Embracing Mystery: The Story of Job: Lost and Found
Job 1:9, Matthew 4:10, 11
Dr Jeff Keuss, Professor of Christian Ministry, Theology, and Culture, SPU
Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” – Job 1:9
Jesus said to him, “Away with you Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. – Matthew 4:10, 11
Lost:
● Body
● Soul
● Spirit
Found:
● Shema/ Be Attentive
● Shadad/ Be Made and Unmade
● Shalom/ Be Agents of Peace and Wholeness
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Discussion Questions
Before questions, attempt to give the group a bit of a summary of the main points of the sermon and then choose a few questions that fit your group’s needs and style. We don’t intend for you to use all of these. Three to five questions may be a good number.
Begin by reading Job 1:9 and Matthew 4:10, 11 aloud, taking turns reading the passages.
1. When you consider your body, soul, and spirit in this season of life, what do you feel has been “lost?”
a. What do you hope God will help you to “find” in its place?
2. Jesus asked the man at Bethesda, “Do you want to be whole?” When considering that wholeness may not look how you want it to look, how do you answer the question of “do you want to be whole”?
3. What is your deeper reason for following God?
a. In thinking through that question, are there any motivations that you might need to replace with other motivations?
4. Where have you seen God show up in small ways this week?
5. How attentive are you being to the way in which God is working?
a. How can you begin to be more attentive this week?
6. One of the names that Job calls God is “El Shaddai,” which means “maker and destroyer.” What in your life might God need to destroy so that He can remake it?
a. What would it take for you to be open to God doing this painful work in your life?
7. Dr Keuss said, “Rather than people who only go against the grain, perhaps as Job shows us we can instead be radical in being people of deep grain: allowing ourselves to work together to expose the scars and losses as good stewards of pain for the healing and wholeness of others.” How might God be calling you to go deeper and work towards the wholeness of others—either with individuals or communities?
8. Pray the prayer of St Ignatius as a group. Do you find any part of this prayer difficult to honestly pray to God?
“In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. For everything has the potential of calling forth in us a deeper response to our life in God.
Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to the deepening of God's life in me.”