Lesson 5 Baptize with Spirit and Fire commentary

John the Baptist said, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord' " (John 1:23). This quotation from Isaiah 40:3 is quoted more fully in Luke, following the Greek Septuagint translation with which Luke was familiar:

"A voice of one calling in the desert,
'Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
And all mankind will see God's salvation.' " (3:4-6)

There in the wilderness God had become his companion, his confidant, his teacher. In a phrase reminiscent of the calling of Old Testament prophets, "the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert" (3:2; Jeremiah 1:2; 2:1; Ezekiel 1:3; Hosea 1:1-2; Jonah 1:1; Micah 1:1; Zephaniah 1:1). He was the last of the Old Covenant prophets, his clothing (Matthew 3:4), spirit (Luke 1:17), and preparatory role (Malachi 4:5-6) those of Elijah. His cousin Jesus placed him among the greatest men in all history (Luke 7:28). In the desert, John came to know God better than people, and when God fully owned his heart and allegiance, John was ready.
What does this kind of desert hermit life do to a person? It produces someone who really doesn't care what "civilized" people think about him. John didn't structure his life in relation to societal norms and expectations, so when he burst upon the scene as a desert preacher, his words were unrefined, blunt, and uncompromising.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
3:15-20 John the Baptist disowned being himself the Christ, but confirmed the people in their expectations of the long-promised Messiah. He could only exhort them to repent, and assure them of forgiveness upon repentance; but he could not work repentance in them, nor confer remission on them. Thus highly does it become us to speak of Christ, and thus humbly of ourselves. John can do no more than baptize with water, in token that they ought to purify and cleanse themselves; but Christ can, and will baptize with the Holy Ghost; he can give the Spirit, to cleanse and purify the heart, not only as water washes off the dirt on the outside, but as fire clears out the dross that is within, and melts down the metal, that it may be cast into a new mould. John was an affectionate preacher; he was beseeching; he pressed things home upon his hearers. He was a practical preacher; quickening them to their duty, and directing them in it. He was a popular preacher; he addressed the people, according to their capacity. He was an evangelical preacher. In all his exhortations, he directed people to Christ. When we press duty upon people, we must direct them to Christ, both for righteousness and strength. He was a copious preacher; he shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God. But a full stop was put to John's preaching when he was in the midst of his usefulness. Herod being reproved by him for many evils, shut up John in prison. Those who injure the faithful servants of God, add still greater guilt to their other sins.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 16. - I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I cometh. To refute this growing conviction that he was the Messiah, John tells the people plainly tidal Another far greater than he was coming. He, John, certainly washed (baptized) those who came to him, but his washing was merely symbolical - it could not purify them; his work had been to stir them up to repentance, to arouse them to change their lives. But the One who was coming, before whom he (John) was unworthy to stand and perform the humblest menial office, that great One should baptize too, but his baptism would be a very different thing. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. There was, indeed, a difference between John's baptism and the baptism of the Messiah who was to come after him. John could do no more with his words and symbol baptism than rouse the people to struggle after repentance and a change of heart and life, while Messiah would furnish to men the influence from above, that was really needed in order to purity of heart and life. He would procure and pour out the influence of the Divine Spirit (see Dr. Morrison, Mark 1:8). And with fire. Not with punitive fire, which interpretation would be quite alien from the context here. Those expositors who have adopted this meaning of the fire here have been most likely influenced by the mention of the unquenchable fire in the next sentence. The fire which was to enter into Messiah's baptism was rather the flame of purification. So we read of the coal of fire taken from off the altar and laid on the mouth of Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 6:6, 7). "With fire," writes Bishop Wordsworth, "to purify, illumine, transform, inflame with holy fervor and zeal, and carry upward, as Elijah was carried up to heaven in a chariot of fire."



From JesusWalk:

The process of preparing grain involved (1) threshing, that is, crushing, beating or thrashing the grain heads in order to loosen the grain kernels from the surrounding stems and husks; and (2) winnowing, using a kind of wooden pitch fork (a winnowing fork) to throw the threshed grain heads into the breeze, so the lighter chaff will blow downwind, and the heavier grain kernels will fall back to the ground, separating the two. The floor would be "cleared" by threshing and then winnowing all the grain heads until the chaff and grain had been completely separated. The grain was then gathered into baskets and stored in the barn, but the remaining stems and husks piled together and set ablaze.
Look with me at a couple of interesting words. The verb translated "clear" (NIV) or "purge" (KJV) is Greek diakathairo, "clean out, cleanse thoroughly."[7] The idea of thoroughness and complete cleaning is contained in this compound verb. The second interesting word translated the "unquenchable" is Greek asbestos, a mineral supposed by the ancients to be inextinguishable when set on fire.[8] John the Baptist isn't talking about just regular fire here that would burn itself out when the chaff is consumed, but a kind of eternal, unquenchable fire.
So what is this fire baptism? There are three possibilities:

1. A figure of purification of sin as the Holy Spirit does his cleansing work in us as part of the process of sanctification. Indeed, the Spirit's cleansing in us is sometimes painful, but nothing in the context suggests that this is what John had in mind.
2. A symbol of the tongues of fire that appeared over the heads of the 120 disciples in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3). This, too, is a stretch for John the Baptist. In the Pentecost passage, the fire probably represents the Shekinah glory of God rather than fires of purification.
3. A prophecy of the eschatological separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, and judgment by the Messiah at the end of the age. This fits contemporary expectations of the Messiah, as well as the words "cleanse thoroughly" and "unquenchable fire" contained in the passage. Jesus' parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:30, 41-42) includes this kind of analogy of separation and final judgment. Remember Henry Alford's well-known Thanksgiving Hymn, "Come Ye Thankful People, Come," verse 3?
   
   "For the Lord our God shall come, And shall take His harvest home.
   From His field shall in that day All offenses purge away;
   Give His angels charge at last In the fire the tares to cast,
   But the fruitful ears to store In His garner evermore."

So John is prophesying of Jesus that he will (1) flood his followers with the Holy Spirit, and (2) judge the unrighteous at the End of the Age.

(From BibleHub)
In all four Gospel passages mentioned above, Mark and John speak of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but only Matthew and Luke mention the baptism with fire. The immediate context of Matthew and Luke is judgment (Matthew 3:7-12; Luke 3: 7-17). The context of Mark and John is not (Mark 1:1-8; John 1:29-34). We know that the Lord Jesus is coming in flaming fire to judge those who do not know God (2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; John 5:21-23; Revelation 20:11-15), but praise be to God that He will save all that will come and put their trust in Him (John 3:16)!

Lesson 6 Jesus Facing Temptations

(From http://www.jesuswalk.com)

Exposition

Jesus has just been baptized, anointed by the Holy Spirit for his messianic ministry, and acknowledged by his Father as "My beloved Son. I'm very pleased with you." But he isn't allowed to bask long in the glow of this moment. There is work to do.

Led by the Spirit into Temptation (4:1-2)

The work, however, begins with a time of intensive preparation. Notice the role of the Holy Spirit in this preparation. Jesus is described as "full of the Holy Spirit." The event at the Jordan was profoundly significant. Now Jesus is "led" by the Spirit in the desert. Jesus had been baptized and filled with the Spirit; now he must go into the desert.
In Luke the Greek verb "led" is ago, "3. Figuratively, of the working of the Spirit on man, 'lead, guide,' passive, 'be led, allow oneself to be led.' "[1] The imperfect tense of the verb suggests that Jesus was continuously led by the Spirit during these 40 days. The text indicates that the Spirit didn't just send Jesus off into the desert and deposit him there to struggle with the devil. Rather the Spirit continuously led Jesus in the desert area for the 40 days. He wasn't left alone. The Spirit went with him throughout the entire time.
Why the desert? Jesus wasn't yet ready to enter into his public ministry, so the desolate wilderness of the Jordan plain north of the Dead Sea, and the arid Judean hills west of the Dead Sea were places he could be alone. I'm sure he communed with his Father during this time. And, as we'll see from the nature of his temptations, the shape and meaning of his Messiahship were determined here. The desert, of course, was John the Baptist's home, and was also the place where Moses and Elijah had fasted and encountered the Lord (Exodus 24:18; 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, 25; 1 Kings 19:8).
Fasting has a way of temporarily lifting the tyranny of preparing and eating food to assuage physical hunger. It allows one to focus on the spiritual realm more intently. Fasting can produce a clarity of mind and spirit. Jesus spent a long time in the desert. A long time to be tempted. A long time to fast.

Why Temptation?

It startles us to think of Jesus being tempted at all. Shouldn't he be above all that? After all he is the Son of God, and James tells us, "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone" (James 1:13). But the Incarnation (coming in the flesh) required that the Son of God empty himself of his divine prerogatives (Philippians 2:7), and one of those must have been the ability to be tempted. We see his temptation here and also in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46). In both instances, he chooses his Father's will over the temptation to pursue an easier path. But notice that he has no extraordinary weapons in his temptation; he has the same tools we have -- the Spirit and the Word.
Sometimes being tempted makes us feel dirty. The spontaneous thoughts of hatred or lust or envy or theft shock us. An important lesson for disciples is this: temptation is not sin. Satan may tempt us by putting evil thoughts into our mind, but we can push them right out again with God's help. I've always appreciated a saying attributed to Martin Luther: "You can't help it if a bird flies over your head, but you don't need to let him make a nest in your hair." Temptation is not sin.

The Necessity of Temptation

Why should Jesus be tempted at all? Because innocent faith is not strong faith. The Garden of Eden is illustration enough. Innocent faith may be pure, but it needs testing to be strong.

Many disciples have discovered that while their lives were pretty controlled by Satan before their conversion, after their conversion a battle begins, an inner war. "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want" (Galatians 5:17). The battle is both inevitable and necessary for you to begin to experience spiritual freedom in your life.
For Jesus the battle was somewhat different. The temptation in the wilderness was an attempt by Satan to gain a foothold on Jesus, to trip Jesus into a petty concession that would force him into disgrace or impotence. If a politician, for example, takes just one under-the-table gift, the donor now controls him by threat of exposure. If a nuclear scientist offers just one bit of information to the enemy, he is not allowed to stop there. He is compromised. Let's examine Satan's attempts to compromise Jesus.

#1 Temptation of Hunger (4:3-4)

The first temptation seems pretty simple. Jesus has been fasting for 40 days and Satan offers him a quick way to feed his hunger, to turn the rounded bread-shaped stones scattered on the desert floor into actual loaves of bread. This is the temptation to meet legitimate physical needs by illegitimate or unnecessary means.
But there's another subtle temptation here, as well. The devil slyly begins, "If you are the Son of God...." He's basically saying to Jesus, "You may not be the Son of God at all. Prove it to me by doing this minor miracle." When we're new at any role -- not to mention Messiahship -- we feel insecure. And when someone taunts us and doubts our role we're very tempted to SHOW THEM, to prove it. This is the temptation to pride, to prove ourselves to others -- and, in our insecurity, to ourselves as well.
There's nothing wrong with meeting physical needs -- food, shelter, love, companionship, sex -- by legitimate means. But there is a higher law than our physical desires, and that is God's Word. The essence of Jesus' reply, a quotation of Deuteronomy 8:3, reads in full:

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

Jesus' point is that physical needs must be met God's way, not our own selfish, short-cut way. We're tempted, of course, to steal, to cheat, to fornicate, to lie, to provide a quick fix for our physical hungers. God is able to supply our needs, but we must wait on him and seek to do things his way. Just because we CAN work miracles doesn't mean we should in any given circumstance. Bread -- physical fulfillment -- is not more important than God's Word and way.

#2 Temptation of Power and Wealth (4:5-8)

The second temptation is to authority and worldly glory. The devil leads Jesus up to a high place and shows him the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. This sounds like a vision. Instantly, Jesus can see each of the kingdoms of his day: Herod's petty domain closest to him, then Rome's towering buildings and Caesar's court, and all the other empires on the Russian steppes, the Indian subcontinent, and ancient China. Jesus could see it all.
Satan claims both ownership of and the power to bestow political power and material wealth and splendor. It's interesting that Jesus doesn't question it. Satan isn't able to draw him into an argument that God alone is sovereign and Satan's power is usurped from its rightful owner -- though Jesus' answer hints at this. Arguing with Satan makes the tempted person even more vulnerable.
Part of the lie is that Satan alone controls power and material rewards, and that the only way to reach them is the devil's way. But this IS a lie. The other way is to trust God and serve him in good times and bad, relying on him to exalt you if that is his will. Jesus teaches, "No one can serve two masters ... You cannot serve both God and Money" (Matthew 6:24). Daniel retained his integrity as Prime Minister of Babylon and Persia; so did Abraham and Job. Joseph was second to Pharaoh himself, and Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin Council that ruled Jerusalem in Jesus' day. God is not opposed to bestowing on Christians power or wealth. But we cannot afford the shortcuts, no matter how appealing or seemingly innocent they appear. The devil said to Jesus, "If you worship me, it will all be yours." What was Satan's bargain? Satan would grant power and wealth to Jesus instantly if only Jesus would accept it from him. But the strings accompanying such a gift would be like steel cables enslaving Jesus to the devil forever.
We understand the temptation. We live in the present, we want instant gratification. We would rather get our rewards now and worry later about the future. Does this describe you? What is the balance on your credit cards?
Jesus answers with Scripture he had doubtless learned as a boy: "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only' " (4:8; Deuteronomy 6:13). Our God is a jealous God. We are not free agents in the world, picking or choosing between world powers to align our tiny selves with. We must choose the Lord our God or be sucked irresistibly into the orbit of the devil's minions. If we don't worship the Lord we are lost.
Jesus knew that power was important to his mission as Messiah. But it must be power bestowed by his Father in due time. His was the hard way to glory -- through the cross and grave and resurrection. But in due time the Father exalted him to the highest place, the place that he deserved as God's equal (Philippians 2:6), and to the position in which he is publicly proclaimed before heaven and earth (Philippians 2:9-11). It took longer than Satan's way, but there was no bitter aftertaste. Jesus resisted the quick fix, and took his Father's path.

#3 Temptation of Instant Acclaim (4:9-13)

Have you ever had dreams of fame? Of being a movie star or sports hero? Who hasn't? But the desire to be respected in your profession, or popular in your school are the more common ways we deal with this desire. I think that Jesus' third temptation is for popularity.
Satan's implication is that if Jesus were to jump off the temple to the pavement far below, he wouldn't be injured -- angels would catch him, a kind of celestial bungee jump. The effect on observers in the temple, however, would be startling, the ultimate PR stunt. The visible miracle of one walked away from mortal injury. Jesus would be instantly famous, and perhaps would be acclaimed Messiah on the spot.
I don't think that the excitement of risking danger was Jesus' temptation. Rather it was the lure of popularity and public recognition. This is similar to the lure of power and material wealth, but it appeals even more directly to personal pride and self-exaltation.

"Humble thyself in the eyes of the Lord...
And He shall lift you up."

are the words of Bob Hudson's well-known chorus[5] that reflects Scripture (James 4:10 and 1 Peter 5:6). Jesus could choose the path of humility or pride. He chose humility.

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death --
even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Jesus answered the devil with the words of Deuteronomy 6:16: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." In other words, do not take some action that forces God's hand, that seeks to manipulate God to do what he otherwise would not wish to do. The passage Jesus was quoting referred to the Israelites' forcing God to act when they were thirsty at Massah in the wilderness. They had tested God by saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?" If so, then prove it to us by giving us water. There's a kind of insistent unbelief in this sort of testing.  "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (John 20:25b).
At the human level, we see manipulation constantly. We can't get our spouse to do something we want? Take an action that leaves him no other choice. Force her to bail you out, since the alternative is unimaginable. Force people to say nice things about you by your own carefully chosen words of self-deprecation. Force people to see you as a philanthropist by visible gifts to charitable causes. The forms of manipulation are innumerable and often so subtle that unless we are self-aware, we may almost fool ourselves. Too often, we try to manipulate God, too, with bargains and deals. We need to take seriously Jesus' words, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

Jesus' Temptations as a Teaching Prototype

Have you ever wondered how Luke heard the story of Jesus' temptation? Jesus was alone in the desert; no one had observed him. Jesus doubtless told his disciples about his own temptation experience to teach them how to resist temptation themselves. I'm sure that over the course of forty days, Jesus experienced more than three temptations. But he selected these three in order to instruct his disciples. When you view at Jesus' three temptations as archtypical and compare them with the list compiled by Jesus' beloved disciple John, you come up with some interesting similarities:

Jesus' Temptations (Luke 4:3-12)	John's Classification (1 John 2:15-17)
	KJV	NIV	J.B. Phillips[6]
The temptation of hunger	The lust of the flesh	The cravings of sinful man	Men's primitive desires
The temptation of power and wealth	The lust of the eyes	The lust of his eyes	Their greedy ambitions
The temptation of instant acclaim	The pride of life	The boasting of what he has and does	The glamour of all that they think is splendid

I think John the Apostle is teaching his readers about the same triad of temptations Jesus' had taught the Twelve decades before -- the same categories of temptations we face in our own lives.

The Power of the Word

Notice how Jesus responded to temptation. The devil brought truths mixed with half truths to deceive and entice Jesus. Jesus answered with the Word. Even when the devil misquoted the Bible to Jesus, Jesus answered back with the Scripture he knew.
Jesus teaches his disciples is: answer temptation with God's Word, too. We need to know Scripture well enough to answer our doubts and fears and temptations with it. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), and as we learn to apply the Word to every circumstance of our lives, we too can emerge victorious from fierce temptations.
The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. When he emerged, the shape of his Messiahship had been hammered out on the anvil of principle and God's guidance. He had faced the temptations of the Tempter. He had considered them carefully, but he ultimately rejected them in favor of his Father's plan, and triumphed over the devil. Later he told his disciples, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you" (Luke 10:18-19).
Jesus had trampled on the desert snake and scorpion as God had predicted (Genesis 3:15b). And he offers this power to you and me. The keys? Prayer, surrender of our lives to the Father's will, and answering the Tempter with the Word of God.

---

Questions

1. Is temptation only merely inevitable, or is it necessary to our growth as disciples?
2. What is the essence of the first temptation, to turn stones into bread? Which temptations we face are similar?
3. What is the essence of the second temptation, to attain power and splendor? What similar temptations do we face today?
4. What is the essence of the third temptation, to throw oneself down from the temple? How do we face this temptation today?
5. Did Jesus have any special powers at his disposal to resist temptation that Christians today don't have?
6. What lessons about how to resist temptation does Jesus teach us disciples in this passage?
7.  

Satan tempts Him with 3 specific ways. All of these temptations are related to Jesus’mission on earth. If Jesus gives into the temptation and does what Satan is telling Him, the cross is no longer an option to save mankind from their sin because at that point Jesus would not be a worthy sacrifice. If Jesus does Satan’s will, He would at that point be a sinner just like the people He came to save.

* Turn stones to bread
* Worship Satan and receive wealth and power

* Jump off the pinnacle of the temple because God will not let Jesus get hurt

Or to put these temptations into other words…

* You can provide for Yourself, You don’t need God.
* You don’t need to go to the cross, I can just give the power and authority to You.

* You can serve the Father on Your terms. God will do whatever You tell Him to do.

People do not sin until they submit to the temptation. Satan knows each individual’s weaknesses, and he will do his best to tempt them in an area where they are weak. Christians need to stay focused on God’s Will when tempted by Satan. He tried to tempt Jesus by attempting to change Jesus’ perspective on His mission.

Notice how Jesus answers His tempter with passages of Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy.
* Man shall not live by bread alone. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
* You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him. (Deuteronomy 6:13)
* Do not put the Lord your God to the test. (Deuteronomy 6:16)
Satan finally leaves, but he does not leave permanently. According to verse 13, Satan would wait “until an opportune time.” Someone said the difference between temptation and opportunity is temptation will come again while opportunity will not. Temptation does not stop until we die. We must continue to learn from God’s Word and put His commands into action in our daily lives.

Lesson 7 Jesus Healed the Lame Man

(From JesusWalk)

Now we see an amazing tale unfold. Jesus is inside Peter's house teaching, the scribes and Pharisees listening intently to try to figure him out. Outside, Mark tells us that four men (Mark 2:3) are carrying their paralyzed friend so he can be healed by Jesus. The men approach Peter's house where Jesus is reported to be, but people are jammed tightly together around the door, and inside it is even worse. Above the living quarters, houses in Palestine typically had a flat roof surrounded by a low three foot wall to keep people from falling off. On the outside of the house is a stairway up to the roof. Bypassing the crowd, the men begin to carry their sick friend up the stairway. Nobody is watching them. All ears are straining to hear what Jesus is saying inside. On the roof the men set their paralyzed friend down and start to work. Roofs were supported by one or more beams, usually not much more than 1.8 meters (6 feet) above the floor below, bearing on posts for the longer spans. Then smaller timbers as joists were spaced out and covered in turn with brushwood. The final covering was made of mud mixed with chopped straw, which was then beaten and rolled. To this day, similar houses keep a cylindrical stone roller about 60 cm (2 feet) long on the rooftop, used to roll the mud into greater solidity every year when the first rains come.[3] Luke speaks of roof tiles (Greek keramos) that were in use in Palestine by this date.

Faith for Healing (5:20a)

Jesus looks up at the faces of the four men peering down from the hole above, and then at the long-suffering paralytic before him. The Gospel writers then record an interesting statement: "When Jesus saw their faith, he said...." Whose faith? Certainly the faith of the men who had brought their friend and gone to great trouble to place him directly before Jesus. If they didn't believe their friend would be healed, they never would have carried out this desperate act. They would have turned around and carried him home with the promise, "We'll try again soon." Yes, those faces looking down do believe, and believe very greatly in the Master's power. And then there is the paralyzed man himself. Unless he is completely without any motor control whatsoever, he would have protested this craziness to his friends and insisted they take him home to avoid embarrassment -- unless he, too, believes.
Faith -- someone's faith -- is one important ingredient in healing. Lack of faith in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth resulted in few healings (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5-6). We see a similar phrase in Acts 14:9 regarding a crippled man in Lystra. "He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, 'Stand up on your feet!' At that, the man jumped up and began to walk." Sometimes, however, it is the healer's faith that is lacking (Matthew 17:20). In case of the paralytic man let down into Peter's house while Jesus is teaching, both the friends and the paralytic himself seem to have faith for healing.

Forgiving Sins (5:20b-24)

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven' " (5:20).
Jesus knows his audience. He is aware that the scribes and Pharisees believe that only God himself can forgive sins. Of course, Nathan the prophet had pronounced the Lord's forgiveness when David had confessed his sin (2 Samuel 12:13), but only God can actually forgive sin. What's more, the Pharisees believe that prophecy has effectually ceased.[5] Jesus knows that if he forgives the paralytic his sins, it would cause a great stir. He knows they consider his words blasphemy, Greek blasphemia, any "violation of the power and majesty of God"[7]
Now he increases their discomfort with a choice: "Which is easier? To say:

• "Your sins are forgiven" OR
• "Get up and walk"

Then he tells the man to get up, healing him. The clear take away lesson is that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins AND heal the sick. Anyone can say, "Your sins are forgiven." Those are easy words to say, and who can tell whether or not the sins really HAVE been forgiven. But Jesus both pronounces forgiveness and then heals. Neither is humanly possible. Speaking healing words, too, is easy, but it's pretty easy to tell whether the person is healed or not, whether the words are authoritative or just wind. Therefore, Jesus reasons out loud, if God honors his declaration of healing that is an indication that God also honors Jesus' declaration of forgiveness, as well. The scribes and Pharisees must really be twitching by now! :-)
Luke 5:24 is the first instance where Jesus begins to fill the term "Son of Man" with his own meaning: " 'But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....' He said to the paralyzed man, 'I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.' " The Son of Man has authority from God both to heal and to forgive sins.

Healing Sickness (5:24-26)

Jesus, who often lays his healing hands on each sufferer, in this case speaks a word of command to the paralyzed man, a command that can only be obeyed in faith: "Get up, take your mat, and go home." Jesus' disciples Peter and John had listened well, for at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple they spoke similar words to a crippled man: "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" (Acts 3:6) You hear the words echoed by Paul to a crippled man at Lystra, "Stand up on your feet!" (Acts 14:10) In each of these instances the result is the same. As the paralyzed or crippled man begins to obey he is instantly healed and is able to obey. Some, perhaps, respond best to a ministry of the laying on of hands and prayer. Others to a command of faith. Jesus knew best how to deal with the people the Father sent him to minister to.
The result of this strange encounter in Peter's house with the new skylight was both wonder and praise: "Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.' " (5:26)

Lessons for Disciples

As Jesus ministers in his living room, Peter watches, wonders, and learns. What lessons are intended for us disciples to grasp from this day's events?

1. The importance of persistent, unstoppable faith in receiving from Jesus.
2. Jesus' authority on earth of forgive sins.
3. Jesus' authority to heal the paralyzed.
4. Fearlessness before the religious authorities.
5. A willingness to stretch people's understanding, even at the risk of offense.

The lame man obeys Jesus, and as he stands up there was a spontaneous "Ahhh" that circulates over the crowded room as a wave radiating out from the center. A moment before the man is paralyzed; now he is standing. The room is once more as the man gathers up his stretcher, poles sticking out at the ends. He slips off the ropes dangling from the ceiling, puts the stretcher under his arms, and begins to make his way through the crowd which parts spontaneously to let him through.

Peter and the disciples learn much. Perhaps the lame man learn the most of all. He learns he can put his trust in Jesus, permanently, persistently. That in Jesus, despite how paralyzed he may be physically -- or emotionally or spiritually, for that matter -- no matter how paralyzed he is, when Jesus tells him he can walk, he is now able. The man walks free this day and life changes forever, due to four good friends and one Best Friend, Jesus.

Lesson 8 Calling Levi the Tax Collector

( From JesusWalk)

Exposition

First a leper, then a paralytic, and now a tax collector! If Jesus were running for public office he ought to be more careful about the company he is keeping. But Jesus has a higher mission than popularity: "to proclaim freedom to the prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, and to heal the brokenhearted" (4:18), and the needy aren't always clean or respectable.

Tax Collectors and Sinners (5:27)

Tax collectors (KJV "publicans") probably weren't numbered among the poor. Their profession, if it could be called that, made many of them wealthy. Rome's method of collecting taxes was to employ as tax collectors locals who knew who had money and where they kept it. A province was divided into tax districts. Locals would bid for the contract of collecting taxes in a district. The bid was the money they were contracted to pay the government; whatever they collected over that amount was theirs to keep. The chief tax collector (such as Zacchaeus in Luke 19:2) owned the contract for his region. Then he would employ others to collect taxes in the various villages. Tax collectors were widely regarded as thieves and robbers. Rome collected three principal kinds of taxes, (1) a land tax, (2) a head tax, and (3) a customs tax of 2% to 5% of value on goods being transported. A tax office or booth would be located near a city gate or port to collect the custom tax, though liability for this tax would have been primarily limited to those engaging in commercial trade to other areas[1] -- such as fishermen exporting dried fish or farmers shipping surplus crops to a larger city. If ancient Capernaum is to be identified with the ruins at Tell Hum (as I believe it should be), then the customs house would have collected revenue on the produce of the area as well as traffic that moved eastward along the road to Bethsaida Julias. The Romans were the oppressors, the takers, the enforcers. They were hated.
Tax collectors who collaborated with the hated Romans were despised even more. They were viewed as traitors, turncoats, quislings. They worked for the enemy out of greed, a greed that sucked the people dry. Jesus' words about those who reject church discipline suggest the way tax collectors were regarded: "If he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:17). Tax collectors, wealthy as they might be, were shunned. To eat with a Gentile or tax collector was considered by the strict Pharisees to render one spiritually or ceremonially unclean. Uncleanness was conveyed by touch and association. Even a house entered by a tax collector was considered unclean.[3] Tax collectors were both hated and avoided by respectable society.

The tax collector's name is given in Mark and Luke as Levi, making it likely that he is a descendent of the tribe of Levi, from whom the priests and Levites descended. Look in the New York City telephone book today, and you'll find thousands of families by this name. Instead of a holy ministry of serving in the temple, this Levi is instead engaged in a most unholy trade -- at least as it was practiced in Palestine. Mark 2:14 also identifies him as the son of Alphaeus.  But the name he is best known by is "Matthew" (in Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in the list of the Twelve Disciples (Luke 6:14-16). Matthew's gospel in that list specifies him as "Matthew the tax collector" lest there be any confusion (Matthew 10:3). The authorship of the Gospel of Matthew is attributed to him by many scholars, both ancient and modern.

Leaving Everything and Following (5:27-28)

Jesus has been teaching again along the lakeshore at Capernaum (Mark 2:13). When he is finished, he walks over to the small tax office or customs house alongside the highway. Sitting inside is a despised man, Matthew Levi by name, whom Jesus has seen several times in the crowds as he has been teaching. Jesus looks at him, and says simply: "Follow me."  Think what Levi feels like when he hears those two words. He is being called to leave his lucrative trade as a tax collector to become almost a beggar, sustaining himself on the sometimes meager contributions made to his Rabbi or Master. In an instant he is being called from wealth to poverty. But I don't think the issue of poverty really enters into his decision. Only one thing matters, and it matters very deeply to Levi. That Jesus has sought him out and selected him on purpose.That Jesus would even engage him in conversation is a marvel. He is despised. He is hated. He has been ostracized from respectable society. And Jesus cares enough about him to stop by when not required by law to do so. Jesus accepts him. Jesus loves him -- the most unloved man in Capernaum. And Jesus calls him personally: "Follow me." Since he was a boy he hadn't imagined himself a righteous man. Now he is being called to accompany a holy man on his itinerant travels. That he is wanted, needed, by his Prophet, this Miracle Worker, this incredible Teacher, is enough for him. Luke records, "And he left everything, and rose and followed him"

Jesus Dines at Levi's Banquet (5:29)

He replies to Jesus invitation by issuing an invitation to his new Master. "Jesus, I would be very honored if you would be a guest in my home this very night." Jesus accepts. To his large house suited to a wealthy man, Levi invites "a large crowd of tax collectors and others."

Jesus is comfortable. His joy before them lights up this party of outcasts into an occasion that they will remember to their dying day. The afternoon when Jesus the Messiah ate dinner at the same table, shook their hand, put his arm on their shoulder, and embraced them in warmth and friendship. They will never forgot, nor will Levi.
Levi has introduced his closest friends to his newest Friend, and is now ready to follow. The growing band of disciples -- Peter and Andrew, James and John -- who have despised him for collecting a toll on their fish exports may have been stand-offish at first. But when they see Jesus warmly accept him, they accept him, too, into this strange new fellowship of disciples called from all walks of life to walk with Jesus and learn his ways. It is giddy and glorious, and deeply moving to Levi, as he cleans up after the party. He is no longer Levi the tax collector. He is Matthew the Disciple, and it feels very good.

Pharisees and Scribes Put Jesus Down (5:30)

But Levi's joy is mixed. Because he is the occasion for drawing more criticism to Jesus from the Pharisees and their scribes -- the teachers of the law that hold to their particular interpretation of the oral law. It must hurt to hear his new fellow disciples put down with the question, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" (5:30)

Doctor for the Sin Sick Soul (5:31-32)

Jesus, who is no doubt intended to hear this loudly spoken put down, chooses to respond instead of let it pass. He turns to the scribes and Pharisees with a comment of his own: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (5:31-32).
If all were righteous, spiritually healthy, Jesus would have no necessity to pay a house call. But because we are not so righteous after all, because our souls are troubled and besmirched by compromise -- because of all this we desperately need Jesus to come and call us to something better than the filth we may be living in. We need him to call us to our best. How long has it been since you've made an appointment to see Jesus? To talk to him about the things that are weighing you down? To risk him identifying the sins that you are all too aware of? Sometimes we resist going to the doctor because we're afraid he'll confirm what we already know. And so in our fear we try to avoid what we know is true. How about you? Isn't it about time to make an appointment with the Doctor?

Lessons for Disciples

1. Jesus doesn't really care what others think about a person, or how others value a person. He loves the outcasts and the unloved.
2. Jesus didn't concentrate on polishing the already righteous, but on rescuing the perishing. His mission is to the poor, the sick, the oppressed, and the brokenhearted.

Jesus loves you, whatever you've done. And calls you to follow him. Will you, like Levi, leave everything, get up, and follow him? If so, why not right now? He's waiting.

The Great Banquet

The Great Banquet, Luke 14:15-24

by Matt Slick

The Old Testament background for this parable is found in Isaiah 25:6-9,

6 "And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.
9 And it will be said in that day, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation."

"A ritual banquet is one that marks some personal or interpersonal transition or transformation, held to give honor to those undergoing the important social change.  As a ritual feature of hospitality, banquets indicate the transformation of a stranger into a guest (Gen. 19:3-14; Luke 5:29) or of an enemy into a covenant partner (Gen. 26:26-31; 2 Sam. 3:20).  Banquets mark important transitional points in a person’s life, e.g., Isaac’s weaning day (Gen. 21:8); the weddings of Jacob (Gen. 29:22), Samson (Judg. 14:10), the Lamb (Rev. 19:9), and in the parable of Matt. 22:2-10; the birthdays of Pharaoh (Gen. 40:20), of Herod (Mark 6:21); or the victory banquet hosted by God in Rev. 19:17.  At the Last Supper Jesus changes the ceremonial banquet of the Jewish Passover into a ritual banquet effectively symbolizing the meaning of his impending death (Mark 14:12-25 and parallels)."1

The setting is that Jesus was at the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath.  Jesus noticed that some of the invited guests at the house were seeking the more honored places to sit.  Jesus spoke about being humble and seeking the lower position.  He then spoke about inviting the poor and the crippled to dinner, even though they could not repay the host, because the host would be repaid in the resurrection.  Then we have the following...

15. And when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"	"To eat bread" is another way of saying, "To eat a meal." The phrase "kingdom of God" occurs 66 times and it is found only in the New Testament. Matthew’s Gospel frequently uses the term ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ while Mark and Luke always use ‘Kingdom of God.’ ‘Heaven’ in these instances is a circumlocution—a way of referring to God without using his name.2 There is both both a present and a future aspect to the kingdom of God. In the present aspect deals with the presence of Christ who is a king. Matt. 12:28-29 says, "“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house." The presence of Christ is the king means that the gospel is being preached as a result of the victorious sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. The future aspect of the kingdom of God deals with the return of Christ and the "age to come," the full redemption of the saved in a resurrected form, the remaking of the heavens and the earth, and all that is promised by God in the future. The one who said "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God" is a Jew who expects that he himself will enjoy the blessings of the coming kingdom. Jesus takes the opportunity to teach that one enters the kingdom of God, salvation, not by birthright or by works, but by grace.
16. But He said to him, "A certain man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many;	It was the custom when giving a dinner, to invite a certain number of people. Those who accepted the invitation were then counted. The meal was prepared according to the number who accepted the invitation. The more people coming, the more food had to be prepared. For example, a chicken would be for 2-4 guests, a duck for 5-8, a lamb for 10-15, a sheep for 15-35, and a calf for 35-75. In other words, the amount and type of meat depends on the number of people who accept the invitation. Once an animal has been killed it must be eaten soon or else it will spoil. Therefore, to back out at the last minute would be rude. The invited guest is duty bound to attend the banquet. Also, it was considered very rude to attend a banquet if you were not invited; after all, the meal had not been prepared with you in mind.
17. and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come' for everything is ready now.'	The second invitation is a notification to the guests that the meal is ready. The Greek word "come" means literally, continue coming. This is consistent with the custom of a double invitation.
18. but they all alike began to make excuses. the first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.'	The meal has been prepared, the table set, and people notified. To back out now is an insult. In the middle East, no one buys a field without first examining it thoroughly. The springs, wells, stone walls, trees, paths, and anticipated rainfall are all well-known long before a discussion of the purchase is even begun. The excuse is a lie, an obvious one, and the guest is stating in no uncertain terms that the field is more important than his relationship with the host. In a community where interpersonal relationships are very important, this strikes even harder as an offence.
19. And another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.'	Teams of oxen are sold in the Middle East in two ways. They are taken to the market place and a nearby field and there they plow the field. Anyone wishing to buy may then drive the oxen himself and examine the animals thoroughly to see if they work well as a team. That is like calling your wife at home and saying you'll be late for the big dinner that's been planned for weeks because you need to go out an look at five cars you just bought without looking at them. The other way to buy the oxen is to announce that the team is for sale and say what day the team will be working in the field. Prospective buyers can then come to the field, watch, examine, and test them for themselves. Only after the team is examined thoroughly is a price discussed. This excuse, like the other one, is also an insult.
20. And another one said, 'I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.'	In the tightly knit community of the Middle East a wedding calls for a celebration. At a celebration is food, and lots of it. The community would have been aware of the wedding and many people would have been invited. Meals would have been prepared before hand. Therefore, the banquet would not have been scheduled for the same day as a wedding. Also, if the man simply wants to be with his wife then why did he accept the invitation in the first place. This one doesn't even say, "Please."
21. And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'	Anger would be a natural expectation of the head of the household. He has been insulted three times. The invited guests refuse to respond to the good news that the feast is ready. What then is the host to do? He cannot have a feast without guests. He then invites the unworthy, the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. He brings in the undesirables. So, he gives the command to bring in the poor, who aren't normally invited to banquets; the crippled, who cannot test oxen in the field; and the blind and lame who don't normally marry. They have no way of repaying the host and he knows it. Therefore, he is being gracious, very gracious in light of the insults received. Matt. 9:36-38, "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
22. And the slave said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.'	Some have already been saved. But there is room for more.
23. And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house my be filled.'	Notice also, that the command is not carried out in this parable. It is given but no account of its fulfillment is mentioned. This is because those being compelled to enter in have not yet been all invited. Redemption is still going on.
24. For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.

With what would the original audience have identified in the parable? The host is God the Father, inviting his people Israel to the messianic banquet in the Kingdom of God. The rich and socially elite who reject at the last minute the host's invitation are the Pharisees and Jewish religious establishment who begin to plot against Jesus and eventually render the ultimate insult of having Jesus executed as a common criminal. The poor and downtrodden are the common people, considered unclean by the Pharisees. Perhaps those inside the town are the Jews while those in the outlying areas are the Gentiles.

• The Banquet = the messianic banquet that ushers in the age to come.
  • Matt. 12:32, blasphemy of the H.S. will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come.  Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30, we receive much in this age and in the age to come we will receive eternal life. Eph. 1:21, "(the power of God) is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."
  • In this age We will receive 100 times as much, Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; People are given in marriage, Luke 20:34; The wisdom of this world is the wisdom of this age, 1 Cor. 1:20; The rulers of this age are coming to nothing, 1 Cor. 2:6; Satan is the god of this age, 2 Cor. 4:4; Jesus rescued us from the present evil age, Gal. 1:4; In the age to come we will receive eternal life, Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; 1 Tim. 6:19; we do not marry, Luke 20:35
• The Original Guests = the leaders of Israel who are rightfully the first to be invited.
  • Acts 3:25-26, “It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’  26 “For you first, God raised up His Servant, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”
• The Lame and Poor of the City = the outcasts within the house of Israel.
  • Matt. 10:5-8, "These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give."
• The Guests from the Highways and the Hedges = the gentiles.
  • Acts 13:46, "And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles."

This parable teaches that no one may enter the kingdom of God without an invitation from God.  An invitation by grace.  It also is a warning to heed the invitation when it is heard; the invitation does not last forever.

In between two great banquet parables, each declaring pure grace (the Great Banquet and the Prodigal Son), is set a collection of sayings that speaks of the high cost of discipleship in clear and demanding terms (Luke 14:25-35).

The Banquet is free, the invitation by grace, but acceptance carries with it responsibility.  Discipleship is our responsibility.

(From JesusWalk:)

What Does It Say to Disciples?

As I meditate on the Parable of the Great Banquet I am impressed with a number of themes:

1. Rejection and Insult

We feel badly when we are rejected, but what about the Father? Think of his grief and broken heart. Think of his anger and mercy. I recall the verses at the beginning of John's Gospel that express this:

"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:11-13)

This parable is a bittersweet reminder of rejection, but also of mercy.

2. Mercy and grace

The second theme I see is one of grace and mercy. Those who are not worthy to come to the host's table -- the poor, lame, crippled, blind -- are now invited. That is you and that is me. We are unworthy to eat at our Host's table, but we have been invited and cleansed. How true it is: "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God" (14:15b).

3. Evangelism

A third, and closely related theme is evangelism. The poor, lame, crippled, and blind are now sought out. They are not just invited, but they are sought out and urged, compelled, to accept the invitation. The poor and oppressed among the Jewish people are in view, but also the Gentiles. We are the servants, and bring a marvelous message of invitation and acceptance and forgiveness. We must take our role seriously and urge the invitation wherever we are. This is not a take-it-or-leave-it task. But a mission, the mission of the Host, and we must fulfill it.

4. Judgment

But those who reject the invitation -- for whatever reason -- will not taste of the Master's banquet. We bear good news, but with humility and sadness, realizing that contained within the very message are the seeds of judgment. However, it's not like we are damning people by telling them the Good News. Actually, the Good News is their only hope -- they are already under God's judgment for their sins. It's only that deliberately rejecting the invitation invites greater judgment, and that saddens us.

5. Lame Excuses

I am sorry to say that in the lame excuses of the original guests I hear some of my own shallow excuses for not doing God's will. We may be able to convince ourselves that what we are doing is noble, but I am afraid that way too often our excuses are an insult to God. He is the Host and he is the Master of the house. It is God's mercy that we are not consumed!

6. God's Plan

The final theme that I see here is one of God's plan. The host has prepared food for a large number of guests, and he won't be satisfied until his house is completely full. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). I get the feeling -- though this is not inherent in the parable before us -- that as soon as the last place is taken at the banquet, the door will be shut and the feast will begin. The Father is lingering, waiting, for each and every seat to be taken, and End will not come until that has occurred. 

As we do throughout the Bible we see the themes of free will and predestination intertwined -- God's established purpose, our obedience to serve him, and the acceptance of the invitation by those we speak to. How it all fits together God only knows.
This parable is shocking socially. It is also sobering and urgent. May God use it to urge you to thankfulness and obedience, too.

How to Be a Great Conversation Partner...

A good conversation is engaging for the mind and the heart, and after a good talk you can walk away satisfied and even a little more enlightened.

Everyone’s expectations MUST be CLEAR about the relationship!
What does each person want out of the relationship? How much time will we spend together? What will we do together?

This Involves…
ASKING good questions to become acquainted with one another.
Get to know you questions:
What was the happiest event in your life? What three things could you not live with out?
Who is your best friend? How long have you been friends for?
What would you say was the happiest time in your life? What achievement are you most proud of?
What is your favorite time of day? What’s your favorite type of weather?
What is your favorite word and why? What is your favorite sound and why?
Who do you most respect? Who do you think you take after in your family?
What is your favorite place and why? What do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?
What do you like about yourself?
Who would you like to change lives with for a day, if you could?

Questions from www.eslsite.com

SHARING about your own life experiences.

Suggested life issues to discuss:
Family

Friendships

Dating/Marriage Social Customs
Leisure

Spiritual

Education

Entertainment

INVESTING regular and consistent time together.

Some things to consider:
Set a regularly scheduled time to meet together– don’t let it just happen by chance
Be intentional about what you will discuss together– have a plan for what you will discuss
Don’t rush things– allow time for the relationship to develop

This also Requires…
COMPLETE honesty with one another.
Don’t be afraid to say what you mean.
RESPECT for differences in cultural understandings.
Being open to new ideas, and being open to understanding someone else’s point of vies, will provide you with the most satisfying conversations possible.

Conversation Starters
Ever wonder what things you could talk about with your international friend? The following questions are suggestions for learning more about your friend’s customs, culture, and family. It’s important that you don’t pry or force a conversation. Be a good listener, and offer insights into your own family and culture when appropriate. Begin with, “In your country,...”

FOOD
How many meals per day do people usually eat? What would you eat and drink at each of these meals?
Are meats, fruits, vegetables preserved? How? What is the most popular: vegetable, meat, fish, or dessert?
Does the family eat together most of the time? Is your country famous for a special crop?
Tell me how to make one of your favorite meals. Could you prepare it for us sometime?

CLOTHING
What kinds of clothing do men and women wear to work? What do children wear to school?
Do fashions change quickly or frequently?

SHELTER
Please describe the appearance of a typical home. How many rooms are in an average home or apartment?
Which is usually the largest room in the residence? What furniture is found in a typical residence?

TRANSPORTATION
What forms of transportation are available in urban areas? How do you get to school or work?
Do people travel much from town to town? Is it customary for a family to go somewhere for a vacation?
How much does it cost to use a taxi?

PETS
What is the most common kind of pet? Where do people keep their pets?
What animals are useful, and how are they used? Is there a zoo near your home? Have you been there?

CHILDREN
How do parents select a name for their baby? When do children start school? How many hours per day?
Are children punished for bad behavior? Who does it? What song or story do you remember as a child?

SOCIAL STRUCTURE
What is typical family size? How many people are in your family?
Do you have a picture? Do grandparents live in the same house with the family?
What are the typical responsibilities for each family member? Do married women work outside the home?
What are some special holidays, and how does your family celebrate? What is an acceptable way to meet someone to marry?
At what age do children leave home to live on their own?

LEISURE ACTIVITIES
What is the most popular sport? What sports do you like?
Are films from North America popular? Which ones? What kind of music do you listen to?
Do most cities have libraries? Are they free or do they charge a fee? How do most university students spend leisure time?
What activities do most families enjoy after work or school?

SOCIAL GROUPS
What different languages do people speak? How strong are class distinctions?
What types of organizations are most popular with adults? What is the most common religion in your country?
Do people discuss religious issues? What day is the weekly legal holiday?

CUSTOMS AND GESTURES
How would you introduce me to your family? What form of greeting would I use?
Would I be expected to bring a gift? What is the most common greeting and farewell?
What would we do after the greeting? What is the polite way to leave after a social evening?

EDUCATION
What are some differences between schools in your country and those here in North America?
How will you use at home what you are learning here?
What are the procedures for a student desiring to enter university in your country?

SPIRITUAL
What are your worship centers like? What do you know about Christian faith?
What is your concept or belief about God? What is your perception of religion in this country?
Would you tell me something about your religion that is important to you?