1, 2. What example helps us understand the words of 1 Peter 2:21?
The example of a hiker is very appropriate to understand the words of 1 Peter 2:21, because we may go in a group that goes hiking in the snow in a dangerous area, but if an experienced guide goes with us, due to that leaves its tracks in the snow, even if it suddenly disappears, we are not going to be scared, because the whole group will follow the tracks of that guide in the best possible way.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In a similar way today all true Christians are walking in a zone of great danger, which is this world, but we thank Jehovah that he has left us a perfect guide who is his beloved son, Jesus. That is why Jehovah wants us to “faithfully follow in his footsteps” as 1 Peter 2:21 says. There is no doubt that we can learn a lot from Jesus and his extraordinary life.
There is a biblical reference work that says that Peter compared Jesus to a guide, and just like the hiker, he can follow the path that his guide marks him, we as followers of Jesus can also follow in his footsteps.
1 Peter 2:21 says that we must faithfully follow in the footsteps of Jesus, he has to be our example to imitate.
The example to understand what the paragraph gives us is that we imagine that we are going on an excursion through an area where there is snow. In front of us an expert guide is showing us the way to follow, but suddenly we lose sight of the guide, would we get scared? No, because we see the footprints in the snow so that we can follow the guide's path as well as possible.
We know that Jesus is the greatest Teacher who has ever lived on earth and by far, He was perfect, therefore, He did not commit any sin. Therefore, his example is the best that we can imitate and follow in his footsteps, he knows what the world is like and he suffered because of it, but he always trusted Jehovah and showed it with his actions.
3. What does it mean to follow in someone's footsteps?
To follow someone's footsteps is to follow their example or imitate them. The word walk in the Bible denotes what someone does throughout his life, we have the example of Noah in Genesis 6: 9 that says: "that Noah walked with the true God", which gives us to understand that Noah he obeyed Jehovah to the letter because he loved him deeply. I always try to do everything Jehovah said, that's why I walked with God.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
And Proverbs 4:26 also refers to "making the way of the feet" that is, removing the obstacles that prevent us from following in the footsteps of someone, which in this case is Jesus.
It means imitating him, following the example he sets.
The Bible also uses the words "walk" and "feet" sometimes to refer to what someone does in their life.
In Genesis 6: 9 we read that Noah walked with God, followed his righteous standards, and imitated him in the way he did things. Proverb 4:26 encourages us to thoroughly examine the path of our feet so that all of our paths are safe. If we follow the good example of Jehovah and Jesus, we will do the best in our lives and follow the best path that will lead us to a happy ending.
4. What does it mean to follow in the footsteps of Jesus?
It means: Imitating his example, as the thematic text of this study says, because he left us a model, which, like him, must also be willing to endure suffering.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2: 18-25 also added advice citing the example of Jesus Christ as the model to be emulated. Therefore we can follow the example of Jesus when we suffer opposition and persecution.
Know what he did and said throughout his life, so that he is an example for us and we can imitate him. He showed that he was willing to do anything for Jehovah, even if it involved a lot of suffering and ultimately death.
As 1 Peter 2:20 says: if we are beaten for sinning, what merit does it have that we endure it? If we endure suffering for doing well, Jehovah is very pleased with that.
5. Explain why we can all follow the perfect example of Jesus even though we are imperfect.
As imperfect Christians we can follow the perfect example of Jesus, because Peter did not allude to following in the footsteps of Jesus in a perfect way, but rather, to doing it faithfully; And this means that we can follow in his footsteps, within our possibilities, doing everything possible to resemble him despite our imperfection.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The advice of 1 John 2: 6 is more than clear, we must keep walking, as Jesus Christ walked, all of which means that we have to look carefully at Jesus as our model, which implies, follow his example.
The text of 1 Peter 2:21 does not say that we have to follow in Jesus' footsteps perfectly, it faithfully says. It is true that imitating Jesus perfectly is not within our reach, but we can do everything possible, whatever our circumstances allow us to do the best we can. Let it be noted that it is our wish.
Why should we follow in the footsteps of Jesus?
6, 7. Why, if we follow in Jesus' footsteps, will we draw closer to Jehovah?
Well, if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, we will be closer to God because we will be living in a way that pleases Jehovah, and he will be pleased if we follow the example that Jesus left us.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
John 8:29 in part B says: "Because I always do what pleases him." As we can see, Jesus was always aware of what his father liked and what he did not like; So if we are aware that we must please God as Jesus did, Jehovah will be happy and we will stay close to him, we will be his friends as James 4: 8 says.
We know that Jesus was able to imitate Jehovah in a perfect way, that is why he said in John 14: 9: “He who has seen me has seen the father also,” and although we are imperfect, we can still imitate Jehovah in his qualities and to follow the example of Jesus, in his treatment of people, there in Mark 1: 40-41 we are told of Jesus' reaction to a leper, he was deeply moved and acted immediately, he touched the leper and cured him. That same empathy and tenderness we should imitate, when dealing with people who suffer, the more we strive to be like Jehovah, the closer we will be to him.
The first is that if we follow the example set by Jesus, we will live as Jehovah wants and pleases. We will approach him because we will see all the benefits of following his wise principles and that will also make Jehovah proud and happy with us and he will become our friend, because as James 4: 8 says we have wanted to approach him first.
The second reason is that, as a good son, Jesus imitated the qualities of his Father, Jehovah, perfectly. And he himself said it in the Gospel of John 14: 9: "He who has seen me has seen the Father also." Thanks to Jesus we know what Jehovah's personality is like and by imitating Jesus, we will imitate Jehovah himself. The more we strive to be like Jehovah, the closer we will feel to him.
So when we read in the Bible details about Jesus, how for example he was moved by a leper and cured him, he could have done it from a distance, but nevertheless he touched him, showing tenderness. (Mark 1: 40,41) The empathy he showed when healing a woman who had been ill for 12 years. (Mark 5: 25-34). The compassion that led him to cry also to see the suffering of his friends. (John 11-33-35). Reading what Jesus was like, we can well imagine Jehovah doing the same as well.
8. Explain why following in the footsteps of Jesus will help us "overcome the world."
John 16:33 tells us about what Jesus said on his last night on earth, he said: "I have overcome the world", and he could say this because he did not allow the world to distract him from his goals that he had very clear, either He allowed the world to influence his way of thinking and acting.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
The words of Jesus in John 16:33 also give us to understand that he is sure that we, by following in his footsteps, will also emerge victorious from this world, faithfully fulfilling God's will.
Jesus never lost sight of the reason why he came to earth, which was “to sanctify the name of his father, Jehovah, and we have to do the same, we cannot afford to be distracted by the superficial things that this world has. ; Rather, we must stay focused and focused on doing God's will; so we can therefore get out of this world with flying colors only if we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and reject all distractions from this wicked world.
Because as Jesus himself said in John 16:33, he conquered the world. If we follow in his footsteps, we can be completely convinced that we too will succeed in defeating him.
He did not allow this world to influence his mind and heart and lead him to adopt its way of thinking and acting, rather he always strove not to forget what was the purpose for which he came to earth, to sanctify his father's name. , Jehovah, and thus prove that Satan is a liar.
If we want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus to overcome the world, we must concentrate on doing Jehovah's will and not be distracted from that goal, no matter how much the world offers us, because we know that these things will soon cease to exist, while that being with Jehovah will be something eternal.
9. What must we do to avoid straying from the path that leads to eternal life?
If we do not want to get off the path that leads to eternal life, we have to be careful in our decisions, the sincere interest of the young man of whom we are told there in Matthew 19: 16-21 shows us that this young man needed to cultivate a spirit of sacrifice to be disciple of Jesus, but he was not willing to leave his possessions, material goods were more important, that prevented giving a perfect and complete service to God, therefore we have to be careful with the things that this world offers, because if not we follow in the footsteps of Jesus we can lose eternal life.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Another person who showed interest in the preaching of Jesus was Nicodemus, and to this man who was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, Jesus also spoke of the need to exercise faith to have eternal life, as we are told here in John 3.16. But this man did not act either, and in this gospel we do not find the reason for his indecision, and here is the lesson for us; If we postpone becoming a disciple of Christ, out of fear of our family, friends or co-workers, we have to ask Jehovah for help in prayer, and thus not miss the great opportunity to have eternal life, therefore we take seriously to follow the steps of Jesus.
Something that will help us to demonstrate our faith in Jesus will be, to apply his teachings, his words and his example in our lives, only then will we stay on the path that leads to eternal life. Jesus himself said it in Matthew 7:14: "Narrow is the door and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life, and there are few who find it", that is why 'the path that the person chooses will determine, if he enters or not in the Kingdom of God, it will only be if you have followed in the footsteps of Jesus.
Follow in the footsteps of Jesus faithfully. As John 3:16 says, Show faith in Jesus so that we are not destroyed, but have eternal life. Know very well what Jesus taught with his words and actions in order to apply it in our lives and never get off the path that is worth it.
Follow the footsteps that Jesus left, not those of any other person who leads us down another dead-end path, on the contrary, to eternal life.
How can we faithfully follow in the footsteps of Jesus?
10. What must we do to get to know Jesus better? (John 17: 3).
Here in John 17: 3 it says, “May they come to know you,” referring to Jehovah and Jesus, and the Greek verb indicates that this is a continuous action; In other words, we must go in a continuous process getting to know Jesus better every day, learning about his qualities, his way of thinking, his standards. Whether we have been in the truth for a long or a short time, we must constantly strive to better know both Jehovah and his son.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
One way to achieve this is by absorbing all the information we can about them, but that is not enough either, it is necessary to put everything learned into practice. We have the great honor of being among those who know Jesus, let us strive to preserve that friendship with Jesus, following in his footsteps in order to receive the undeserved gift of eternal life.
We don't know a person by just spending a little time with them, we need to spend time with them, be interested in how they think, act, what they like, what they don't. To get to know Jesus better is the same, we must make an effort to read the Bible to learn about his qualities, how he acted, how he treated people, and what his goals were.
11. What do the four Gospels contain?
In these four Gospels we find the account of the life of Jesus, and his ministry, we are told what he did and also how he felt, and these four Gospels help us to think about the strengthening example that Jesus left us, and how to have the ability to have endurance and face opposition, showing selfless love.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Hebrews 12: 3, tells us that Jesus had to endure hurtful words, humiliations from sinners, but he focused on the reward for enduring, especially since he knew that this would help sanctify God's name and vindicate his sovereignty. . So in these four Gospels we see, as it were, the steps that Jesus took.
We can analyze these gospels, perhaps as a personal study, to know Jesus even more, and thus be able to imitate his footsteps.
The life of Jesus and his ministry. We will learn how Jesus faced the different circumstances that he went through, what he taught people, how he treated them, helped them. How he was willing to put up with everything without getting tired or giving up as Hebrews 12: 3 says, and he did it out of the great love he has for his father Jehovah and for all of us.
12. How can we benefit the most from the Gospels?
One thing we have to do to get the most out of these gospels is to study them thoroughly, carefully, and meditate on them.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
There in Joshua 1: 8 Jehovah commanded Joshua to read the Mosaic Law "day and night", and carefully obey what was written in it, and said to him: "Then your way will go well for you, and then you will act with wisdom ”and we know that Joshua succeeded. He would not miraculously receive wisdom, he would act sensibly only if he read the "book of the law" and meditated on it. If we therefore want to get the most out of the gospels, we must read them consistently and, like Joshua, we can be successful.
Not only read them but meditate on the stories and seek information to understand them better, that reaches our hearts to know how to apply these wise advice in our lives.
13. How can we bring the Gospel accounts to life?
To give them life we must use our imagination, so that we can see, hear, and feel what happens in those moments, once a brother said: "sit in your favorite chair and transport yourself to the scene." It can also be quite useful to search for additional information, and for that we have many publications that the organization has given us.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Another thing we can do is analyze the context to bring these stories to life, learn about the people in those places, and analyze what happened before and after what we are studying.
The gospel writers also had interesting details about each other. And the different points of view from their point of view add more life to these gospels.
Imagine that we are where the story takes place, think about how the people, the place, what happened before and after that moment, at what time it happened. How we would feel there. To do all this we can investigate the many publications that we have available thanks to the faithful and prudent slave. Compare different gospels as there are different details in each one.
14, 15. What do we have to do to apply the Gospel accounts?
We have to do what John 13:17 says: “now that you know these things, you will be happy if you put them into practice”, the point is very clear, if we continue to obey and apply what we learn we will be happy, and for that to be possible we must ask ourselves personally; What does this story teach me? How can I use it to help others?
Only in that way can we realize how it benefits us, not only ourselves, but also other people.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
There is an example that can help us a lot to understand how to apply these Gospel accounts to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and it is the story of the poor widow that Jesus observed in the temple.
After learning what happened, we have to meditate on it, to know how to apply it in our lives, so that it does not remain only in knowledge. We can ask ourselves questions like: What does this story teach me? How can I use it to help other people? It is always encouraging to share lessons that we have studied in depth, because we want to faithfully follow in the footsteps of Jesus and thus help each other.
The poor widow in the temple
16. Describe the scene recounted in Mark 12:41.
Well, there in Mark 12:41 we visualize that it is already Nisan 11, and there is only one week left for the death of Jesus to occur, and we find him precisely there, and he has spent much of the day teaching in the temple for several hours, and there are the religious leaders who oppose him, putting him to the test, that's the scene.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In Mark 11: 27-33 another scene is described to us we read that the religious leaders question Jesus, and corner him with questions as he walks through the temple only to ensnare him, and they say to him: “with what authority do you do these things? Who authorized you to do these things? And Jesus gets rid of all those questions, by asking them questions, which they do not know how to answer. The same thing happens when they ask him if he should pay tribute to Caesar, he again gets rid of these religious hypocrites.
Jesus is now also in another area of the temple, which is known as the courtyard of the women, and he sees the treasure chests along the walls of the temple, and he is observing that the people put their contributions, there are the rich people throwing in many coins, and you are possibly hearing the noise of coins falling into these chests. All these scenes take place on Nisan 11, AD 33.
It occurs on Nisan 11, year 33, a few days after the death of Jesus. Jesus is in the temple, probably in an area known as the courtyard of the women. He sits near the treasury chests and begins to watch people drop the contribution coins into the chests. Among these people he sees many rich people throwing their coins.
Some ancient Jewish sources indicate that the treasure chests were shaped like a trumpet or horn and small openings at the top. People deposited money from various offerings in them. According to rabbinical sources, there were 13 treasure chests placed next to the walls that surrounded this courtyard of the women.
17. What did the poor widow mentioned in Mark 12:42 do?
Mark 12:42 tells us “that then a poor widow came to the temple and threw in two small coins of very little value.” Jesus, who is a man of justice, looks at this widow who is poor; She is a needy widow with limited resources. Maybe life has not been easy for this woman, maybe she does not have enough money to live, but there she is close to the coffers.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Now this poor widow tries not to attract much attention, and throws two small coins into one of these coffers, which perhaps do not make a sound when falling, very different from the rich who make themselves known in the temple by throwing many coins into the coffers, They sure make a lot of noise, but Jesus knows what this poor widow just threw, they were two leptons, a coin of very little value from that time, with which you couldn't even buy a sparrow, which is a very cheap bird, that even served as food. What is remarkable about this episode is that Jesus is aware of what this poor widow has done.
Jesus observed a needy widow who approached one of the coffers and trying not to attract attention, she threw in two small coins of very little value. They were two leptons, that was equivalent to the salary of approximately 12 minutes of work at that time. He could not even buy a sparrow, which was one of the cheapest birds.
18. According to Mark 12:43, 44, what did Jesus say about the widow's contribution?
When we examined this passage referring to the poor widow, he saw that everyone was putting in their donations, but what was left over, and Jesus commented on what Mark 12:43, 44 says, he calls his disciples and tells them that this poor widow put in the treasury coffers, more than all the others, because all have given what is left over, but she, who is so poor, put all her means of living.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
By doing this this poor widow proved to be a very faithful woman who fully trusted that Jehovah would supply her needs. The generosity of this widow was very great, and it revealed her love for God.
He was so impressed that he immediately called his disciples and told them what we read in Mark 12: 43,44 that that poor widow threw more than everyone else into the treasury. The others give what is left over, but she threw everything in, everything she had to live on.
This widow, despite the fact that she had lost her husband and that the religious leaders were devouring the houses of the widows instead of helping them, showed that she trusted that Jehovah would take care of her, put him first and left everything in his hands.
ILLUSTRATION
Like Jesus, let us congratulate others for giving their best to Jehovah. (See paragraphs 19-20). *
19. What important lesson can we learn from what Jesus said about the poor widow?
Thinking about what this poor widow did; We know that she would have liked to give more to Jehovah, but she did everything she could, she gave him her best, and Jesus knew that she had contributed everything she had, and that was of great value to Jehovah. Therefore, the important lesson is: that Jehovah likes that we always give him our best, that we serve him with all our heart and with all our soul as stated in Matthew 22:37.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Paul in his letter to Colossians 3:23 said that whatever we do, let us do it with our whole soul as if it were for Jehovah and not for men. So Jehovah is happy if we give him all we can, especially when we give him our time, our energy to worship him, also when we preach, and also when we go to meetings. Therefore the story of the poor widow is very applicable to all of us who today try to give our best to Jehovah, if we do it with all our hearts we will resemble that faithful woman.
Also an activity guide for the year 2018, said that it is very likely that the coins of little value that the widow threw into the treasury, which were those two leptons, was what a day laborer earned in just 15 minutes. So Jesus really used this widow's offering to teach valuable lessons.
That if we always give Jehovah our best and love him with all our heart, soul and mind, as Matthew 22:37 says, Jehovah will be very happy with us. Each of his servants has his own circumstances, and Jehovah knows how far they can go. That is why it is vital that we do all we can to worship Him with all our souls as Colossians 3:23 encourages us.
Always putting him first in our life and trusting that he will always give us the strength and everything we need to move forward.
20. How can we apply what we have learned from the widow's account? Give an example.
We can apply it when we give sincere congratulations to our brothers, for everything they do in the service of God, sometimes our older sisters feel useless or feel guilty, of not being able to do everything they wanted in preaching as what I did before, because their health no longer accompanies them, we can do the same for a sister or brother who we know has chronic and painful diseases that perhaps no longer can be in all the meetings much.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let everything we say serve to edify others as needed and to benefit those who listen to them." Jehovah is pleased that we strive to find words that are constructive, encouraging and strengthening. In that way we are following in the footsteps of Jesus faithfully.
Following in the footsteps of Jesus faithfully. He encouraged with his beautiful words and strengthened them by showing them what Jehovah thought of them. We can also encourage our brothers with our words, as Ephesians 4:29 says that everything we say serves to edify others as needed and to benefit those who listen to them.
Think of brothers who, for example, can no longer do as much as they would like in the service of Jehovah, due to poor health, a chronic and painful illness. Encourage them with this beautiful story of the widow, that what really matters is quality, not quantity. Jehovah is very happy with them, for the great effort they make to worship him, to continue there, they are a great example for all of us.
21. What are you determined to do?
Given that we have the Gospels, where we are given details of the life of Jesus, and we can more fully follow in his footsteps, what we could do is set a goal for ourselves as a personal project, perhaps a personal study or analyze them in the Family study, the important thing will be that we benefit as much as possible from this project that we will undertake, giving life to those stories and at the same time being able to apply them in our lives.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Also, we must not only imitate what Jesus did, but also what he said. That is why now is the time to continue taking care of our way of walking in the way of God, noting if we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, to obtain the blessings that God has promised us.
Follow in the footsteps of the man who left us the best example here on earth Jesus. To do this, read and research the Gospels that are in the Bible to imitate what Jesus did and said. Set that goal to thank Jehovah and Jesus for all that they do for us, because life goes well for us and we may be really happy in this world despite all the difficulties.
What does it mean to follow in the footsteps of Jesus?
In short, it is to imitate his example, everything he left us as a model of endurance under suffering, because everything he did in his life is an example for each one of us.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Imitate his example, what he did and said throughout his life here on earth.
Why should we follow in the footsteps of Jesus?
We must follow in the footsteps of Jesus to be able to get closer to Jehovah, if we follow in his steps Jehovah will be very happy, and thus we will have the security, that he will approach us as James 4: 8 says and we will be his friends.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Because in this way we will draw closer to Jehovah, we will not be distracted by this wicked world, and we will be able to have the eternal life that we long for.
How can we get the most out of studying the gospels?
First, we must bring the Gospel accounts to life using our imaginations. Second: apply the Gospel accounts, asking ourselves what they teach us and how we can help others
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Not just reading, but getting into the stories, looking for information to know what people were like, where they were, meditating on it deeply to know how to apply it in our lives and also how to help others.
Comments
Post a Comment