NT260 • Set 14

Small Group Discussion Questions

Icebreaker

1. Has there ever been a moment when you understood something much more clearly after someone explained it? What changed?

Digging Into the Text

2. As Luke 22 begins, what contrasts stand out between Jesus and the religious leaders, Judas, and the disciples?
3. Why does Jesus choose the Passover meal to institute the Lord’s Supper? What does this reveal about His mission?
4. The disciples argue about who is the greatest immediately after Jesus speaks about His coming sacrifice. What does this contrast teach about the difference between the values of God’s kingdom and the values of the world?
5. Peter sincerely believed he would remain faithful, yet he denied Jesus only hours later. What warning does his failure give believers today?
6. Jesus repeatedly prays in Gethsemane while His disciples repeatedly fall asleep. What does Luke want us to notice through this contrast?
7. How does Jesus demonstrate both His humanity and His perfect obedience during His prayer in the garden?
8. Luke records several people declaring Jesus innocent before His crucifixion. Why is His innocence essential to understanding the gospel?
9. Barabbas is released while Jesus is condemned. In what ways does this exchange illustrate what Christ accomplished for sinners?
10. One criminal rejects Jesus while the other entrusts himself to Him. What differences do you notice between their responses?
11. What does the tearing of the temple curtain communicate about what Jesus accomplished through His death?
12. Luke emphasizes that the disciples did not expect the resurrection. Why is that detail significant for our confidence in the gospel accounts?
13. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus explains how the Scriptures point to Him before revealing Himself. Why is that order important?
14. Jesus opens the disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures. What does this teach us about reading the Bible faithfully today?
15. Luke ends with Jesus commissioning His followers, while John begins by revealing who Jesus has always been. Why do you think these two emphases fit together so well?
16. John describes Jesus as the eternal Word, the Creator, the Light, and the Lamb of God. Which description most deepened your understanding of Jesus, and why?
17. John the Baptist consistently points people away from himself and toward Jesus. What can modern believers and churches learn from his example?
18. Why do you think Jesus’ first public sign takes place at an ordinary wedding rather than in a palace or before political leaders?
19. Jesus turns water used for ceremonial cleansing into wine. How does this miracle point beyond itself to the new life Jesus came to bring?
20. Why does Jesus cleanse the temple near the beginning of John’s Gospel? What does this reveal about His authority and His concern for true worship?
21. Across Luke 22–24 and John 1–2, what repeated evidence convinces you that Jesus is more than a great teacher or prophet?
22. Throughout these chapters, people respond to Jesus in very different ways—Judas betrays Him, Peter denies Him then returns, the repentant criminal believes, the disciples worship Him, John the Baptist points to Him, and others believe only because of His signs. Which response most closely resembles where your heart is today, and why?

Leader Note

The central question throughout these chapters is not simply, “What did Jesus do?” but “Who is Jesus?” Luke shows Jesus willingly walking toward the cross, accomplishing our redemption through His death and confirming His victory through His resurrection. John then pulls back the curtain to reveal that the One who suffered is also the eternal Word through whom all things were created. The cross only makes sense when we understand the identity of the One hanging on it.

These readings repeatedly contrast different responses to Jesus. Judas betrays Him. Peter fails but is restored. Religious leaders reject Him. The repentant criminal believes. The women remain faithful. The Emmaus disciples move from confusion to understanding. John the Baptist gladly points others to Christ. The first disciples leave everything to follow Him. Every person in these chapters is confronted with the same question: What will I do with Jesus?

Avoid reducing these chapters to isolated moral lessons such as “don’t betray Jesus,” “pray more,” or “have stronger faith.” Each account reveals something greater. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb who gives His body for sinners. He is the innocent substitute condemned in our place. He is the risen Lord who fulfills the Scriptures. He is the eternal Word who became flesh, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the true Temple where people meet with God.

Help your group see that genuine discipleship always begins with seeing Jesus clearly. As our understanding of who He is grows, our worship deepens, our obedience becomes joyful, and our desire to make Him known naturally follows.

Love God

23. Which picture of Jesus in these readings strengthened your faith the most: the Passover Lamb, the suffering Savior, the risen Lord, the eternal Word, the Lamb of God, or the true Temple? Why?
24. Jesus surrendered completely to the Father’s will in Gethsemane. Is there an area of your life where God is inviting you to pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done”?
25. Have you spent intentional time worshiping Jesus this week, or has your relationship with Him become mostly routine or informational?
26. What truth from Luke 22–24 or John 1–2 do you need to believe more deeply this week?
27. If someone watched your life this week, would they conclude that Jesus is your greatest treasure?

Connect with Others

28. Peter experienced both failure and restoration. How should his story shape the way we respond to believers who have fallen but desire to follow Christ again?
29. Is there someone you need to forgive, encourage, restore, or pray for this week?
30. John the Baptist intentionally pointed people away from himself and toward Jesus. Are there places where pride or the desire for recognition has become a struggle in your relationships or ministry?
31. The Emmaus disciples immediately shared what they had experienced with others. How can we cultivate that same eagerness to encourage fellow believers with what God is teaching us?

Serve Others

32. Jesus came to serve rather than be served. Where can you intentionally take the lower place and serve someone this week without expecting recognition?
33. Who around you needs practical encouragement, hospitality, or compassionate care this week?
34. What gift, opportunity, or responsibility has God entrusted to you that you can use to reflect Christ’s servant-hearted love?

Share the Gospel

35. John the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” How would you explain that statement to someone unfamiliar with Christianity?
36. The risen Jesus commissioned His followers to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in His name. What keeps believers from sharing that message today?
37. Who is one person in your life who needs to hear about the hope found in the death and resurrection of Jesus?
38. What practical step can you take this week to pray for, move toward, and point that person to Christ?

Closing Challenge

Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came to give His life for sinners, conquer death through His resurrection, and call people to believe in Him and follow Him.

In these chapters we watch Jesus willingly walk toward the cross, pray in surrender, die as the innocent substitute, rise in victory, open the Scriptures, reveal His divine glory, call ordinary people to follow Him, and cleanse the temple. Along the way, some betray Him, some deny Him, some doubt Him, some worship Him, and many discover that everything in Scripture ultimately points to Him.

Where is Jesus calling you to move this week—from fear to faith, self-reliance to surrender, confusion to confidence in God’s Word, passive belief to active discipleship, or simply from knowing about Christ to following Him more wholeheartedly?

Scripture to Remember

John 1:12

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”

This verse beautifully summarizes the invitation woven throughout these readings. Jesus came into the world so that everyone who believes in Him might become part of God’s family through faith.

This week: Read this verse each morning, write it once, repeat it throughout the day, and thank God that your relationship with Him is based on His grace through Christ rather than your performance.

This Week’s Practice

Point Someone to Jesus

John the Baptist understood that his purpose was to point people to Christ. This week, intentionally pray for one person each day and look for an opportunity to encourage them, serve them, or naturally share something Jesus has done in your life.

Your goal isn’t to have all the answers. Your goal is simply to point someone toward the Savior, trusting the Holy Spirit to continue His work.

Prayer Focus

Seeing Jesus Clearly

Pray together that God would deepen your understanding of who Jesus is and strengthen your desire to follow Him faithfully.

• Thank God for sending His Son to bear your sin and rise again.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and obey God’s Word.
• Pray for a heart that willingly submits to God’s will, even when it is difficult.
• Ask God to give you courage to point others to Jesus as John the Baptist did.
• Pray for friends and family members who have not yet believed in Christ.