Investigate: A five part interactive study.
Discover Jesus for yourself.
Section 2: Jesus: Equal hope for both the rich and needy as the healer.
In the first study, we saw that Jesus was not just an unusual person; he was God's Son. He came into the world in order to meet the deepest needs of all men and women. In this study, we will look at how Jesus met the needs of two particular people. Everywhere Jesus went, he came across needy people. Often, the people he met had incurable diseases. He was able to change their physical lives by healing them. More importantly, he changed their spiritual lives through forgiveness of their sins. He healed Simon's mother-in-law, a Roman officer's servant, a man with a paralyzed hand, a crippled woman, a paralyzed man, people suffering from spiritual and mental disorders or skin diseases, blind people, and he even raised the dead. "All who had friends who were sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus; he placed his hands on every one of them and healed them all" (Luke 4:40). Look at how Jesus interacted with these people.
A. A blind beggar is healed
Read Luke 18:35-43
- What do you think life was like for this blind man?
- Why do you think he kept calling for Jesus?
- What did Jesus do and say once he had heard the man? (18:40-42)
- In what way did the man show he believed in Jesus?
- If you had seen this miracle, what would you have thought of Jesus?
This was a blind man to whom Jesus gave "recovery of sight" (Luke 4:18). He healed many people of different physical illnesses. But he also healed people from other forms of "sickness."
B. Jesus and Zacchaeus
The Romans gave the job of collecting taxes to the highest bidder. Tax collectors did not get any wages for their work. They collected as much money as they could so there would be plenty left over for themselves after paying the government. Zacchaeus was one of these tax collectors. He was a greedy and unpopular man.
Read Luke 19:1-10
- What was Zacchaeus' attitude toward Jesus? (19:3,4,6)
- Many people grumbled about Jesus talking to such a man. What was Jesus's attitude toward Zacchaeus? (19:5,9,10)
- How did Zacchaeus change after meeting Jesus? (19:8)
- What do you think Jesus meant by "the lost"? (19:10)
- What does this incident show about the character and purpose of Jesus?
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