To be a follower of Jesus Christ means that we are to become His disciples, and He becomes our role model for a life pleasing to God. But what does that look like? And, how can I live a Christ-like life?
This study will focus on Jesus’ LIFE as the Son of Man. That title, “Son of Man,” was the one most often used by Jesus to refer to Himself. In the Gospels, there are 81 references to Jesus calling Himself the Son of Man. Interestingly, only Jesus used that title. Most often Jesus was referred to as the Son of God, or the Messiah, both of which are accurate titles and reflect His identity and His mission, but for this study, we will focus on Jesus’ humanity, when He became like us.
Somewhere around age 30 Jesus began His public ministry. He was called “teacher” or “rabbi” and He called people to “follow me,” an invitation to become His disciple, a “talmid.” To be a disciple in that culture was not just to learn from the rabbi and to know what he knew, but to become like him. Today we might think of an apprentice. The goal is not to remain an apprentice forever, but to become like the teacher.
To be a disciple of Jesus required spending time with Him, learning how to do life in a new way, a way that reflected the Kingdom of God; life as God intended. The twelve disciples had only a short time to learn from Jesus before He was crucified. When He spoke to the remaining eleven after His resurrection, Jesus commissioned them to be His apostles, “sent ones.” They were to go make other disciples – – to pass on what Jesus had taught them.
Today Jesus’ teachings are recorded for us through the Gospels. We too are called to be disciples of Jesus. As a student of culture, what always strikes me is that with this invitation to become a disciple, the rabbi’s reputation is at risk. Each disciple’s life will reflect on his or her rabbi bringing either honor or shame to his name. We will focus on how Jesus lived out God’s kingdom values as a human, and then how we can live in a way that is pleasing to God. It is my desire that as we look at the life of Jesus, we will learn from Him how to live in power and victory in order to bring honor to His name.
Listen to Intro Lecture HereHow to Use this Study Guide
Home Study Questions: The study questions are designed to lead you through various events in Jesus’ life as recorded in the gospels. Then you will be asked to reflect on what it says. Try to imagine yourself in that setting or event.
Group Discussion: Discussion is a time of sharing insights from the text and your reflections with others.
Lectures: This will bring in the cultural background to help understand in a way that reflects the original audience to whom Jesus was teaching and how that might apply in our lives today.
Putting Feet to the Lessons: These are activities that help these lessons become part of your everyday life.
Lessons: See below for individual lessons or click here to download all the lessons at once in a book form.