Jesus the Christ book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Chapters 1 to 18

1. When Joseph accepts Mary after a reassuring dream, how do you weigh trust against the need for certainty?
2. How does connecting human freedom with Jesus's appointment as Redeemer shape your understanding of divine help?
3. How should the purpose of sacred rest guide judgments about healing and hunger on Sabbaths?
4. What does John the Baptist's acceptance of a lesser role suggest about leadership and personal importance?
5. How might prayer and moral duties strengthen each other in the active faith Jesus teaches?

Meeting 2: Chapters 19 to 30

6. What makes faithful action a fairer or less fair measure of a person than outward standing?
7. How might crowds seeking food understand Jesus differently from apostles sent to preach and heal?
8. What does correcting the apostles through examples and parables suggest about how humility can be taught?
9. How might welcoming repentance challenge social pride?
10. How does the contrast between Lazarus living and rulers seeking Jesus's death shape your reading of divine authority and opposition?

Meeting 3: Chapters 31 to 42

11. What does the widow's gift of everything invite readers to consider about generosity and its limits?
12. How do Jesus's service and submission to arrest shape your understanding of authority?
13. How do Peter's denial and Judas's attempt to return his payment complicate judgments about responsibility?
14. How does continuing freedom to accept or refuse affect your view of salvation for the dead?
15. How might personal appearances and renewed belief prepare witnesses for a worldwide mission?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.