August 16, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – Enduring to Serve

Enduring to Serve

1 Samuel 1:10-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

¹² As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

¹⁵ “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

¹⁷ Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

What was Hannah doing as she “prayed to the Lord” (verse 10)?

What did she promise to do if the Lord gave her a son (verse 11)?

Who “observed her mouth” (verse 12)?

Why did he think “she was drunk” (verse 13)?

What did he want her to “put away” (verse 14)?

What did Hannah say she had been doing (verse 15)?

What was Hannah praying “out of” (verse 16)?

How was Hannah to go (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

Matthew 20:17-28 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, ¹⁸ “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Who did Jesus take aside (verse 17)?

What would “the chief priests and the teachers of the law” do to the Son of Man (verse 18)?

When would the Son of Man be raised to life (verse 19)?

Who knelt down and ask a favor of Jesus (verse 20)?

What did she want (verse 21)?

What did the two sons claim they could do (verse 22)?

Who will sit at Jesus’s right and left (verse 23)?

How did the other disciples react (verse 24)?

What do the “rulers of the Gentiles” do (verses 25)?

What does the disciple who wants to be great need to do (verse 26)?

Who must “be your slave” (verse 27)?

What did the Son of Man come to do (verse 28)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

In your opinion, how is Hannah’s request in 1 Samuel 1:10-17 different from Zebedee’s wife’s (James and John’s mother) request in Matthew 20:17-28?

Acts 12:1-4 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

Why did King Herod arrest “some who belonged to the church” (verse 1)?

What happened to “James, the brother of John” (verse 2)?

How did the Jews react (verse 3)?

What happened to Peter (verse 3)?

When did it happen (verse 3)?

How was Peter guarded (verse 4)?

What was Herod’s plan (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

In your opinion, could the anguish and grief of Hannah who was praying for a son in 1 Samuel 1:10-17 be similar to the anguish and grief of those who lost James as a family member or a Christian family member in Acts 12:1-4?

In your opinion, what does Acts 12:1-4 show about the transformation of James after the events in Matthew 20:17-28?

2 Timothy 2:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. ³ Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. ⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. ⁵ Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. ⁶ The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. ⁷ Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

What does Paul call Timothy (verse 1)?

Who is Timothy to entrust the things he has heard Paul say to (verse 2)?

Where is Timothy to join Paul (verse 3)?

Who does a soldier try to please (verse 4)?

How does an athlete have to compete to receive “the victor’s crown” (verse 5)?

Who should receive the first “share of the crops” (verse 6)?

What will happen if Timothy reflects on what Paul is saying (verse 7)?

Who is Timothy to remember (verse 8)?

What is not chained (verse 9)?

Why does Paul “endure everything” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about suffering and serving?

In your opinion, how is the life that Hannah said her son would live in her prayers in 1 Samuel 1:10-17 similar to the life that Paul was asking Timothy to live in 2 Timothy 2:1-10?

In your opinion, how similar would the feelings of Jesus for the disciples in Matthew 20:17-28 been to the feelings of Paul for Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-10?

In your opinion, how is James in Acts 12:1-4 an example of the confidence that Paul had in 2 Timothy 2:1-10 that “God’s word is not chained”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from 1 Samuel, Matthew, Acts, and 2 Timothy teach us about where human ambition fits into God’s kingdom?

In your opinion, how can we endure today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

December 6, 2020 - Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Yeast or Unleavened

Mark’s Good News about Jesus – Yeast or Unleavened

Yeast or Unleavened

Exodus 12:14-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. ¹⁵ For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

¹⁷ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. ¹⁸ In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. ¹⁹ For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. ²⁰ Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”

How are the generations to come to celebrate this day (verse 14)?

What are they to do for seven days (verse 15)?

Who “must be cut off from Israel” (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why is the only work that can be done on the first and seventh day the preparation of food (verse 16)?

Why are the Israelites to “celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread” (verse 17)?

When are they to celebrate this Festival (verse 18)?

What is to happen to anyone who eats yeast (verse 19)?

Where is unleavened bread to be eaten (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 8:14-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. ¹⁵ “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

¹⁶ They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

¹⁷ Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? ¹⁸ Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? ¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

²⁰ “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

²¹ He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

How many loaves of bread had the disciples brought (verse 14)?

What did Jesus warn them to watch out for (verse 15)?

Why did the disciples think Jesus gave them this warning (verse 16)?

In your opinion, why would Jesus think that the disciple’s hearts were hardened (verse 17)?

What does Jesus think their eyes fail to do (verse 18)?

How many basketfuls of pieces did the disciples pick up when Jesus broke the five loaves for the five thousand (verse 19)?

How many basketfuls of pieces did the disciples pick up when Jesus broke the seven loaves for the four thousand (verse 20)?

What did Jesus ask them (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does knowing that the celebration of the Lord bringing the Israelite “divisions out of Egypt” and their slavery in Exodus 12:14-20 help in understanding what Jesus meant in Mark 8:14-21 when He said “watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod”?

Acts 12:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

Who did Herod arrest (verse 1)?

What did he intend (verse 1)?

How was James put to death (verse 2)?

Why did he “seize Peter also” (verse 3)?

When did he have Peter seized (verse 3)?

How was Peter to be guarded (verse 4)?

When was Peter to be tried (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what significance is there that Herod took Peter captive in Acts 12:1-4, during the festival when the Israelites celebrated the Lord removing them from Egypt He’d instructed them in Exodus 12:14-20?

In your opinion, what do Herod’s actions in Acts 12:1-4 reveal about the “yeast” of Herod that Jesus had warned about in Mark 8:14-21?

1 Corinthians 5:1-8 – New International Version (NIV)

¹It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. ² And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

⁶ Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? ⁷ Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸ Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

What kind of sexual immorality that “even the pagans do not tolerate” had Paul heard was among the Corinthian Christians (verse 1)?

How did the Corinthian Christians feel about this sexual immorality (verse 2)?

How does Paul say they should have reacted (verse 2)?

How does Paul say that he is with them (verse 3)?

What has Paul already done (verse 3)?

Who and what will be with the Corinthian Christians when they assemble (verse 4)?

Why are they to “hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (verse 5)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough” (verse 6)?

Why are the Corinthian Christians to “get rid of the old yeast” (verse 7)?

How does Paul say that they should “keep the Festival” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how are the commandment that the Lord had given the Israelites in Exodus 12:14-20, to cut off anyone who eats yeast during the Festival from the community of Israel, and Paul’s instruction regarding the man who’d been sleeping with his father’s wife in 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 related?

In your opinion, what do Herod and the Pharisees who Jesus warns the disciples about in Mark 8:14-21 and the man sleeping with his father’s wife in 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 have in common?

In your opinion, how might the Christians in Jerusalem be changed by Herod having Peter arrested in Acts 12:1-4?  In what way might the Christians in Corinth be changed by the man sleeping with his father’s wife in 1 Corinthians 5:1-8?  How might the changes be similar?  How might the changes be different? 

In your opinion, what yeast do these passages from Exodus, Mark, Acts and 1 Corinthians teach us to “watch out for” today?

In your opinion, how, in the midst of a world that wants to modify the way Christians think and act today, can we live “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”?

      One of the interesting things I’ve observed as I travel is coming upon a driver obviously going slower than I, who as soon as I pull out to pass, speeds up and pulls ahead of me.  I then am forced to pull back in behind them, and soon we repeat the process again and again.

     I’ve finally realized that these people are allowing me to set the speed at which they travel.  Without me they would be moving at a slower speed, but because of me they speed up and move faster.  They have not decided how fast they want to travel and then stuck to it, but are reacting to me.

     As Christians we have to be very careful that we too don’t react to the world around us instead of deciding what we believe and then consciously “sticking to it” in spite of what’s going on around us.

     In the Scriptures we’ve just studied, we learn that we are called to be the People of God not a people who only claim to be of God letting the world “set our speed”.

            In Exodus 12:14-20 the people of Israel are called to commemorate the time when God brought them out of the slavery in Egypt by eating nothing with yeast in it for a week.  If someone violated this by eating the yeast then they were cut off from the community of Israel.

            In Mark 8:14-21 Jesus warned the disciples to “watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod” but they did not understand what this meant.

            In Acts 12:1-4 Herod demonstrated what this meant by killing James, which “met with approval among the Jews” so he imprisoned Peter.  Herod and the Pharisees were attempting to change the behavior of the early Christians who were doing things differently than Herod and the Pharisees.  Instead of accepting the difference they decided to try and change the Christians, but those early Christians were careful to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod by maintaining their difference from the world.

            Unfortunately, in 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 we see that the world managed to insert yeast into the Christian bread.  The Church in Corinth was in a community that valued freedom from certain God given restraints and the yeast had leavened the Church until they became proud of a behavior that Paul said even the pagans would not tolerate.  For the people there I am sure that it was a slow rise, but they ultimately allowed the community around them to change their behavior.  Paul calls for them to get rid of the yeast and to celebrate “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”, because Christ, the Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

     Today, the call to us is the same. 

     We, as Christians, have been freed from slavery to sin and are called live with the yeast of the world changing us from being the people Jesus called.

     Jesus warning to the disciples has become His warning to us, to watch out for the yeast of the world.

     The world today is just as intent, by force or “wisdom” or other means, to changing us as Herod and the Pharisees were to change the first Christians.  We need to be just as alert and steadfast ass they were.

     But, unfortunately, sometimes we are like the Corinthian Christians and we become proud of enlightened behavior.  At that moment we need to listen to Paul and get rid of the yeast of the world and to celebrate “with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”, because Christ, the Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

     So, when the car pulls out to pass us we don’t change our speed, because we are too busy celebrating to let them set our speed.

     Let us decide who we are, and what we believe, and then live what we have decided.

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)