(For the detailed commentary on this week's reading, click on the "Full Commentary" button)

Discussion Questions

If you were one of those Jews who had seen Israel’s decline, what would it mean to you to hear Isaiah’s message in chapter 51? What does it mean to you today?

The Lord said to Israel, “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money,” (Isaiah 52:3). How does this apply to them, and to us?

When you consider the way Isaiah 53 described Jesus, how are you moved to respond?

Read John 1:14. How would you explain this truth to someone else?

Think about how Jesus set an example for his disciples by washing their feet. How can you personally follow his example in your own life?

As he died, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Why do you think that can sometimes be hard to accept … that Jesus completed what was necessary to secure our salvation?

Jesus told his disciples that just as he was sent by the Father, so he was also sending them. How are we to live out this mission of being “sent”?