Jesus Led a Discovery Group

Since the 1990s Discovery Bible Study (DBS) has led millions of people to trust in Christ.  Why is DBS successful?  Because it resembles how Jesus led His discovery group of disciples.

We assume 1st-century Jews had an advantage over us, because they walked with the Savior, heard His words, and saw His miracles.  But easy it was not!  We fail to see that we have the advantage of hindsight, because we know the whole story.  They, on the other hand, faced a tall learning curve as they experienced the story unfolding day by day, surprise by surprise. 

Try to picture being there, not yet knowing who Jesus really is or what will happen next.  Wouldn’t we be constantly puzzled by this mysterious Rabbi’s sayings, stories, and actions?

Jesus’ Words

We read the Gospels and chide the disciples for not grasping Jesus’ bizarre statements.  Here are a few of them, paraphrased, so that we might sense how shocking they are.

• “If you want to be My disciple, you must deny yourself, dig your own grave, and follow Me.”  (Mark 8:34)
• “Anyone who wants to be top dog must climb down to the bottom rung and be the servant of all.”  (Mark 9:35)
• “It is far easier for a camel to thread its head, humps, and hooves through the eye of a needle than for a fat cat to enter the kingdom of God.”  (Mark 10:25)

Counter-intuitive statements like these are not easily digested.  His words compel people to unlearn what they thought was true about God and people.

Jesus’ Stories

Jesus wasn’t only a master of one-liners.  He told topsy-turvy stories.

• In the story of two men praying in the temple, the pious Pharisee exits still smudged with sin, but the tax collector confesses his traitorous deeds and goes home washed clean.  (Luke 18:9-14)
• When a traveler get mugged by robbers, a priest and Levite are good for nothing, but a Samaritan bestows neighborly compassion on the victim.

What are we to make of such tales that flip our social perspectives upside down?

Jesus’ Actions

Jesus didn’t just talk the talk.  He walked the walk, with His disciples cautiously tagging along behind.  Imagine how these teaching moments perplexed them and also stretch us.

• When the disciples conjecture whose sin caused the blindness of a beggar, Jesus corrects them: “He did not sin, and neither did his parents.  His blindness will soon display that I am the light of the world.”  (John 9:3, 5)
• As the disciples gawk at wealthy folk pouring tremendous tithes into the temple coffers, Jesus compels them to focus on a widow who abandons her last two pennies and entrusts her future to God’s care.  (Mark 12:41-44)
• Jesus behaves contrary to prevailing customs: not washing before meals, healing on the Sabbath, and dining with sinners.  These bad habits provoke the religious honchos to badger the disciples, “Why does your Rabbi do these things?” thus implying, “Why do you keep following Him?”  
• Jesus sends disciples out in pairs with quite a To Do list: 1) Tell people: ‘The kingdom of heaven has arrived.’  2) Heal the sick.  3) Raise the dead.  4) Cure lepers.  5. Drive out demons.  I grant you authority to do these things, so spread the blessings freely.  (Mark 10:7-8)

Such teaching moments lifted the disciples up the learning curve.  The same thing happens in a Discovery Bible Study where not-yet Christians learn a Bible passage together and ask:

1. What happens in this scripture passage?
2. What do we discover here about God, and how does it change how we see Him?
3. What do we discover about people, and how does it change how I will behave this week?
4. With whom will I share this Bible story?  When and how? 
5. How can we help someone outside our group this week? 

When a group listens to Jesus through the Bible, wrestles with the surprising teachings, seeks to practice them, and shares them with others, what happens?  Gradually they discover who Jesus is, and they cannot help but follow Him!  It happened with the 1st-century Discovery Group that Jesus led, and it is still happening today.

Coming Up

My next blog post explains how Discovery Bible Study groups proliferate, becoming Disciple Making Movements in which thousands and even millions learn to follow Jesus.

If you desire training to use Discovery Bible Study where you are, I am willing to mentor you (at no charge) and point you to training resources available online or in your area.

Meanwhile, watch this 8-minute video to see how the Discovery Bible Study questions and activities transform a group of unbelievers into dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ.