Two by Two

Each track is a different way to engage with the content of the episode. You can choose to follow a track for the entire season, or you can choose to follow a track for a specific episode. Come as you are and grow at your own pace.

In this episode, the disciples are afraid and uncertain. Jesus sends them on a mission with partners they never would have chosen for themselves, and they feel overwhelmed by everything they still do not understand.

What did you think when you watched this scene?
How does fear and uncertainty affect you?
Where do you draw strength from when you are afraid or facing a challenge? Do you tend to freeze, or are you in the habit of reaching out to Jesus?

The disciples have many questions. The unknown is overwhelming. They realise they cannot complete this mission on their own and remind each other of who God is. Together, they recite God’s words and draw strength from them. This uniquely connects them to one another.

Let’s read Psalm 3.

Psalm 3

What does Psalm 3 tell you about God?
What do these words mean to you today?
How do you draw strength from God’s Word? How does this connect you with others?

Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs. Simon, the former Zealot, barely contains himself when he hears he is being sent with Matthew, the former tax collector. Jesus reminds him who they are, “He is no more a tax collector than you are a Zealot. None of you is what you were …. Remember that, all of you” [47:30-47:44 min]. At the end of the episode, Peter says, “I’m sure he paired us with our partner for a reason. Let’s make the most of it” [1:04:44-1:04:48 min].

How do you view the people Jesus has placed in your life?
What have you discovered about why he puts certain people in your life?
Who are you walking through life with at this moment, and how do you make the most of those relationship?

You can almost feel Little James’ struggle in this episode: “You’re sending us out with the ability to heal the sick and lame … So, you’re telling me that I have the ability to heal?! Forgive me, I just find that difficult to imagine with my own condition. Which you haven’t healed …” [53:09-59:40 min].

This conversation between Little James and Jesus gives us much to ponder. Though it is fictional, it reflects Jesus’ heart as he reveals it to us in the Bible. Let’s watch this scene again.

What is Little James wrestling with in this conversation?
Do you resonate with James’ experience? How?
What do you think of Jesus’ response to James?
How does this conversation impact you?

Talking about Jesus’ healing power can be challenging, especially when you or your loved ones are waiting to see it in your own lives. Little James’ observation about Psalm 139 is so raw and real, “I know how easy it is to sing David’s song, ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ But that doesn’t make this any easier. And in this group, it doesn’t make me feel like any less of a burden” [56:27-56:47 min].

Let’s read 2 Corinthians 4:5-7 and 12:7-10.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

What do these passages teach us about God and how he uses our weakness?
What does it mean to find true strength in your weakness?
Do you believe that your Father in heaven has a plan for you and for the people around you, even in the midst of your brokenness? How have you seen God’s power at work in your weakness?

We do not always understand the path God chooses or how his timing works. What we do know from God’s Word, and what we can cling to, is that he is trustworthy, holds everything in his hands and loves us deeply. The suffering of this broken world touches him profoundly. Through it all, he has a plan for our lives, where healing and restoration are part of the story.

In their conversation, Jesus says to Little James, “When you pass from this earth and meet your Father in heaven, where Isaiah promises you will leap like a deer, your reward will be great. So, hold on a little longer. And when you discover yourself finding true strength because of your weakness, and when you do great things in my Name in spite of this, the impact will last for generations” [58:00-58:36 min].

Are you confident in God’s love for you, even when things in your life do not go the way you wish they would?
How can you, like Little James, bring healing to others despite your own brokenness (or perhaps even because of it)?
What does it mean to praise God despite everything? Is that possible?
What does it mean to be patient in your suffering here on earth because you know you will spend eternity without suffering?

When John hears about Jesus’ plan to send him and the others out in this episode, he wonders, “With all due respect, we’ve only just begun as students. We’re not nearly qualified enough. Why would you need us for this work?” Zee responds, “He doesn’t need us; he wants us” [39:09-39:19 min].

Do you recognise yourself in John’s comment?
What does Zee mean?
How does Jesus respond in this scene?

If you have ever felt like God has given you an impossible task, then you are not alone. Consider Moses. When God called him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses was filled with doubt. But God knew him better than he knew himself. God knew his character and understood exactly how he would act and react. He knew why he chose him. Moses did not need to prove anything to God. In fact, God did not even tell Moses that he had the qualifications needed for the job. However, he did promise Moses something.

Let’s read Exodus 3:7-14 and 4:1-18.

Exodus 3:7-14

Exodus 4:1-18

1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied.

3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

4 Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.

5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.

9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.

15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.

16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.

17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.” Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

What five objections (Exodus 3:11, 13 and 4:1, 10, 13) did Moses raise when God gave him the task of leading the people of Israel out of Egypt?
How did God respond to Moses’ objections?
When Moses protested, God did not say, “Okay, Moses, if you don’t want the job, I’ll find someone else.” Instead, God became angry. He did not want anyone else. In the same way, when God asks you to do something, he truly means that he wants to use you for that specific task and no one else. What does this mean for you today?

As a follower of Jesus, it is a gift to be able to participate in God’s work in the world. God has a purpose for each of us in his grand plan. Often, we feel small and inadequate. But God calls us to trust – not in our own abilities – but in his abilities. He asks us to trust that when he calls us to a task, he will provide what we need to accomplish it. It is not about our ability to do something, but about God’s ability to do it with and through us (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Are you available for God? Can he use you wherever he wants, in his timing and his way?
What have you received from God to share with others? To whom will you pass it on?
What are your objections to doing what God asks of you?
How does God respond to these objections?

In this episode Jesus tells his disciples that the Kingdom of heaven is near, and he gives them authority and instructions for their mission. He sends them out without staff, travel bag, bread, money or extra clothes. He tells them they must learn to fully rely on their Father in Heaven, as well as on the people around them.

How did this scene impact you?
What could this kind of radical reliance upon God look like in your life today?

The disciples are sent on a mission that challenges them to trust God. Someone else who faced challenges like this was Paul.

Let’s read Philippians 4:10-13.

Philippians 4:10-13

What does this passage teach us about being content?
What does it mean that Paul had to learn to be content? What does this mean for you?
Do you only feel content and safe when you have what you think you need? Can you say, in times of lack, “I have enough”?
How can you practice contentment?

Matthew has chosen to leave his old life behind, including his beautiful possessions, and follow Jesus. He discovers it is not always easy, but he is content because he knows that following Jesus is way more valuable than everything he had before.

Then, his father gives him the key to his house back … A beautiful place, but it was obtained through injustice. At first, Matthew does not know what to do with it. Then we see a wonderful example of how God can use the “baggage” from our past as a blessing for others. Matthew’s house receives a new purpose. It is used to build God’s Kingdom and becomes a place of hospitality.

Are you content with following Jesus?
Is there “baggage” from your old life that is now a blessing or could become a blessing for the Kingdom?
Would you like to share something about that?

SEASON 3 - EPISODE 2

Two by Two

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Initial Reflections

Dig In

Psalm 3

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Initial Reflections

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2 Corinthians 4:5-7

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

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Initial Reflections

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Exodus 3:7-14

Exodus 4:1-18

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Initial Reflections

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Philippians 4:10-13

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Find more on our Reading Plan

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Matthew 4:24

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Two by Two

Physician, Heal Yourself

Clean (1)

Clean (2)

Intensity in Tent City

Ears to Hear

Sustenance

Promises

Confessions

Moon to Blood

Calm Before

Sitting, Serving, Scheming

Dedication

The Last Sign

Humble

Entry

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The Same Coin

Because of Me

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The Upper Room (1)

The Upper Room (2)

The Chosen Connect