Discussion Questions

Chuck Pike frames the class with Carl Sagan’s line, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” then asks whether you personally could provide extraordinary evidence that Jesus is the Son of God; what “extraordinary evidence” do you actually lean on in real conversations, and what does that reveal about what you think God expects from Christian witness? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Could you give “extraordinary evidence” that Jesus is the Son of God? In real talks, what evidence do you actually use, and what does that show about what you think God wants from Christian witness?

The lesson argues that Acts-era evangelism relied heavily on fulfilled prophecy because most Jews already believed Messiah was coming; how does that challenge the common modern assumption that evangelism is mainly about personal testimony, emotional appeal, or “just preaching Jesus”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If people in Acts often used fulfilled prophecy to share the gospel, what does that say about evangelism today? Does it challenge the idea that evangelism is mostly personal stories, emotions, or “just preaching Jesus”?

Justin Martyr tells Trypho that the Old Testament is “not yours, but ours,” claiming the Jewish Scriptures as Christian Scriptures; what does that ownership claim assume about the church’s identity, and how would adopting that posture reshape the way your group reads “difficult” Old Testament books like Numbers, Chronicles, and the minor prophets? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When Justin Martyr says the Old Testament is “ours” as Christians, what does that assume about who the church is? How might that change how you read hard books like Numbers, Chronicles, or the minor prophets?

Chuck highlights Jesus’ rebuke on the road to Emmaus: “How foolish you are and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken”; what parts of the Old Testament storyline about Messiah’s suffering do you suspect you’ve been “slow to believe,” even if you affirm the cross as a doctrine? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jesus said the disciples were slow to believe what the prophets said about the Messiah. What Old Testament parts about the Messiah suffering do you think you’ve been slow to accept, even if you believe in the cross?

The transcript emphasizes that Jews (then and now) stumble over a crucified Messiah and that Muslims deny the crucifixion outright (Surah 4); when you hear those objections, what part of the cross feels most offensive or implausible to you personally—shame, weakness, substitution, God’s justice, or something else? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Jews often reject a crucified Messiah, and Muslims deny the crucifixion. When you hear those objections, what part of the cross feels most shocking or hard to believe to you—shame, weakness, substitution, God’s justice, or something else?

In Numbers 21, God commands a bronze serpent on a pole even though Israel had a history of idolatry and God had forbidden making images; what does this “weird” command suggest about God’s willingness to use scandalous or easily-misused symbols to save, and where do modern Christians try to “protect” God from that kind of offense? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In Numbers 21, why would God tell Israel to make a bronze serpent when images could lead to idolatry? What does this say about God using risky or offensive symbols to save, and how do Christians today try to “protect” God from offense?

Tertullian interprets the bronze serpent as “exhibiting the Lord’s cross” where the devil is made a public spectacle; how does this view of the cross as victory over spiritual enemies (Colossians 2:13–15) confront a more individualistic, therapy-shaped view of salvation that focuses mainly on personal guilt and self-improvement? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the cross is a victory over spiritual enemies (Colossians 2:13–15), how does that challenge a view of salvation that is mainly about my personal guilt and self-improvement? What changes if salvation is bigger than just “me”?

Chuck ties the Passover lamb to ethics: Paul uses “Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” to argue for removing sexual immorality and “yeast” from the church; what would it look like for a church today to treat Christ’s sacrifice as a reason for aggressive communal purity rather than as permission to be more relaxed about sin? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Paul says Christ is our Passover lamb and uses that to push the church to remove sexual sin and “yeast.” What would it look like today for a church to treat Jesus’ sacrifice as a reason for strong group holiness instead of being more relaxed about sin?

Isaiah 53 includes the unsettling line, “It was the Lord’s wish to crush him and cause him to suffer”; how do you reconcile God’s love with God’s will in the suffering of the Servant, and where do modern Christian instincts try to soften, reword, or avoid that claim? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Isaiah 53 says it was the Lord’s will to crush the Servant. How do you hold together God’s love with God willing this suffering, and where do Christians today try to soften or avoid that idea?

Chuck lists multiple foreshadowings of the cross (Moses’ outstretched hands, Isaac carrying the wood, “government on his shoulders,” Noah saved by wood, and the “wood and water” pattern that “breaks the laws”); which of these typologies strengthens your faith most and which feels like a stretch, and what standard should Christians use to discern faithful “Old Testament proof” from creative overreach? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which Old Testament “pictures” of the cross builds your faith most, and which one feels like a stretch? What rule should Christians use to tell good Old Testament proof from creative over-reading?