the last answer, because it covers every why you've just thrown at me. Because God is love. Got it? Good! Now why don't you come and give me a hug?'

Sermon ideas

Rabbinic arguments

Jesus enjoys the rabbinic practice of arguing over the interpretation of Scripture and is unafraid to ask hard questions of the text before him. This is central to Jewish traditions of study, depicted well in Barbra Streisand’s film Yentl , about a young woman who poses as a boy in order to study the Talmud. The opening song begins with the words, ‘There’s not a morning I begin without a thousand questions running through my mind…’.

Children

Open the Word: It's complicated

Matthew 22.34-46: A way to tell the story followed by ideas for discussion time

In this story, a leader asks a question, and then Jesus asks a question.

The story can be found here.

Talk about

After reading the Bible story to your group, use these discussion points.

What’s the most important thing in your life at the moment?
Who or what do you love with all your heart? What about with your soul and mind? What do you think is the difference between heart, soul and mind?
What question would you ask Jesus?

With young people

Ideas to explore the Bible reading here.

Story: It's complicated

A story for children, based on Matthew 22.34-46

For very young children

With very young children

This week's activity helps us to explore the commandment to love

You will need: small paper hearts; (see template here), sequins and sparkles, glue sticks; a large sheet of paper with the word ‘God’ in a large decorated heart in the centre.

Share this simple paraphrase and actions.

Jesus said: ‘Love God (point up)

and love each other.’ (gesture round the room)

Repeat so the children can join in.

Invite the children to decorate the paper hearts and help them to write their names and the names of people they know on the hearts. Stick the hearts around the ‘God’ heart on the large sheet of paper. You could end by reading all the names.