Reel Luke
Jesus Teaches About Rocks and Trees
Luke 6:17–19, 43–49
Helpful Stuff to Know
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- These two short teachings of Jesus come at the end of a longer collection of teachings sometimes called The Beatitudes. They are also found in the book of Matthew (Matthew 7:24-27 and Matthew 12:34-35) but Matthew puts the teaching about trees and fruit in a different setting.
- Tree and rock imagery show up often in the whole Bible. Trees show up on the first, the last pages, and everywhere in between when something important happens or when God is present (in the garden of Eden, the burning bush, Moses’ staff, throughout the Psalms, the cross, and more). Rocks are an image of strong foundations and unshakeable faithfulness (after the rain, the ark rests on a rock, Moses strikes a rock for water, God is our rock and refuge, and more). Today, thousands of years after the Bible was written, we still see and understand trees and rocks. They are timeless images.
Be Sure Not to Miss
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- We are saved by grace, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We don't earn our salvation through good deeds. But Jesus does call and challenge us to live good and holy lives that outwardly show we've been changed by him on the inside.
- Verse 45 says that our words, attitudes, and actions (head and hands) flow from inside us (heart). It’s a great example of what it means to be a whole and holy follower of Jesus. (Check our the Head-Heart-Hands series for more about this.)
- Jesus doesn’t offer cheap and easy promises. He intends to change us from the inside out (which can turn our lives upside down) and he asks us to give ourselves to him completely (not just partially, not just when it’s convenient, not just in word only).
- Jesus wants us to surrender to him not just as our Savior and friend, but also as our Lord and King.
Be Careful About
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- Sometimes a "good tree" (someone who follows Jesus and tries to live for him) messes up, makes a mistake, and produces "bad fruit." That doesn't mean they are no longer a Christian or a follower of Jesus. It means they need to confess and move forward in humble obedience. But if someone continually and intentionally disobeys God, lives for themself, and regularly produces "bad fruit" in their lives, there's a good chance that they haven't fully given their life to Jesus yet.
1. Read Luke 6:17–19 (setting) and 43–46
Here's a few different ways you can read and recap the story with your group.
- Read it through one time with people just listening to you. Then read it through a second time with people following along in their own Bibles.
- Ask a few people to act out the story while you read it.
- Ask one or two people to retell the story after hearing it.
- Ask two people to retell the story in the first person, as though they were actually there. One person can do the play-by-play (tell the details of what happened), and the other can offer color commentary (add details about how they felt, what surprised them, what confused them, etc.). First-person retelling can make the story feel more real. It's also a blast.
2. Reel Questions (set the scene)
- Where did this story happen? What do you think it looked like? Smelled like? Sounded like?
- Make a list of all the imagery Jesus used in the teaching and give a one-word description of each e.g. strong, growing, powerful, beautiful, dangerous, etc.
- List everything that Jesus said in the story. What was your favorite statement?
3. Story-Specific Questions
- Why do you think Jesus used trees and rocks to teach these lessons to his followers?
- What other things about trees and rocks could be lessons for people who follow Jesus?
- What do you think it means to build a life on solid rock? How can a follower of Jesus do this?
4. Wrap-Up Question
- Why do you think this teaching is included in the Bible? What do you think God wants us to learn from it?
