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The questions below are not meant to be difficult or necessarily deep. Rather, they are intended to get you and your family to thoughtfully meditate on the Scriptures we studied Sunday more thoroughly. By going over the passage again in this manner it will help both you and your family to better digest and apply what you heard. Also remember not every question will work depending on the age of your children. On some of these I basically give the answer, on others I trust you will know the answer or with a little study will come to the right answer- if not just shoot us an e-mail and well help however we can.

This week’s memory verse:

^NIV 1Peter 1:24 For, "All men arelike grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grasswithers and the flowers fall, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord standsforever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

This week’s focus passage:

Jesus Clears the Temple

^NIV John2:12 After this he went down toCapernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed fora few days. ¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found menselling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area,both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers andoverturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said,"Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into amarket!" ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written:"Zeal for your house will consume me." ¹⁸ Then the Jewsdemanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove yourauthority to do all this?" ¹⁹ Jesus answered them,"Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."²⁰ The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build thistemple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" ²¹ Butthe temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raisedfrom the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed theScripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. ²³ Now while he wasin Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he wasdoing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrusthimself to them, for he knew all men. ²⁵ He did not need man'stestimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

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Monday

The Passover(2:13)

The JewishPassover was the most important Jewish festival. Thousands gathered every yearin Jerusalem to celebrate the Exodus. The Exodus was God’s deliverance of thepeople of Israel from slavery in Egypt. When was the last time you stopped andcelebrated your spiritual deliverance?

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Tuesday

The Temple(2:14)

The templewas the center of Jewish life. It was different from our churches in many ways.The temple was a place to sacrifice animals and to pray. The priests were theleaders of the temple who ensured that the sacrifices and offerings were madeaccording to the OT law. We no longer need the temple because Jesus was theultimate sacrifice. He was so great that after He died there was no longer anyneed for another sacrifice. He has paid for all our sins- past, present andfuture. Are you thankful that we don’t have to go to the temple? How is goingto the temple different than going to church? (Remember they had synagogueswhere they read the Law and Prophets each Saturday).

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Wednesday

Anger(2:15-17)

It’s notthat often in the Gospels we see Jesus get angry. What is it that made Jesusangry? Was His anger because they were not focused on Him and His desires orabout the fact that they were offending His Father? Why did they call thetemple “God’s house”? Do you ever get upset when people don’t respect God?

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Thursday

Authority(2:18-20)

The Jewishleaders wanted to know what gave Jesus the authority to tell people what to doin the temple area where they were the leaders. If Jesus was from God He shouldbe able to prove it with a miraculous sign. But Jesus told them to tear thetemple down and He would build it in three days. They thought He was crazybecause it had taken 46 years for them to build it. We now know Jesus wasn’tcrazy, He was talking about His death and resurrection. Do you think there areother things in the Bible we don’t understand that one day will make more senseto us? If they knew who Jesus was do you think they would have put Him over thetemple? Are there areas in our lives and society where we should be lettingJesus lead that we refuse to give up our authority?

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Friday 

Miracles(2:21-23)

Jesus didother miracles while He was in Jerusalem and this helped others believe. Why doyou think some people got to see Jesus miracles and others didn’t? What couldGod do that would help you to believe in Him more? Do you believe regardless ofyour circumstances and what you believe?

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Saturday

Jesus Knowsus (2:24-25)

People likeus can’t see inside others hearts. Only God knows what is in someone’s heart.He didn’t trust others because He knew how fickle people are and that at the crosseveryone would desert Him. God still knows our hearts. Is there any reason Heshouldn’t trust us?

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Sunday

Read anddiscuss the text for today.

^NIV John3:1 Now there was a man of thePharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher whohas come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doingif God were not with him." ³ In reply Jesus declared, "Itell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is bornagain." ⁴ "How can a man be born when he is old?"Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother'swomb to be born!" ⁵ Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth,no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannottell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born ofthe Spirit." ⁹ "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.¹⁰ "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you notunderstand these things? ¹¹ I tell you the truth, we speak of whatwe know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do notaccept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things andyou do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believesin him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ "For God so loved the worldthat he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall notperish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son intothe world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe standscondemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and onlySon. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but menloved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light forfear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by thetruth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he hasdone has been done through God." (John 3:1-21)