Verse 10-16: If the Pharisees were some of the most educated people in Jewish society, how is it possible they could not understand Jesus’ parables? What is it about Jesus’ message that would be incomprehensible to the Pharisees and Sadducees?

Do you think Jesus’ message is exclusive? How do we interpret Jesus’ statement “to them it has not been given”?

Verse 1-8, 18-23: What is the message of Jesus that most people don’t understand?

What is it about tribulation or persecution that can drive someone away from the faith? What is the perspective of someone who can endure persecution and tribulation? How do we train to endure?

What is it that the world has to offer? What are some temptations that pull Christians must be wary of?

Verse 24-30, 36-43: How do you pick a good watermelon? Do you have a foolproof way of picking good ones from the grocery store?

What is the meaning of the parable of the weeds? Why does the master ask the servants not to pull out the weeds? How does this relate to our role as servants of Christ? Who gets to be the ultimate judge of people? Why do you think Jesus gave this parable?

Verse 31-33: Why do you think Christianity became so widespread since Jesus’ time? Do you think Christianity is still spreading globally today? What is it that drives the spread of Christianity today?

Verse 44-46: What is the best investment you’ve ever made? Have you ever bet really big on something?

Loss aversion is an important concept associated with prospect theory and is encapsulated in the expression “losses loom larger than gains” (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). It is thought that the pain of losing is psychologically about twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining. People are more willing to take risks to avoid a loss than to make a gain.

Giving your life to Christ may be seen as a gain for us, but it also might appear to be a loss to others. What can someone lose by becoming a Christian? How would you help a non-Christian weigh the benefit of investing their whole life in Christ versus living for themselves?

Verse 47-50: What do you think hell is like? What does the Bible say hell is? What does it mean that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth?

Verse 53-58: What is your perspective on cancel culture? Have you ever dismissed everything about a person or organization because you disagreed with or disapproved of one thing a person said or did? Why do we think that’s acceptable?

Why did the people from Jesus’ hometown dismiss him?