Life of Jesus in Chronological Order
3rd to 4th Passover
Teaching Strategy
The focus of this lesson is on the continued ministry of Jesus in the northern part of the region and occasional visits to Jerusalem. It covers His ministry from the 3rd Passover to the beginning of the last Passover week. Of special note in this lesson is how Jesus began to focus on preparing his Apostles to fulfill their ministry after His departure. He goes from a broad appeal to the Jews to an ever-increasing focus on His disciples.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Know: Comprehend the events within the major divisions of the life of Jesus.
- Feel: Desire to learn more of the life and teachings of Jesus.
- Do: Act upon your knowledge of Jesus by obeying His teachings.
Body of the Lesson
Discussion Questions
Below are suggested questions to use during the guided discussion portion of the lesson. There are also suggested responses to questions to help students grasp the various concepts. These are provided to assist the discussion and are not considered as “right or wrong” responses.
In your summary state the concept(s) being taught by Jesus through His actions. Teachers: Consider assigning individual actions listed below to members of the class to summarize. Look for elements showing the superiority of Jesus in His teachings, His compassion and power over evil. Also look for how these develop and strengthen our faith. It is important that you as a teacher are also familiar with these events.
- Healings in the Gennesaret area (Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:55-56)
- Pharisees question hand washing (Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23)
- Jesus heads further north (Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30)
- Jesus ministers in Decapolis (Matthew 15:29-38; Mark 7:31-8:9)
- Jesus confronted again by Pharisees (Matthew 15:39-16:4; Mark 8:10-12)
- Discussions with the Apostles in the boat (Matthew 16:5-12; Mark 8:13-21)
- Jesus heals a blind man (Mark 8:22-26)
- Peter's confession (Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21)
- Jesus foretells of His death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:22-27)
- The transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36)
- Casting out a demon that the apostles could not (Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43)
- Jesus foretells of His death and resurrection a second time (Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:44-45)
- Money from a fish (Matthew 17:24-27)
- Who is the greatest (Matthew 18:1-35; Mark 9:33-50; Luke 9:46-50)
Although Jesus accepts us with a simple faith, He expects us to grow in it. We do so by learning and following His teachings and the further teachings from the Apostles as well as other teachers found in the scriptures. We might not understand everything we read in the Bible, but we should accept it by faith until we grow in knowledge. Too many times people expect to understand everything before they develop faith. They also demanded signs from Jesus before they had faith in Who He was or believed what He taught.
As we begin our relationship with Jesus through faith, we will grow in our understand as the Holy Spirit guides us. An example of this is experienced in those moments when we read a scripture and see a direct application to our lives that we might not have seen before. These could be occasions when the Holy Spirit determines we are ready to grow.
We must understand that we serve the Lord since He is the Master and we are the servants. We express this faith by remaining connected to Him as the head and we are His body. We live and serve in His church unified in our faith and allegiance to Him. This unity helps keep us faithful and growing as disciples of Jesus.