NOTES: 1] For the idea of 'Levirate' marriage (from the Latin for brother-in-law)  see DEUT25:5+. Some other nations also practised it. 2] Sadducees were a pro-priestly upper class.

WARMING UP: Do we ever come across trick questions these days?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's group?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

27-33   What might the strengths & weaknesses of practising this 'Levirate' view of marriage be? Is our belief in resurrection -  Jesus' & our own, strong enough to convince someone today who, like the Sadducees, doesn't believe it possible. What has convinced us of the truth of resurrection? Or is it just an optional extra, rather than central to our faith?

34-40   Does what Jesus says here support the commonly held view that we will be re-united with loved ones at the Resurrection? If, on the other hand, he appears to be contradicting that view, where does that leave us / our loved ones? How do we best understand what Jesus says here about being a) like angels? b) children of God? c) children of the resurrection?
What does it mean to us that God is 'God not of the dead, but of the living'? What does it mean to us that all those who have 'gone before' are alive to God? Is that the way we usually think of them? What advantage is there to us to think of the dead like this? Or isn't there one?
            Have we ourselves developed any 'techniques' for questioning God? If we don't question God (in some way) is it because a) like these Sadducees, we've given up on it? b) we can't be bothered? c) we've never thought of it? d) we know everything anyway?

NOTES: 1] William Barclay said long ago that the 'beatitudes' are more congratulations for a present state of blessedness than the promise of blessedness to come. 2] Compare LK's 'beatitudes' with those of MT (5:3-12), noting which differences seem to matter. 3] A browse through the Psalms might help us connect with the 'woes' bit from v.24.

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

20-21   Have we ever felt any particular blessedness in being poor, personally? Did we feel, in any way, that the kingdom of God (i.e. God's Rule) was ours - or still is? Did Jesus get it wrong, or are we missing some connection he can see between being poor & being blessed?   What might such a connection be? Or is Jesus talking about something quite different?
            Given that being poor usually equates with being hungry, too, if we are hungry / have been hungry, what blessedness is there / was there in that? Again, are we missing some connection Jesus can see between being hungry and God's Rule filling us? With what?
             If we're sad, or have been, are we / were we aware of anything we've identified as 'blessedness'? Couldn't what Jesus says about being poor, hungry, or weeping be construed as escapism from reality? If not, why not?

22-23   Where we live, does anyone find it worthwhile to hate us, exclude us, revile us, defame us 'on account of the Son of Man'? What about our fellow Christians in places where these things do happen - is blessedness likely to be any real comfort to them? Do we have any real, practical concern for them, other than maybe praying for them to be 'blessed'? Can we see any reason for them or us to 'Rejoice........' as Jesus says? Would we rather have a reward in heaven ( = wherever God rules) or here & now, thank you very much? Or are they both the same?

24-26   Why is it that the 'woe upon you' bit is rather downplayed, to say the least, today? Isn't that the kind of attitude that got / gets us Christians a bad press? Why is it OK for Jesus to say this kind of thing, but not us? Is there anything wrong in itself with being either rich, full, laughing, or even all three? What does make them wrong, then? To today's ears, mightn't what Jesus says here smack of puritanism, wowserism, & some of the odder forms Christianity has taken? What's wrong with being spoken well of? What's Jesus really getting at in these woes he pronounces?

27-31  Why is it so hard for us to 'love our enemies' & all these other things Jesus urges us to do here? What's in it for us, anyway, acting like Jesus asks? Have we got to first base yet on 'doing to others as we would have them do to us'? Does hearing what Jesus expects of us here make us depressed, or hopeful? What about when it comes to doing what he expects? Hard as these things may be, is there any alternative way for God's Kingdom, God's Rule, to come into being? If we can't or won't bring God's Rule about, why should God make it happen for us?