17 Mar 2021
Episode 4 Shepherds of Israel
Opening Prayer
+ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands,
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord is God!
It is he that made us, and we are his;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
And his courts with praise
Give thanks to him, bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures for ever,
And his faithfulness to all generations.
Sacred Scripture
“1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Reph′idim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people found fault with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put the Lord to the proof?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7
Discussion Questions
Was Jesus violating the Sabbath laws by healing a man? (see John 5:15-17, Luke 14:5 and CCC 581)
The Pharisees knew the scriptures well. They knew that the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem. Many of the Pharisees rejected Jesus on the grounds that he was from Nazareth in Galilee. A superficial understanding of scripture actually led them to reject Jesus. What must we do to make sure our understanding of scripture is not superficial? (see Matthew 22:37-40 and CCC 85-87)
What is the purpose of the ten commandments? (see Romans 5:20-21) When Jesus speaks to the woman caught in adultery, does he uphold the sixth commandment? For what ultimate purpose?
Like Jesus himself, the man born blind is questioned by the authorities. Does he speak the truth to them? Does he fully understand the truth at the time of his questioning? What does this indicate for us when we are asked to defend our faith in Jesus?
We saw in chapter 6 that Jesus was able to preach to a crowd of 5,000 people in the open air. Now he draws attention to himself in the midst of hundreds of thousands using only his voice. What does this tell us about the human voice of Christ?
If no one can take Jesus’ sheep out of his hand, what power does the world or the devil have over you? How, then, can a sheep of his be lost?
