Jesus OBS Week 2 — Friend of Sinners

Today salvation has come to this house… for the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. — Luke 19:9-10

An ounce of obedience is all Jesus wants! ~ Max

Welcome to week two of the Jesus Online Bible Study.

This week we’re studying one of the most shocking and incredible aspects of Jesus. That He is our Friend.

It’s astonishing that our omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God who made everything in the universe and beyond with His own hands, who rules history and kingdoms, holds the power over every proton, neutron, and electron in every galaxy we have yet to discover… also wants to be… friends.

And not just with the brightest and best, the most powerful and accomplished, the prettiest and wealthiest. He is a ready friend to anyone. Anyone!

He was at ease and fully Himself among the elite (The Pharisee Nicodemus in John 3) and the most hated people in the whole culture (tax collectors in Luke 19:1-10). He was the life of the party (John 2:1-11) and the perfect friend one-on-One (Peter in John 21:15-19).

This week we will learn about Jesus launching His ministry knowing the beauty, and the torture, and the victory to come. It starts with his cousin, John the Baptist, who no church today would hire because he was such wild and wooly character (literally).

We’ll remember Jesus’ temptation in the desert. He went there of His own volition, spurred on and led by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1) to be tested, tried, and tempted. To be proven. To show His metal. When we’re in a desert, we can cling tight to the fact that Christ faced our enemy just as we do. Assaulted. Harassed. Pressed. And He responds with determination and the Word of God.

That’s what we can do in times of severe battle with Satan, too. Fight back with the sword of the Spirit… God’s Word! He modeled it for us!

Jesus, fully human like us, wields the weapon of the Word of God in the wilderness and succeeds where Adam failed. In the process, He shows that He can fully relate to the temptations we face each and every day. ~ Max

Jesus shows again and again that when He came to earth, He was relatable — just like us normal people. He chose to be average. Seemingly unremarkable. Approachable. Fun and funny. Kind. He chose Capernaum as His home base, an average town like yours and mine. He made friends with Pete, Andy, Phil, Tom, Matt, Bart, and all the riff raff. Ordinary folk. Fishermen and townsfolk. Peter’s my favorite. Bold and emotional, blundering and passionate. He’s the guy who will step out on water and yet inwardly roll his eyes at obeying Jesus who knows “nothing” about fishing because Peter was the pro. The fish aren’t out in the daytime. They’re not out in the deep, they’re in the shallows.

Jesus shows His abundance. And His friendship. He doesn’t chastise Peter. He loves Him.

An ounce of obedience is all Jesus wants! ~ Max

Doesn’t that give you hope? If Jesus chose to be friends with John the Wild, and Peter the Passionate, and sly Levi, and Andy the cynic, and James and John the hotheads, then you and I are welcome friends to our King, too.

If you’re anyone… you’re in!

This week in your study:

1. Watch the video for session two on our study home page and take notes in your study guide on pages 33-38 and then hang around for the discussion questions with our OBS community afterward.
2. Go through the study questions with your group or on your own on pages 38-42.
3. Read chapters 5-8 in the Jesus
4. Grab your Bible and enjoy your personal study this week on pages 43-56.
5. Join the conversations about the study and get to know fellow participants in our private Facebook group!

Scriptures this Week

Luke 19:9-10
Mark 1:6
Matthew 3:14
Matthew 3:15
Luke 4:1-2
Luke 4:4
Luke 4:8
Luke 4:12
Mark 3:21
Matthew 4:13
Luke 5:4
Luke 5:5
Luke 5:8
Matthew 9:9
Luke 5:30
Luke 5:31-32
Luke 5:27
John 1:12

Prayer for the Week

Jesus, we love You. Thank You for being our Friend. It’s hard to grasp Your greatness along with how personable You choose to be. You know every detail of every single thing, and yet You care about us, and love us, and are involved in our lives. How can we thank You for being such a friend! We love You, Lord. Amen.