30.1 Invite the group to discuss what they think nicknames tell us about people.
If Jesus were to give them a nickname, what do they think it would be? Spend just a few minutes in pairs, discussing, before feeding back.
30.2 Think back to Simon and his nickname and the reasons Christ gave him it.
Read Mark 3:13-19 and pick out the other individual to whom Jesus 'nicknamed'. What might have been the foundations for this name? Read Luke 9:51-55 to learn one possible reason.
This is our introduction to the apostle, John: stubborn, argumentative (Mark 10:35-17), fiery, impulsive and generally difficult to live with. Would you choose him to be a disciple? What does this tell us about Jesus?
30.3 Take this thought a step further and read John 13:23, 19:25-27 and 21:20.
- How has Jesus' 'view' of John changed?
- Did Jesus change, or did John?
- What was it that caused this change?
- What can this teach us about Jesus?
In the classic Superman movies, there is a scene where Superman changes a lump of coal; filthy, unattractive and unwanted, into a beautiful diamond. It is not so unlike how Jesus changes John. Jesus' love transforms this fiery, rough man into a soft-hearted disciple who rejoices in the love of his Lord. John is the coal; as are you and I. John allowed Jesus to change him. Will we?
Week 30: Summary
This week may seem shorter; it is perhaps the briefest of glimpses we've taken into anyone's life so far - yet it is here that we see some of the most profoundly intimate of truths about God's character...
- He knows us
- He accepts us as we are
- He doesn't reject us because of our past
- His love transforms us
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