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Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “‘Thou Canst Make Me Clean,’” pp. 262-271, in The Desire of Ages.
The Germans have a saying, “Einmal ist keinmal.” It means, literally, “One time is no time.” It’s an idiomatic expression for the idea that if something happens only once, then it doesn’t count. It doesn’t matter. If it happens only once, it might as well never have happened at all. Whether you agree or not, think about this idea in context of Thursday’s study, when Jesus said to the man who wanted first to bury his father and then to be a disciple: “‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead’” (Matt. 8:22, NKJV). What did Jesus mean by implying that the man, a living man, was dead? Well, if “Einmal ist keinmal,” if “one time is no time,” then to live upon this earth only once, with no eternity to follow, then you might as well have never been born at all. You might as well be dead now (see John 3:1
. Secular thinkers, who believe in no afterlife, have groused over the meaningless of a life that exists here only once, and for quite a short time, too, before dissipating for eternity. What can it possibly mean, they have asked, if after this short stint we are forever gone and forever forgotten? No wonder, then, that Jesus said what He did. He was seeking to point the man to a reality greater than what this world, in and of itself, offered.
Discussion Questions:
With the idea presented above, go back and read the story in Matthew when Jesus said what He did to the man about burying his father. What should this tell us about how crucial it is to keep the big picture (and when we say “big,” we mean real big) in mind with all that we do? How does our theology help us to understand just how big the picture really is?
We don’t always know God’s will for physical healing, but we do always know His will for spiritual healing. In what way should this affect your prayer life?
What are the things that are most important to you? Make a list and bring that list to class. What can you learn from your priorities? What do our priorities teach us about ourselves and about our view of the world, of God, and of one another? How different would the list be if a group of atheists were doing the same thing?
The Germans have a saying, “Einmal ist keinmal.” It means, literally, “One time is no time.” It’s an idiomatic expression for the idea that if something happens only once, then it doesn’t count. It doesn’t matter. If it happens only once, it might as well never have happened at all. Whether you agree or not, think about this idea in context of Thursday’s study, when Jesus said to the man who wanted first to bury his father and then to be a disciple: “‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead’” (Matt. 8:22, NKJV). What did Jesus mean by implying that the man, a living man, was dead? Well, if “Einmal ist keinmal,” if “one time is no time,” then to live upon this earth only once, with no eternity to follow, then you might as well have never been born at all. You might as well be dead now (see John 3:1
. Secular thinkers, who believe in no afterlife, have groused over the meaningless of a life that exists here only once, and for quite a short time, too, before dissipating for eternity. What can it possibly mean, they have asked, if after this short stint we are forever gone and forever forgotten? No wonder, then, that Jesus said what He did. He was seeking to point the man to a reality greater than what this world, in and of itself, offered.Discussion Questions:
With the idea presented above, go back and read the story in Matthew when Jesus said what He did to the man about burying his father. What should this tell us about how crucial it is to keep the big picture (and when we say “big,” we mean real big) in mind with all that we do? How does our theology help us to understand just how big the picture really is?
We don’t always know God’s will for physical healing, but we do always know His will for spiritual healing. In what way should this affect your prayer life?
What are the things that are most important to you? Make a list and bring that list to class. What can you learn from your priorities? What do our priorities teach us about ourselves and about our view of the world, of God, and of one another? How different would the list be if a group of atheists were doing the same thing?