The Tenderness of His Love . . . OR . . . The Heart of a True Shepherd


Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope
May 31, 2008
Larry R Evans

Quiz for Reflection

[To get the most from the quiz read the passages in brackets and look for a thread of thought which will give more depth and understanding to the question being asked.]


1. The example of the woman caught in adultery teaches that the Scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about sin than Jesus was. [Jn 8:2-11; 3:17; Lk 13:34-35; 15:1-8] True or False?

2. The Bible says that little children suffered when they went to Jesus. [See Mt 19:14,15 in KJV and NIV and The Desire of Ages, p.511-517] True or False?

3. Jesus made it clear that “kitchen work” was not important. [Lk 10:38-42; 9:57-62; 10:5; 10:23,24] True or False?

4. Jesus demonstrated how to love one’s enemies. [Lev 19:18; Mt 5:44-48; Lk 6:25-31; 22:49-51; 23:34; Rom 5:6-8] True or False?

5. God lacks patience with the rebellious. [Isa 5:1-5; Dan 9:20-27; Mt 23:25-35] True or False?

Introductory Reflections

It has been said, “There is no human being who will not eventually respond to love if only he can realize that he is loved. On the other hand, if the life and the world of a person is marked by the absence of love, the reality of God’s love will hardly evoke the response of his whole heart, soul and mind.” (John Powell in Why Am I Afraid to Love?, p.12) Do you believe it? Is it possible that we must first feel loved before we can give love? This week we are given an opportunity to reflect about the tenderness of Christ’s love for those who felt unloved and even rejected. Over and over again Jesus went about restoring hope simply by loving the unlovely and the unloved. He changed history through His love of a sinful world. In the midst of condemnation He loved the adulterous woman. The simple but costly act of bathing his feet in perfume was accepted as a worship experience coming from the heart of one whose self-worth had been shattered but now restored. Jesus even showed us how to love our enemies—those who use and abuse us. He understood the rebellion of sinful natures so well that he saw beneath the crusty layers of arrogance to the heart yearning for acceptance. Even while hanging upon the cross He sought to reach out to those who blindly insulted the Son of God by praying for them—Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing! There is something about the tenderness of Jesus that was an invitation to children to come and play at His feet. Tenderness . . . there is something about that word that calms the anxious heart, that reassures the elderly who reminisce about opportunities missed and mistakes made, and it conveys understanding to those who have been warring with their conscience. In every case, the tender love of the Good Shepherd speaks loud and clear: “Come home! You are mine. No matter where you have been, come home! You are loved. I have made room for you.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lessons From Would-be Disciples . . . OR . . . How to Flunk While Getting "A's"

Sabbath School Class—A Life of Discovery January 26, 2008 Larry R Evans Quiz for Reflection 1. Commitment was so important to Jesus that He taught His disciples that they must put His mission over that of attending a funeral for a loved one. [Mt 8:21,22] True or False? 2. If we keep the commandments as Jesus instructed the rich young ruler, we will meet the criteria Jesus was stressing with this would-be disciple. [Mk 10:17-23] True or False? 3. True seekers of truth will, unlike Nicodemus, come to Jesus whether it be day or “night.” [Jn 3:2, 19-21] True or False? 4. Truth is truth. Disciples of Christ need to remember that how it is packaged is less important than making sure it is “truth” we share. [See Counsels to Writers and Editors , p.72; The Desire of Ages , p.353] True or False? Introductory Reflections Is it possible to get “A’s” and still flunk the class? Today’s study suggests that it is. We are introduced to some “would be disciples”
Read more

Preparing a People

[ There will be no additional study notes this week.] October 10, 2009 Larry R Evans Reflective Introduction It has been said that “A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves.” (Marcus Aurelius Antonius). Think about that a moment in the context of our lesson for this week. God in His infinite wisdom knew precisely what unbridled human nature is capable of doing. With this large desert-wandering congregation now freed from slavery, He sought to establish a sense of community among His people—a kind of community that would stick together in the coming promised land. Wolves would arise among the sheep. He knew that. He anticipated this happening so rules were created to protect the sheep though even then His rules were open to abuse. The family unit was the foundation for this new community yet it was the very object of attack. Infidelity and distrust within the family happened and still happens today. Is there any hope? The lesson today is f
Read more

Aug 11 -- Class Notes-- Samson & His Women

Samson & His Women: The Folly of Passion or How Self-Centeredness Leads to Self-Destruction Sabbath School Lesson August 11, 2007 Teacher: Larry R Evans Quiz for Reflection [Based on Judges 13-16 ] When a minister makes a serious/moral mistake it is an indication that he/she was not called in the first place. True or False God’s special endowments upon a person end once he or she intentionally parts from God’s counsel. True or False The example of Samson suggests we should avoid people and circumstances which have a strong influence upon us. True or False Samson’s core problem was his lust for women. True of False Scripture portrays Samson as a man of faith. True or False Introduction C.S. Lewis wrote, "A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.... A man wh
Read more